another failed Ibanez Velve Tune ii B tuner head.

[jimbilly]

this on an '83 Ibanez RB924, it started slipping when trying to tune up/sharp on the B string. It appears that the shaft is broken from the part of the shaft that inserts into the ring gear, but the screw threads still connect to the shaft, so that was not the issue.
The brass (?) ring gear appears to be worn and cupped, I think the worm gear is losing contact at the cupped/worn area on the ring gear. Sadly, there are no direct replacements for this tuner that I can find, and I'd really like to avoid any new drilling: 17mm holes in the bass headstock. I've seen the high priced used ones on reverb and ebay, wear on those internals is unknown. I did email Gotoh about re-issuing these, I image there are quite a few still in use that are due to fail before long.

 

[Snert]

I have 2 failed ones on my RB620 and the only option I see are Hipshots or some Grovers (forget model number ATM). Neither are cheap, but the Grovers weigh about twice the HS so I think I'm gonna have to pony up the $ or machine some sleeves so that modern 14mm units fit. I have a friend that can do maple sleeves but I'd have to really twist his arm to do it as he has many other projects taking his time.

 

[jimbilly]

Maybe if enough of us email Gotoh they'll do a reissue production run.
I've got a bunch of odds and ends wood pieces around; just spotted some 11/16 (I think) Douglas Fir dowel, it's almost a pressure fit into the Ibanez headstock. 11/16 Maple dowel might be the answer, just sand it down a little bit for a tight fit. The Gotoh GB707s are only $37 a set from Philidelphia Luthier, and the set screw hole looks to be 11.5 mm from the center of the post, which looks about the same as the Velve. Drilling a 14mm hole in the center of the dowel can't be that hard, even without a drill press, just start with a good pilot hole, even before gluing the dowel into the headstock. I'll have to ask around about a glue that might be proper for this job. -the fir dowel might actually be fine, since the set screw would be into the maple headstock, but maple would almost certainly be better.
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[LoveThatBass]

Maybe if enough of us email Gotoh they'll do a reissue production run.
I've got a bunch of odds and ends wood pieces around; just spotted some 11/16 (I think) Douglas Fir dowel, it's almost a pressure fit into the Ibanez headstock. 11/16 Maple dowel might be the answer, just sand it down a little bit for a tight fit. The Gotoh GB707s are only $37 a set from Philidelphia Luthier, and the set screw hole looks to be 11.5 mm from the center of the post, which looks about the same as the Velve. Drilling a 14mm hole in the center of the dowel can't be that hard, even without a drill press, just start with a good pilot hole, even before gluing the dowel into the headstock. I'll have to ask around about a glue that might be proper for this job. -the fir dowel might actually be fine, since the set screw would be into the maple headstock, but maple would almost certainly be better.
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Gotoh’s are decent tuners. I use tite bond wood glue, wipe the excess off with a wet paper towel or cloth.

 

[jimbilly]

This is probably as likely Hemlock as fir, the dowel is pretty much a perfect fit. The grain is pretty tight, I think this is worth a try. I think the center hole will have to be offset by 1.5mm to avoid drilling any new holes in the headstock for the set screw, which looks to be 13mm below the center of the tuner on the originals (11.5 on the GB707s per the description).

 

[Killing Floor]

I doubt it was ever intended to last more than 40 years. But still...

 

[Nikokaos]

Hi!

I left a D string tunner in my Ibby MC924 just 2 weeks ago. The axel is broked down but I think it can be fixed with some mega plus extra strong glue for metal pieces, plumber's filler tape on top pieces to the wood.... or just find another look like tunner, maybe the golden ones...

I'm thinking of installing lighter ones, just to reduce the weight of this bass a bit. The sustain will be maintained if the tuners fit perfectly in the hole without any play. The key here will be to decide which brand offers the best guarantees of great, long-lasting intonation.

Saving money on tuners just because the problem is the shaft being smaller than the hole isn't a good deal. As has been said, 40 years is a long time, and so far, the Ibanez tuners have done a very good job.

I'd just like to consider too a one-off replacement of that tuner for another that offers the same performance, swapping only the broken tuner for something similar in usability rather than aesthetics... although if it can be everything, even better. I think I'll look for secondhand models to find similar ones that have belonged to basses with a proven reputation for quality parts.

Cheers!

 

[Nikokaos]

Mmmm.....

Could you help me? Do you still have the RB924?
I'm gathering information for a friend who has the same bass, bought a month ago, but is trying to rewire the electronics with the original Super J6 pickup. Instead, the previous owner plugged a Seymour Duncan directly into a volume pot (the balancer is gone) and removed the bass's Tri-sound switch.
He got a secondhand J6 and an ON/ON/ON switch to simulate the Tri-sound, but we have no idea how to properly wire it up, following my wiring diagram on the Ibby MC924.
Would it be too much to ask if you could provide pictures of the internal wiring of your RB924 so we can reinstall the J6 and the switch?
Here we have a pickup with red, blue, yellow, black wires, and one bare wire, which should be ground...

Thanks in advance!

 

[Abner]

Mmmm.....

Could you help me? Do you still have the RB924?
I'm gathering information for a friend who has the same bass, bought a month ago, but is trying to rewire the electronics with the original Super J6 pickup. Instead, the previous owner plugged a Seymour Duncan directly into a volume pot (the balancer is gone) and removed the bass's Tri-sound switch.
He got a secondhand J6 and an ON/ON/ON switch to simulate the Tri-sound, but we have no idea how to properly wire it up, following my wiring diagram on the Ibby MC924.
Would it be too much to ask if you could provide pictures of the internal wiring of your RB924 so we can reinstall the J6 and the switch?
Here we have a pickup with red, blue, yellow, black wires, and one bare wire, which should be ground...

Thanks in advance!

This should help. (Once again, Cadfael's book of bass wiring diagrams.)

I know not exactly the same, but it shows the "tri-sound" switch. If the two pickup version has common tone and volume controls, take the red and black wires coming from that switch to the pickup selector switch. If the two pickups have their own volume and tone controls, take the red and black form the output jack to the pickup selector switch. Make sense?

 

[Nikokaos]

Thank you very very much for that schematic!
There are the same colors code of our pickup.

If you ever take some pics of your original electronics cavity, please, share them to us!

Again, thanks !

 

[PieterContraBas]

@jimbilly and @Nikokaos may I ask how you got the little back plate out? I have to repair one of the tuners of my beloved RB820... And: I will mail Gotoh too, it would be really nice if the make a replacement for all Musician and Roadstarplayers.​

 

[Nikokaos]

Hola Pieter,

Perdón por escribir en español pero me pillas en el descanso del trabajo...

La placa donde vienen las leyendas de "velve tune" "Ibanez" etc viene pegada en mi caso. En mi caso, al romperse el soporte donde va el eje, pude hacer presión para sacarla con un destornillador sobre la rosca de ¿cobre?.

Apostaría que con un poco de disolvente suave, como quita esmalte de uñas, podrías diluir esa cola que lleva ahí tantos años sin dañar el cromado y el acabado de las piezas.

Por cierto, si te responden desde Gotoh, avisanos por favor!!

Saludos