now, i've seen old postings on here talking about this, so at least at one point there were folks here using them.
so, anyway, the question, if any of the keith or schaller d-tune guitarists are still here is; will they work ACCURATELY on a fairly extreme shift; for shifts of 3 full tones where the higher tone will be under quite a bit of tension? i want to switch from 4ths to 5ths. the most extreme jump is from E down to Bb on the low pitch string, and the other slightly problematic change is from B up to D.
i can get the tunings to work ok for me, but it takes far too long to switch, so any advice appreciated
I've never seen Schaller or Keith tuners for a guitar, only the Hipshot type lever adjusters, which will only drop a tone.
But if you have found tuners that will do the job, or are planning to fit banjo pegs to your guitar, the accuracy will depend to some extent on the guitar itself - how sticky the bridge and nut are and how much things bend and move when you change the tension.
The way to tell if it is going to be acceptable would be to mark the position of tuner buttons, tune it off, then tune it back to the marks (without using your ears) and see how close it comes. Make sure the strings are wound neatly on the barrels with no overlapping turns - if they are a tangled mess it will never be accurate.
it is the banjo ones i'm talking about. , but unfortunately i don't have any of these tuners yet. i'm wondering if i can get a recommendation to save me the guts of £200 if it doesn't work.
As I said, the banjo tuners simply have end stops, so if you mark your existing machine heads and then tune them up to the mark, that will give you an idea of how accurately the D tuners will come back.
D-tuners will handle the tension of a guitar string.
There is a qualitative difference between the Kieth-Bump tuners and Schallers. Schaller tuners are considered inferior to the Keith tuners in accuracy and function by virtually all of those who use them on the banjohangout. I have had both and agree with the assessment. You get what you pay for (I have had my Keith tuners since 1964 and they still work great.)
The Keith tuners are very accurate, the same could not be said about other tuners. There are several drawbacks to using them on guitars: 1) they look funny, 2) they add mass to the headstock and may change the sound of your guitar, 3) they are not a accurate for tuning since they have a 4:1 ratio opposed to the usual 12:1 (or better) of guitar tuners.
I will have to see if the Keith tuners will drop three whole tones. They are limited by the range of one turn (actually slightly less) so I doubt that they will be able to go that far but they are able to go 1 and a half tones with ease.
well - i asked over on banjohangout as well, where the word was that it just wouldn't work - for starters a .53 string won't fit the peg.
so, i decided to try skreech's suggestion to see how good the instrument itself is. i wasn't expecting miracles - it's an old gibson B25 that the top is so bad on, I fitted a tailpiece to stop the whole thing pulling apart.
anyway, wouldn't you know, it's really, really consistent - to the point that i can tune either way just by counting the turns to within a cent or 3.
this is allowing me to move between the tunings now in around 25-30 seconds, and that's as long as it takes me to swap from guitar to octave mando anyway, so looks like i'm up and running, and it's cost - nothing.
schaller d-tuners on a guitar
schaller d-tuners on a guitar
now, i've seen old postings on here talking about this, so at least at one point there were folks here using them.
so, anyway, the question, if any of the keith or schaller d-tune guitarists are still here is; will they work ACCURATELY on a fairly extreme shift; for shifts of 3 full tones where the higher tone will be under quite a bit of tension? i want to switch from 4ths to 5ths. the most extreme jump is from E down to Bb on the low pitch string, and the other slightly problematic change is from B up to D.
i can get the tunings to work ok for me, but it takes far too long to switch, so any advice appreciated
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by saltybrian
Re: schaller d-tuners on a guitar
I've never seen Schaller or Keith tuners for a guitar, only the Hipshot type lever adjusters, which will only drop a tone.
But if you have found tuners that will do the job, or are planning to fit banjo pegs to your guitar, the accuracy will depend to some extent on the guitar itself - how sticky the bridge and nut are and how much things bend and move when you change the tension.
The way to tell if it is going to be acceptable would be to mark the position of tuner buttons, tune it off, then tune it back to the marks (without using your ears) and see how close it comes. Make sure the strings are wound neatly on the barrels with no overlapping turns - if they are a tangled mess it will never be accurate.
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by skreech
Re: schaller d-tuners on a guitar
it is the banjo ones i'm talking about. , but unfortunately i don't have any of these tuners yet. i'm wondering if i can get a recommendation to save me the guts of £200 if it doesn't work.
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by saltybrian
Re: schaller d-tuners on a guitar
and furthermore, can standard banjo planetaries handle the tension of a guitar string?
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by saltybrian
Re: schaller d-tuners on a guitar
As I said, the banjo tuners simply have end stops, so if you mark your existing machine heads and then tune them up to the mark, that will give you an idea of how accurately the D tuners will come back.
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by skreech
Re: schaller d-tuners on a guitar
D-tuners will handle the tension of a guitar string.
There is a qualitative difference between the Kieth-Bump tuners and Schallers. Schaller tuners are considered inferior to the Keith tuners in accuracy and function by virtually all of those who use them on the banjohangout. I have had both and agree with the assessment. You get what you pay for (I have had my Keith tuners since 1964 and they still work great.)
The Keith tuners are very accurate, the same could not be said about other tuners. There are several drawbacks to using them on guitars: 1) they look funny, 2) they add mass to the headstock and may change the sound of your guitar, 3) they are not a accurate for tuning since they have a 4:1 ratio opposed to the usual 12:1 (or better) of guitar tuners.
Mike Keyes
http://www.mikekeyes.com
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by mikeyes
Re: schaller d-tuners on a guitar
I will have to see if the Keith tuners will drop three whole tones. They are limited by the range of one turn (actually slightly less) so I doubt that they will be able to go that far but they are able to go 1 and a half tones with ease.
Mike Keyes
http://www.banjosessions.com
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by mikeyes
Re: schaller d-tuners on a guitar
well - i asked over on banjohangout as well, where the word was that it just wouldn't work - for starters a .53 string won't fit the peg.
so, i decided to try skreech's suggestion to see how good the instrument itself is. i wasn't expecting miracles - it's an old gibson B25 that the top is so bad on, I fitted a tailpiece to stop the whole thing pulling apart.
anyway, wouldn't you know, it's really, really consistent - to the point that i can tune either way just by counting the turns to within a cent or 3.
this is allowing me to move between the tunings now in around 25-30 seconds, and that's as long as it takes me to swap from guitar to octave mando anyway, so looks like i'm up and running, and it's cost - nothing.
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by saltybrian
Re: schaller d-tuners on a guitar
Hey Brian have you ever tried EADDAE tuning on guitar?
Can play guitar chords on the top (as you look at them) strings and banjo tunes on the high strings and you get a drone D as well if you want.
You only have to tune down the B to A and (if you're going to use it all the time) fit another D string in place of the G
# Posted on June 27th 2009 by Bren
Re: schaller d-tuners on a guitar
while your at it Brian try CGCGCD
# Posted on June 28th 2009 by lisaniska
Re: schaller d-tuners on a guitar
Just wanted to put in a plug for the Hipshot. super accurate, easy to use, made for guitar. It'll only work on the low string, though.
# Posted on June 30th 2009 by matt