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Tools for the Task: Open-Gear Tuners

Ten open-gear tuner options to dress your acoustic for success, simply or ornately.

Whether you need a period-correct set for an heirloom acoustic or just want to spruce up the functionality and aesthetics of a modern 6-string, swapping out tuning machines can provide a dramatic headstock makeover through a (hopefully) simple process.

WAVERLY

W16

These 16:1 gear ratio tuners are a direct replacement for Grover Sta-Tites, and feature butterbean buttons and a stainless-steel worm with nylon bushings for smooth action.

$157 street

stewmac.com

GOTOH

SXN510V

Made for a flush fit, these tuners employ a nut-mount system and can utilize the same holes to replace Rotomatic-syle machines.

$65 street

g-gotoh.com

GRAPHTECH

PRN-3411-NO

These skeleton-button tuners feature individual gear ratios, as in all of GraphTech’s Ratio line, which means each half-key turn equals one semitone change for its string.

$132 street

graphtech.com

GROVER

Sta-Tite 98 Series

These machine heads feature a classic, round button and a heavily plated finish that creates a prominent contrast to the brass gears.

$38 street

grotro.com

SCHALLER

GrandTune Butterbean

With no polymer coatings used for the gear joints and fittings, these tuners claim excellent stick/slip performance and zero wear and slackening.

$99 street

schaller.info

GOLDEN AGE

Restoration

Designed to look like tuners of yesteryear, but tune better, these machines feature open gears and steel plates, and represent a solid option when restoring an old guitar.

$65 street

stewmac.com

WILKINSON

WJ28NCR

These tradition-style, open-frame tuning machines are chrome plated and were designed to be an affordable yet high-quality option for Western-style guitars.

$57 street

jhs.co.uk

RODGERS

Rodgers Style

These ornate tuners are available with plate material made of brass, nickel silver, or sterling silver, and with buttons ranging from exotic woods to bone to mother-of-pearl.

$792 street (starting)

rodgers-tuning-machines.com

SCHELLER

Sch-EO

These high-end machines are available in a wide variety of finishes, bobbins, and buttons, and are reported to run friction free, precisely, and with quick reaction.

$580 street

gitarrenmechaniken.com

RUBNER

Ebony Special Series

Adaptable for unique roller-spacing situations thanks to a small, two-screw faceplate, these tuners boast Moldflon anti-friction bearings for smooth precision tuning.

$118 street

rubnertuners.com

Another day, another pedal! Enter Stompboxtober Day 7 for your chance to win today’s pedal from Effects Bakery!

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A twist on the hard-to-find Ibanez MT10 that captures the low-gain responsiveness of the original and adds a dollop of more aggressive sounds too.

Excellent alternative to pricey, hard-to-find, vintage Mostortions. Flexible EQ. Great headroom. Silky low-gain sounds.

None.

$199

Wampler Mofetta
wamplerpedals.com

5
5
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4.5

Wampler’s new Mofetta is a riff on Ibanez’s MT10 Mostortion, a long-ago discontinued pedal that’s now an in-demand cult classic. If you look at online listings for the MT10, you’ll see that asking prices have climbed up to $1k in extreme cases.

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Although inspired by the classic Fuzz Face, this stomp brings more to the hair-growth game with wide-ranging bias and low-cut controls.

One-ups the Fuzz Face in tonal versatility and pure, sustained filth, with the ability to preserve most of the natural sonic thumbprint of your guitar or take your tone to lower, delightfully nasty places.

Pushing the bias hard can create compromising note decay. Difficult to control at extreme settings.

$144

Catalinbread StarCrash
catalinbread.com

4
4
4
4


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Intrepid knob-tweakers can blend between ring mod and frequency shifting and shoot for the stars.

Unique, bold, and daring sounds great for guitarists and producers. For how complex it is, it’s easy to find your way around.

Players who don’t have the time to invest might find the scope of this pedal intimidating.

$349


Red Panda Radius

redpandalab.com

5
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4
4


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