Not all tuning machines are created equal.

Import guitars use metric sized hardware. This is why if you've ever tried to replace plastics or certain parts with USA/Imperial sized stuff- you usually find it doesn't fit.

In the case of Chibsons (and Chenders, and Chibanez', etc...) they all use Metric sized parts. This means that the bridges you see on a Epiphone or a Schecter, etc- are basically the hardware that also fits a Chibson.

There are nuances though. With tuners, you've got two primary categories - Modern/Grover sealed tuners, and Vintage/Kluson style tuners. Determining which your guitar has FIRST, is key. This is because the screw placement, the tuner post length, and sometimes the opening/bushing size can vary. AND- typically you don't want to put a Modern tuner in a guitar that came with Vintage style (unless you don't mind exposed holes, or filling/re-drilling screw holes).

Modern / Grover Style

This is what you'll find on most "LP Custom" style guitars. In case you didn't know, the Custom is identified with a 3-5 ply bound body, bound fretboard, inlay on the first fret, and bound headstock. The headstock on a Custom has the "Diamond" Inlay.

These have the SCREW at 6'oclock (facing straight down). This is important, because I've seen far too many people just buy a set of lockers they think look the same, and it's got an OFFSET screw position:

Looking for drop in tuners?

On the Grover style, the other critical dimensions are the center to the screw hole, and the body to the string post-hole.

Some of these have shorter center-to-screw dimensions- this means that while they will technically "work"- you will have to tap a new screw hole. This is fine if you don't mind doing this, as usually the tuner body will cover the old hole.

The tuners we have selected match the dimensions of the Grover copies we've encountered (over 20+), so no drilling should be required.

Kluson/Vintage Style

This style of tuner is what you'll find on LP Standards. A good example of this is the "Greeny" that everyone is so fond of (I fucking hate them, personally...).

The biggest challenge with these is the tuner bushing/post hole can sometimes be more vintage and small, but typically on Chibsons the outside diameter is ~8.5-9mm, so this is the model we will recommend. Worst case you need to hand-ream the hole a bit larger if you happen to get one made with smaller bushings.

Here you'll find our recommendations for both styles of tuners!

Contact

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Email

chibsonjones@gmail.com

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