Gotoh 510 tuners?

[Hanns]

Sad to report that after getting a beautiful set of Cosmo black Gotoh SXB510, they would not fit my E10SS/v at all. Not only that, but I thought I'd be able to unscrew the button and replace with a white one and this model does not have screwed in buttons but rather permanent ones.

As for fit, not only is the post on the Gotohs slightly wider than the Pings, but it also does have a wider base which would need modifying the back of the headstock. Additionally I was unable to remove the bushing. Not sure if it is glued, and I didn't mess with it much, but it wouldn't budge. The post on the Gotoh tuner doesn't fit through the ping bushing. I can insert the post in the existing hole but it will not go in the bushing, and would not fit flush without modifying the hole anyways.

I was hoping this would be a simple(ish) upgrade but unfortunately not on this guitar. Maybe I'll try on a different Eastman, may e I take it to a luthier.

As for others being able to fit the Gotohs, I expect there are variations in the Eastman models and it may just be luck of the draw whether something will fit.

I'll try to add some picks to this post in a bit.

Thanks for sharing your experience with this. Sad that it didn't work out.

[AlanSam]

Shishigashira - It's the kind of project I get involved in - sometimes with success, sometimes not. Disappointing for you but I have a feeling it won't stop you experimenting in future.

[Shishigashira]

So I'm realizing that I never updated the board on this tuner journey, so I wanted to close the loop here. 

Recap is that I bought Gotoh tuners ( SXB510 ) in cosmo black thinking they would be an easy drop in replacement and an upgrade in looks and perhaps in quality.  Turns out the 510s need a modification to the headstock to fit.  As far as I understand, both versions of the 510s would require modifications to the headstock.  The screws line up perfectly and it is the bushing version, which is correct, but it still requires reaming the hole to fit the base of the tuner.

Anyways, I wasn't willing to take on the job and potentially mess it up, so I took them to my luthier for a set up and to add the tuners.  Turns out he only charged an additional $20 to put in the tuners (plus the $60 set up), which I thought was money very well spent.  He said removing the existing bushing was more complicated than he expected.  They may have been glued in but he had the right tool for it (which makes all the difference). 

So, after having the tuners on for a few months what can I say about them?  I love the look of the cosmo black on this guitar.  Now as for the performance, these are definitely more direct.  Sometimes with the pings I would turn the knobs and they give me too much or not enough tuning.  Part of that can be the nut pinching, but my luthier said the nut didn't need anything.  Side by side, the Gotohs are obviously built much more robustly.  But I wouldn't replace the pings with the Gotohs for performance, unless the pings were obviously failing.  

Anyways, now some pictures!

[TomC]

Nice! I like the look as well. Looks like money well spent.

[SneakyDeaky]

Would there be an easy way to just replace the buttons on the Ping tuners to vintage white on my E10SS? I really like the way vintage sunburst Gibsons look with those white plastic buttons and vintage white bridge pins to match.

[Shishigashira]

I don't think so. The buttons are not held by a screw but rather press fit. Not sure you can remove them easily. Guitar hey sells a gotoh tuner with keystone buttons but no idea if it will fit : https://guitarhey.com/products/new-gotoh...ers-chrome

[SneakyDeaky]

I don't think so. The buttons are not held by a screw but rather press fit. Not sure you can remove them easily. Guitar hey sells a gotoh tuner with keystone buttons but no idea if it will fit : https://guitarhey.com/products/new-gotoh...ers-chrome

Hi, that's a shame. Yeah I just looked and I was hoping they could be screwed off which would have been simple. Better to replace the machine heads completely. But IDK, it's a new guitar so I think I may lay off for awhile. I did it once before, on my HD28 years ago and replaced the heavy stock with lighter gotohs and I really could hear a slight improvement in the "airiness" of the guitar. 

Really like your V BTW! My E10SS is fantastic and I'm in the honeymoon period but I'm already coveting a rosewood /V, perhaps at the end of the year...

[John-K]

Late to the party here, but I had to put SXN-510 tuners on my E10-D due to the previous owner drilling out the holes for closed back Gotoh. So they are bigger than stock ones in my case.

[Mitch]

Thanks for your recap. Much appreciated.

Ps: that sort of ‚fleur de lis‘ on your headstock, have you put that on!

Just curious. Looks nice

Cheers
Mitch

[Shishigashira]

Hi Mitch, yes I put on the fleur de lis. Like racing stripes on a car, I figure it makes my guitar a bit louder But it's an inlay sticker. Easy to put on and remove but I really like the look.