Fustero Guitar Tuner. Made in Spain. Imported by Fernandez Music.
Lira (Lyra) top, gold plated, hand engraved $295.00
Used as original equipment on most concert quality guitars made in Spain. Used by Jose Ramirez, Miguel Rodriguez of Cordoba, Manuel Rodriguez, Ignacio Fleta, Felix Manzanero, Antonio Marin Montero, Manuel Reyes, Archangel Fernandez, Marcelino Barbero,Pedro Miguel, Manuel Contreras, Ignacio Rozas, Francisco Esteve Concert Models, and many others.
The top of the line models are hand engraved. You can see that they are done by hand because the cuts in the metal are clearer and sharper than those which are stamped by a machine.
The gold plated are plated with real gold. I had a goldsmith check the plating.
Most models have 35mm spacing between the rollers. In addition I have some tuners with 36mm spacing for Fletas and other vintage guitars.
The present tuners are technically superior to those used 20 or 30 years ago. More specifically, the gears are larger, there are washers below the gears to reduce friction and wear, and the rollers are a more durable material.
If you have a vintage guitar made in Spain. Fustero should be your choice. Nothing looks more out of place than to have German or American tuners on a fine Spanish classical or flamenco.
Double waists, black knobs, chrome plated, gold etched $299.00. Please note that the plate is actually a chrome-color--it is shiny not gray colored.
Double waists, gold plated, no lyra. $299.00. Standard faux (i.e. imitation) "mother of pearl" or "bone" design knobs. With "black" faux horn knobs the price is $299.00
Here's an important note about Fustero tuning knobs. In my December 2004 shipment I requested and received 2 different "white" knobs from Fustero. One type is an imitation "mother of pearl" and the other is an imitation "bone" or "ivory". Please look at the photo below to see the difference between the 2 types of "white" knobs I received. I also continue to receive "black" knobs which look like horn. All 3 of these knobs are very strong and very attractive.
The left knobs are the imitation bone, on the right are the imitation MOP (mother of pearl). This photo does not do justice to the iridescent quality of this imitation MOP.
Single machine tuners (above). These custom made Fustero "singles" are gold plated and hand engraved. They are a little less than 32mm in length which makes them suitable for any guitar with roller spacing of more than 32mm. So, these are a solution for guitars with 36mm or 39mm spaced rollers. Also, these could be used for 7 or 8 string guitars. The current price for a set of six is $330. set of seven $385, set of 8 $440.
Because of the general lack of information on this topic, I should clarify the matter of authentic mother of pearl knobs. Many years ago Fustero used mother of pearl for their premium models (probably about 30 years ago). I do not know exactly when they switched to imitation knobs but it has been a long time. On a trip I made to their workshop in the late 1990's I asked the Fustero Brothers for the old style oval shaped Mother of Pearl knobs and they told me that they did not have any and in turn they asked me if I had a good source for the MOP The problem with mother of pearl for the Fusteros was not only the expense but the issue of good consistent quality. The quality issue concerns tiny hidden fissues in the MOP buttons. Such fissures can allow the knobs to split or chip. There is a parallel issue with wooden buttons. The Fusteros told me that they do not like ebony buttons because they have had problems with buttons spliting. They told me that grenadillo buttons (knobs) are a bit stronger.
It is important to realize that the metal shaft inside of the knob exerts a lot of pressure as it is turned. Natural materials such as MOP (which comes from a shell), wood, bone, and ivory are not as consistent in strength and density as the synthetic materials used for knobs which are quite homogeneous. Consequently, since the "natural materials" are more likely to fail.
With regard to this issue of authentic verses synthetic knobs my feeling is that I do not really want to deal with the possibility of MOP or wooden knobs which might split in the future when we have a very dependable, strong, beautiful synthetic material for knobs. I should note here that the material used by Fustero is not the opaque cheap plastic used on low grade tuners, it is a material which has a depth to it and is quite strong.
In recent years the Fusteros have told me that they can get mother of pearl buttons from Germany but they are a special order item and there is a delay of many months to get them. I mention all of this history because I am often asked for mother of pearl or wooden buttons. Although I am personally a purist in many issues, for knobs I think that the standard synthetic materials Fustero is using are very, very good. Some of the buttons have such a good appearance that many people will not know the difference even with careful inspection.
I should also mention here that fine luthiers all over Spain put these types of knobs on their concert grade instruments because they work well, are attractive and are long lasting. If they want to impress collectors and people looking for guitars as works of art they will offer Rodgers tuners from England which are 2 to 3 times the price but of a non-Spanish design. Jose Ramirez III, for example, did this on his Centenario model--a model which had very fine ornamentation but did not sound any better than his 1-A models (I say this from personal experience because my family and I were authorized importers of Jose Ramirez guitars back in the1960's and in the late 70's/early 80's when we acquired a Centenario.)
Good mother of pearl buttons which are fissure
free and well manufactured are not cheap. I mention this to my
readers so they will be aware when offered Fusteros with authentic
mother of pearl knobs at the same price as ones with standard Fustero
knobs. Judging from the last time I checked, the difference between
the standard Fustero knobs and MOP knobs should be about $100.
I should like to mention here that in March 2006 I visited the
Fustero workshop--my previous visit had been in the mid-1990. I had a
very interesting visit with Javier Fustero who gave me a detailed
tour of the workshop. It takes a surprising number of metal working
machines to make these little tuning machines! Javier told that he an
his brother still run the workshop which was established in 1946 by
his father. In telling me about the manufacturing process Javier told
me that it took an hour to hand engrave the deluxe tuners and that
currently they had 2 brothers with decades of experience doing the
engraving. I am pleased to be able to distribute these fine tuners to
players around the world.
The very skilled engraver at the Fustero workshop
To order Fustero tuners, contact us by e-mail or phone (949-856-1537)
so we can calculate your total cost with shipping and state tax if
you are in California. Payment is by check, money order, or if you
are overseas, an international postal order in dollars.We now take
VISA and Mastercard. Prices do not include shipping and
handling.
Send to: Fernandez Music, P.O. Box 5153, Irvine, CA 92616.
If you have any question or to check inventory before ordering, email me at: ron@fernandezmusic.com