Stiff machine heads

[ronh]

The tuners on my guitar are hard to turn, very stiff. The machine heads are Gotoh locking ones. Any ideas why and what to do. Do they need lubrication? This is without strings, with strings its worse. Thanks.

[David Schwab]

Try loosening the small screw on the end of the button a bit. That sets the tension.

[voodoochild]

The tuners on my guitar are hard to turn, very stiff. The machine heads are Gotoh locking ones. Any ideas why and what to do. Do they need lubrication? This is without strings, with strings its worse. Thanks.

I assume you are referring to the vintage style locking ones. Those are very cool by the way. In regards to those being stiff, that is normal. They loosen up over time. Just keep using them.