Various issues with Tuning Keys, old Vantage Bass

[Jay Hammond]

Hello all,

Seeing how helpful everyone was on the electronics side, I thought I would get assistance on a different issue with my used Vantage Bass; Tuning Key issues

- the E and A tuners seem to adjust ok but go out of tune after a few songs (more easily than other instruments in my experience)

- the D tuner really seems loose and I am not sure if I can increase the tension on it or should just replace it

- The G tuner has some metal piece missing, and goes out of tune a bit more than the lower 2 strings

Here are pictures, would you recommend any replacements or are there any fixes for these?

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk9FU98p

[Joshua Levin-Epstein]

6 words:

Those keys are crap. Replace them.

Something like this
http://www.allparts.com/TK-0794-010-Bas ... _3690.html

[Jay Hammond]

i would imagine that new holes will have to be drilled or would those fit?

[Peter Wilcox]

You'll have to fill the screw holes, and almost certainly enlarge the post holes to 9/16" so the screw-on bushings will fit. But don't do anything until you have new tuners in hand, whatever kind you get, so you can measure to be sure.

[Jay Hammond]

sounds good, will order those tomorrow and venture further on this journey

[Joshua Levin-Epstein]

Let me anticipate some questions. If you need to enlarge the holes, start with a "repairman's hand reamer". You can usually find these at a hardware store and they will enlarge the hole to 1/2". You will need to ream from both sides (maybe). After that I would use a dremel tool for the remaining 1/16". This is where trouble can start, where you transition from a hand tool to a power tool. There are other ways to finish enlarging the hole.

What you don't want to do is get a 9/16" twist bit and try to trill the hole in one pass, even with a drill press. I can almost guarantee you will crack or chip out the peg head. I admit to using a cabinet makers screwdriver to ream the last 1/16". This screwdriver has very sharp square faces and worked well because I went slowly. You may have different results.

The new machines seem to have a flat edge that you can use to mount them squarely. Once the machines are in place, lay a straight edge against the inside edge, snug the collars and drill your mounting holes. You would do well to mark the holes with an awl and drill your pilot hole with a bit that is marked for maximum depth (the length of the threaded portion of the screw). Lubricate the screw with soap or chap stick before driving it home. These screws are very fine and have been known to snap, usually right at the surface of the peg head. But that is a subject for another post...

You may or may not have the correct wrench to snug the bushings. If you use an open end adjustable wrench, watch the adjusting screw so you don't scribe a circle on the front of the peg head.

Sounds like there are a bunch of things that can go wrong. Don't ask me how I know.

You might not need to fill the old screw holes for structural reasons. If you want to do this for aesthetic reasons, you can use wood filler. This is usually water soluble which makes clean up easy. If you'd like, you can stain this to match the surrounding wood. You can also carve plugs, if you're so inclined.

[Steven Smith]

Depends on the application but if I'm not trying to hide the result I use round toothpicks to fill tuner screw holes. Cut them in half, put a dab of glue on them and tap them in - gently then cut flush. If I fill the hole I use some epoxy and mix it with sanding dust from. The epoxy/sanding dust mix will dry darker so use dust from a similar but lighter shade of wood.