Fodera Tuner washers

HeartMood · #1 06-22-2011, 01:38 PM

I'm in desperate search for tuner washers, maybe they are made by Gotoh, they have the Fodera butterfly on the back. Fodera tells me to buy new tuners, which would be 12 tuners for my 6 string Imperials. As far as I can see there are always (from headstock side to tuner wing) an aluminium washer, a plastic washer, again an aluminium washer, and at last a metal spring ring. I need the plastic ones, they are broken at 4 tuners and I lost one aluminium ring during my attempt to repair the tuner.

I searched everywhere in local stores and online... no one seems to have those little things.

The ring hole is 5mm in diameter, the outer dimension is 7mm and it's 1mm thick.

Please help! I don't want to change the instrument more than necessary.

TIA

Hartmut

allexcosta · #2 06-22-2011, 04:04 PM

Fodera uses Gotoh GB7 tuners. You see a butterfly on the back because Gotoh will put anything you want if you buy more than a certain number of tuners.

Your local guitar shop is very likely to have dozens of these washers laying around. They'll probably give them to you or charge a small fee.

If you decide to buy new ones, the covers with the butterflies do come off...

testing1two · #3 06-22-2011, 04:07 PM

Considering these are Foderas, I wouldn't hesitate to put new Fodera tuners on both basses. But if you're only looking for the nylon bushings, try here:

Bass Parts Resource: Tuner Parts

or

Guitar Parts | Bass Guitar Parts | Amp Parts | AllParts.com

HeartMood · #4 06-23-2011, 03:44 AM

@testing1two: thank you so much! I orderd the plastic washers and hope they'll fit!

@allexcosta: Sure I could buy new tuners, but I ´believe in tuning in all parts of my instruments, and so I don't want to change parts, which are not necessary. The tuners are 13 and 14 years old and the work like on day one. I could buy new tuners rip the washers off and throw the new tuners away, but that's seems not right to me from an ecological view. but thanks for taking care.

allexcosta · #5 06-23-2011, 06:40 AM

^ Great...

That's why I wrote: "If you want..."

SLaPiNFuNK · #6 07-15-2011, 04:56 PM

Were you able to replace them?

On one of my Ken Smiths I had an issue where the nylon bushing broke... The tuning peg is a little bit tweeked I think, Unfortunately, the style tuners it has are not made anymore and I did not want to replace with the newer tuners... so that tuner is a little stiff now.

:-/

testing1two · #7 07-15-2011, 08:05 PM

hey SlaPiNFuNK. I just got some Fodera strings from you today. You win the award for safe packaging. =)

Anyways, AFAIK Ken Smith and Fodera have been using Gotoh tuners. The tuners on my Ken Smith look like this:

SLaPiNFuNK · #8 07-15-2011, 10:07 PM

testing1two - Thank you!! Glad you appreciate the safe packaging... Nothing would upset me more than getting a smashed package with a bent set of strings, so I do what I can to keep that from happening to others...

As far as the tuner, I am in the same boat with OP. My two smiths have the same tuners, both from 1995-1997, but they are the older style, so I would have to change out all of them. The last time I looked into this was a couple of years ago... Every time I change a set of strings I get reminded to look on the forums and see if someone is selling an older style tuner... no luck :-/

I just double checked the tuner, its not bent, just the bushing is crushed or something.

testing1two · #9 07-15-2011, 11:34 PM

I believe those are the same type of Gotoh tuners with the older "Y" shaped pegs. If so, you can buy them individually, although you'd have one tuner noticeably shinier than the others:

Gotoh Gold Bass Key Bass Side | Allparts.com

SLaPiNFuNK · #10 07-15-2011, 11:45 PM

Oh cool... I always thought they were not available anymore. If I decede to fix it, ill try taking it apart and using the original tuner.

testing1two · #11 07-15-2011, 11:48 PM

FWIW I took some calipers to my Ken Smith and one other bass with Gotoh tuners and the plastic bushing diameter is 7mm with a thickness of 1.5mm. My American Deluxe Fender with the Schaller ultralight boron tuners has 8mm washers. You might be able to find something at a hardware or electronics store or take a gamble and buy the plastic washers from AllParts. You could even go so far as to buy an economy tuner and cannibalize it for the bushings but that seems overkill.

SLaPiNFuNK · #12 07-16-2011, 12:07 AM

Speaking of which, I have some old spare tuners laying around... I never thought to dissect them.

Ill give that a shot.

HeartMood · #13 07-21-2011, 08:53 AM

@SLaPiNFuNK: it helps: the plastic washers arrived very very fast, within days here in Germany! And they fit a bit tight, but they fit my Fodera/Gotoh tuners, I'm really happy, Thank You guys!

Bass Parts Resource: Tuner Parts

SLaPiNFuNK · #14 07-21-2011, 11:55 AM

Cool thanks for letting me know.. your tuners look similar to mine correct?

Ill probably order those and give it a shot!

HeartMood · #15 07-22-2011, 02:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SLaPiNFuNK

your tuners look similar to mine correct?

Yepp!