Setup Woes

[funkmaru]

So, your truss was too tight. Leave the tuner rattle. They'll only do it when not under tension.

The tuner rattle is quite literally the clover leaf loose in the socket. It wiggles, and feels like it might fall out eventually. I might be able to clamp it down, or glue it. Thoughts?

I was more concerned about the fret buzz, since the action wasn't helping I thought it needed the neck adjusted. And I was afraid to do that myself, so I took it to a store

After this experience I don''t ever want to have to take my basses anywhere again for adjustments, if I can help it.

That site I linked up there will explain to you in very simple terms how to adjust your truss rod. It's actually probably the easiest part of a set up.

Thank you!

 

[Floyd Eye]

Do not glue your tuners. Ever.


Do they rattle when the bass is strung and tuned to pitch?

 

[basschanges]

To all those fearful of adjusting their bass' truss rods, this video put me at ease.

watch from about the 9 minute mark.




There can be so many conflicting opinions on what is kosher and not when it comes to instrument adjustment that it becomes hard to know who to listen to and which school of thought to follow. It helps when the certified experts chime in.

 

[funkmaru]

Do not glue your tuners. Ever.


Do they rattle when the bass is strung and tuned to pitch?

Yes. It's the leaf/ear part of the tuner. It rattles strung and always wiggles (strung/unstrung). It's like its coming out of the socket.

Only the part circled in red is loose, everything else is tight.

 

[Floyd Eye]

I love that drawing dude. lol

I wouldn't glue it.

 

[Floyd Eye]

I'd consider upgrading tuners.

 

[funkmaru]

I'd consider upgrading tuners.

Yeah? Any suggestions in particular?

 

[dedpool1052]

Yes. It's the leaf/ear part of the tuner. It rattles strung and always wiggles (strung/unstrung). It's like its coming out of the socket.

Only the part circled in red is loose, everything else is tight.

very carefully take a pair of pliers and lightly clamp down on the post the clover end is on, it should tighten back up with minimal effort and stop rattling. i had this happen to one of my olders squiers as well. if that does not work, put a small dab of superglue on the post where it connects to the clover, DO NOT let it touch any other part of the bass. give it some time to set up and you should be good. if the tuners are holding tune and this minor issure is the only thing wrong, there is no need to replace them.

 

[Bassbubble11]

The guys in that shop know exactly what they
are doing. What they are doing is trying to rip
you off.

 

[Floyd Eye]

Yeah? Any suggestions in particular?

Yep.


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[bonruiz]

Thanks for this very informative site!

Invalid Link Removed

Bon

 

[funkmaru]

The guys in that shop know exactly what they
are doing. What they are doing is trying to rip
you off.

Yeah. And unfortunately they're going to get $25 for looking at my bass and pretending to care.

Yep.


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I can't get the link to load for some reason.

 

[Floyd Eye]

It was slow for me too and I have ridiculous speed internet. They are Schaller direct replacements, very similar to the ones you have, except a lot better for $44.

 

[R Upsomegrub]

+1 to the Super Glue suggestion; I've had tuners do what you've described and a couple of small beads took care of the rattle.

 

[Jim Carr]

very carefully take a pair of pliers and lightly clamp down on the post the clover end is on, it should tighten back up with minimal effort and stop rattling. i had this happen to one of my olders squiers as well. if that does not work, put a small dab of superglue on the post where it connects to the clover, DO NOT let it touch any other part of the bass. give it some time to set up and you should be good. if the tuners are holding tune and this minor issure is the only thing wrong, there is no need to replace them.

+1

Have had luck with both approaches.

 

[Floyd Eye]

I would try crimping the post, but no way would I have tuners that are held tight by super glue. Maybe just me, but screw that. I got the fifty bucks though, not everyone does.

 

[funkmaru]

I'll try clamping the tuner when I get the bass back tomorrow. If that doesn't work, I'll consider replacing the tuners and upgrading.

I really hope they didn't screw it up Hopefully if it's in worse shape than when I left it, I'll still be able to set it up proper myself.

 

[bassmalone4]

I happen to think the Squier Classic Vibe stuff is pro level, with a change of tuners. You're guy is right..cheap basses can defect at setup..but the CV's aren't cheap instruments. They're inexpensive. He just wants you to get bass fever and buy something.

I'd look for a set of used MIM Standard tuners. They look like a perfect fit...with no additional drilling. Less holes in the wood, the better.

 

[bassmalone4]

Go slow with truss adjustments. You can develop an "S" bow in the neck if you go too fast, along with having the strings de-tuned. Try it in standard pitch, slowly, just a bit every 24 hours. The bow is easy to spot from the headstock.

 

[Jeff K]

Where do you live? Maybe a TB'er in your area could give you a quick course in basic set-ups. Or at the very least, somebody might be able to steer you to a trustworthy, reliable tech.