Doing Things Wrong

Lotmusic Guitar Tuners 3x3

First, I am bound to state that I received this product at no cost for review. Having gotten that out of the way …

I have used a lot of cheap tuners in my cheap projects, and these are the best cheap tuners I've ever had my hands on. Most inexpensive guitar tuners tighten-up and feel alright once they are installed and under tension. Good tuners are tight and smooth when they are not installed. Just holding these in my hands and working the knobs, there is no slop in either direction, and almost no play in the shaft, not in any of them. They feel much more expensive than the price they are. In addition, the chrome is thick and smooth and flawless. The back covers are slightly domed rather than flat - a nice touch. These seem more like $50 tuners than $15 - I am really surprised and pleased. Given how sturdy they are and the nice big knobs, I may save these for some sort of bass VI project. That's it - I don't need to write a longer review.


Why would you put this stuff on a guitar?

All I can say is - just don't. It is easy to get absolutely gorgeous results with nitrocellulose lacquer, but they won't last. Lacquer is attacked by just about everything. Spill alcohol on it - it will dissolve. Set it on a guitar stand, it will stick to it. Hang it on the wall - same thing. It never really dries or completely hardens - anything that touches it will leave a mark, there is no way to store it except perhaps in a very loose-fitting hard case with a really fluffy lining, and even that would probably make marks after a while. And God forbid anything vinyl should touch it - vinyl devours lacquer. Nitrocellulose is the worst, if you must use lacquer, get the acrylic kind from the auto parts store. And never mix the two.

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