Tuners - Schaller vs RIC deluxe Vintage (Kluson Clones)

[k43rover]

The tuners on mine are all double-lines:

Well done Ron...looks like they managed to find and fit a matching set of six new spec Kluson clones on yours!

This latest spec RIC deluxe tuner was supposedly first used on the UK Pearl Whites earlier this year. From my experience with them so far, they are excellent quality tuners and as far as I can tell technically a match for any of the modern era Schallers I've used.

They appear to have consistently used the '60's style (C63 spec) slotted head screws to fit these tuners on the batch of 10 Pearl Whites but the normal cross head screws on the latest f-hole bursts. Small detail I know, but I do prefer the vintage vibe of the slotted on a '60's homage f-hole...

[electrofaro]

I selected the first option. Imo the Klusons are nice for V/C series and 21-fret f-hole guitars, but not for the regular guitars.

Is this for purely cosmetic reasons on each line or do you prefer the functionality of the Schallers?

Good question, Eddie I just got me a box of Klusons out of parts storage (our Gibbie Deluxe version with green keys) and... well, the tuner housing (or whatever the part screwed to the headstock is called) looks so old fashioned and spikey. They do work great, but I love the rounded Schallers better as they fit the rounded modern style 360 much better visually imo.

[k43rover]

They do work great, but I love the rounded Schallers better as they fit the rounded modern style 360 much better visually imo.

That's a good point. Cosmetically the New Style is such a different look to the 330/Old Style. I can see why you'd see a better fit for the cosmetics on the New Style with the Schallers.

I'm not sure what internal mechanical improvements have been made to the latest spec RIC deluxe, but they do seem to operate very well now. Having said that, the majority of the '60's original Klusons I've encountered are still operating perfectly after nearly 50 years (although I have also encountered a few duds, but I guess that's only to be expected on any mechanical part given the age).

[krick]

I believe the single line tuners that are marked DELUX are actually the newer version that was developed for the 360/12C63 models and they have been used on other models since.

All of the V Series models and others with vintage style tuners from about 1991 through 2005 such as the Carl Wilson LE models and the 360/12V66 seem have the double line type that are marked RIC DELUXE. I am thinking RIC may have found a stash of these somewhere and decided to use them up on the recent "special run" models.

[k43rover]

I believe the single line tuners that are marked DELUX are actually the newer version that was developed for the 360/12C63 models and they have been used on other models since.

That could be true, but the factory would need to confirm either way. If it is true, it would be directly at odds with what they said when the Pearl Whites were in the final build phase (I think it was Ben who confirmed in one of the online discussions that the Whites would be the first guitars to use the new spec vintage reissue tuners).

It would be good if they could organise themselves to use a cosmetically/mechanically matching set of six on any given guitar regardless of whether they are old/new spec.