I often get asked to replace old sets of tuners that have crumbling or missing buttons. And I guess over the years lots of folks did just throw these old sets away, as evidenced by the large number of vintage guitars I’ve seen that had brand new sets of Kluson, Grover, or Gotoh tuners on them. But there is another path…
When dealing with vintage guitars, it is always best to keep things original. Sometimes, for various reasons, the only sensible alternative is to use modern parts. Many vintage tuners were “less than good” when new, and swapping for a new set that will hold tune better makes sense. And there are many options for period correct reproductions. But such is not the case with this old set, which other than the crunchy knobs look nearly new. And I’ve always found Kluson to be pretty good quality. These are on a closet-classic 1948 Harmony H-51. And it is a really clean guitar. As in NO cracks, perfect neck angle, electronics working perfectly. Other than a section of the back needing reglued at the tailblock and the new buttons, this Harmony could have been built 10 years ago. Light playing wear, but still….wow.
You can buy replacement tuner buttons and restore these old sets. I like Stewart MacDonald’s buttons better than some of the others I’ve found. I won’t get into the details, but it takes under an hour and a half to install the new buttons. Replacements come in plain white, creme (which somewhat resembles the look of old plastic that has aged), black, and brown tortoiseshell plastic.
I like to soak old tuners in some naphtha overnight to clean up old grease and dirt. Then I put some fresh oil, turn them several times to get the kinks out, then install them.
As I was writing this, my customer came to pick up her guitar. It belonged to her late father, and is now going to her grown son. So three generations plus…not bad for a guitar that cost $67.50 in 1947. Folks, I cannot say this loud enough: I love old Harmony guitars. Great old bluesy sound plugged in.