Acoustic guitar tuning pegs are some of the most overlooked parts of a guitar until they fall out of whack. Like other guitar parts, tuning pegs need replacing when they break or get old. Finding the best acoustic guitar tuning pegs for your instruments is crucial to maintaining its rhythm.
New to this? Read Guitar Upgrades Explained: Pickups, Tuners, Necks and What’s Worth It first for the basics, then use the picks below.
The best acoustic guitar tuning pegs include Gotoh Magnum Traditional Guitar Tuners, Fender Chrome Locking Tuners, D’Addario Auto-trim Tuning Pegs, Gotoh Schaller-style Chrome Tuners, and Hipshot Grip-Locking Tuner. These tuners feature a high gear ratio, great locks, and are lightweight.
In this article, I’ll take you through the process of buying acoustic guitar pegs and the factors to consider. I’ll also examine 10 of the best acoustic guitar tuning pegs and why they stand a cut above the rest.
Related: 22 vs 24 fret electric guitars.
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- Fender Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Guitar Bundle (MY FAVORITE GUITAR)
- Snark SN-8 Super Tight All Instrument Tuner (Easiest Tuner I’ve Used)
- 6 String Acoustic Guitar Capo (Best CAPO for quick changes)
- Dunlop Max Grip 1.0mm Nylon Picks (Thick Guitar Pick So You Don’t Lose Grip!)
- Universal Guitar Stand (Cheap & Minimalist Guitar Stand I Recommend)
- Levy’s 2″ Wide Quick Adjust Guitar Strap (Best Guitar Strap For Any Level)
What Type of Tuning Pegs Are on Your Acoustic Guitar?
When replacing acoustic guitar tuning pegs, it’s advisable to get a set with the same specifications as the set currently on the guitar. Well, that’s unless you’re looking to upgrade to a better set of tuning pegs.
Getting a different set of tuning pegs will require modifications to the guitar’s headstock to fit the new tuning keys. That’s because tuning keys aren’t universal, so you’ll never come across a one-size-fits-all set.
Therefore, you need to tread carefully when looking to replace your acoustic guitar tuning keys.
Read on to find out what you need to know about buying tuning keys in this acoustic guitar tuning pegs buyer’s guide.
Understand Your Guitar Type
If you only wish to replace not upgrade your tuning keys, you should order an exact match for your acoustic guitar. But first, you need to know your acoustic guitar’s make and model.
If you don’t have this information handy, check the serial number on the back of the acoustic guitar’s headstock. The serial numbers vary between manufacturers, so it’s best to consult their website for more information.
Identify Tuning Pegs Style
Acoustic guitars have two types of tuning pegs – 3 x 3 tuners and inline tuners.
As the name suggests, inline tuners are lined up on one-side of your acoustic guitar’s headstock. On the other hand, 3 x 3 tuners are arranged in sets of threes on each headstock’s side.
Are They Vintage Tuners?
Vintage tuners have an open gear and have a ‘press-fit’ bushing, i.e., bushings fitted into the headstock’s peg holes and are held in place by resistance.
Most vintage pegs fit into peg holes that are a quarter of an inch in diameter with a slightly enlarged peghead face (11/32″) to fit the bushing.
Some of the popular vintage tuners include Keystone, Open Back, 3 On-Plate, and 6 In-Line.
Are They Sealed Gear Tuning Pegs?
Sealed tuners have a 10 mm bushing coupled with a threaded washer around them. They also feature a housing over the worm gear to keep out the grime and keep the gears permanently lubricated.
Sealed gear tuners are installed in peg holes with a diameter of 3/8 of an inch. All sealed tuners on the market are similar and use the same mechanism to tighten the guitar strings.
Modern Tuners With a Vintage Look
Some modern tuners duplicate the traditional vintage look, but it’s easy to tell them apart. There’s a critical difference between the two similar guitar tuning pegs.
The housing of modern tuning machines features a bigger casting diameter than their predecessors. As a result, acoustic guitars using modern tuners have bigger peg holes on their stock-heads to fit the larger diameter.
Once you’ve identified the type of tuners on your acoustic guitar, you’re now ready for the next step.
What To Consider When Buying Acoustic Guitar Tuning Pegs
A good set of replacement acoustic guitar tuning keys drastically changes the quality of your music. Most acoustic guitars ship with cheap tuning keys, so it’s best to upgrade them when you have a chance.
However, it’s best to get the correct tuning keys for your acoustic guitar, as the wrong keys can ruin its performance. If the keys aren’t a perfect fit, they can lead to mechanical problems and devalue your guitar.
This acoustic guitar tuning gear buyer’s guide will help you avoid these issues.
Gear Ratio
Manufacturer’s use gear ratio, a two-digit number, to describe the peg’s tuning precision. A low gear ratio means it only takes a few turns for the post to go through an entire revolution. A higher gear ratio means it takes more turns for the post to make a complete revolution.
A higher gear ratio is preferable because it allows the posts to rotate in smaller increments, giving you more control.
Tuning keys with an 18:1 ratio deliver better tuning precision than those with an 11:1 ratio. Keys with a low gear ratio make it hard to get a precise string tension since they wind the strings in larger batches.
Unlike the vintage keys, Modern tuning machines come with higher gear ratios. The standard gear ratio on these tuners ranges from 14:1 to 18:1 but can be relatively high in some top brands 28:1 (Gotoh) and 39:1(Graph Tech).
Size
To the uninitiated, acoustic guitars are simple musical instruments, but these are precision instruments in the real sense. Each piece is deliberately calibrated to deliver the perfect tone.
Any slight change to the guitar’s headstock mass affects how its neck responds to the string vibration and, consequently, its playability. In most cases, the changes are unpredictable and might affect the quality of your music.
Therefore, it’s advisable to install direct replacement tuners on your acoustic guitar. Adding lighter, bigger, or heavier hardware changes the way the guitar strings sound.
Changing the size of your acoustic guitar’s replacement keys also calls for modification of the peg holes.
Unfortunately, drilling new peg holes or enlarging the holes on the headstock or anywhere else affects the tone and devalues the instrument.
Locking Keys
For guitars with a tremolo bridge or vibrato arm, locking tuners help keep the instrument in tune. Locking tuners use a rod inside the post or a collar that winds around the post to clamp the guitar strings.
Such locking mechanisms eliminate the hassle of continuously winding the string around the posts. Eliminating multiple string windings ensures a slackened string doesn’t change its position on the bar after the next tuning.
Staggered-Height Post
Staggered height posts are superior to the standard height tuners, especially if your guitar has six tuners in a single row.
Using staggered height tuners eradicates the need for string trees on guitars with whammy bars to improve tuning stability.
The posts in staggered tuners come in three sizes – short, medium, and long. Strings 1 and 2 go on the shortest posts, 3 and 4 on the medium posts, and 5 and 6 on the tallest.
Although staggered posts are superior, they might change your headstock mass if they aren’t your direct replacement for the existing keys.
Ease of Installation
A direct replacement for existing acoustic guitar keys is a simple process requiring simple tools. A small screwdriver, a 10 mm nut-driver, or a deep-well socket is all you need.
The best acoustic guitar tuning keys come with a simple locking mechanism, making them easy to install and replace. Most feature mounting screws on the other side of the headstock and come with a threaded collar.
You need a 10 mm nut-driver to unscrew and tighten the threaded collar when replacing an acoustic guitar’s tuning peg.
Here is our choice for the 10 best acoustic guitar tuning pegs on the market.
10 Best Acoustic Guitar Tuning Pegs
1. Gotoh Magnum Traditional Guitar Tuners
If you’re into heavy string bending and prefer non-locking tremolo acoustic guitars, get these traditional locking tuners. The Gotoh Magnum tuning keys boast a traditional thumbscrew-style locking mechanism for improved performance.
Couple that with Rock-Solid string posts that use partial string wrap, and you have a winner.
The innovative posts and locking mechanism reduce backlash while eliminating looseness to hand you excellent tuning capabilities. With these tuning pegs, you can forget about wobbly string posts that frequently force you to tune your instruments.
Since these traditional tuning machines boast two post heights – 18.5 and 20 mm, they eliminate the need for string trees to keep your headstock light. Eliminating excess weight on the headstock improves the guitar’s tone.
The Gotoh magnum tuners come with a 16:1 gear ratio to allow for smooth, precise, and intuitive guitar tuning. The sealed gears are coated with a special polymer layer to make them maintenance-free. You’ll never need to lubricate or oil the gears, ever.
Coupling a high gear ratio and unique locking mechanism makes for dramatic tuning stability.
You can be sure that your acoustic guitar will maintain its tune even after numerous heavy playing sessions. It saves you the frustration and hassle of tuning your instrument after each performance.
Each set ships with six mounting screws and six threaded hex bushing to allow quick and effortless installation.