Altamira Deluxe Tuners NOT an exact fit for their basic ones

Brunerd1489 · September 13

Hey friends,

Just received my M01D from Michael and I love it so much. It’s so much better than the other Asian budget GJ guitars I’ve come across at box stores. It’s got such a loud bark that will really help me develop my right hand techniques and dynamics for the style as compared to my archtop and flattop.

Anyway, I had a spare DR tailpiece from LMII before they closed down so I swapped that onto the guitar right away for the red leather and brighter looking brass. I also had bought the deluxe tuners after reading about the base model reliability down the road. The posts obviously fit fine but the screw holes don’t quite align. I should’ve taken a pic while I was sussing it out but the screw hole closest to the nut is aligned, every next screw hole is slightly closer together on the deluxe plate. To the point where the last hole is visible beyond the deluxe plate.

Plugging those holes and redrilling new pilot holes is totally something I can do at the next string change; I just didn’t feel like undertaking all of that on my first day with the guitar. Thought it would be good to make this post for anyone considering replacing the Kluson style tuners with the Altamira Deluxe ones. Just know there’s a tiny bit of labor that’ll need to be done!

richter4208 · September 13

Mine has the Schaller classics on it. It turned me into a fan of these tuners. Love them.

https://www.djangobooks.com/Item/schaller-three-on-a-plate

MichaelHorowitz · September 14

@Brunerd1489 I don’t think there is a single Gypsy tuner that will “drop in” as a replacement for another tuner. There will always be differences in screw hole placement, shaft length, etc. A good tech can deal with these minor differences and make the transition seamless.

paulmcevoy75 · September 14

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/21573/altamira-deluxe-tuners-not-an-exact-fit-for-their-basic-ones

I'm not suggesting that you can't do that job if you have some Lutherie experience. But personally this is one of my least favorite jobs, pretty easy to screw up badly and hard to do a really nice job. It is very easy to crack the headstock when drilling. I should get a hand drill for this now that I think about it.

jman · September 14

I replaced the above mentioned Schallers on my md50 with miller tuners. There is a really great tech in my town and he made mahogany side grain plugs for the old screw holes. I am with Paul makes sense to have someone with experience do this job, especially if there is some overlap with the screw holes on the new tuners.

Brunerd1489 · September 15

Only the last holes are visible and I feel competent to do this and make it relatively invisible, just not now with PT school and homework and all of that. I've got a dremel with tiny drill bits for the pilot holes and I would ideally find some tiny side grain mahogany to plug the 2 visible holes, use a toothpick and glue for the 4 hidden ones

It's not like this guitar is a sacred cow or anything. Lord knows I've already added some pick scratches.