joemac - Posted - 11/11/2009:  01:25:34

I just wondered how many of us out there have a set of D tuners fitted and find they hardly use them, Have you bought a set and after the fun period are they just a relic on your peghead or can you honestly say you use them every time. Do you find the Kieth style tuner the best?, or do they result in awkward re-tuning when playing with your capo so you leave them unlocked....how do your D tuners rest with you?

joemac

Banjowen - Posted - 11/11/2009:  01:55:23

Joe, I have Schaller D tuners on my Greenbrier and never had any problems with them, I'd say that once you get over the novelty of D tuners and bought the books that have the tabs for them etc.. they are as you say rarely used.

Owen.

http://www.banjohollow.ic24.net/index.htm

Definition of Cricket by Robin Williams, "Cricket is basically baseball on valium"

Earls 5 - Posted - 11/11/2009:  02:15:41

I use my Apollo d-tuners quite a bit actually. I guess it depends on the mood i am in alot, but they stay in tune period.

Job 33:4 - Zech 4:6
" the truth shall stand when the world is on fire"

fiddlebuster - Posted - 11/11/2009:  02:58:09

I use my Schallers quite a bit.

The way I see it, the Good Lord made us all, and if we're good enough for him, we ought to be good enough for each other. Jed Clampett

Kenneth Logsdon - Posted - 11/11/2009:  03:21:12

Yept, gottem on all the banjos, but to be perfectly honest, not worth the trouble for just the few occasional songs for me..

KL

steve davis - Posted - 11/11/2009:  03:43:12

I find myself using them in many songs,not just the standards.
My dad played pedal steel and I often think of him when I use them.
I also play a third choice by pressing the 2nd or 3rd string down to the
peghead to raise ,for instance,the 2nd string from a B to a C or the
3rd string from G to A.
Out of D tuning these raised notes are different notes from G tuning.

I don't retune my banjo when I capo because with my bridge design
the notes stay in tune when capoed.

I use my tuners quite often.

banjer5 - Posted - 11/11/2009:  04:33:04

I've had Keith's on my banjos for lotsa years and used them little, but as of late, I find them more usable. I look for ways to use them for adding to my bag of stuff while on stage. Audiences luv it when you use them. I've gone back to some of Earl's stuff from way back when because it is great for stage work.

Fast Freddy the engineer says: Throttle in RUN 8 and highball, then don't look back, something might be gainin' on ya. 73,s de K5BGZ

phill - Posted - 11/11/2009:  04:34:51

Hi Joe, I have them fitted on 4 of my 12 banjos (yes 12 got rid of 2). On my Stelling I have all 4 tuners and only now use the 2/3 tuners. On my Gibson ES I have the standard 2 and use them a lot, my Grover banjo (which my nephew has nicked) has the standard 2 and he uses them quite a lot, he would he is a flah git. On my custom made banjo I have the standard 2 and again I only use them now & again, as I'm always playing my ES banjo. I play Home Sweet Home in open D tuning so I use them on that and then sometimes I'll just throw them in a song or a tune just see what happens (as long as I remember to switch back, ha ha). I do like them but then I do like gadgets. I've just set a processor up onto my electric Gold Tone banjo and have been messing around with tube sounds, it's funky and in a way kind of nice. Phill

phillbilly

ketteringroad - Posted - 11/11/2009:  04:42:12

I switched to cheat-a-keys and I am now stuck with (three) pairs of the scruggs-keith D tuners and one pair of Shallers which are all now collecting dust. There is no frustration with the cheat-a-keys. And the price is about the same I think. The frustration over the keith tuners (the constant need to tweak, re-tune , re-tighten, put graphite on the string slots in the nut, and all the ridiculous tricks you have to do to try to make them perform better almost enforces the mentality of 'banjo player jokes' . They work... but it takes a lot of patience for the performer and the listener.
The simple, mechanical technology of D tuners has been outdone by another simple, mechanical technology:
(Cheat-a-keys). The only problem is that you have to un-learn the behavior of using the D tuners, and learn
how to use the new ones... since the G string tuners turn the opposite direction of the D tuners.

flange5st - Posted - 11/11/2009:  04:48:56

....I use them every once and awhile....it's like most things, they sound good but the over use of any thing will get boring to the audience so you just have to use your best judgement....also I use cam tuners on my banjo(s)...they work well and are very visual...it's kind of funny at times to see some one look at them , with their head turned sideways, while I use them , trying trying to figure out " what's he doing", "how do they work", or" how come he has 6 tuning pegs"?.........besides , as a personal preference, I like the sound of a cam tuner as it bends the string into pitch rather than a Keith-type as it tunes the string into pitch......peace

......ad fontes..........

banjostan - Posted - 11/11/2009:  05:10:38

THAT IS WHY I USE THE HOOPERS CAMTUNERS NEVER HAD A PROLBEM WORK PERFECT EVERYTIME . JUST MY 2CENTS. STAN.

always remember the father and son in heaven

The KIDD - Posted - 11/11/2009:  05:14:19

Now Joe?..What are you up to? Why be you wanna know all this? Its tough, but Ill use them ALOT at certain gigs cause it puts the freak on PPL.Ill play Big Tiger, Banjo Buck (Buck Trent), HSH, EB, FHS, RLR, FMC,Texas BBQ, all in one set.. and YES, I do have minor tuning issues but having them on 2 banjos in the past forces ya to learn the lil idiosyncracies of each set . Plus , you can swap the warshers out and improve their performance.I keep mine unlocked for normal play. A 16 yr old KY boy I saw use those cheata keys this past summer flatout put the freak on ME. Those seem to have a slower note bend in the same time frame..(hard to explain..).But yeah, I use mine alot on about 50 tunes.
John

http://www.myspace.com/johnkuhnbluegrass

Ronnie - Posted - 11/11/2009:  05:20:33

I bought a set of Keith tuners in 1967. I didn't use them as much as I thought I would. I have them on an old Kay beater banjo now.

www.bobbythompsonbanjo.com

CoolSpring - Posted - 11/11/2009:  05:24:56

I used them a lot when I first got them but now I really only ever use them if someone asks for me to use them. It just isn't worth the trouble to me to get them set, I would rather just pick something.

goldtopia - Posted - 11/11/2009:  05:50:22

I have Schaller D tuners and like most other people I dont use them very much.

Bill.O

www.bluegrassminstrels.co.uk

banjoplyr - Posted - 11/11/2009:  05:56:58

3 banjos-3 sets of tuners- how would you play the Scruggs standards? Also great
dropped to a minor for playing Ghost Riders. Standard they do a cool job on
Grandfathers Clock, use your ears and just chase it down. Oh yeah I'm also
a pedal steel guy, maybe we're just used to hearing that kind of thing.

Mike-- You Tube " Lancaster fiddlers- Good way to break a string "- check it out !

Glenn Tate - Posted - 11/11/2009:  05:58:59

I have Keith tuners on both my banjo's, and yes I use them. Our band just learned and started playing the Flatt and Scruggs tune, As Long As The World Goes 'Round. We do several others also. As has been mentioned, you can use them on songs, other than the ones specifically written to use the tuners.

"The more you know, the more you know you don't know."

Glenn

steve davis - Posted - 11/11/2009:  06:16:04

I've been using Keith tuners since 1975 and have never experienced any of
these problems,Mine have always worked superbly and stay true to their settings for days at a time..
I bought a set of cheata keys once,but I didn't like the way they looked or how they hid the inlays on the peghead.

I've never needed graphite or anything else in my slots because my slots are shaped correctly.

quote:

---

Originally posted by ketteringroad

I switched to cheat-a-keys and I am now stuck with (three) pairs of the scruggs-keith D tuners and one pair of Shallers which are all now collecting dust. There is no frustration with the cheat-a-keys. And the price is about the same I think. The frustration over the keith tuners (the constant need to tweak, re-tune , re-tighten, put graphite on the string slots in the nut, and all the ridiculous tricks you have to do to try to make them perform better almost enforces the mentality of 'banjo player jokes' . They work... but it takes a lot of patience for the performer and the listener.
The simple, mechanical technology of D tuners has been outdone by another simple, mechanical technology:
(Cheat-a-keys). The only problem is that you have to un-learn the behavior of using the D tuners, and learn
how to use the new ones... since the G string tuners turn the opposite direction of the D tuners.

---

Edited by - steve davis on 11/11/2009 06:19:00

Just Bill - Posted - 11/11/2009:  07:04:59

I have Keith tuners, but find I often have to "reset" the tuning. I like the way the Cheat-a-keys work...and they don't need to be retuned like my Keiths. I had Shallers once upon a time and had terrible luck with them not staying in tune.

I use them about once per jam: either for a "tuner song" or to go to D tuning or just to use the stop on the B string to quickly tune back to G tuning after being in Gm tuning.

Overall I like the Keiths, but probably would have invested in Cheat-a-keys had they been available back then

Bill.

Proud to be a "MURPHY HENRY-ITE"

"If you ain't different, you ain't normal!"

Nosferatu - Posted - 11/11/2009:  07:13:11

I have them..I used them to learn the tuner songs but I hardly use them now. It's just too much fuss to settting them up.

Thank you,
"Count" Hugh


"I bent over him, and tried to find any sign of life, but in vain." -- Jonathan Harker, Dracula

f5loar - Posted - 11/11/2009:  07:34:39

With the inlays in most fancy banjo headstocks it's a shame to cover them up that's why I prefer the Keith tuners since they came out. It's not only an easier way to use a drop they look really nice. I have them on about 10 of my banjos.
I just got a refurbished pair back from Keith and they work better then ever. Keith is such a super nice banjo picker too.

Tom Isenhour

Banjophobic - Posted - 11/11/2009:  07:43:26

Yeah, every player eventuually wants D-tuners. You learn the obligatory Tuner songs, and then use them for special effect ideas in other song. They are nice to have, if you need them, but for typical playing, they just function as normal tuners, for the most part.

Pepper Laing - Posted - 11/11/2009:  07:55:14

I Have Schallers on one of my banjos and I would like to use them alot but they just don`t seem to be reliable enough. It`s weird sometimes they work perfect, but most of the time more trouble than not.

www.myspace.com/pepperlaingt...nestarkillers

steve davis - Posted - 11/11/2009:  07:58:24

My old pair still work fine 34 years later.
When I got my second pair in '08 I noticed they worked a little smoother
so I added a drop of oil in the old ones and now they work the same.

minstrelmike - Posted - 11/11/2009:  08:04:38

I thought they'd be real useful for actually changing tunings, but the D and Dm tunings didn't grab my attention and they're on the wrong pegs for going to dbl-C so I never bought them.

I've been able to get through the standards by faking it.
Slide down or up the required distance and it sounds like the tune.

Mike Moxcey
http://moxcey.net/mike/minstrel/index.html

Laurence Diehl - Posted - 11/11/2009:  08:15:14

Got Schallers. Don't like them. I am thinking of going back to my original tuners (if I can ever find them in all my junk). It could be cool if I was playing at a party and nobody had heard them before. Or on Girls Breakdown.

Cheers,
Laurence

It takes a lot to laugh, but it takes a train to cry

Clark - Posted - 11/11/2009:  08:51:51

Flinthill,Earls,and Randy Lynn Rag are still on the setlist in a couple bands I work with,One band does East Virginia Blues in D and the tuners are used.My main banjo has 4 keiths that work well I put fine tuners on 2&3 and the tuners stay once you set them.On other banjos I have Cheat-a-keys,can't say enough good things they work perfectlyevery time and you can do both at once with a little practice.One banjo has Schallers,not Keith quality but pretty good.

Mitch Manns
Manns Guitar Academy
http://www.mannsguitaracademy.com/