Steve vai's FLO with weird tuning machines

[bachmozart]

Hi, i wonder if somebody could tell me what tuning machines are these:
http://www.vai.com/SightsSounds/imag...-ana7014-1.jpg
http://www.vai.com/SightsSounds/imag...-ana7061-1.jpg
(sorry for post copyrighted pictures :S)

If You see the Astoria DVD you can see a lot of scenes with those tuning machines, but i think that he replaced them a few years ago for the normal ones.

If any have any info please tell me. THANKS.

[buddroyce]

It's kinda hard to see, but they look like the LSR tuners.

[Kii]

They're Steinberger gearless tuners.

[bachmozart]

Thanks Kii!! The Steinberger fits with the ones of the picture.

And you too buddroyce, you have right, the pics aren't good enough to see them. :P

[Ayrton]

For what it is worth, Mike from Vai.com posted that Steve tried them, and went back to regular tuners.

[dex]

http://www.musicyo.com/news/whatsup_dtl.asp?id=54

I think it was actually Thomas Nordegg who said (off the record) that Steve hated them and asked for them to be replaced pretty quick.

Steve had that 555 neck on Flo (with the Fretwave) back in '96 so I don't think he's actually used these in good 10 years.

The 555 neck still has them on (still has the fretwave and also has blue LEDs instaled as well as a laser pointer in the headstock) but it's not bolted to a guitar Steve uses right now.

[nuno]

[resha]

Originally Posted by dex

Steve had that 555 neck on Flo (with the Fretwave) back in '96 so I don't think he's actually used these in good 10 years.

False. FLO had them on the Astoria dvd, which was recorded in 2001. Hence those tuners were there until 2001 at least, though FLO received a new neck in the meantime (on the Astoria She has a 7V neck).

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I think Steve did not like them because they're actually quite useless on a double locking guitar... Probably thier features are way more appreciable on a standard guitar.

[Ironjose]

they look kind of cool... but dont know how good working are they... if Vai is asking for a change they should have some kind of problem...

[bachmozart]

Originally Posted by Ironjose

they look kind of cool... but dont know how good working are they... if Vai is asking for a change they should have some kind of problem...

I think the same

[nuno]

they work great. smooth, solid, precise. but i think that Ibanez asked Vai not to switch to Gearless tuners so to avoid hundreds of thousands requests for those on the next JEMs. they're in business with Gotoh since the '70s IIRC, and i guess they're willing to keep in business. no really need to blow a 30+ years business just for a useless whim.

[resha]

Originally Posted by nuno

they work great. smooth, solid, precise. but i think that Ibanez asked Vai not to switch to Gearless tuners so to avoid hundreds of thousands requests for those on the next JEMs. they're in business with Gotoh since the '70s IIRC, and i guess they're willing to keep in business. no really need to blow a 30+ years business just for a useless whim.

100% Agree.

And -I reapeat-I don't think that kind of complex tuners can make so much difference in a double locking guitar imho.

[Alexeh]

Steve had that 555 neck on Flo

What the..? Is there a clip of this on Youtube or something?

[vaijem777]

Originally Posted by nuno

they work great. smooth, solid, precise. but i think that Ibanez asked Vai not to switch to Gearless tuners so to avoid hundreds of thousands requests for those on the next JEMs. they're in business with Gotoh since the '70s IIRC, and i guess they're willing to keep in business. no
really need to blow a 30+ years business just for a useless whim.

Oh yeah...kinda like Ibanez asked Steve to NOT use a Fernandes Sustainer on his guitars?

That would be almost as silly as Steve insisting that all of his signature models be strung with Ernie Ball strings instead of the D'Addarios that
Ibanez uses.

I'm pretty sure that he doesn't have to worry about anybody bitching at him about any mods he makes. If it wasn't for him modifying his guitars, the JEM wouldn't exist at all

[Salamander In The Sun]

Originally Posted by Ironjose

they look kind of cool... but dont know how good working are they... if Vai is asking for a change they should have some kind of problem...

I tried them on an Epi Firebird Studio, and they were great. They provide almost no resistance, since they do away with the gears. I loved them.

Originally Posted by Alexeh

What the..? Is there a clip of this on Youtube or something?

It's nothing new. Steve has used many 555 necks on his JEMs over the years.



See?