HipshotGrip-Lock Vintage 6 Inline Staggered Closed 8.5mm Tuners with Universal Mounting Plate, Chrome

Picked these out to replace the original garbage tuning machines on a Chinese import guitar that I won at a charity auction and turned into a mod platform guitar. They outperform the original tuners by 100 times.Installation was a challenge only because the gauge of the original tuning machines was 7.5 mm and these are 8.5 mm, but with a reamer and a 8.5 mm drill bit, the project was about an hour, as I didn’t rush. The universal mounting plate (UMP) is included, as well as screws if you don’t use it. However, my hole spacing was off so I had to modify the UMP by widening the oval holes with a diamond bit on my multitool/mini drill. That took a while too but it got done.Compared to another set of locking tuners I have on another guitar, these are much easier to use as they have a spin wheel on the back as opposed to my other locking tuners that feature a slotted turning mechanism on the face of the headstock. The pegs turn buttery smooth, and I have no issues with remaining in tune, even after heavy bends.I only wish Amazon had available the vintage-style open tuners, but these closed ones are fine, and I think these are even cheaper on Amazon than on the official website. Super upgrade for the guitar!

Hipshot is second to none, in my book. great value, excellent quality, and look wonderful. They tune well, last forever. Any guitar that I plan to keep usually gets these installed. I love being able to install strings quicker with these types of tuners. Don't buy the knockoffs, but Hipshot. These are made for 8mm peghead holes, and are meant to replace vintage styled tuners. No drilling, just tighten up the nut on top and you are good to go.

Dropped right into my telecaster (Mexico) (8.4 MM) Yes my telecaster neck holes are a bit smaller than the 8.5 that is advertised for these to fit. They dropped in with no drilling or modifications. I like em!

Hipshot is Hipshot, the names synonyms with dependable quality always trustworthy, I hate holes in my headstocks.

Tuners arrived quickly. Order on Jun 26, arrived Jun28. Good news. Tuners look great with a blemish-free chrome finish.This was the staggered set, size is clearly etched into the body of each tuner. You get 2 21mm, 2 20mm and 2 19mm tuner heads. I marked the box (see photo) so as to not get confused during installation.My guitar is a 60's Kapa Continental. The ad doesn't list the dimensions of each tuner. So I really had no way of knowing if the staggered design would fit my headstock (approximately 16mm). Of course, the shorter tuners proved to be a problem. When installed, the string hole is slightly below the top of the shaft nuts (nut and washer are about 4.5mm thick). The Univeral Mounting Plate (UMP) is thin but still reduces the necessary clearance some. Removing the washer allows just enough room to insert the string (see photo). I'll probably try to replace the 19mm tuners with a longer shaft design.installation required reaming out the holes in the headstock. I ordered the 8.5mm tuners and Kapa holes were 8mm. So I ordered a reamer (local big box stores don't carry the needed reamer) which arrived several days later. Resizing the holes went well and that's when I discovered the 19mm shaft issue.Tuner operation feels really nice. Smooth adjustment, no tight areas. I re-checked tuning the following day and found each string slightly flat. But that might be due to my using the old strings. Time will tell how well the guitar remains in tune.Pros: Overall I'm pleased with the tuners. Hole size from base of tuner clearing etched into the tuner body. Tuners look very well machined. Look great, feel great and I'm looking forward to getting good service out of them for many years.Cons: Mechanical design details need to be more clearly listed in ads. Etching is rather small. Had to use a magnifier glass to read it (I'm old but that's another story).Bottom line: I'd buy again.

I searched and searched and searched … for tuners that would fit an early 90s fender duo sonic. These seemed to be my only hope and the diameter for the pegs looked right. Got them and they were literally .25mm too big. I generally do not like the idea of modifying a neck but the original tuners just don’t hold. Having heard awesome things about hip shot, I gently used a reamer and snugged them in. Wow! I went from tuners this guitar multiple times a day if I was playing it frequently to about one time a week. Worth the modification and since I don’t plan on selling this one, I wasn’t worried about how others may feel about a modified headstock.