Upgrading Your Les Paul Tuners: Vintage vs Modern

Thinking of upgrading your Les Paul’s vintage-style tuners to modern Grovers? You’re not alone. Whether you're chasing improved tuning stability, smoother gear ratio, or just prefer the modern look, replacing your stock tuners can make a big difference — but it’s not always as straightforward as it sounds.

Identifying Your Current Tuners

Many Gibson Les Pauls come fitted with vintage Kluson-style tuners, recognised by their plastic keystone buttons and push-fit bushings. These are lightweight and vintage-correct, but not always the most reliable when it comes to tuning stability.

These tuners typically use 8.8mm push-fit bushings. Modern tuners such as Grover Rotomatics require 10mm holes — and this is where issues often arise.

This Also Applies to Epiphone & Import Models

While this guide focuses on Gibson Les Pauls, the same rules apply to Epiphone models and many import guitars. These guitars also commonly use push-fit bushings and smaller 8.8mm peg holes.

If you're upgrading to modern tuners with screw-in bushings, you’ll likely need to enlarge the peg holes — a job best done with a reamer, not a drill.

The Fitment Issue

If your guitar has vintage tuners with push-fit bushings, switching to modern tuners isn’t just a drop-in replacement. You'll need to enlarge each hole to 10mm, which is a permanent modification.

But there's a caveat…

Some Models Are Already Grover-Ready

Certain Gibson models ship with vintage-style Grover GR135N tuners that feature screw-in hex bushings and already require 10mm holes. If that’s your setup, upgrading to modern Grovers is simple — no drilling or reaming necessary.

What About the Extra Holes?

Even when the tuners fit mechanically, there’s still an aesthetic issue: exposed mounting holes.

Vintage tuners use a screw positioned below the gear housing. Modern Grovers mount using a screw above the housing. So when you switch, the old mounting holes remain visible just above each tuner.

This doesn't impact performance, but some players don’t like the look. You can leave them, fill them, or colour-match and refinish them depending on how clean you want the mod to look.

Conclusion

Upgrading from vintage tuners to modern Grovers improves tuning performance and reliability — but be sure to check your tuner hole diameter and understand the potential cosmetic changes before you start.