MIMF

Just put on my first set of steel string tuning machines . Some open back Waverlys. they get really hard to bring to pitch as the tension rises. Nut slots are sized properly and smooth. The tuners seems to be flush and properly installed (?). any thoughts?

Waverly's use a ratio of 16:1 which might be a little lower than what you're used to? Many tuners now seem to be in the 22-25:1 region.

I just put some on, too. They feel a little stiff, but also feel very accurate to me. They bring the strings to pitch nicely. Much better than the worn out Grovers they replaced.

Wavs and other tight tolerance tuners can be sensitive to installation error...if they seem to bind, loosen the mounting crews just a bit and try to center post in bushing without string load. If no relief, call SM and they will swap out a set of tuners for you...

Being unfamiliar with steel string tuners I wasn't sure what to expect. I know the Grovers on my 40+ y.o. D35 are not nearly this tight. The Waverly's feel real smooth when not under string load.
There is a little slop between the post and the bushing before I installed them. Very little, but not a snug feel. is that normal?

I've put a call into tech support at SM. haven't heard back yet.

I have given up on Waverly tuners. Every set I've bought has at least one sticky tuner. There are better out there and at much better prices.

I've had better results with Grover 18:1 sta-tites. Many of the Santa Cruz guitars have Grover 18:1s on them with SCGC inscribed on them in place of Grover. Three of one of my customer's guitars have two with Waverly and one with Gover 18:1s. He has always had trouble with the Waverlys being sticky and the Grovers have always been smooth tuning.

My three favorites for open gear tuners are Schaller Grand Tune, Gotoh 510 open gear and Gorver 18:1 Sta-Tite.

I like the Wilkinson Waverly clones from Guitar Fetish.

Mark Swanson wrote:I like the Wilkinson Waverly clones from Guitar Fetish.

I just installed these Wilkinson on a new build. I find them to be sloppy. It feels like I have to go about 1/8 of a turn or more before the gear catches. I'm going to recommend to the customer we replace them with the grover sta-tites. It'll be at my cost because he picked the Wilkinson based on my recommendation. But they're only a few bucks more and he really wants the look. Have the Wilkinson not been sloppy for you?

+1 on Grover 18:1 tuners, smooth, precise, reliable and very reasonable.

Common issue...easy fix. Loosen the two screws on the offending tuner and recenter in bushing, then retighten. Wavs have far less tolerance than Grovers for misalignment with bushing, so sometimes it takes some effort on installation to get it right. The benefit is that over time, the tuners do not develop the slack and slop seen in Grovers and the lower end Gotohs.

Todd Stock wrote:Common issue...easy fix. Loosen the two screws on the offending tuner and recenter in bushing, then retighten. Wavs have far less tolerance than Grovers for misalignment with bushing, so sometimes it takes some effort on installation to get it right. The benefit is that over time, the tuners do not develop the slack and slop seen in Grovers and the lower end Gotohs.

Hi Todd. Is this fix for sticky tuners or sloppy tuners? I can see how getting them off center would bind them up and make them sticky. but there is slack between the thread and the gear on one of mine making it very loose and sloppy.

Sticky...sloppy is a manufacturing problem or excessive wear.

This is an installation issue...

Waves should be installed in a snug(but not tight) hole, and shouldn't really be touching the bushing. You must drill the holes in steps, one size for the shaft, the other for the bushing.

It hasn't seemed to bother me, I don't really even notice it because I always tune by bringing the string up to the pitch I want, coming from below the note. If the string is sharp I go below the note and bring it back up to pitch, and I suppose I am just used to the way they work and for my own use I must not be as critical as some. I understand it though.

It was really just one. They've already shipped out a replacement for no charge

Ryan Mazzocco wrote:It was really just one. They've already shipped out a replacement for no charge

That was good of them!