Gotoh
Gotoh has been making guitar hardware in Japan since 1960, and its tuners, bridges and tremolo systems sit on a remarkable share of the instruments we cover without ever being the reason anyone buys one. That is rather the point: a Gotoh locking tuner or 510 tremolo is the quiet mark of a spec sheet somebody thought about. Look through our coverage of Solar, Jackson, Charvel and Ibanez and the name keeps appearing in the hardware line, which is where most players first meet it.
Babicz and Gotoh Join Forces to Unleash the Ultimate FCH510G Hybrid Tremolo Bridge
Upgrade your guitar with the Babicz & Gotoh FCH510G hybrid tremolo bridge. Get ultimate tuning stability, incredible sustain, and precision engineering.
- Machine heads
- Bridges
- Tremolo systems
- Guitar hardware
- SD91
- 510 series
- Res-O-Lite
- Magnum Lock
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Gotoh FAQ4 questions
What does Gotoh make?
Guitar hardware, and very little else. Gotoh Gut Co., Ltd. has been manufacturing stringed-instrument parts in Japan since 1960 — machine heads, bridges, tremolo units, tailpieces, string retainers and the small metal parts that hold a guitar together. Its marks its 60th anniversary of specialising in exactly that.
Are Gotoh tuners an upgrade?
They are one of the most common upgrades on a mid-priced guitar, and the reason is consistency rather than a tone claim: tighter gear ratios and better machining hold tuning through bends. The SD91 vintage-style and the locking Magnum Lock designs are the two most often fitted.
Why do so many guitars come with Gotoh parts already fitted?
Because Gotoh supplies other manufacturers as well as selling to players. A large number of Japanese-built and mid-range imported guitars leave the factory with Gotoh tuners or bridges, so the 'upgrade' is sometimes already there — check the back of the headstock before you buy new ones.
What is the Gotoh 510 series?
Gotoh's higher-end line, covering both tuners and bridges. The 510T tremolo drops the conventional vintage design in favour of a low-clearance arm system of Gotoh's own, and the 510 bridges use steel baseplates with brass saddles carved from solid blocks rather than bent or cast parts.