Tuning Machines for a 60s Harmony Silhouette

[adamrobertt]

Anyone know if any modern tuners fit? They're 6 in - line on a strip.

[Sweetfinger]

Kluson 6 on a plank should fit, as far as spacing. IIRC the headstock is simply drilled for the post, not a larger diameter bushing, so the holes may need to be enlarged and if bushings were needed, you'd have to drill or counterbore for those. A couple times in the past I've taken a set of Fender style chopped individual six in line and chopped the plates even shorter. It's a lot of busy work.
If you are looking for an original set of Waverly gears for those, I have new-old-stock sets.

[Lo-Fi]

I bought a set of fake Klusons from a Squier something or another for my Harmony Bobkat.

Nearly fit with a slight overlap at the 6th string. As mentioned above the holes need reamed slightly to fit.

I wonder whether the tolerances on legit Klusons would be better and I could get rid of the overlap...

[cooterfinger]

I had the same issue on my old Bobkats. I actually filed a very slight amount on each cover where they meet until it lined up with the existing holes.

[adamrobertt]

I ended up buying Kluson's 6 on a plate vintage tuners - spacing was perfect (even the screw holes lined up) but I did have to widen the peg holes slightly. Apparently Harmony just drilled for the post, and the nut on top was merely cosmetic.

[cooterfinger]

Good to know that the plate tuners will work.

[Larry Mal]

Would Hipshot tuners with the UMP work?

[Sweetfinger]

The Kluson 6 on a plank gears have the same post to post spacing. The reason there's overlap when using a Fender style set of individual 6 in lines not due to tolerances on cheap gears, it's because Fender's post to post spacing is wider. I've fit sets of the individual gears to Harmonys, but I had to grind a little bit off each edge of the gear plate and re-work the "half" screwholes on each end. That was back before Kluson had reissued a variety of plank replacements.
Remember, Fender MADE those individual six in line gears for Strats and Teles by taking stock Kluson gears and having a machine shop chop the ears off. When you lop off the ends of the plates on those Klusons, directly through the factory screwhole, then line them up, you get Fender's standard post spacing.