Tuners - really, really stupid questions

EricTheWeary

I have a court order to stay at least 20 metres away from screwdrivers at all times but nonetheless...

if I want to replace the Fender vintage style tuners on my Pawn shop I just undo the screws, take them out and replace them with something like for like (the Wilkinson vintage Fender style ones with E-Z lock) and do up the screws on them? There are some little bushing things and I would swap them over as well.

Don't I? Or am I being an idiot here and missing something I need a guitar repairer with 20 years of experience to do?

Oh, and trying to price up the Wilkinsons brought up a bevvy of unfamiliar names on t'internet. Any recommendations where to buy them?

Thanks and thanks.

JookyChap

Yeah, that is about it, and you probably won't need to remove the little bushing things if you've gone for the same type.

I tend to get them from Axesrus - are they the Kluson style ones? Like this

EricTheWeary

Awesome @JookyChap they were £32 or in dollars elsewhere.

JookyChap

No worries I've used those Wilko ones lots of times and they are well decent. As it happens the Axesrus own brands are almost identical and £2 cheaper, but I like the EZ-Lok thing on the Wilkos, so it is worth a couple of quid for that

GuitarMonkey

JookyChap said:

Yeah, that is about it, and you probably won't need to remove the little bushing things if you've gone for the same type.

*except* vintage tuners come with 2 distinct post diameters, 6mm and ¼". If you get the wrong ones, they either won't go through the bushing or there will be too much slop. 

I think the Fenders will be ¼" and the Wilkinson 6mm but I could be wrong and it's always best to measure.

Richardj

Beware, the screw heads are usually made of cheese and chew up easily if you haven't got exactly the right size screwdriver, also beware that if it's a properly hard piece of maple they are in the heads can simply snap off.  Decent screwdriver and steady as she goes is the way.

JookyChap

GuitarMonkey said:

JookyChap said:

Yeah, that is about it, and you probably won't need to remove the little bushing things if you've gone for the same type.

*except* vintage tuners come with 2 distinct post diameters, 6mm and ¼". If you get the wrong ones, they either won't go through the bushing or there will be too much slop. 

I think the Fenders will be ¼" and the Wilkinson 6mm but I could be wrong and it's always best to measure.

Apologies - didn't realise that - though I've replaced Fender ones with Wilkinson, but maybe it varies...

ICBM

If you do want to get the bushings out - if they're the wrong size or colour - and they don't come out easily, the best way is to get a large screwdriver or similar with a 6mm shaft, poke it down the hole, and carefully wiggle it in a circular motion which will gently work the bushing out of the wood. Don't try to punch them out from behind, you'll probably take some of the wood with it, or try to lever them up with a knife blade.

ThePrettyDamned

ICBM;110302" said:

If you do want to get the bushings out - if they're the wrong size or colour - and they don't come out easily, the best way is to get a large screwdriver or similar with a 6mm shaft, poke it down the hole, and carefully wiggle it in a circular motion which will gently work the bushing out of the wood. Don't try to punch them out from behind, you'll probably take some of the wood with it, or try to lever them up with a knife blade.

Maybe not the best method but the ones in my jazzmaster got stuck. I just put a couple of ice packs around it, waited for ten minutes, then wiggled a screwdriver around in it and it eased it's way out.

DeeTee

ThePrettyDamned said:

ICBM;110302" said:

If you do want to get the bushings out - if they're the wrong size or colour - and they don't come out easily, the best way is to get a large screwdriver or similar with a 6mm shaft, poke it down the hole, and carefully wiggle it in a circular motion which will gently work the bushing out of the wood. Don't try to punch them out from behind, you'll probably take some of the wood with it, or try to lever them up with a knife blade.

Maybe not the best method but the ones in my jazzmaster got stuck. I just put a couple of ice packs around it, waited for ten minutes, then wiggled a screwdriver around in it and it eased it's way out.

Genius.

ICBM

ThePrettyDamned said:

Maybe not the best method but the ones in my jazzmaster got stuck. I just put a couple of ice packs around it, waited for ten minutes, then wiggled a screwdriver around in it and it eased it's way out.

Brilliant! I'll remember that.

I've done the opposite before - heat the bushing up with a soldering iron, so it will expand and force the wood out a bit, then shrink more quickly as it cools so allowing the bush to come loose. You have to be very careful not to burn the lacquer on the headstock face though. (I also do this to get broken-off screws out, it works very well usually.)

EricTheWeary

GuitarMonkey said:

JookyChap said:

Yeah, that is about it, and you probably won't need to remove the little bushing things if you've gone for the same type.

*except* vintage tuners come with 2 distinct post diameters, 6mm and ¼". If you get the wrong ones, they either won't go through the bushing or there will be too much slop. 

I think the Fenders will be ¼" and the Wilkinson 6mm but I could be wrong and it's always best to measure.

The Wilkinson ones come with bushes and reducers, if the hole is too big, so hoping they are one or the other.Seems a bit barking if they are made as direct replacements if they don't fit.

GuitarMonkey

The outside diameter of the bushes can vary too so replacement isn't always straightforward. 

Mr Negativity, I know.

EricTheWeary

GuitarMonkey said:

The outside diameter of the bushes can vary too so replacement isn't always straightforward. 

Mr Negativity, I know.

Well, I probably don't need to stay in tune all that much really perhaps I should forget about it...


A bit of googling has come up with a few people using them on tele's with no obvious problems so feels like they should be fine. Perhaps the trick is to do one tuner first rather than dismantle everything and end up needing help.