Tuning keys rattling - Help please?

[Johnny Raw]

I'm new to guitar playing and using an old Yamaha RG 401 to learn, however there is vibration when I hit a string and I've located it to the tuning keys, I think a couple are loose. However on this guitar there is no screw in the head of the key to tighten them up.

Any suggestions?

[Alan Carruth]

Often the tuner buttons are simply a press fit onto the shafts. Old plastic can shrink and get loose, so it could rattle. One fix might be to run a drop of CA glue in to fill the gap.

[Johnny Raw]

Originally Posted by Alan Carruth

Often the tuner buttons are simply a press fit onto the shafts. Old plastic can shrink and get loose, so it could rattle. One fix might be to run a drop of CA glue in to fill the gap.

Thank you.

[Seagull S6]

Also, when you tune, always come up to pitch, never down. As in if you overshoot, drop below pitch and come back up to it. Helps prevent rattle on even cheap tuners. Some people replace perfectly fine tuners because they don't understand this tuning 101 fact.

[Frank Ford]

And, always be certain to tune UP to the note, NOT down. IF you need to tune down, go well below and then back up to the correct note. That way you'll lock the backlash that may cause rattling of tuner mechanism.

[Johnny Raw]

Originally Posted by Seagull S6

Also, when you tune, always come up to pitch, never down. As in if you overshoot, drop below pitch and come back up to it. Helps prevent rattle on even cheap tuners. Some people replace perfectly fine tuners because they don't understand this tuning 101 fact.

Originally Posted by Frank Ford

And, always be certain to tune UP to the note, NOT down. IF you need to tune down, go well below and then back up to the correct note. That way you'll lock the backlash that may cause rattling of tuner mechanism.

Thanks guys.

[Johnny Raw]

Just thinking, if I glue them, will it make them difficult to change should that be the only solution?

[LeightonBankes]

he's talking about a drop of super-glue ON THE KNOBS themselves, which won't effect removing them. Have you tried tightening the screw in the middle of the gear? Another trick is (assuming they are cheap tuners) taking a hammer and tapping the claws that hold the worm gear, moving the gear closer to the other gear and tightening them up (the tuner knob and worm gear). Only try that on cheap tuners with hooks holding the worm gear like these

[Big Band Guitar]

Originally Posted by LeightonBankes

he's talking about a drop of super-glue ON THE KNOBS themselves, which won't effect removing them. Have you tried tightening the screw in the middle of the gear? Another trick is (assuming they are cheap tuners) taking a hammer and tapping the claws that hold the worm gear, moving the gear closer to the other gear and tightening them up (the tuner knob and worm gear). Only try that on cheap tuners with hooks holding the worm gear like these

That also works with tuners that are worn and slip. I use a pair of pliers rather than a hammer. A little less violent.

I only use that method on guitars where replacing the tuners would double the value.

[LeightonBankes]

Originally Posted by Big Band Guitar

I only use that method on guitars where replacing the tuners would double the value.

Funny, I bought a set of Grover "sta-tite" tuners and they cut the value of my guitar in half On my current build, I'm using Gotoh 510's in gun-metal, which cost twice as much and hopefully are worth every penny

[Earl49]

Originally Posted by Alan Carruth

Often the tuner buttons are simply a press fit onto the shafts. Old plastic can shrink and get loose, so it could rattle. One fix might be to run a drop of CA glue in to fill the gap.

I've used this trick to fix a rattling tuner on an electric bass, even though the butterfly shaped buttons were metal. Wick a little CA glue onto the shaft and let it run down between the shaft and button as a gap filler. Worked like a charm - no more buzz.

Originally Posted by LeightonBankes

Funny, I bought a set of Grover "sta-tite" tuners and they cut the value of my guitar in half On my current build, I'm using Gotoh 510's in gun-metal, which cost twice as much and hopefully are worth every penny

I have the Gotoh 510's in that color on both of my Emerald CF guitars (X20-12 twelve string and X20 six string). VERY nice tuners.

[Alan Carruth]

He's talking about the 'value' in the sense of the "ten dollar horse with a twenty dollar saddle" in the old song. Some old instruments were built with the tuners on backwards, so they wear out fast. If you replace them, even with 'the same' tuners you reduce the vintage value. If you modified them so that they were right, you'd destroy the value entirely. It's called 'worshiping the wrong god', and we do it all the time...

[Johnny Raw]

Before I tried anything myself, I took it into the guitar shop in town I tend to use, young fella in there did his best but decided a new set of tuning keys might be the only solution. However he kept trying to sort it and fixed it almost by accident when he tried to pull the keys off.

Rattle gone!