Double Bass Slipping American Standard tuner

[JBarz]

I’ve got this tuner on the D string of my Standard that has a little bit of play in it. Usually no big deal, but it sometimes slips into the “neutral zone” and rattles on the gig. It happened last night several times and I’m motivated to fix it now.

Any suggestions? I was considering epoxyin’ in a thin open ended nylon or metal washer to take up the space, but wanted to consult you lot, first.

Thanks as always!
Jeremy

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

On my old A.S. bass I used to use a black elastic hair tie and wrap it between the D and G tuners to take up the slack when this would happen. Worked fine and a cheaper solution would be hard to find.

 

[eh_train]

If by "play" you mean a spot where the gear isn't engaging, either to tighten or loosen, I'm not sure how epoxying anything on will correct a poorly fitting gear and shaft. That's usually what causes play, ime.

One thing that will definitely work and costs nothing is to slip an elastic band over the key and anchor it to another of the tuners. That should provide enough tension to stop the rattle. I realize it's not an actual fix, but it's an effective temporary one.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Plus, if your A.S. bass is even half as "embattled" looking as my old one, the elastic will fit right in. Even on my LaScala, I keep two of these around the neck right in front of the nut to help take the zing off of the open strings. They are very discreet.

 

[james condino]

Often on those larger plate tuners, they open up a bit from decades of use. I usually take them off the bass and then give a few strategic "whacks" with a plastic faced small mallet where the little horseshoe thing crimps over the shaft. The decades of tension & use tend to bend them out a little. The hammer bends it back in place for a tighter fit. Since they will be off the bass, give a few bashes to the rivets too. I've never met an American Standard tuner that I couldn't fix with a little creative engineering.

 

[Carl Hillman]

Often on those larger plate tuners, they open up a bit from decades of use. I usually take them off the bass and then give a few strategic "whacks" with a plastic faced small mallet where the little horseshoe thing crimps over the shaft. The decades of tension & use tend to bend them out a little. The hammer bends it back in place for a tighter fit. Since they will be off the bass, give a few bashes to the rivets too. I've never met an American Standard tuner that I couldn't fix with a little creative engineering.

AKA "percussive maintenance"

 

[eh_train]

... a few strategic "whacks" ... give a few bashes to the rivets too...

Heh, heh. Just yesterday I was thinking about how essential a tool my old wooden mallet is. Sometimes things just need "convincing".

 

[jsf729]

AKA "percussive maintenance"[/QUO
AKA "The Persuader"