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Topic: Machine head tuner replacement annoyances |
Jon Light (deceased)
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 7 Jun 2008 1:37 pm |
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Finally got around to the task of replacing some of the tuners on my 12 string 'Bud Pro1. Money is very tight so I chose to buy a single 3+3 set of Grover 18:1's and put them on the money strings (3,4,5----8,9,10) and use the best of the old tuners in the other positions. (what are money strings? the ones getting the most pedal/lever work, most likely to benefit from the 18:1 tweaking. Since I use a wound 6th string I chose that as the one to omit on the treble side of 3)
Anyway, major annoyances:
--the bushing nut on the old Grovers is 3/8". On the new ones it is either metric or 13/32", neither of which I've got. I faked it with tape on a 7/16" wrench (gaaa!) and pliers but I hate doing that. Fortunately the side screw tightens things up real well.
--the bushing is too long/deep---I needed to add an extra washer in order to snug it up. After I finished I realized that I should have ground down the end of the bushing but too late....
--the side screw for the new ones is too small for the hole in the headstock---no problem to reuse the old ones but still.....
The simple job ended up taking way too much time---mainly the nut size thing. For an 'exact' repro, it just ain't. If I had a more complete workshop and more experience this might fall into the category of predictable unpredictables. But I've got a bit of this, a small set of that and this kind of stuff is frustrating.
Oh well. Now to play it and see if those new tuners are worth it (there have been some tuning stability issues so I'm hoping that the slack in the old tuner posts was the problem.) |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 7 Jun 2008 2:45 pm
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| Been there! Done that, and more. Was really glad to get the job done and get rid of the GFI! Now that I'm only foolin' with Fingertips and Permanents, the bushing issues are nonexistent. My problem on the GFI was that I could only get a couple of threads on the bushing to grab before it was tight. Those threads are just to tiny, and the metal is just too cr@ppy, for a couple of threads to really be secure. Stripped a couple of the bushings. What a pita! |
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Jon Light (deceased)
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 7 Jun 2008 3:06 pm
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Fortunately for me the bushing problem was just the opposite----too many threads. Two possible solutions; the extra washer as I did it, or grinding down the bushing a hair as I wish I had done it. But with a dozen or more threads engaged I had no concerns about getting a secure connection (except for lacking the wrench to do it right). What you describe is a common Emmons issue, as I've read here a number of times.
So after the annoyances I list above, what I do have is very securely installed tuners so that's good.
btw----aside from taking the opportunity to whine a bit, this post was written for the purpose of providing caveats to anyone diligent enough to search the forum for info on the subject before doing this job on their guitar.
The side screws do line up perfectly so technically these tuners are drop-in replacements. Cosmetically, they are bit different and they stick out a little from the ladder-step headstock angles. I suppose I could grind down the cases but then I'd go thru the nickel plating, I guess, and end up with....I'm not sure? |
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