At Luthiers Mercantile we frequently get asked about replacing steel string guitar tuners.  Whether as an upgrade or a repair finding the right tuner might appear to be a frustrating process. Many people believe that there is a master list of guitar parts, that we can pick up a handy encyclopedia that will tell us exactly what tuner fits a 1954 Harmony Archtone, for example. No such resource exists for the guitar industry. Additionally, guitar manufacturers change parts and styles often. This can make finding compatible parts and hardware a daunting task. Fear not, with the proper measuring devices, finding a replacement tuner is not that difficult. The first step is removing one of the tuners that you want to replace. By taking measurements of the post hole diameter, thickness of the headstock, and noting the screw orientation, you begin to narrow down the field of possibilities. A set of calipers of the tool of choice for making these measurements. We sell several types of calipers on our website. Utilizing the filters on our website, the first thing to do is determine your finish color (gold, chrome, black, etc.). This will narrow down the selection considerably. Next choose the appropriate screw orientation or angle, further narrowing down the options. If the screw orientations do not match up, patching or covering screw holes on your guitar is easy. Check out this YouTube video for details. Every tuner that Luthiers Mercantile sells has a corresponding technical drawing. Now that you have narrowed down your options, you can click on each item to look at the technical drawing. The drawings will show you the post hole diameter and length, letting you match your numbers with ours. If your peghead holes are too small, a reamer can be used to enlarge them. Adaptor bushings can also be used if the peghead holes are too large. And that’s all there is to it.  With just a little time and a precise measuring tool, replacing or upgrading your old tuners doesn’t have to be a chore. Thank you for checking out another video from all of us at Luthiers Mercantile Please click like and subscribe below to stay informed about our new video releases.