Acoustic Guitar Hardware
Hardware - The highest quality tuning gears are cast and sealed in grease. This type tune the smoothest, last the longest and stay in tune the best. Other types have exposed gears or covered gears that aren't sealed. Guitars with nylon strings usually have exposed gears. Since nylon strings don't put as much tension on the hardware, exposed gears are fine for this type of guitar, but should be well maintained.
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This is a very common tuning gear of very high quality. Many manufacturers offer this gear as standard of their better guitars. Today, even entry level guitar can often be found with this cast, sealed tuner. | |
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Gears like this one are basically the same as the exposed gear (below) but with a pressed, sheet metal cover. The cover may keep some foreign material out of the mechanism. Still, the sealed type are better. | |
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This is an exposed gear tuner. A few of these are of good quality (like this one) but, for the most part, gears constructed like this are just cheap. Sometimes, they are all connected, either 6 in-line or 3 per side. |