Help! Question about my Tuners. With video

[NewtoBass33]

Hi I am really new to bass so I dont know much. My tuners are like loose but the mechinism is closed so there is no way someone could have changed them. I bought the Bass from a pawn shop and it seemed fine then. I really don't know but it don't hold tune very well becuase of it can someone possibly help me. Any suggestions? If they changed the Tuner just the part that you turn to tune they would have had to take the whole mechinisim off and change then like that which whould be more trouble than its worth.
YouTube - ‪Bass tuning problem‬‏

[bass rocks]

new tuners

NO PICS NO BASS

[NewtoBass33]

Thats what I figured. Which really sucks because now I have to buy strings and Tuners this bass thing is friggin killing me. I also need to do lessons so that I can learn and not just learn to mess up like I did with a guitar. My bass is a Cort 4 string so I have no Idea if they are original tuners to it or not.

[Slowgypsy]

At the end of the day, you can write all you want, but a picture is worth a thousand words.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Originally Posted by Slowgypsy

At the end of the day, you can write all you want, but a picture is worth a thousand words.

^This. Always.

The newcomers in any hobby have quite obviously a very hard time explaining problems in an understandable way, a pic makes it tons easier.

If I had to guess, it's either an incorrect wrapping method that lets the string slip, or the thrust washer(s) have deteriorated or fallen out and there's a lot of slack in the gear. The latter is usually just an annoyance, doesn't affect tuning stability that much.

Unless the physical connection between the gears and the shafts has broken down, the worm and a wheel gear system used in the majority of tuners can't slip.

You do tune UP to pitch when tuning, right?

Regards
Sam

[NewtoBass33]

Originally Posted by T-Bird

Hi.




^This. Always.

The newcomers in any hobby have quite obviously a very hard time explaining problems in an understandable way, a pic makes it tons easier.

If I had to guess, it's either an incorrect wrapping method that lets the string slip, or the thrust washer(s) have deteriorated or fallen out and there's a lot of slack in the gear. The latter is usually just an annoyance, doesn't affect tuning stability that much.

Unless the physical connection between the gears and the shafts has broken down, the worm and a wheel gear system used in the majority of tuners can't slip.

You do tune UP to pitch when tuning, right?

Regards
Sam

yes my friend taught me to tune up. He made me try it about 12 times until I got it close to correct I am going to do a youtube video becuase pics will not show what i am talking about.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Originally Posted by NewtoBass33

yes my friend taught me to tune up. He made me try it about 12 times until I got it close to correct I am going to do a youtube video becuase pics will not show what i am talking about.

You have a wise friend.

That Youtube clip clears things up a lot, thank You.


First the wobbling.

Some of the lower quality tuners tend to be like that, but to me it loks like someone took 'em apart (those are open style/gear tuners that can be dismantled BTW, not closed ones You have there) and omitted the plate spring that keeps the worm gear (the one attached to the tuning leaf) in place. The spring is located between the wheel gear and the mounting plate and pushes the worm shaft towards the horse-shoe shaped keepers.

Unfortunately I don't have a pic, but I'll try to find a thread that explained the open gear tuner later. A bad spring is a common problem IME with this style of a tuner.


As for the slipping string, I'd blame the combination of a cheap tuner, cheap (?) string and the "right" method of stringing .

IME (~25 years), I've found that the right, clean looking "string end in the hole" style is inviting slipping problems with lesser quality tuners. It's also a problem with slick strings (coated, Elixir for example) if the edge of the slot doesn't grab the string bend regardless of the regular tuner quality.

My remedy has been said to look sloppy, ugly, lazy, etc. but since it remedies the problem completely, I use it. I fashoin a sort of Z in the end of the string using the tuner slot as a die and cut the excess off when I'm done restringing.

Regards
Sam