Direction to turn tuning knobs

That would require worm gears with opposite helix angles. Much more efficient to make them all with the same helix direction.

Ed Maier

Yeh I dunno why that is, I'm agreeing with you on this one. Seems more logical to have them all going the same way!? I guess you can change it if you want to though.

Actually, that is what I have usually done, when I put on new strings. Tightened them all in the same direction, the obvious way to do it, simpler for tuning, IMO.

However, I'm wondering if I'm wrong in doing so

I've noticed that some guitars are tuned with the tuning knobs going in the opposite direction (to tighten the strings) for strings 4,5,6, than the direction to tighten the strings for strings 1,2,3.

Is there any real reason to do this, other than custom and tradition? (It seems simpler to tighten all the strings by turning the knobs in the same

Are you saying that there is a rationale for the opposite direction of tuning the upper and lower strings, but only on guitars in which the tuning knobs stick out from the sides of the guitar? If the tuning knobs stick out from the back of the guitar (gears on the sides, but the knobs stick out backwards), there is no purpose in the reverse direction tuning?

Well, besides getting a kick out of other's replies, what is your reply to the question?

The guitar type with the most custom or tradition would be the classical guitar, going back centuries. On a classical, all tuners turn in the same direction. The same is true on 'pre-war' Martins with slotted headstocks. Having turners on opposite sides turning in opposite directions is more recent.

If you think about it, the tuners are only turning in the opposite direction on the surface. They actually utilize the same twisting motion of the hand. Your hand simply flips upsidedown going from one side to the other. The only guitars that are truly reversed are old flaminco guitars with violin type tuners.

[Followups set]

Correct. 3 per side tuners work that way. If you've got a 6-per-side guitar, well ...

Both of the above, and it means that tuner manufacturers don't have to make left handed threads.

Absolutely correct. The OP questioned the seemingly different directions as viewed from the headstock surface. When viewed from the *button*, turning the button CCW tightens the strings on most, if not all, enclosed tuners. They could be made to work such that when the top of the hand moved away from the guitar body as viewed from the nut, all the strings on both sides of the headstock would tighten. This would require that the worm gear and pinion for the G, B, and E strings' tuners be cut with an opposite (LH) helix angle direction. This is easy to do, but not economically smart considering the added problems of keeping them separated during manufacture.

It's hard for me to talk about gears without my Big Chief tablet and orange crayola.

Ed Maier Arlington, TX

Precisely. On my classical, I turn the knobs in the same direction on both sides (counter-clockwise), and the drums turn with the tops moving away from the nut (as they should to pull the strings straight from the nut). But, if you look at the machines, they're mirror images of each other. On the bass side of the headstock, the knob is to the left of the screw. On the treble side of the headstock the knob is on the right side of the screw.

-Raf