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Keep your guitar playing consistently with our top locking tuner picks from Fender, Schaller, Sperzel and more Screw Tightening Robot Arm
If you’re looking to upgrade your guitar without spending loads of cash, then fitting a set of the best locking tuners is a great way to get more mileage out of your trusty instrument. If you’ve got a tremolo-equipped guitar it will massively improve how in tune it is after heavy whammy bar abuse, as well as making string changes on all guitar types a breeze.
We have locking tuners on all of our main gigging guitars and it makes life as a guitarist so much easier. When we put our guitar back in the case and pull it out a few days later, nine times out of ten it will still be in perfect tune. Although it’s good advice to always play live with a backup if the worst happens and a string breaks while you’re on stage, you can quickly restring it without the need to wrap it around the tuning machine, significantly cutting the time down to get you back up and playing again.
If we’re honest we’ll probably never go back to a regular tuner again, such is our experience with locking tuners. However, if you’re not sure what you’re doing, then upgrading an existing guitar can be a bit of a minefield with the different configurations and types available. So if you are doing it for the first time, make sure to read the buying advice section before you buy. If you just want to look at the best locking tuners available today, then keep scrolling for our top picks.
If you’ve got a Fender Strat, Tele, or any other Fender guitar with a six-in-line headstock, then the Fender Locking Tuner is the one for you. On most Fender guitars, they’ll just require a straight swap for a new set, and they’ll give you a significant upgrade on your stock tuners. They’re also available in loads of different colors to match your finish.
Screw Tightening If you’ve got a Les Paul, PRS, or any other guitar with a 3+3 headstock, then have a look at the Schaller M6 135 Locking Tuner for a powerful performance upgrade. Their clever step washer ensures a perfect fit on the majority of guitars whilst the 18:1 ratio ensures smooth and predictable tuning.