MIJ fretless Fender J Bass - tuning machine

[Jerry_B]

I recently acquired one of these (late 1980s version) for £150, and it's doesn't seem to have been all that well looked after. I've not owned a Fender bass before so I'm not sure whether to keep some of the original hardware or replace some odds and ends.
The tuning machine keys seems a little slack, and have some mottling (I guess from damp). The bushes also seem a little loose and one easily falls out when there are no strings on the bass.

Are these worth keeping and, if so, is there anything that can be done to remedy the problem? It seems to stay in tune okay, but I'm wondering how long that will last!

[JLS]

Originally Posted by Jerry_B

I recently acquired one of these (late 1980s version) for £150, and it's doesn't seem to have been all that well looked after. I've not owned a Fender bass before so I'm not sure whether to keep some of the original hardware or replace some odds and ends.
The tuning machine keys seems a little slack, and have some mottling (I guess from damp). The bushes also seem a little loose and one easily falls out when there are no strings on the bass.

Are these worth keeping and, if so, is there anything that can be done to remedy the problem? It seems to stay in tune okay, but I'm wondering how long that will last!

Have you snugged the phillips screws on the back of the gears?

You can fix the loose bushings with a few small
drops of glue, on the shaft of the bushing.

[Jerry_B]

I thought about trying to fix it with a tweak on the back of the gears, but they don't seem to want to budge at all. I think the previous owner had the same idea, as a couple of the gears look a little dented from someone trying to do this with too much force.