Product Reviews: Slotted-Head Tuners

by Todd Rose

Originally published in American Lutherie #79, 2004 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015

Slotted-Head Tuners

This is for those of you who share my passion for the other kind of steel string guitar head, the slotted head. Whether it be a case of carrying on the classic designs of past instruments (as with parlor guitars, resonator guitars, and Selmer/Maccaferri-style guitars, to name a few) or breaking new ground with contemporary designs, a slotted head on a steel string guitar is a compelling stylistic element. To my eye, a slotted head has striking lines and elegant features: The plane of its face is unbroken by protruding tuning posts; the slots lend a lightness and transparency to its bearing. Recent years have seen a resurgence of interest in parlor guitars, including some beautiful contemporary interpretations of this traditional form, as well as other styles of guitars with slotted heads. We may well see a growing lust for this style of head on the guitars of the future.

While designing my own nontraditional guitars with slotted heads, I found, as have many guitar makers, that the selection of tuning machines appeared woefully limited compared to the many styles available in the solid-head type. Determined to exhaust the possibilities, however, I ferreted out a few models of which I suspect many are unaware, and also found that there are sometimes more knob and finish options in the manufacturers’ own catalogs than what’s regularly available from suppliers. Furthermore, at least one manufacturer has a new line of slot-head tuners in the works, and others may be able to offer more choices if guitar makers ask for them — more on that later.