Ibanez Roadstar machine head - repair / replacement nylon bushings

[Jolltax]

Hi, 

 

Looking for a bit of advice, on my Ibanez Roadstar 2 the D string machine head is very loose and I can't add more tension through the philips head screw on the shaft. I notice that there is a little nylon (?) bushing (see photos) on all of them and the one on the D string has snapped and I am guessing this is the reason, it may also possibly been replaced with something which looks incorrect.

 

Does anyone know how to to replace these or where to get them? I can buy boxes of bog standard washers from anywhere if they are just general fittings, but if they are something specific then would prefer to get from reputable source and know how to change them out before ordering.

 

Cheers

 

J

 

Edited March 22, 2023 by Jolltax
Duh!

[itu]

Replacing is very easy: detune the bass (loose strings), open the screws, and replace the washers/bushings.

 

To be honest, I am not sure what material is the bushing. I think it could be PP, PE, POM. Where to get those, no idea. A local plastic shop sure could help.

[PaulThePlug]

Had the same on an old SR600...

https://www.allparts.uk.com/products/plastic-spring-washers-for-bass-keys-between-button-and-housing-8-pieces-white

 

Edited March 22, 2023 by PaulThePlug

[John Cribbin]

Years ago, I had similar with an Ibanez. I bought a cheap set from eBay to canabilise for spares. Something like this:

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134092048521?hash=item1f38824889:g:KjYAAOSwa-diX-Mo&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4BCk6H0dxo6Ge0VRB4He2isMz2NKWGvuUsoqocGBuJqIDBZ8M7RCj0XWkaykrhv7VnqxKnl3O%2B1gjqJYcblidgrn3p1UXBtgEYq457mznELCkblOfgzHX5LJP6rZQxrryEjRT9wSua%2Bpy73GrKIZrjVe7uDo5VVG7ntJmZdWPS2z49q4dxJu3buNallP%2FfyoCFyAdWxbLr%2FUx%2FKh3pXmqYbkPI%2BZKUYox4i%2BoqdW4bSoEXMiJx1CdSO16bbbJSAVSZePcINTQhqW9eiYcCkz%2BO%2FuEU6GfjGOXJ%2BLadYcyvhN|tkp%3ABk9SR6yJpenhYQ

[Bigguy2017]

Rubber O rings might work ?

[itu]

Rubber O-rings will come out. The pressure is so big. PMMA is too brittle, but oily plastics like PP, PE, and polyacetal might work well. They are quite easy to machine, too.

 

A cheap trial could be a small, clear storage box made of PP, cut it to pieces and drill holes to it. Carefully cut or file to size.

[NancyJohnson]

The bushings are made of a hard nylon type material that allows the machine head key to rotate against the underlying metal of the tuning shaft (effectively it's self-lubricating the joint) - it also allows different shaped keys to be installed on the same tuning mechanism.  Personally, the design aesthetic of these is a bit Heath-Robinson; while I'm no fan of Fender generally, this is one aspect of their guitars that got it right.

 

Moving along, if you're struggling to find these washers, you can adapt one of those little things that are used to close bagged up loaves of bread.  Just drill a suitable sized hole in one, nip off the surplus and install.  Easy.

 

[TheGreek]

I have a similar issue with the tuners on a Mahalo Uke. I couldn't find anything suitable.

 

Watching with interest.

[itu]

Because of interest, and I happen to have some materials at hand, I tried few materials. PC and POM work well, PP is a bit brittle. Teflon is slippery, and could be the best choice.

[Bigguy2017]

Anyone know what size (ID and OD) they need to be?

M4? nylon and PTFE washers are available for pennies...

Edited March 25, 2023 by Bigguy2017

[PaulThePlug]

Outer diameter: 7.5mm 

Internal diameter: 5mm

Thickness: 1.3mm

[Bigguy2017]

Standard M5 Nylon 66 washer is 5.3mm ID 9.5mm OD 1mm thick - so basically correct

 

https://www.flexibleandfasteners.co.uk/Shop/m5-nylon-metric-plastic-washers/

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/M5-Nylon-Washer-Washers-Natural/dp/B006XURJH8

 

These are nearer M5 x 7.5mm, also nylon...

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/sourcing-map-Nylon-Washers-Screw/dp/B07NRYZG81

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/362586035318

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jolltax]

On 22/03/2023 at 18:43, PaulThePlug said:

Had the same on an old SR600...

https://www.allparts.uk.com/products/plastic-spring-washers-for-bass-keys-between-button-and-housing-8-pieces-white

 

 

I ended up buying these and fitting and they work OK, maybe not exactly the right size but doing the job fine.  I did look at M5 washers and would probably try next time as they seem very similar

[PaulThePlug]

Only washers i could find at the time were 9.5mm OD, and not a lot of difference in cost/postage... can't remember where i got them from.

 

Edited March 29, 2023 by PaulThePlug

[moley6knipe]

Ah, this is a great thread! I’ve got an old Crafter acoustic bass (superb, despite being cheap ish!) suffering from exactly this ailment. Time to strip a tuner and get the calipers outs!