Guitar neck design. Guitar Fretboard Electric Guitar Neck Mount

Hello, dear readers of our newsletter! This week we decided to cover the subject of guitar neck construction. It turns out that there are many interesting things that musicians don't know or don't know about. So how is the neck made? Why do some guitars have special iron things on the headstock, under which the strings are launched, while others do not? Which neck is better - glued or bolted? We will answer these and other questions in this article, which is entirely devoted to the production technology of guitar necks.

When making a guitar neck, the master must take into account several important factors. The very first is the type of cut - tangential (flat (slab) sawn) or radial (quarter sawn). If you don't know what the difference is, we'll quote one of the woodworking websites:

Radial called a cut, in which the cut plane passes through the core of the trunk. The wood of such boards is quite uniform in color and texture, the inter-ring dimensions are minimal. Radial cut boards are resistant to external influences, practically do not undergo deformation and have high wear resistance. the cut plane passes through the core of the trunk.

tangential a cut is called, in which the cut plane passes at a distance from the core, tangentially to the annual layer of the trunk. Such boards have a pronounced texture and a rich wavy pattern of annual rings. Tangential sawn boards have higher shrinkage and swelling ratios, but are more affordable. Check out the differences in the photo.

We are interested in how this affects the quality of the guitar and its sound. A neck with a radial cut is more durable, stiffer, withstands more stress, and generally behaves more stably. In other words, having rebuilt such a neck once, you practically do not need to adjust it and twist the anchor. This neck will hold the desired angle for a very long time. the neck with a tangential cut is more flexible, reacts to the thickness of the strings, it will have to be adjusted more often, especially in conditions of humidity and temperature changes.

As you might have guessed, most neck problems come from the truss rod. This iron rod inside the neck gives it rigidity and also allows the neck deflection to be adjusted to the guitarist's requirements. In addition to stability, many musicians note the difference in the sound of necks from different cuts.

From what I've heard and read, most musicians say that tangential cut necks sound softer and the bass is less focused. The radial cut necks are brighter, the bottoms are clearer. As you already understood, radial sawing is more expensive. Tangential cut necks can be made from the same piece of wood more than radial ones.

Since not everyone is willing to pay this difference in price, multi-layer necks were invented, which, in terms of properties and sound, approach the radial cut. In this case, the craftsman takes two or three pieces of tangentially cut wood and glues them together. The neck is stiffer than a traditional tangential rassip neck + smaller pieces of wood are used in the manufacture, which significantly reduces waste during production. Also, with this method of making the neck, the master can experiment with different types of wood and, thus, change the sound of the neck in the end.

This image shows the neck of an Alembic guitar using Maple (Bottom and Top), Cherry (Center) and Exotic Purplewood. This neck is not only stiff, strong and stable, but also has a unique sound.

Glue or bolts?

Another subject of heated debate among guitarists is the way the neck is attached to the body of the guitar. There are three types of neck fastening - bolted, glued and through (through the body). Each of these types has its own characteristics both in sound and in the convenience of the game.

Bolted neck (bolt-on)

Bolted neck is attached to the body of the guitar with bolts. How did you guess? The neck is inserted into a special "pocket" cut into the body and held in place with steel or wood bolts. This design was first used by Leo Fender in his Fender Telecaster guitar. Many believe that Leo just wanted to save on production, but the truth, as always, is somewhere nearby :) Leo was a very practical person and wanted his guitars to be practical too. He reasoned like this: if there is a problem with any part of the guitar, it should be possible to replace it without the help of expensive guitar makers. If the guitar is assembled correctly, this method allows you to get a solid wood-to-wood, body-to-neck joint. And although many consider it just a cheaper way, a good bolt-neck guitar is even more difficult to make than an average one with a glued-in neck. A very important point for guitars with a bolt neck is the very "pocket". If the neck dangles in your pocket, the guitar will have poor sustain, lack of overtones, unstable tuning and intonation. If the neck sits firmly in the pocket, the vibrations of the neck will be transmitted to the body, while the whole structure will remain stable. Bolted necks sound lively, bright, with a fast attack, but the notes cut through more slowly. This is because the way the neck is attached to the body slows down the transfer of acoustic properties from the string to the body. A biting, nasal tone is a hallmark of the Telecaster and Stratocaster guitars. These instruments just shoot notes. But their sustain is not so expressive. The most striking example is the sound of a stratocaster with a neck pickup. You need to understand that each guitar has its own use. Some people want more sustain through a tighter neck/body connection, others want the opposite.

Glued neck (set neck)

Tenon Type of Neck Attachment A glued-in neck means that the neck and body of the guitar are held together with glue. In the production of guitars in this way, various methods are used depending on the age of the wood, the maker and the type of instrument. Gibson used a technology called the tenon neck joint.

Another popular attachment method is the dovetail joint. With this method, part of the neck is inserted into a special pocket in the body. Due to the fact that the sides of the neck adjacent to the body are at an angle, the contact area increases, the joint is very strong. Set necks have a faster transfer of acoustic properties from the strings to the body (we are talking about good instruments) than guitars with bolt necks. This means more sustain, better resonance, but the attack suffers. The result is a warm, calm sound, with good sustain, the notes sound juicy. This type of neck mounting is suitable for powerful guitar riffs, bright stringy solos, and especially for jazz players.

The larger the contact area between the neck and the body, the stronger the joint and the better the transfer of acoustic properties. At the same time, even guitars with a short joint are very durable - these are old Gibson of the 70s. Gibson Les Paul necks

Neck-through body

The essence of this design is that the neck passes under the bridge of the guitar. This is possible due to the fact that the neck and part of the body of the guitar are made from one single piece of wood, or from glued parts of the same length. In this case, the wings of the neck (upper and lower parts) are already glued outside the body. This design allows the most unobstructed transfer of acoustic properties from the strings to the body, which is reflected in the best way on the sustain. There is a lot of wood in the sound of these guitars. Many luthiers consider this to be the best way to assemble, to bring out the wood character, tone and sustain of the guitar to its fullest. Guitars with this type of construction tend to have easier access to the upper frets, as the neck does not have a heel. The reverse side of the coin is the high cost and time spent on the production of such tools. Therefore, this type of neck attachment is usually only available on expensive hi-end guitars. So, all three types of neck attachment have both advantages and disadvantages, a unique character and features. The best choice, as always, can only be made by your ears, hands and fingers. Try different models, and once you find one that fits in your hands like a native, listen to this guitar. Does it sound the way you want it to. It's useless to give advice. Listen to yourself.

Headstock Angle

Often musicians ask: why are there string guides on the fretboard? Why do some guitars have them and others don't? These pieces were designed to increase the angle of the string from the nut to the headstock so that the string does not fly out of the nut groove. Rails were used on flathead guitars. Flat means in relation to the main plane of the fingerboard. An example is the Stratocaster and Telecaster guitars.

Manufacturers like Gibson initially make guitars with the head tilted relative to the rest of the neck. Thus, the strings sit firmly in the grooves and do not fly out, and the guides are not needed. Another way to achieve the desired string angle is to use lowered tuning pegs on flat neck guitars. Starting from the lower E string, the height of the pegs becomes smaller and for the first string, the hole on the first peg is almost next to the tree itself. The farther the pegs are from the nut, the more slope is needed. Thus, the guides (string tree) also become unnecessary. However, most flat neck guitars have rails.

So, after reading this article, you now know everything about guitar necks and will be able to choose the right instrument for yourself and tell your friends. As they say, forewarned is forearmed. Leave your questions and comments on the article! See you soon, there is still a lot of interesting things ahead!

In one of the previous articles, we studied the general electric guitar. Today we will take a closer look at the fastening of the fretboard of an electric guitar. You will also learn what are the main ways of attaching a guitar neck to the body and how they differ from each other.

Neck attachment

The sound of an electric guitar largely depends on both the quality of the neck and the way it is mounted. I would like to note right away that none of the following methods of attaching the neck to the body of the guitar is the best. Each of them in its own way brings a certain shade to the sound of the instrument. First of all, it concerns sustain and attack. Well, now let's move on, in fact, to the types of fastening, of which we have as many as 4 types.

Bolt-On (On bolts)

This type of neck attachment was invented back in the late 40s by Leo Fender, which he began to use on his electric guitars, which eventually made it possible to significantly reduce costs in mass production. When suddenly, during the manufacture, a marriage was found on an already assembled instrument, then the unusable neck was simply taken, unscrewed from the body and immediately replaced with a new one. What is called cheap and cheerful. That is why such necks are installed mainly on budget electric guitars, although this does not mean that this type of fastening is the worst. The bolt-on neck is the most common and simplest.

This type of fastening is characterized by a powerful attack and good “readability” of notes, but the sustain here is rather weak, although this is compensated by a sharp (“biting”) tone. The main nuance is that the neck fits as tightly as possible to the body of the guitar. If gaps are observed at the junction, then in this case it is necessary to take the instrument to the guitar master so that he slightly levels the area under the heel of the neck on the body. Such a small and inexpensive modification will greatly improve the sound of the guitar. Many firms, for example, in order to ensure good contact of the neck with the body, connect these two parts with 5-6, or even a large number of bolts.

Electric guitars with this connection are considered universal, but they are best suited for playing hard rock. In terms of repair, such instruments are not whimsical at all, because removing the neck from the body is a matter of several minutes.

Glued/Set-In (Pasted)

The set neck is widely used on Gibson electric guitars, as well as many other well-known manufacturers. It is installed in a special recess and with the help of epoxy resin it is securely fixed. Such a connection conveys acoustic properties much better than a bolted connection, which gives the instrument a warm sound and excellent sustain, but the attack is no longer as pronounced.

Bonded neck electric guitars are often more expensive because the bonding process is the most labor intensive. Due to its complex design, such a neck is much more difficult to repair or replace. Set-neck electric guitars are ideal for playing jazz music or for a warm and smooth sound.

Neck-Through (Through)

Perhaps this is one of the most expensive and best ways to install the neck, which was invented a little later than the first two. On electric guitars, a through neck is quite rare, but bass guitars with it are a common occurrence.

This type of fastening allows you to feel the real natural sound of wood as much as possible. Instruments with such a neck have excellent sustain, sound very even and without dips over the entire frequency range due to the fact that the neck itself occupies 1/3 of the body, and the wood from which it is made has a very strong effect on the sound than in other mounting methods. . For such types of structures at low frequencies, a slight decrease in resonance is characteristic. Thru necks are used on most Fodera basses, as well as some expensive Jackson electric guitars.

It is also worth noting that it is very convenient to play such instruments, because. There is no heel on the neck, which makes it easy to play your favorite solos. Due to the fact that neck-through guitars are very expensive, their repair is usually very expensive, although in most cases it is simply impossible, so such instruments require very careful handling and storage.

Half-Through Body (Half-through)

The semi-through method of attaching a guitar neck is nothing more than a variation on the Neck-Through theme, which some electric guitar manufacturers began to use in the late 80s. This type of fastening has not received its wide distribution.

This type of mounting involves a tighter contact of the neck with the body than in the bolt-on variation. The body of the guitar here is one-piece and is not split in half as with a completely neck-through neck. The sound of instruments with a semi-hard neck is close to the previous type. It is found mainly on bass guitars, rather than on electric guitars. Ibanez, Tung, and several other firms use semi-through necks on their instruments.

P.S. Summing up, we can say that there are still exceptions to the rules, and all the main methods of fastening the neck listed above will not give a 100% guarantee that you will not accidentally come across a low-quality instrument, even if it is with a through neck. Therefore, when buying yourself a new electric guitar, be responsible for its choice, trusting only your eyes, hands and ears.

The way the neck is attached to the body of an electric guitar is a nuance often overlooked by most beginning players. When choosing an instrument, the line “neck design” often remains just a line in the description, saying little about anything. However, this opinion is fundamentally wrong. And if, when choosing a budget tool, this factor can be neglected, since the design in this case will be identical for many tools of the same price category, then when buying a more expensive tool, the paths diverge. This article will help you understand the differences and advantages of the types of fastening of the neck.

In total, in modern guitar construction, there are 3 types of fastening the neck to the body. It's bolted mount, adhesive mount and through mount. It would seem that it makes no difference how the two parts of the guitar are connected. But fortunately, there is a difference. And this difference is very noticeable.

Bolted connection- most common option for attaching the neck to the body. It is present on all cheap guitars. However, this does not mean that this type of fastening is the worst. Rather, it is the simplest and most common. In this case, a cutout is made in the body of the guitar - “pocket”, into which the neck is inserted and secured with bolts. With proper assembly, the wood-to-wood joint is very tight and strong. Due to the fact that this type of connection slows down the transfer of the acoustic properties of the vibrating string to the body, the notes cut more slowly and die out faster. Simply put, the sustain (after-sound) of the guitars will be weaker. However, the guitars sound very bright and resonant, have a fairly powerful attack and boast a sharp, "biting" tone. Guitars of this kind are very versatile, but are best suited for playing heavy music. In addition, the repair of these guitars is the easiest, because detaching the neck from the body is not difficult.

In the case of a set neck, things are different. Vulture installed in a special recess and securely fixed with epoxy resin. With this type of connection, the acoustic properties are transmitted in the best possible way. The guitar sounds warm, deep and has great resonance. However , attack is sacrificed for the aforementioned advantages . Guitars with this type of neck attachment tend to be more expensive because the gluing process is more labor intensive. In addition, the set neck is much more difficult to replace or repair, again due to the more complex design. Guitars with this type of neck are ideal for jazz players, as well as people who prefer a warmer and smoother sound.

A through neck is considered by right the best option, but at the same time the most expensive. The neck of the guitar passes through the body and is fixed at the level of the bridge. In such situations, the body part and neck are made from a single piece of wood. This type of neck mounting allows you to fully experience the natural sound of wood. Many masters claim that it is with this type of fastening that the tone, sustain and character of the guitar's sound are fully revealed. When playing a guitar with this type of neck mounting, there is a "lot of wood" in the sound. In addition, the comfort of the game deserves special mention, since the neck does not have a heel. On the other hand, such guitars are not only the most expensive, but often the most expensive in case of repair, which, by the way, is often impossible. Therefore, guitars of this type require careful handling.

But there are exceptions to all the rules, and everything written above does not give a 100% guarantee that you will not come across a simply, simply poor-quality instrument, even with a through neck. In this case , regardless of the mounting method , the guitar will not sound good . And therefore, when buying, you should trust your hands, ears and eyes.

The fretboard is one of the most complex parts of the electric guitar and bass guitar. As a rule, it is made of maple or mahogany. There are several ways to mount the neck to the body, each of which adds some nuance to the sound of the instrument. For the most part, this applies to sustain and attacks:

BOLT-ON

The method of fastening the neck with bolts was invented by the talented inventor Leo Fender in the 40s. With proper assembly, the connection is very tight and strong. Many manufacturers, in an effort to ensure good contact between the neck and the body, connect these two parts with five, and sometimes more, bolts. Such a neck lags behind in the transmission of vibration (sustain will be weaker), but helps to create a special “popping” tone. Bolt-on neck guitars sound "juicy" and ringing, they are suitable for playing heavy music. Among the advantages of models with this method of attachment are also:

GLUED/SET-IN

The neck tongue is glued into a recess on the soundboard. The method is considered the most traditional, it is used when creating Les Paul models or Martin acoustic guitars. With the help of a binder (epoxy resin), the most dense connection is achieved. The guitar sounds warm, deep and has great resonance. The complexity of the gluing process affects the cost of the tool. This design is not maintainable, parts are more difficult to replace. Guitars with this type of neck are often chosen by jazz musicians. The advantages of the tool include:

• excellent transmission of the sound war;
• high sustain;
• even and rich sound.

NECK-THROUGH (THROUGH)

The neck, made from a single piece of wood, runs through the entire deck from start to finish. This neck mounting option is more typical for bass guitars. It makes it possible to fully experience the natural sound of wood, so the material of manufacture is of great importance. These guitars are often expensive to repair. Used on most Fodera basses, some Jackson guitars. Through-hole instruments are preferred by many metal performers. Among the advantages:

• Deep sound
• excellent attack;
• strong sustain.

HALF-THROUGH BODY (HALF-THROUGH)

The body is made from a single piece of wood. Tighter neck-to-body contact than bolt-on. This method of fastening was invented recently and is not widely used. It is found on instruments under the trademarks Ibanez, Tung and some others. Benefits of these tools include:

• reliability;
• warm and rich sound;
• excellent reproduction of the characteristic sound of wood.

Thus, each method of attaching the neck to the body changes the sound of the instrument. However, none of them is exemplary. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages.

1. Vulture
2. Body (deck)

4. Nut
5. Pegs (peg mechanism)
6. Bridge (string holder, typewriter)
7. Pickup
8. Pickup switch
9. Tone control
10. Volume control
11. Cord socket
12. Anchor adjustment hole
13. Belt attachment
14. Fret marker

Neck (German Griff - handle). The neck is one of the most complex parts of an electric guitar. The most popular material for making electric guitar necks is maple and mahogany.

Fretboard

The neck of an electric guitar can be with an overlay in which frets are installed and from a single piece of wood. The most famous solid neck guitars are Fender, but this technology is used by almost all modern manufacturers.

Basic ways to attach the neck to the body of an electric guitar

Bolt-on- this method of fastening was invented by Leo Fender in the late 40s and began to use it on his instruments. This made it possible to significantly reduce costs in mass production. For example, if a defect was suddenly found on the assembled instrument, the neck (or body) was simply unscrewed and replaced with a new one. As they say, "cheap and cheerful." This method of fastening is characterized by a bright attack and good “readability” of notes. It is very important that the neck fits as tightly as possible to the body, if there are gaps, it is better to take the guitar to the master so that he slightly trims the platform under the heel of the neck on the body. This very simple and inexpensive operation will improve the sound of your instrument. To ensure the best contact of the neck with the body, many companies fasten the necks with five or six, and sometimes more screws.

Glued (glued/set-in)- this method of attachment is used by companies such as Gibson, PRS and many others. The attack is not as bright as a bolt-on neck, but the sustain is better.

Through (neck-through)- the most expensive way to attach the neck. Appeared later than the first two. This mounting method is rarely used on electric guitars, but neck-through basses are by no means uncommon. Typically, neck-thru instruments sound very flat, without dips throughout the range, and have excellent sustain. Since the neck in this case occupies almost a third of the body, including the central one, the material from which it is made has a greater effect on the sound than with other mounting methods. Also, this design is characterized by a slight decrease in resonance at low frequencies. Used on most Fodera basses, some Jackson guitars.

The main methods of fastening the neck

screwed (Bold on neck)	pasted (set neck)	Through (Neck-thru)

Solid body guitars, the body of which is a piece made of solid wood, without any holes or cavities. Solid body guitars are the most common type of guitar in rock music. They tend to have excellent sustain and are good at suppressing feedback at high volumes. Examples of solid body guitars include Gibson models such as the Les Paul and SG (which, by the way, stands for Solid Guitar - that is, a guitar with a solid body), the Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster models, the Paul Reed Smith Standard model and many others.

Hollow body Hollowbody guitars are more often associated with jazz than rock, although there are exceptions: for example, Ted Nugent plays a Gibson Byrdland fullbody guitar, and Yes's Steve Howe plays a Gibson ES-175. Because full-body guitars have higher resonant properties than solid-body guitars, they are more prone to feedback at high volumes. In addition, they have less sustain than solid body guitars, and the sound has a noticeable "wooden" tone.

Semi-hollow body The class of semi-body guitars includes solid-core guitars, in the cases of which there are one or more acoustic chambers. These chambers enhance acoustic performance and tone depth, but because the guitar is solid body, the resonant characteristics remain within an acceptable range, reducing the chance of feedback. The most popular model is the Gibson ES-355 (, etc.), but companies such as Rickenbacker. Guild, Ibanez and others have also made significant contributions to the design of semi-body guitars. Half-body guitars are instruments with a very wide range of applications: they are well suited for jazz, archaic rock, fusion, funk and country.

For stringed instruments, in this case the guitar, frets (frets) divide the neck into segments, the lengths of which are calculated in accordance with the laws of wave acoustics and music theory. The frets are metal strips inserted into the fretboard, more specifically into the fretboard. Sometimes a fret refers to the space between two adjacent strips of metal, which is why it is said to “press the string at the fifth fret” rather than “press the string between the fourth and fifth frets”, implying that the finger is pressing the string against the surface of the fretboard, and not against the strip itself.

fret making

The frets are made from high quality materials using the following base materials:

- Nickel silver frets
- stainless steel
- special brass
- non-allergenic alloy
- bronze with tin content 15%

nickel silver frets two hardnesses are available: frets of standard hardness (made of nickel silver with a nickel content of 12%); extra hard frets (made of nickel silver with 18% nickel content). Extra hard frets (e.h.) with a hardness of more than 170 HB withstand intensive, long-term (up to two years) playing on a musical instrument.

nickel silver frets are produced with different head shapes. The most widespread arcuate (traditional) and triangular head shapes. Triangular frets allow you to play a musical instrument without "rustle", which is especially important when recording music in recording studios using highly sensitive equipment.

nickel silver repair frets have a thickened foot and are successfully used by repair shops when replacing frets on musical instruments. stainless steel frets are w.p. frets with hardness up to 40 HRC. These are practically "eternal frets".

Special brass frets have a golden color and standard hardness. from a non-allergenic alloy of silver color, standard hardness are intended for musical instruments made from materials that do not cause an allergic reaction in a musician.

Bronze frets with 15% tin content (the most sonorous bronze) have the color of gold, hardness close to the hardness of especially hard nickel silver frets. These unique frets work particularly well on high quality electric guitars.

Fret shapes

Basic fret shapes:

6100: Large, for a "scalloped" neck feel
6105: Narrow and tall, very popular
6130: "Medium Jumbo" - found on most Gibson necks
6230: Smallest frets used on older Fenders
6150: "Jumbo", almost the same width as "Medium Jumbo", but slightly taller

The nut determines the distance between the strings and their height above the frets. It should match the width of the neck, the radius of the fingerboard, and the height of the frets. He, as it were, initially presses the strings at the 0th fret, and the strings that rest on the nut, but are not pressed by the fingers of the guitarist's left hand to the fret nut, are called open (i.e., not pressed).

Properties of some materials from which the nut is made

Bone:

Hard, dense material
- bright, clear and readable sound

Graphite:

Self-lubricating, good for guitars with tremolo systems
- warm sound
- soft, easy to handle

Copper:

- hard material, well polished and looks with gilded fittings
- excellent sustain for bass guitars and slide guitars
- bright sound

Nickel:

- made from the same material as the fret wire (copper and 18% nickel), so it matches the sound and look of the frets
- well polished
- very bright sound with excellent readability and sustain

Nuts TUSQ

Synthetic material that looks like bone
- transparent and deep sound, with good sustain

Corian Nuts:

hard synthetic material
- balanced, clear sound

Lockable thresholds

This is a nut that clamps the strings and allows your guitar to stay in tune when the machine is actively working. Some people think that this is the only way to keep the guitar in tune. They're kind of right, it works really well, but beware of changing the tone. The metal locking nut does not allow the strings to resonate for a long time and greatly reduces the sustain, however, if your playing style does not involve frequent use of the machine, this will not be a big problem.

Over the past 15 years, excellent devices have appeared that are the golden mean between a regular and a locking nut. The first thing I want to mention is the roller nut LSR. It can be seen on some Fender Strats.

This nut has an interesting design - it has special rollers through which the strings pass. These rollers allow the strings to return to their center position after using the tremolo machine. I have one on one of my strats and it works really well. This allows the guitar not to get out of tune when doing tremolo tricks in the spirit. But with tricks, such a threshold will keep the system worse than a locking one.

The second interesting device is a compensating threshold Earvana. Very good design and function. Intonation is another important factor in how a guitar sounds and feels. Not only will Earvana improve intonation, but this construction will also help the guitar stay in tune when you're playing tremolo.

Now you don't have to tune the guitar after using the tremolo, and the strings will sound a little longer thanks to the compensating nut.

Pegs (pegs mechanism) - are intended for fastening and a tension of strings when tuning a guitar.

There are several types of pegs: ordinary, lock and stalk. The quality of the tuning machine largely determines how long your guitar will stay in tune. You also need to pay attention to the quality

The pegs consist of a shaft, a worm mechanism and a handle. The ratio of the mechanism indicates how many turns of the handle (through 360 °) must be made in order for the shaft to complete one revolution. The usual gear ratios are between 1:12 and 1:20. A gear ratio of 1:14, for example, means that 14 turns of the handle will cause the shaft to complete one full turn. The tuning pegs allow you to tune the guitar, and the ability of the guitar to hold the tuning steadily depends on their quality. Don't skimp on them. The softer and more precise the stroke of the pegs, the easier it is to tune the guitar. Closed gears are better than open ones. The ease of rotation of the tuning pegs can often be adjusted with a screw on the handle. Schaller, Gotoh, Grover, Kluson and Sperzel are all quality tuners, and especially those made by the German firm Schaller have a very good reputation. Made by the Japanese company Gotoh, they are cheaper, but just as good in quality. Most of the pegs are chrome or gold plated. If you want to save some money, buy machine-polished tuners instead of hand-polished ones.

Lock pins have undeniable advantages: the guitar can be tuned faster, fewer turns need to be wound on the peg, the guitar will be less out of tune when working with a typewriter, and finally, a clamped string will not “creep” when tensioned.

Different-sized tuning pegs with shafts of different lengths are necessary if the headstock is not inclined to the neck. These pegs help maintain sufficient string pressure on the nut. The same effect can be achieved with regular tuners using a wedge shim.