Upgraded tuner photos

[quickpickinfunstrummin]

Greetings all...I have just jumped back in to the forum and thought I'd invite a thread on updating tuners.

Recently found the 1:21 Gotoh 510s with wood buttons and bought two sets. One set went on this 2018 Walnut beauty.

Anyone doing upgrades and want to share?

[Earl]

Just so you know you are not being ignored....  this forum has been pretty quiet lately.  I don't change tuning machines unless it is necessary, but those look good.  There is something nice and organic about woodfen buttons.  Gotoh 510's came on my Emerald carbon fiber guitars (Cosmo black) and they are wonderful.  I will not use anything else going forward.

And welcome back.

[Edward]

Hey quickpickin,

I have two T's that came with Gotoh 510s.  These spoiled me so much I ended up replacing the stock Pings (which are perfectly fine, of course) with the gotohs on three other Taylors, even on my 210!  Every guit that has these Gotohs, tuning more precise: the super smooth feel and complete absence of gear lash make them worth the price of admission IMO.  While not a "need," it is certainly a luxury that offers a distinct functional gain!

For anyone contemplating this upgrade, it's easy/straightforward.  Drill a small pilot hole for each screw, use tape on the bit to ensure you have the correct depth as you certainly don't want to accidently go through!  Go slow, look carefully at the position of each tuner before you commit to drilling, and use common sense and you'll be fine. 

Edward

[quickpickinfunstrummin]

Just so you know you are not being ignored....  this forum has been pretty quiet lately.  I don't change tuning machines unless it is necessary, but those look good.  There is something nice and organic about woodfen buttons.  Gotoh 510's came on my Emerald carbon fiber guitars (Cosmo black) and they are wonderful.  I will not use anything else going forward.

And welcome back.

That's kind of you to note that things have been quiet. I do love that cosmo black finish. I have only one more Taylor on which to change tuners and my main interest in doing so is the slightly finer tuning ratio you get with the Gotoh vs the Taylor stock ones. How do the carbon fiber guitars sound to you? I've never heard one yet.

[quickpickinfunstrummin]

Hey quickpickin,

I have two T's that came with Gotoh 510s.  These spoiled me so much I ended up replacing the stock Pings (which are perfectly fine, of course) with the gotohs on three other Taylors, even on my 210!  Every guit that has these Gotohs, tuning more precise: the super smooth feel and complete absence of gear lash make them worth the price of admission IMO.  While not a "need," it is certainly a luxury that offers a distinct functional gain!

For anyone contemplating this upgrade, it's easy/straightforward.  Drill a small pilot hole for each screw, use tape on the bit to ensure you have the correct depth as you certainly don't want to accidently go through!  Go slow, look carefully at the position of each tuner before you commit to drilling, and use common sense and you'll be fine. 

Edward

Excellent guidance, and pretty much how I did this little surgery. Scary sometimes to hold a drill to my Taylor's head, but I feel these are world class guitars--even the less expensive ones. And so they deserve even finer components. They feel nice in your hand, as you wrote Edward...smooooooth.

[Earl]

How do the carbon fiber guitars sound to you? I've never heard one yet.

I've been a big fan of carbon fiber for 23 years now, starting with my first Rainsong.  I have not bought a new wooden guitar since 2014.  CF sounds different but quite good in its own way.  I often say that the difference is like any other tone wood.  For example, mahogany/cedar top sounds quite different than rosewood/spruce top.  There is no specific "CF sound".  Just as a Taylor sounds different than a Martin, each builder has a tonal palette.  I really like being free from humidity and temperature worries.  Over the years I have owned ten Taylor guitars and several Martin models.  Only one Taylor remains in all koa (a weak spot for me).  All the others are gone now.

Unfortunately we are now down to only two active CF builders:  McPherson in Wisconsin and Emerald in Ireland.  Emerald only sells factory direct so you won't see a new one in any shop anywhere in the world.  They are very good with returns and have an Ambassador program where you might be able to find someone near you to try out their personal guitar (like me).  You can find the McPherson Sable (a GA size body) or the Touring (travel size) at some retailers around the country.  Rainsong has closed, Composite Acoustics was closed by Peavey at least four years ago.  Leviora in Germany has stopped CF production, and Blackbird had a huge fire that destroyed their factory last December.  They are not yet operating again but are trying to recover.  There are some "carbon adjacent" imports that are considerably cheaper but the QC tends to track with the price.  I say "carbon adjacent" because they are often injection-molded plastic maybe with some carbon fibers added to the mix.

[quickpickinfunstrummin]

How do the carbon fiber guitars sound to you? I've never heard one yet.

I've been a big fan of carbon fiber for 23 years now, starting with my first Rainsong.  I have not bought a new wooden guitar since 2014.  CF sounds different but quite good in its own way.  I often say that the difference is like any other tone wood.  For example, mahogany/cedar top sounds quite different than rosewood/spruce top.  There is no specific "CF sound".  Just as a Taylor sounds different than a Martin, each builder has a tonal palette.  I really like being free from humidity and temperature worries.  Over the years I have owned ten Taylor guitars and several Martin models.  Only one Taylor remains in all koa (a weak spot for me).  All the others are gone now.

Unfortunately we are now down to only two active CF builders:  McPherson in Wisconsin and Emerald in Ireland.  Emerald only sells factory direct so you won't see a new one in any shop anywhere in the world.  They are very good with returns and have an Ambassador program where you might be able to find someone near you to try out their personal guitar (like me).  You can find the McPherson Sable (a GA size body) or the Touring (travel size) at some retailers around the country.  Rainsong has closed, Composite Acoustics was closed by Peavey at least four years ago.  Leviora in Germany has stopped CF production, and Blackbird had a huge fire that destroyed their factory last December.  They are not yet operating again but are trying to recover.  There are some "carbon adjacent" imports that are considerably cheaper but the QC tends to track with the price.  I say "carbon adjacent" because they are often injection-molded plastic maybe with some carbon fibers added to the mix.

That's so cool. If you're into sound, you're into sound and I can see experimenting with whatever makes beauty. The stability must be great. I am endlessly making little adjustments to my guitars due to changing humidity and temperature.  Know of any artists who recorded a song with a CF guitar?

[Earl]

David Wilcox uses Rainsong guitars exclusively now (sold his Olson years ago as it was too precious for touring use).  They did a second updated signature JM-1000 model for him last spring just a few months before closing their doors.  David is a great player/songwriter and a really nice guy too.  He tours extensively solo and uses a different tuning for just about every song.  CF stability is really important to him.  He was the last show that we saw locally just before the plague shut everything down, and the first one once things opened up again.   https://www.davidwilcox.com/

Composite Acoustics also made a bluegrass-focused Legacy dreadnought, but the name of the well-known bluegrass band that used it escapes me at the moment.

[zeebow]

wow! looks great!!!

[TaylorGirl]

Very nice indeed...well done! 
What guitar will get the second set?

[quickpickinfunstrummin]

Thanks @Zeebow and @Taylorgirl!

The other set of wood Gotoh tuners will go on my new 414ce Sinker. That beauty arrived at my home recently, and I promptly started removing the pickguard. To my horror, the pickguard took some wood grain with it. So it's on the surgical bench at Taylor this month. Lesson learned on removing pickguards without heating 'em up first. Taylor is refinishing it, and will I believe return it to me sans pickguard.
Anthony

[TaylorGirl]

Thanks @Zeebow and @Taylorgirl!

The other set of wood Gotoh tuners will go on my new 414ce Sinker. That beauty arrived at my home recently, and I promptly started removing the pickguard. To my horror, the pickguard took some wood grain with it. So it's on the surgical bench at Taylor this month. Lesson learned on removing pickguards without heating 'em up first. Taylor is refinishing it, and will I believe return it to me sans pickguard.
Anthony

Ouch! But, Taylor will make it all better. 
Post pics after she's back!

[Edward]

Oooh yeah, sorry for that mishap!  But the factory folks will make it right, to be sure!  Post pics of the victory

Edward

[quickpickinfunstrummin]

Taylor Friends, the 414 Sinker Redwood is out of the Taylor Factory ICU. It is unbelievably beautiful. I can hardly believe the quality of the restoration. And without a pickguard, I am enjoying this top even more. This is my first V-bracing guitar too, and it does sound very much 'alive', in tune with itself. It is my favorite of the bunch currently, in part because of its rising from the ashes of my stupidity. I commissioned a new bone nut and they installed a new Tusq saddle with the refinishing job. I have a Colosi saddle for it, but may leave it alone. I like the stock pins with the abalone to match the rosette. But this is also awaiting a Gotoh tuner upgrade, with wood keys.

They also included a tortoiseshell pickguard in the case, which I thought I'd put on my 2015 cedar top 314. I took the black pickguard off of the 314 (using heat this time) and maaaaaaaaan what a tan line there is. I'm not worried though. It can even up at its own pace. 

Here is the phoenix-like 414 Sinker Redwood.

[mgap]

Now that is a beauty. The Taylor folks did an excellent job. The redwood is just fantastic.  If you are getting the wood buttons I am thinking of they will match nicely.