So, how much would you be willing to pay for tuning machines?

AlanRatcliffe

I went on a mission looking at high end classical tuning machines this weekend. I started with the Schertlers and the Sloanes and ended up with the seriously obsessive engineer/artist types like Rodgers, Graf and Alessi (with Euro prices ranging from EUR400 to just under EUR1K).

Rodgers:

Graf:

Alessi:

And my personal faves, the Scheller (not Schaller!):

The above are his simpler designs (which I prefer) - he does the ornate hand engraving too. Simply amazing attention to detail and precision:

Squonk

Good Stuff Alan

I also prefer the plain ones but the Graf Fish Scale ones are hectically brilliant!

aja

How much do these designers really know about gear design?

For example, the root of the teeth on the worm wheel of those rodgers look like they are lacking any type of relief fillet - stress induced micro cracking just waiting to happen. And, it looks like he tried to use a gear ratio that is much too high for the given tooth module. Additionally, the top land of the worm looks very thin.

Will these tuning machines really stand the test of time? Unless they are using some very exotic materials, I suspect not.

I must admit, some of the others look much better!

With today's CNC machining and laser sintering technologies, one would think they would realize that since these gear drives are always under tension in one direction only, they could use asymmetrical teeth (different pressure angles) to allow more force to be handled in one direction. That means a higher gear loading capability for a given tooth module and therefore a smaller package overall. The ultimate in worm drives remains the double (or fully) enveloping, also known as the globoid, worm set. Will post more info later

AlanRatcliffe

aja wrote: How much do these designers really know about gear design?

Good question - I know little beyond how these things perform/feel for me, so would be interested in any info you have. The classical community seem to lean most to the Rodgers machines - and they are some of the more expensive ones, but they were the ones I liked the look of the least. The Alessi are also expensive, but opinions seem very divided and by all accounts they are inconsistent.

Klaus Scheller on the other hand is an engineer (and German ?). I love his use of bearings and the metal bushings through the posts.

For example, the root of the teeth on the worm wheel of those rodgers look like they are lacking any type of relief fillet - stress induced micro cracking just waiting to happen. And, it looks like he tried to use a gear ratio that is much too high for the given tooth module. Additionally, the top land of the worm looks very thin.

Then again, the pressures involved in a nylon string are relatively low (about 5 kgs per, IIRC), so I would presume that stress isn't a huge issue.

Explorerlover

EUR1000???? ?

That needs to be one veeerrrrryyy special guitar