replacing tuners on a 68 p bass

salparadise · #1 02-29-2008, 10:03 AM

hey guys, i recently picked up a 68 p bass which was actually made early that year, so it still has the features of a 67 before they changed the fender logo and location of the thumb rest. it's all original except for the tuners, which i'm not too crazy about. i figure if i'm going to replace them, i may as well try to hunt down some vintage ones. i'm not too sure about compatibility, though. do tuners from certain years not fit on other p basses? any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

air_leech · #2 02-29-2008, 10:40 AM

you are right, everytime Fender changed hands the tuners were changed too.

all pictures of '68 Precision that I saw shows the CBS style large cloverleaf tuners that appeared after the CBS buy-out and well into the early eighties:

pre-cbs ones are these (riveted type):

these were used from '51 till mid 60s when CBS acquired Fender.

fretlessman71 · #3 03-03-2008, 09:21 AM

Is there a way to know whether the tuners you're about to order are going to match your headstock? In other words, what steps can I take to ensure that I won't have to drill any new holes in my headstock?

Pilgrim · #4 03-03-2008, 09:24 AM

If they're the correct tuners, they should fit the original holes, shouldn't they? From your post I gather that the tuners on it are incorrect replacements - so the original holes should be there.

fretlessman71 · #5 03-03-2008, 11:23 PM

I should be more clear - I'm speaking in general. In a somewhat unrelated topic (but pertinent nonetheless), I have a "frankenbass" with all-non-Fender parts to it that I recently acquired, and the tuners have had it...