String Rollers
There are 4 basic types of string roller.
Other string roller options
Classical rollers with bearing bushes
String rollers fitted with bearing bushes are standard with Rodgers Tuners. The bearing bush is attached to the string roller but spins freely. When the tuner is fitted to the instrument, these bushes remain stationary, hidden inside the headstock. When the string roller turns, the ‘centre shaft’ of the roller rotates inside the bush. The bushes have a slight dome which aligns the bush making sure the centre of force is directed to the centre of the bush. The bushing material has excellent light-weight bearing qualities which also prevents any sound alteration of the instrument.
Advantages include:
- Smooth action
- Eliminates roller squeak
- Prevents roller binding
- No wear (elongation) of headstock holes
- No humidity headstock contraction onto the rollers
- Light weight, using a similar material as the shank, resulting in no change to the instrument sound
- 10mm standard or imperial 13/32″ (10.3mm) diameter option for some drilling fixtures.
Other bush sizes available on request. - Standard 30mm long. Optional 31mm or 32mm long for wider headstock slots. Check fitting instructions for details to hide bush.
Fitting Instructions click here
Classical plain string rollers
Only Available on request. Polished 10mm diameter string rollers are bonded and pinned to inner steel spindles. The string holes is positioned at 15mm from the back of the side-plate.
Fitting Instructions click here
Steel String for slotted headstock
Steel spindles are bonded to polished 1/4″ diameter brass string rollers. String holes normally positioned at 15mm from the back of the side-plate, but can be positioned to suit a customer’s special requirements. Polished brass rollers are used with brass plates and chrome plated rollers are usually used with nickel silver or sterling silver plates.
The delrin bushes are optionally supplied and make for a better bearing material than the wood of the headstock and also prevent wear of the holes. The outer bush has the bearing diameter and the bush next to the side-plate is a clearance bush. Both bushes are 10mm diameter and should be bonded in place.
Fitting Instructions click here
Steel string for solid headstock
Polished brass or chrome plated string rollers are suitable for machine heads fitted from the under-side of the guitars headstock (i.e. string rollers vertical). Brass or chromed top bushes are supplied with these rollers for inserting into the top surface of the headstock.
Three roller projection heights are available which can be seen in the ‘progressive length’ link below.
As requested by luthiers, these bushes are supplied as standard with 2 cylindrical grooves on the smooth fitting shank diameter (see image below-right). These are to be bonded into the headstock (usually with a cyanoacrylate adhesive), the grooves offering extra bonding location. Splined bushes are also available but be aware that the splining can cause the surface lacquer of the headstock to crack or craze. This is why the smooth diameter bushes are our standard option.
Fitting Instructions click here
Custom String rollers
If the standard sizes for the string rollers doesn’t work for your instrument, you might need us to make you some rollers with custom dimensions.
Paul Fischer guitars and some Jeffery Elliott guitars have a wider distance between the tuner mounting face and the inner holes in the headstock where the ends of the rollers locate. Since it is important to have a good length of location inside the inner hole, longer rollers at 32mm are needed.
When considering the replacement of sets for old guitars, it is important to take a close inspection of the inner holes in the headstock. Over years of use, the holes can become elongated (worn to an oval). Simply replacing the old rollers for a new without addressing this, will cause poor operation and wear of the tuners. The holes should be accurately re-bored so to be both round and having evenly spaced distances between each string roller. If this makes the holes larger than 10mm, this is not a problem as we can supply larger diameter bearing bushes.
Very occasionally, rollers need to be tapered. Again, not a problem.
Rollers sometimes need to have different lengths from the E to D.
The string holes can also be moved to whatever dimensions required. We can even make the set with different string hole distances from E to D. Please remember however, that the placement of the string hole does not necessarily position the place that the string leaves the roller to the nut. In fact the hole is the only place that the string cannot leave.
Replacement String Rollers
New string rollers can be purchased from us at any time.
Prices shown are for 6 string rollers plus fixing screws and wood screws.
Options available for 25mm, 30mm, 31mm or 32mm long rollers
Replacement rollers are specific to Rodgers Tuners and will not fit other makes of tuners.
download the pdf
