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Double Bass Rattling tuner ear

Damon Rondeau

Damon Rondeau

Journeyman Clam Artist
Supporting Member
Nov 19, 2002
2,750
36
65
Winnipeg, baby
www.talkingblues.net
#1
Any sage tips about a tuner ear that rattles like the proverbial dickens (whatever a dickens is) when I bow my E string really loud?

I can see and feel that the ear has got a bit of play in its slot; the other three are firmly fixed in place. Once in its slot, how does one of these ears get attached to the worm-gear post, anyway? A pin that's ground off and polished?

Is there some sort of Zen-master thing I can do? Maybe involving a ball peen hammer and a punch? A shim? Surely not. Solder? Ditto...
 
#3
Sometimes a little super glue applied to the TOP of the tuner will work. Make sure the tuner handle or "ear" is up and down so the glue will run in there, and obviously, protect the bass from any drips. If the fork that holds the pin or handle is spread out really bad, you may need to pull the fork together with some vise grips. Put some leather or something in the grips to avoid scratching.
 
#6
Damon Rondeau said:
Is there some sort of Zen-master thing I can do? Maybe involving a ball peen hammer and a punch? A shim? Surely not. Solder? Ditto...
Click to expand...

There ya go Damon...I guess i'm a Zen Masterbassist!
By the way, when i've done the vise grip bit in the past, i've left them on, locked, all night so that the fork kind of re-forms to the original position.
 
#7
I acquired my Czech bass with a broken key. Cut the remains of the old one out of the slot in the shaft with a hack saw (carefully), traced another key and cut a replacement from brass sheet of the same thickness. I then soldered the key to the shaft (on the bench, not on the bass.) That was about 25 years ago, I don't even remember which key it was now, can't tell by looking.
 
#13
Damon, what type machines are these...individual French style or two on a plate? I was thinking you could try to match with a new one if they're the individual. Buy a new plate if they're a common kind. Most luthiers have a drawer full of 'em. The Kay/Englehardt one's are always doing this, so they usually have a big supply.
Last resort....new machines or take it to a machinist and have him weld the mother!
 
#14
Individual French style, Paul. I know that replacement is an option, and I will go there if I have to. I was interested in ideas for a quickie fix and, as usual, the TB gang has offered up a bunch of ideas. The squeeze seemed simplest, the CA glue next in line. (Sorry -- I have a fairly laissez faire style in life, but the rubber band thing just ain't on for this bass player.) Last of all would be removal and replacement.

I had never had a good look at how those puppies go together before this incident. I'm a little surprised there isn't a more positive connection 'twixt ear and post so that this rattle thing simply can't happen.
 
#15
Damon, you're one stubborn Mother...You don't wanna try the welding? I guess you could pull out the turner and figure out a way to beef up and make it thicker where you're trying to fit it in the fork. Or find a way to re-pin it.
I think i'd buy one and clean up the others to match.
I just noticed that bass head in your avatar....the machines in question? Between Barrie Kolstein and Gagnon, as well as some of those English shops you'll get close. Granted they're expensive.
Lemur has two sets i've seen that could work...Deluxe French style and one they call Premium French style Heavyweight. Again, you'd have to shine up your other machines to help match.
 
#16
Welding isn't a good option, it won't work for dissimilar metals (i.e. if the shaft is steel and the ear is brass), even if both parts are steel all plating must be removed from the joint area, then you have heat discolouration when you're done...

I'm gonna suggest solder again, using yer basic plumbing-type lead-tin solder. There are other varieties that are stronger but they all require higher heat and you again run the risk of heat discolouration. It will stick to dissimilar metals, if done properly the solder will wick into the cavities between the parts and should last indefinitely. It shouldn't require enough heat to make the parts change colour.
 
#17
If superglue scares you, how about trying some of that two-part, clear-drying epoxy available at most all home supply places. They usually offer it in a variety of setting times.

The slow stuff could be mixed up, worked into the joint with a toothpick or edge of a business card, and the excess wiped clean well before it hardened.

It would ultimately work even better than CA IMO.
 
#18
Just to be clear about this: I have used the CA glue (aka "crazy" glue, "super" glue) and it is holding on quite well, apparently. I chose that method as the second-most simple after the most-simple (the squeeze play) didn't quite work for me.

You can't see any gap in the fit of the ear into the slot. I haven't measured the gap or anything -- the only thing that matters is that there's enough of a gap to let a rattle occur. I believe that the slot must have been oversized to begin with, and that the squeezing could only have closed the slot at its top, not at the bottom.

In this case, I don't believe you could fit any kind of substance thicker than water in there -- the gap is too small for toothpicks and business cards. You'd need something thin that will flow in or wick its way in. I thought of solder at first, but then I thought, "hey! I'll bet somebody at TB has a really handy tip for me here before I start in with the rubber bands, soldering guns, ball peen hammers and arc welders."

I think Bob (man, I hope his recovery is going well) probably had it aced to begin with. The CA was simple, non-messy, and if I have to give it another drop or two every now and then well, that ain't no big deal. One thing you do have to watch out for (especially if you're using a very thin CA glue, as I did): if you're applying the stuff with the tuner "upside down", so the glue flows down into the slot with gravity, make sure you don't apply too much. The glue will keep on flowing into the tuner works, an outcome you surely don't want. (No, it didn't happen to me but I was a little freaked that it might.)

Man did that thing ever make a racket when I bowed that open E!! Not any more.
 
#19
Look, if you got the ***** Do this ....Cut off the old ears as you call them right on the shaft, where the tuner handles ( I call them) join the shaft that goes into the worm gear. Get yourself some nice ebony, cut the ebony into nice custom turners, fairly thick and oval in shape, drill a hole in the side of the oval and eboxy to shaft! You can customize these and make 'em fancy...Do all four. You got one of a kind ebony turners!!
 

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