Sloppy Gibson Deluxe tuners :: 1993 Gibson J-100

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Here's a common issue with Gibson Deluxe tuners.  The tuner button shafts eventually work against the tuner housing and loosen up the back cover.  These covers have metal tabs that are pressed into the base plate and then deformed to lock in with a mechanical connection (similar to a rivet).  I have tried soldering these tabs in the past but they never seem to hold for very long.  This time I tried a flat screwdriver and a hammer to punch the tab and reform it to hold in to the base plate.  We'll see how long this method will work. I may try a combination of this and soldering on future repairs.  See the video below from the daily vlog.

Tuner bushing setup :: 2012 Martin OM-42 [4.2 lbs]

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Tuner bushing setup :: 2012 Martin OM-42 [4.2 lbs]

An abalone-bordered OM stopped by the shop with a few loose tuner bushings to be refit along with the action lowered.

Loose tuner bushings :: 2012 Martin OM-42

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Loose tuner bushings :: 2012 Martin OM-42

Here's a loose high e tuner bushing on this Martin OM. There's a fine line when fitting bushings between just right and too loose. Too tight and you can risk damaging the headstock. Too loose can mess with tuning stability. The easy fix is to pull the tuner and bushing and apply superglue to the tuner hole. Once cured, you can test the fit and reapply if necessary. (Do NOT glue the bushings in!) 

Schecter Stiletto Studio 5 [9.2 lbs] :: setup & tuner tweak

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Schecter Stiletto Studio 5 [9.2 lbs] :: setup & tuner tweak

This neck-though 5 string bass came in for a setup with Rotosound Stainless roundwound strings.  Upon inspecting the bass I found the D tuner had some play to it.  I removed the tuner to find that the mounting screw was bent and ready to break (pain to remove when they break) and the screw hole stripped out.  I plugged and re-drilled the hole and replaced the screw.

Note that the tuners on the end of the headstocks tend to receive the most abuse due to their exposure.  Gig bags can sometimes be rough on these tuners as well.