1. Choosing the right kind of guitar machine heads

First of all you have to think about what kind of machine heads you want for your guitar. There are a variety of different guitar mechanics on the market. We have therefore created a separate page for this topic, which you can find here.

If you are sure about the type of guitar mechanics, continue with the next points to find the right variant for the selected guitar mechanics type that fits your guitar.

2. Determine the hole diameter for the adjusting axis / post of the guitar machine heads on the headstock of the guitar

So that the guitar mechanics also fit through the holes on the headstock of your guitar, it is of course important to know how big these holes are and what diameter the guitar mechanics have.

Most modern guitars have 10mm holes for guitar tuners. Many vintage guitars have 8.5mm holes for guitar tuners. Special dimensions can also be found on some guitars, but these are so extremely rare that guitar machine heads are often not offered for them.

Our Silverback Vintage Tuners "Leonidas" and "Paulus" have a diameter of 8.5 mm. Here you get to our Leonidas vintage guitar tuners and here to our Paulus Vintage guitar tuners

Our Monkey Locks - Locking Tuners all have a 10 mm diameter for modern guitars. Here you get to our Monkey Locks - Locking Tuners.

To find out the hole diameter for the guitar mechanics in your headstock, you can easily measure the holes or you can simply measure the guitar mechanics that were previously installed.

3. Determine the mounting option for the guitar machine heads on the headstock of the guitar

There are different ways of attaching guitar tuners to the headstock of the guitar. A guitar machine head is always attached to two points of the guitar headstock. A distinction is made between the attachment of the guitar mechanics on the front of the guitar headstock to the adjusting axis / post of the guitar mechanics and the attachment on the back of the guitar headstock to the housing of the guitar mechanics.

3. 1 Fastening of the guitar mechanics from the front: on the adjusting axis / post

3. 1 1 Fixation of the guitar mechanics with screw sockets

Guitar machine heads with screw sockets are mostly found on modern guitars. The screw sockets are screwed from the front into the headstock of your guitar directly into the guitar mechanics, which are mounted from the back of the headstock. The guitar mechanics screw sockets hold the guitar mechanics firmly on the headstock and secure them from falling out. The radial securing of the guitar machine heads, i.e. the protection against twisting, is done either by the screws or pins on the housing of the guitar machine heads (see 3. 2 Fixing the guitar machine heads from behind)

We also sell our screw sockets for guitar machine heads separately. Click here to get to our screw sockets.

3. 1 2 Fastening the guitar machine heads with press-in sleeves

The attachment with press-in sleeves is mostly used with vintage guitar tuners. However, one speaks here of a guide rather than a fastening, since the press-in sleeve does not hold the guitar mechanics in place, but rather the adjusting axis / post of the guitar mechanics runs in the press-in sleeve.

The guitar mechanics in this variant are always attached to the housing of the guitar mechanics with two screws, which secure the guitar mechanics against radial twisting and against falling out (see point 3. 2 1 2 fastening with two screws).

We also sell our press-in sleeves for guitar tuners separately. Click here to get to our press-in sleeves.

3. 2 Attachment of the guitar machine heads from behind: on the housing

3. 2 1 screw attachment

The most common method is to attach the guitar mechanics to the headstock of the guitar using screws. A distinction is made between fastening the guitar mechanics with either one or two screws.

We also sell our screws for guitar tuners separately. Click here to get to our screws.

3. 2 1 1 Fastening with a screw

When the guitar mechanics are fastened with a screw, this is mostly found on modern guitar mechanics. Depending on the mechanics of the guitar, different screw bracket angles are used. How to distinguish between the following screw lugs:

• 90 degree screw tab
• 135 degree screw tab
• 180 degree screw tab

We only offer our Monkey Locks - Locking Tuners with a 135 degree screw lug, as this is the most common. Here you get to our locking tuners.

When screwing guitar machine heads on, pay attention to how many degrees the screw lug has so that it fits the guitar. If the angle of the screw lug does not fit, you can of course simply drill new holes in the headstock.

3. 2 1 2 Fastening with two screws

The attachment of guitar tuners with two screws is mostly found on vintage guitar tuners. There is a screw hole on the left and right of the housing of the guitar mechanics, as is often the case with guitar mechanics for Les Paul & SG Style guitars. With some guitar mechanics, however, these are also offset. Another variation is often found on vintage Strat and Tele style guitars. There a screw holds the left and right guitar mechanics at once.

Our Silverback Vintage Tuners "Leonidas" and "Paulus" are among these variants. Here you get to our Leonidas vintage guitar tuners and here to our Paulus Vintage guitar tuners

When screwing guitar machine heads on, pay attention to how many degrees the screw lug has so that it fits the guitar. If the angle of the screw lug does not fit, you can of course simply drill new holes in the headstock.

3. 2 2 pin attachment

The pin attachment of guitar machine heads is not as widespread as the screw attachment. With the pin attachment, the housing of the guitar mechanics is locked in the headstock of the guitar by means of one or two pins attached to the back of the housing. So we distinguish:

• 1 pin variant
• 2 pin variant

The pin attachment of guitar machine heads is always attached from the front with screw sleeves (see point 3. 1 1) combined, as this type of attachment secures the guitar mechanics from falling off. Because the pin attachment only serves to prevent the guitar mechanics from twisting or slipping radially.

When attaching pins to guitar machine heads, it is important to note how many pins are used and what diameter and spacing the pins have so that they fit the guitar. If the pins don't fit, the old pin holes in the guitar's headstock can of course be closed and new pin holes drilled. This is of course much more complex than with screw fastenings.