Replacement Tuners for a '69 SF-II

[bassmanpatsfan18]

Hey guys,

My '69 starfire currently has a set of Schaller tuners that someone put on in the late 80's and they really aren't working as well as I'd like, so I'm looking to replace them. Do you guys have any good suggestions for 3/8" tuners that will fit on my Starfire? I'd like to get something that has elephant ears and exposed gears, but that's not a must. I know that most replacement tuners like that only come in 1/2" sizes these days, but since I'd rather not re-drill the holes in my headstock, I'd love to be able to find some 3/8" ones. I don't mind having to drill in new screw holes in the back, it's just the larger holes that I'd rather avoid messing with. Any good suggestions?

Also, off topic, but I'm picking up a twin Starfire in a few weeks! It's a fretted '68 SF-II in a refinished dark brown stain that I have on layaway at a local shop. I'll make sure to post pictures of the twins once I collect it!

-Alex

 

[mellowgerman]

Check out hipshot ultralites. They make a really nice 3/8 clover style.

 

[bklynbass]

You can also find originals fairly easily. It's my understanding that the guild tuners are the same ones found on rickenbackers and gibsons.

 

[bassmanpatsfan18]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I found some Hipshot tuners that are made for Rickenbackers, but might work here:http://www.allparts.com/Hipshot-HB5-Bass-Tuners-Nickel-p/TK-7754-001.htm. Allparts confirmed that the posts are 3/8" in diameter. I might try them out sometime soon.

Also, again unrelated, but the shop I had the other Starfire on layaway at called me last night to tell me that the owner had already sold it to someone else before I paid for part of it. Talk about a major bummer. They were pretty apologetic and they see a lot of vintage gear, so I told them to look out for another one for me. I'm hoping that they'll cut me a good deal if they do find anything.

 

[bassmanpatsfan18]

Just in case any of you are wondering, Hipshot finally got back to me. It turns out that their HB5s are a direct replacement for the 60's tuners used on Starfires. You don't even need to drill new screw holes! The guy who emailed me back said that he has a set on his own '68 Starfire. I just ordered some and so I'll post pics and a review when they come in.

 

[bassmanpatsfan18]

Update: I received the tuners last night and put them on my Starfire.

The good news is that they do in fact fit using the original screw holes. The bad news is that the D and G tuners seem to be a little crooked. I'll try to take a picture tonight to illustrate better what I'm taking about, but if you look at the back of the headstock, you can tell that the D and G tuners are sort of angled up a little bit and they're not completely level with the E and A tuners. Also, when you look at the headstock from the front, you can actually see a tiny bit of the baseplate from the G tuner sticking out the side.

The tuners look awesome and very authentic, but this is obviously bothering me. I actually need to get some other headstock work done by a luthier soon, so I was thinking, would it be possible for someone to drill new screw holes while I'm at it? Could they just dowel all of the holes that are currently there and then drill new ones so that the tuners are even and lined up correctly? What do you think?

Edit: Nevermind. I'm going to exchange them for Hipshot Ultralites.

 

[bassmanpatsfan18]

Bringing back an old thread since my other one about my two Starfires is locked--not exactly sure why...

So I've had the '64 for several months now and I really love it to death. I took it in to Jim Mouradian's shop outside of Boston the other day because it needs a minor fret leveling. The 15th and 16th frets have been buzzing a bit. When I did, his son informed me that the fingerboard is actually wenge, not rosewood. Has anyone else seen this before on a Starfire? I had noticed before that the fingerboard was darker and had a much more beautiful grain than that on my other Starfire, but I never really gave much further thought to it. I don't have my camera with me now, but I'll try to take some more pictures when I get back to Chicago in a few weeks.

A question about tuners: would I be crazy to replace the original tuners on the '64? The only downside I can find about this bass is that the tuners, while they work somewhat well, don't hold a tune as well as I would like. I find that the E and A tuners especially fall flat several times throughout the day if I play my bass for an hour or two (or even if I don't play it much at all). Is there something I can do to fix this? If not, I've found replacement Rickenbacker tuners, which are essentially identical to the Guild ones, except they're not 47 years old and so I'd hope they work better. The screw hole setup is the same and they have the same short, stubby stems. I'm a player and not a collector--would I be crazy to swap these tuners?

Thanks for the help,
Alex

 

[fronobulax]

Your other thread was locked because there was some vandalism going on and locking the thread preserved information that was deemed worthy of preserving but kept the vandal from doing any more damage.

How does one tell the difference between wenge and rosewood on a fingerboard?

"Made to be played" suggests that you replace the tuners with something that works better for you. Retaining value suggests that the new tuners had better use the existing screw holes and be installed in a manner that is reversible. If you advertise a vintage bass with replacement tuners and say that you reused the mounting holes and hardware and the originals are in the case, I will almost certainly value your bass as if it had the original tuners installed, although I might not raise the value enough to pay for the replacements. If there are lots of folks like me then swap the tuners back before selling and sell the new, used tuners separately.

 

[bassmanpatsfan18]

Thanks, Frono. I forgot about the whole Baz saga infiltrating my thread.

I went ahead and ordered the Rick tuners. I'll take them into the shop with me in a week and a half when the guys do my fret leveling and see if they think that: 1) They can replace the tuners without any modifications to the bass and 2) they think the new tuners will help the bass stay in tune better.

I'll post an update when I come to a conclusion. By the way, here http://www.pickofthericks.com/products/Rickenbacker-Bass-Keywind-00550.html is the link for the tuners in case anyone else is interested. If all goes well I might even put them on my '69 as well.