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  #1  
Old 08-04-2020, 12:37 PM
Deliberate1 Deliberate1 is offline
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Default Tuner replacement advice

Friends, perhaps some of you recall my post of some days ago describing the failure of a Wavery tuner on my Huss and Dalton slot head, and Stew-macs offer to replace the full set.
Well, they did arrive today. I have never before replaced one of these and want to make sure I do not muck it up. When I asked Jeff Dalton, he only suggested that I use the original screws because they will be the right size. Sound advice.
Anything else I should consider - say loosening the tension on the rest of the strings, etc. Looks like a simple plug and play. That is what makes me nervous.
Thanks Kindly.
David
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Old 08-04-2020, 02:41 PM
Quickstep192 Quickstep192 is offline
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Call me clumsy... I’m nervous doing these things also.

The nuts that you have to remove and replace on the top are fairly thin. A wrench can easily slip off and bang into a nearby surface and chip the finish (ask me how I know this Same thing goes for the tiny screws that go in the back. Be careful and take your time. I have actually taped everything off to avoid a scratch, but I recognize that’s a bit of overkill. When you tighten the new nut, no need to crank down on it. Overtightening can crack the finish.

Just go slow and don’t over do it. You’ll be fine.
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Old 08-04-2020, 03:05 PM
John Arnold John Arnold is offline
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Quote:
A wrench can easily slip off and bang into a nearby surface and chip the finish
I use a socket on a nut driver, though it won't be necessary in this case. Open back Waverlys for a slothead don't have a nut.
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Old 08-04-2020, 05:11 PM
Deliberate1 Deliberate1 is offline
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Phew...I look and did not see any nuts. I hate to say it, but it looks like you just remove the two screws, remove the defective tuner, plug the new one in, replace the screws and string it up.
David
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Old 08-04-2020, 05:19 PM
Brucebubs Brucebubs is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Deliberate1 View Post
Phew...I look and did not see any nuts. I hate to say it, but it looks like you just remove the two screws, remove the defective tuner, plug the new one in, replace the screws and string it up.
David
That's right - that's all there is on slot-head tuners - no nuts or push-fit bushings.

Re-using the original screws is good advice too.
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Old 08-05-2020, 03:24 AM
Quickstep192 Quickstep192 is offline
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I didn’t realize they were slot heads.
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Old 08-05-2020, 05:39 AM
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JayBee1404 JayBee1404 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Quickstep192 View Post
Call me clumsy... I’m nervous doing these things also.

The nuts that you have to remove and replace on the top are fairly thin. A wrench can easily slip off and bang into a nearby surface and chip the finish (ask me how I know this Same thing goes for the tiny screws that go in the back. Be careful and take your time. I have actually taped everything off to avoid a scratch, but I recognize that’s a bit of overkill. When you tighten the new nut, no need to crank down on it. Overtightening can crack the finish.

Just go slow and don’t over do it. You’ll be fine.
I realise that the OP’s guitar is a slot-head, and doesn’t have the ‘nuts’ that are referred to above, but I think a word of warning is appropriate here regarding the bushings - often mistaken for ‘nuts’ - that paddle-head open-back tuners have.

There’s nothing to ‘crank down on’, the tuner is secured entirely by the two small screws at the back of the headstock. Those ‘nuts’ are, in fact, no such thing - they are press-fit splined bushings - they have no thread, and should never be turned with a wrench, due to the likelihood that the splines will act as a reamer and will enlarge the holes.

The correct way to remove the bushing from the headstock is by removing the two screws holding the tuner, removing the tuner from the headstock, and using a drift (I use a suitably-sized piece of dowel or the ‘blunt’ end of a wooden pencil) to gently push the bushing out from the back of the headstock. To replace the bushing, simply insert it into the hole and push it fully home without twisting or turning it. I usually get a satisfactory result just by thumb-pressure.

But never, EVER, try to ‘tighten’ or ‘loosen’ those open-back tuner bushings using a wrench.
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Last edited by JayBee1404; 08-07-2020 at 05:43 AM.
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