richardjmorgan Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Ok, so after a long time lurking about I'm finally getting round to posting something on here. Surprise, surprise, it's because I need help with something. I have an Encore LTD83 (p-bass copy thing) - my first ever bass from about 1994 which I recently re-acquired via a convoluted set of circumstances. And the key of the top string's tuner is vibrating when I play in an annoying, buzzy way. (It doesn't seem to be audible through an amp, but it's a bit irritating when playing at low volume/faffing about without the bass plugged in.) I was just wondering if there's any way of fixing this, short of replacing the tuner? Any help or advice much appreciated, cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Also started happening on one of my basses so I'll be following with interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Stu Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Is it the elephant ear type with open gears on the back? Any chance of pics, or can you tell where it's coming from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardjmorgan Posted October 15, 2012 Author Share Posted October 15, 2012 [quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1350302474' post='1836938'] Is it the elephant ear type with open gears on the back? Any chance of pics, or can you tell where it's coming from? [/quote] Yup, elephant and open. It seems the stem of the "ear" bit is rattling around in the bit that holds it. Will go and take a picture and report back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Stu Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 If it's how I picture it; and why your thread caught my eye, I had a neighbour who got into the habit of bringing me basses with various niggles on them*. One of them was as you describe. To test it was what he thought I jammed the "ear" with a couple of matches to see if the rattle stopped - it did! He wasn't too bothered about how perfect looking it was, so I blagged a syringe from the local health centre (without a needle they were happy to oblige and didn't think (AFAIK) that I was a user swapping his gear). Filled syringe with a small amount of Araldite type glue called "Liquid Metal" (x Maplins) & squeezed it into the tube holding the ear. The tube in this case was hollow so it was easy done. Wipe off any excess & keep it clear of the gears obviously, wait for it to dry & paint it silver if it bothers you. If your pics don't match that case we'll have to think again. *Turned out he was into line dancing where he really fancied a woman bassist in a band, so to get into her "good books" [i]he[/i] offered to fix any problems she had. Cheeky b*gger! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiamPodmore Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 I had this and it just turned out to be the gear screw was loose. Quick tighten and it was fine, so this may the case for you. Liam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardjmorgan Posted October 15, 2012 Author Share Posted October 15, 2012 (edited) So it seems the stem of the tuning key (A) is rattling around in the bits of the tuner that hold it in place (B ) - if I hold onto the key while playing a note, the rattle stops. The "ear" and the stem all appear to be one part, as best I can tell. Hope that clears things up a bit - thanks for the suggestions so far, guys! Edited October 15, 2012 by richardjmorgan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Stu Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 It is different - bugger - ignore everything I just said I've only seen two different versions of those. The more budget ones the tuner's shaft is a separate part to the geared part; when you took it off there was nothing holding them together, in which case you could easily pack the space between with some nylon plastic, maybe something like the tube that protects a new artist's paint-brush? Nothing thicker or you won't get it back down flush to the headstock. You'll have to do the top & the bottom so that it stays at the same angle to the gear otherwise you'll get uneven wear in the long term which will knacker it. On a Gibson replacement elephant ear I had (possibly Schaller?) it was sealed unit; which shouldn't ever fail but kinda screws you when it does, in which case a blob of thick grease might do the trick, but be careful where it goes or the friction of the tuner may be lost so it won't hold. Unless it's been swapped out I'd doubt it's one of those though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardjmorgan Posted October 15, 2012 Author Share Posted October 15, 2012 99% sure it's entirely stock, so looks like it's time to get my dismantling hat on! Cheers again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardjmorgan Posted October 15, 2012 Author Share Posted October 15, 2012 Well it seems like I've got this fixed. After a bit of faffing (removing the tuner, disassembling the tuner, incorrectly reassembling the tuner, re-disassembling the tuner, re-reassembling the tuner), I discovered that the "ear" and the stem ARE, in fact, separate pieces, and it seemed to be the ear wiggling in the stem, rather than the stem moving in the thread, that was causing the problem. Didn't seem to be enough room to slide anything between the surface of the ear and the slot in the stem, so I just squeezed the stem with a pair of pliers and this seems to have done the trick! Sorry for wasting your time everyone, but the effort's much appreciated all the same! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Thanks for letting us know the fix, I'll have a look later at mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiipopes Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Quite alright. Sometimes these niggles are difficult to solve. Glad you found it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brensabre79 Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Mine's been doing this for ages, usually stops if you just turn it back and forth. But will look into this now thanks for the thread! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 i fixed this problem on one of my basses with a small shims of plasticard under the exposed worm gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfretrock Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 [quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1350315826' post='1837187'] i fixed this problem on one of my basses with a small shims of plasticard under the exposed worm gear. [/quote] Over the past 2 months plastic shims have come out of my Mex P bass tuners. Does this usually happen? Does not seem to be causing a problem. Photo shows one on the way out and the other which came out yesterday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 [quote name='pfretrock' timestamp='1410692710' post='2551937'] Over the past 2 months plastic shims have come out of my Mex P bass tuners. Does this usually happen? Does not seem to be causing a problem. Photo shows one on the way out and the other which came out yesterday. [/quote] Are they the metal ones ? Odd they've come out - never heard of it before to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfretrock Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 [quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1410695568' post='2551994'] Are they the metal ones ? Odd they've come out - never heard of it before to be honest. [/quote] There is a metal shim, then a plastic shim, then the gear. Plastic looks like cheap PVC. Just checked carefully for rattles (amp off,ear against headstock) there was a faint rattle on A string when played mid-neck . This is the only tuner wiith the plastic still present. Took apart and re-assembled it, OK now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 I guess the others have gone walkies over the years. At least it's rattle-free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveFry Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 I have fixed the ear rattling in the stem problem before on an Epi EB by smearing clear silicon bathroom sealant in the gap and removing excess with a damp rag . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 [quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1350315826' post='1837187'] i fixed this problem on one of my basses with a small shims of plasticard under the exposed worm gear. [/quote] I generally use a little felt strip with a smear of Vaseline on the side that presses against the worm gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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