cameltoe Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 Hi, Just a quickie. My newly aquired Classic Vibe 50's precision is a joy. It does have a couple issues, but I was expecting that. One of which are the tuners. They're not great if I'm honest. I'd like a decent set to upgrade them with, but I don't want to spend a fortune. Can anyone recommend cost effective replacements? The tuners on my Mexican P are significantly better, so even they would do fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 I'd go with these [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-FENDER-Bass-tuners-MIM-Standard-Hwy-1-Bass-/290431752388?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item439f14d8c4"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-FENDER-Bass-tune...=item439f14d8c4[/url] but the listing ends soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 Yes, the genuine Fender vintage reverse tuners will fit very well. They're the correct period design for the instrument as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Wazoo Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 Strangely, I've got the very same bass and I didn't find anything wrong with the tuners on it, yes they are cheapo but they do work as expected. I have only tighten the big screw on them and now they hold in tune perfectly, try to do the same see how you get on before you buy a new set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted June 2, 2010 Author Share Posted June 2, 2010 [quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='854341' date='Jun 2 2010, 12:00 AM']Strangely, I've got the very same bass and I didn't find anything wrong with the tuners on it, yes they are cheapo but they do work as expected. I have only tighten the big screw on them and now they hold in tune perfectly, try to do the same see how you get on before you buy a new set.[/quote] I'll try that, cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrawlins Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 (edited) I just got a beautiful CV "Pino" Precision - one of the nicest basses I think I've ever played (the neck beat out two early 70's Fender P's in Vintage and Rare which was a bonus!) I've seen some nicely aged original 70's P/J tuners on eBay that look very close to the ones on the Pino sig bass. Yes they will cost half what the bass did but I really want to give it a posh cosmetic treatment. I've already ordered a Fender pickup replacement and CTS pots etc. Anyway, with the Fender machines being much larger, I can have new holes drilled for the back plate but are there any other potential problems such as the diameter of the hole for the tuning column? Or perhaps could the lacquer crack if the holes are not drilled by a someone with experience? (If there is a thread where people are already pimping their CV 60's Precisions to closer to Pino spec, could someone point me to it?) Thanks a lot for any advice! Edited September 1, 2010 by mrawlins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilb Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 I put genuine reverse vintage Fender tuners on my CV Precision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrawlins Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 (edited) [quote name='neilb' post='942588' date='Sep 1 2010, 07:14 PM']I put genuine reverse vintage Fender tuners on my CV Precision. [/quote] Wow, beautiful! Great photo. Did you encounter any problems, or can you pass on any tips? Edited September 1, 2010 by mrawlins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjohn Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 (edited) [quote name='mrawlins' post='942806' date='Sep 1 2010, 11:13 PM']Wow, beautiful! Great photo. [b]Did you encounter any problems[/b], or can you pass on any tips?[/quote] Anything other than putting them on straight? The best tuners that fit without new holes are the [url="http://store.hipshotproducts.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=261"]hipshot [/url]ones. Edited September 1, 2010 by bigjohn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkle Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 I put Hipshot Ultralights on my CV Jazz. Works a treat. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrawlins Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 (edited) Yes as I mentioned I'm looking to put some beautifully aged original 70s Fender tuners on there, they are $200 so I want to make sure I'm not going to run into any insurmountable problems. They will definitely not fit in the existing holes, this is why I'm asking for a bit of advice- thanks guys! Edited September 1, 2010 by mrawlins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilb Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 [quote name='mrawlins' post='942806' date='Sep 1 2010, 11:13 PM']Wow, beautiful! Great photo. Did you encounter any problems, or can you pass on any tips?[/quote] These DID fit the original holes. I had to countersink some holes a tad behind the plate to accomodate the tags at the rear. Yes, not ideally straight, but hey ho>may get round to repositioning one day!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrawlins Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 (edited) [quote name='neilb' post='942953' date='Sep 2 2010, 07:15 AM']These DID fit the original holes. I had to countersink some holes a tad behind the plate to accomodate the tags at the rear. Yes, not ideally straight, but hey ho>may get round to repositioning one day!![/quote] Hah, ok that's interesting. Yes I had assumed they would fit the four large holes that go through the headstock, are you saying you had to countersink those or the small holes? Edited September 5, 2010 by mrawlins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrawlins Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 (edited) OK, now I understand what you mean NeilB! The tuners arrived today and sure enough they have bent metal "tags" which attach the shaft of the worm screw to the plate itself. Yes they do indeed protrude out from the back plate so it will not sit flush with the back of the headstock. The small holes are miles away from fitting as I assumed they would be, which is fine. Too close and that would have been a problem. OK so I have to find a way to accommodate these tags. Are Fender basses already routed in this way, behind the plates? I'd love to see how. These are the tuners I eventually bought - cheaper than original vintage Fenders and fantastic service from Ben at madison music. [url="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190413347047&ssPageName=ADME:X:AAQ:US:1123"]http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...E:X:AAQ:US:1123[/url] I've asked Ben if he can advise on this issue and I'll post his response if it's useful. I was hoping not to have to destroy the bass for the sake of cool tuners and I definitely do want them to sit straight so hopefully someone can advise on best practise. Cheers [quote name='mrawlins' post='942963' date='Sep 2 2010, 06:53 AM']Hah, ok that's interesting. Yes I had assumed they would fit the four large holes that go through the headstock, are you saying you had to countersink those or the small holes?[/quote] Edited September 23, 2010 by mrawlins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bh2 Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 Nice... I would like to fit those on my MiM p... I put a set of Wilkos on but I would like the vintage vibe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrawlins Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 (edited) Heh, yes they are pretty, you can specify the amount of ageing you want as well. Now to get them on the bass! [quote name='bh2' post='965504' date='Sep 23 2010, 11:42 AM']Nice... I would like to fit those on my MiM p... I put a set of Wilkos on but I would like the vintage vibe.[/quote] Edited September 23, 2010 by mrawlins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrawlins Posted September 24, 2010 Share Posted September 24, 2010 Here is Madison Music's response: "The metal on the bottom of the plate is to hold the shaft. If your installing them on a real vintage guitar I would use them the way they are. I use hundreds of these a year on our custom built guitars. The metal that hold the shaft has never been a big deal. Usually they will imprint themselfs into the wood naturally by tightening the tuner. Let me know if you have any troubles." So it seems no extra routing is necessary. Can anyone confirm this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bh2 Posted September 24, 2010 Share Posted September 24, 2010 They should just pop in, of course the mounting screws are in different places so you may want to drill those out, to get them started. A very thin bit of course, and not too deep! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrawlins Posted September 24, 2010 Share Posted September 24, 2010 Yeah that's what I'm saying, there are bits of metal protruding from the back of the flat tuner plate which prevents it from sitting flat against the headstock rear. Madison Music say you should just be able to screw the machine heads in and the protruding tags (about 2mm) will crush themselves into the wood. I'd really like to know if anyone else has these dents in their Fender bass when they remove a machine head, or not. [quote name='bh2' post='966361' date='Sep 24 2010, 08:30 AM']They should just pop in, of course the mounting screws are in different places so you may want to drill those out, to get them started. A very thin bit of course, and not too deep![/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrawlins Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 (edited) Well to update the thread, unfortunately I never did get the machine heads on my Squier. The process of removing the Squier bushings started to crack the lacquer on the headstock so I had to stop. The lacquer was evidently still wet when Squier fitted the metalwork... a word of warning to anyone else. Thankfully the crack is not too visible but I'm not sure what to do with these parts now. Sell them I guess... shame. Edited December 17, 2010 by mrawlins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bh2 Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 Hmm... when I swapped mine out for the wilkos I kept the original bushes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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