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Fender custom shop question
- Thread starter Tj smith
- Start date
I had a CS bass with this same problem… It always worked but was an effort. Just keep on using it and give it a squirt of WD40.
Apologies if this is nonapplicable as I don't have a FCS P bass. I do, however, have a 75' P bass and the D string tuner was offensively stiff. A few sprays of WD-40 did the trick for me (what a miracle product). Good luck, and gorgeous looking bass you have there.
I thought maybe the bushing was in funny causing it to be stiff but it’s stiff even when I take it out and have it in my hand.
Might be worth hitting up the Custom Shop to see if you can get a replacement…
I had the same issue with a relic’d FCS Jazz. Oiling them only worked in the short term. I eventually had them all replaced.
Probably took a hit at some point and slightly bent something.
Looks like a beat up old bass and it has beat up old bass issues - is it really surprising? /S
First of all, oil doesn’t do much for this kind of gear, you want grease, preferably red, but black might do it. Vaseline will also work.
You need to disassemble the tuner by removing the screw and gear from the tuning post. Clean any old or hardened grease (with a solvent, acetone or naphtha) from the underside of the gear, the washer, plate and post, and re-lubricate with fresh grease.
You can also polish the underside of the gear with some 1200 grit sandpaper. It might help to polish the washer, too.
If you go through the trouble of removing the gear, you can also see if the stem turns freely in the bracket without any tension from the gear. Sometimes the bracket is just too tight! How does this happen? It can be because the parts are plated- if the plating is too thick on both parts, that is enough to make it tight. I could also be that the bracket was simply stamped too shallow (by a couple of thousandths of an inch), making the fit too tight. You can try to address this, but it’s a little fiddly. Sometimes, it’s just hardened grease, and a quick dip in acetone can loosen/dissolve it. It will need to be lubed again as well, and for this you could use oil, but thinned grease is still better.
If you clean, lube, and spin the stem and bracket repeatedly and it is still too tight, you can flow in some fine grit lapping or Clover compound, (4-600 grit) mixed with very light (sewing machine) oil. At this point, you may want to screw the plate to a board or the bench, and rotate the stem with a power winder a few dozen times. You don’t want to make a mess of the headstock. That should loosen it a bit more, then you can rinse the plate with solvent and re-lube…
If all this is too much, just replace the darn thing!
You need to disassemble the tuner by removing the screw and gear from the tuning post. Clean any old or hardened grease (with a solvent, acetone or naphtha) from the underside of the gear, the washer, plate and post, and re-lubricate with fresh grease.
You can also polish the underside of the gear with some 1200 grit sandpaper. It might help to polish the washer, too.
If you go through the trouble of removing the gear, you can also see if the stem turns freely in the bracket without any tension from the gear. Sometimes the bracket is just too tight! How does this happen? It can be because the parts are plated- if the plating is too thick on both parts, that is enough to make it tight. I could also be that the bracket was simply stamped too shallow (by a couple of thousandths of an inch), making the fit too tight. You can try to address this, but it’s a little fiddly. Sometimes, it’s just hardened grease, and a quick dip in acetone can loosen/dissolve it. It will need to be lubed again as well, and for this you could use oil, but thinned grease is still better.
If you clean, lube, and spin the stem and bracket repeatedly and it is still too tight, you can flow in some fine grit lapping or Clover compound, (4-600 grit) mixed with very light (sewing machine) oil. At this point, you may want to screw the plate to a board or the bench, and rotate the stem with a power winder a few dozen times. You don’t want to make a mess of the headstock. That should loosen it a bit more, then you can rinse the plate with solvent and re-lube…
If all this is too much, just replace the darn thing!
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D
„Back in the 60s there were a lot of stiff tuners so this is just vintage correct!“ 
I’ve played a ton of Fender CS basses. One had this issue on one tuner. It had been in a case in storage for maybe two years without being touched from the time the shop took pics and stored it. I thought I was going to break it trying to tune up. I would 110% call Fender about a replacement.
My otherwise perfect 57 Fender CS P-Bass also has kinda hard moving tuners. They work, but definitely not smooth. Since the bass holds its tuning perfectly, I never did anything about it. It also has reliced tuners and I always suspected that to be the reason.
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I don't know. An option. Degrease or de-oil the tuner with naphtha or lacquer thinner or something. Get all of the oil out of the gear and tuning shaft. Then, while you are watching TV or doing something boring, turn the tuner over and over again both directions for 10 or more minutes to wear down the tightness. Might work. Never tried this before.
If that loosens it a bit, oil it and off you go.
(Forgot to mention, the the above with the tuner removed.)
If that loosens it a bit, oil it and off you go.
(Forgot to mention, the the above with the tuner removed.)
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