Best locking tuners 2023: improve your performance with these powerful upgrades

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.

Best locking tuners: Guitar World Recommends

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.

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.

Best locking tuners: Product guide

If you already own a Fender guitar and want to enhance its performance without spending loads of money, then a set of Fender Locking Tuners will give your guitar a shot in the arm. Coming in a range of colors to match your existing hardware or finish, it’s the perfect choice for Strat and Tele owners.

We’ve got a set of these on our Player Plus Tele and it’s easily one of the most reliable guitars in our collection when it comes to tuning stability. Of course, Telecaster’s are already pretty good thanks to their particular style of bridge but with a set of these installed it’s a rare occurrence when we have to retune, even as a regularly gigging guitarist.

Installing them on Fender guitars with the same dual guide pin mounting is an absolute breeze. But be mindful if your guitar has a set of vintage-style tuning machines, as you may need to modify the hole for the tuning post, and installation may leave an unsightly hole where the mounting screw used to be.

For players who have a 3+3 equipped headstock such as many offerings from Gibson, PRS, Gretsch, and others, the Schaller M6 135 Locking is a premium upgrade. Adding a locking tuner will improve the consistency of any 3+3 type guitar and Schaller has a reputation for making incredible quality hardware.

Many Les Paul players often incorrectly believe that their tuners are the root cause of instability. In fact, it’s the nut that’s often the cause. That said, a set of locking tuners will improve how well your guitar holds its tuning alongside a proper set up, allowing you to spend less time tweaking and more time playing.

The Schaller M6 135 comes with a clever step washer that perfectly centers the tuning post, making installation a breeze and ensuring the strings break evenly over the nut. Featuring a special lubricant for the gears inside, they offer a smooth action that allows for pinpoint precision when tweaking your tuning.

Sperzel Trim-Lok Locking tuners are famously used on Nile Rodgers’ ‘Hitmaker’ guitar and if they’re good enough for him… Coming in both 6-in-line and 3+3 configurations and various colors, these are a superb upgrade for pretty much any guitar.

The brilliance of these tuners is in the quick restringing, just remove your old string, thread the new one through, screw the locking mechanism on the back and you’re good to go. Restringing is so quick you can do it whilst your singer talks to the audience without the embarrassment of a lengthy pause in the set.

There are four colors to choose from so you’re well served when it comes to matching existing hardware or complementing your finish. While they don’t have quite as high a ratio as some others here, in our experience with them they still felt nice and smooth when you do have to tune, holding their stability admirably in conjunction with a floating tremolo.

The Grover 502 Roto-Grip Locking Rotomatic Tuners are a popular choice for Les Paul players, and a natural upgrade to the stock tuners LPs ship with. Even though locking tuners are great with tremolo-equipped guitars, they’ll still improve a hardtail or tune-o-matic-equipped instrument.

These tuners are incredibly popular thanks to their easy installation and relatively low cost compared to others on this list. Whilst they’re not universally compatible with 3+3 headstocks, they will fit the vast majority of LPs, SGs, and 335-style guitars.

The thumb screw locking mechanism makes string changes as rapid fire as those pentatonic blues licks and the ratio is nice and smooth. They’re also available with a keystone style head for a bit of added flair or to match the tuners you’re replacing. 

Not only is the Graph Tech PRL-8721 a fantastic set of locking tuners, they come with a couple of features that make them stand out against the competition. Designed for 6-in-line instruments, these aren’t staggered so you’ll need a string tree if you don’t already have one installed.

Not only are string changes quick but with their unique ratio tech, each tuner has a custom ratio so that you always know how much you’re tuning by. One full turn equals one whole tone, making them great for quickly using dropped and alternate tunings.

These tuners also come with Graph Tech’s InvisoMatch mounting plates which allow fitment to a variety of instruments without any drilling. This makes installation even easier and there are multiple plates included which will fit the majority of 6-in-line equipped guitar headstocks.

You may not realize it but a lot of the parts on big-brand guitars are actually made by Gotoh. The Japanese brand is renowned for its incredible build quality and a wide variety of parts, and the Gotoh SD90 MG-T Locking tuner is one of its most popular products.

We’d have put them higher in this list just based on performance and quality, but unfortunately, they’re incredibly difficult to source at the moment. Despite this, if you can get your hands on a set they will offer an excellent upgrade for your 3+3 headstock guitar and one that will stand the test of time too.

They’re also incredible value for money, coming in much cheaper than many of the others on this list despite being equal or in some cases better in terms of build quality. Something else to note however is that they are vintage tuners, so won’t fit a guitar equipped with modern tuners without modification.

Another locking tuner with a totally unique feature, D’Addario’s Auto-Trim Locking Tuning Machines cut any excess string whilst you’re winding. It means no more unsightly string ends sticking out, and no chance of poking yourself or struggling with a set of string cutters to get an even cut across all the strings.

They’re also just a great set of locking tuners. Many guitarists fit these on acoustic guitars as they’re great value for money and offer an excellent performance upgrade. They’re available in both 6-in-line and 3+3 configurations so will fit the vast majority of guitars.

If you’re a regular string bender these will keep your guitar singing true with their reliable performance. The gear action is nice and smooth making drop and alternate tunings easy to perform, and they’re available in a range of colors to match your finish or existing hardware.

If you’ve got a PRS SE and are looking to make it perform better, grabbing a set of PRS SE Locking Tuners will be the perfect upgrade. A straight swap for the majority of PRS SE guitars, these easy-to-install tuners will improve the playability and tuning stability of your instrument.

They utilize a slightly different locking mechanism than others in this article. Instead of a thumbscrew on the back, the tuners are locked at the top of the post. You can use a flathead screwdriver, coin, or even a thick guitar pick to lock the string in once you’ve threaded it through.

The gear ratio isn’t quite as fine as some of the others here, but it’s a perfectly usable feel. There’s only one color, but as the majority of PRS SE guitars come with chrome hardware most won’t find any issue with these excellent locking tuners.

Best locking tuners: Guitar World recommends

What do locking tuners do?

Just as their name implies, a locking tuner locks the string in place with a clamp, preventing the need for winding during restringing and enhancing the tuning stability of the instrument. This makes them a desirable upgrade for guitarists as you can make a drastic change to the amount of time it takes to change strings.

Whilst locking tuners do provide an upgrade to tuning stability, your tuners aren’t the typical cause of instability. It’s far more likely that the nut is the issue, with the way the string sits in the nut being the usual culprit when it comes to tuning instability.

How easy is it to install locking tuners?

Depending on what kind of tuner you’re replacing, a locking tuner is usually pretty easy to install. There are two main types of guitar tuners, vintage and modern. They are defined by the diameter of the peg hole on the headstock, which is usually 8mm on a vintage tuner and 10mm on a modern one.

As there are two different types of tuner, you need to be careful about replacing a vintage tuner with a modern tuner and vice versa. It can be done, but you’ll either need to widen the hole using a reamer or buy a set of conversion bushings to get the right fit.

There is something else to take into account as well, which is the way the tuner is mounted. Some guitars, like Fender, use a guide pin style system, where a bushing creates pull to clamp the tuner to the back of the headstock. Others, like Gibson guitars, use a mounting screw to attach the tuner to the back of the headstock.

Whichever kind of guitar you have, it’s definitely worth doing some research on compatibility to make your upgrade as pain-free as possible. There are loads of videos and information on forums online to help you with the installation process if you’re unsure.

Can you put locking tuners on an acoustic guitar?

Yes you can put locking tuners on an acoustic. They’re a great upgrade for any acoustic guitar and we’re not really sure why more manufacturers don’t fit them as standard. As with fitting on an electric, make sure to check compatibility before you buy.

Do locking tuners affect tone?

Through using locking tuners on our own guitars, we’ve noticed no difference in tone whatsoever. If there is a change from regular tuners then it’s likely to be marginal. The only actual difference we’ve noticed is that locking tuners weigh more than regular tuners. So if you’ve got a guitar that’s top-heavy like some SGs, you may feel more of a dive when playing standing up.

How we choose the best locking tuners for this guide

Here at Guitar World, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything guitar related, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products in live, recording and rehearsal scenarios when selecting the products for our guides.

When choosing what we believe to be the best locking tuners available right now, we combine our hands-on experience, user reviews and testimonies and engage in lengthy discussions with our editorial colleagues to reach a consensus about the top products in any given category.

First and foremost, we are guitarists, and we want other players to find the right product for them. So we take into careful consideration everything from budget to feature set, ease of use and durability to come up with a list of what we can safely say are the best locking tuners on the market right now.

Read more about our rating system, how we choose the gear we feature, and exactly how we test each product.

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