help please ! g string tuner rattles...

[barginkov]

every time i hit a note the g tuner rattles and the noise is pretty loud and annoying , i have tried tightning the screws but did nothing ,any one know what to do,besides getting a new tuner?? i am sure others have had this problem

 

[INMT]

Did you tighten the 4 little screws on the outer edger of the tuner and the big honkin' one the middle?
Did you try tightening all the screws on all the other tuners? Just because it happenes when you hit the G does not mean it's the G tuner

 

[bdgotoh]

I've had this happen several times and it's always been the cloverleaf rattling. When you hit a note push in on the end of the tuner cloverleaf and that may stop it. Those just snap into place and can become loose over time.

 

[barginkov]

yea i tried tightening all screws on all tuners, and it has not helped at all, it is just the cloverleaf that is vibrating, and when i tried pushing it in more, it got real loose and fell off, i see that the old owner must have put some kind of glue or somethig to hold it in place, it is a 92

 

[oli@bass]

Won't happen if you buy a new bass.

 

[bdgotoh]

yea i tried tightening all screws on all tuners, and it has not helped at all, it is just the cloverleaf that is vibrating, and when i tried pushing it in more, it got real loose and fell off, i see that the old owner must have put some kind of glue or somethig to hold it in place, it is a 92

This is pretty common. Clean all the glue off the tuner shaft and cloverleaf, then cover your plier jaws with many layers of masking tape, that will protect the chrome plating. Use the pliers to squeeze together the opening on the cloverleaf until it's noticeably narrower than it used to be - don't go too far though! Then just slip the cloverleaf onto the tuner shaft and tap it into place with a chunk of wood or plastic headed mallet - anything that won't damage the chrome. It should snap back on and be noise-free.
Good luck!

If this is more than you want to do, call Ernie Ball customer service and they'll sell you a new tuner that will drop right in.

 

[barginkov]

thanks, i tried that and it works perfect,no rattling at all, i have owned many MM's that this has happened to , never knew you could fix it this way, didnt know the cloverleaf came off,thought it was one piece,,thanks again

 

[bdgotoh]

Glad I could help out!

 

[Jeffbass]

Cloverleaf is a cloverfield monster

HI. If I don't want to clamp the peg of the machine head to strengthen the cloverleaf's bond, do you know what site I can just purchase a knew one at? Oh yeh tappy tap tappin' it didn't help. Well...it did for half a phrase. So I see the solution. Still, I reiterate, anyone know a site to purchase Musicman machine heads?

 

[bdgotoh]

Call Ernie Ball customer service at 1-866-823-2255. They should be able to sell you one.

 

[ronnyG]

This is pretty common. Clean all the glue off the tuner shaft and cloverleaf, then cover your plier jaws with many layers of masking tape, that will protect the chrome plating. Use the pliers to squeeze together the opening on the cloverleaf until it's noticeably narrower than it used to be - don't go too far though! Then just slip the cloverleaf onto the tuner shaft and tap it into place with a chunk of wood or plastic headed mallet - anything that won't damage the chrome. It should snap back on and be noise-free.
Good luck!

If this is more than you want to do, call Ernie Ball customer service and they'll sell you a new tuner that will drop right in.

Had the same issue with my 90 SR4. I believe I was the cause by hitting something with the tuner but I have hit so many things so many times with that bass I can't recall the particulars.

I wasn't able to hear the rattle through the amp..but it annoyed me to no end when I practiced ampless. The above solution did the trick..well to a point, every few months it seems to loosen again so eventually something will give and it will require a new tuner. Things break and wear out...that's life.

I mean you wouldn't replace a car you love just because a tire wore out.

 

[oli@bass]

Now it's my turn... the '88 fretless I acquired recently is not a StingRay, it's a RattleSnake!
Unfortunately the cloverleaf is not willing to come off at all, but it likes to shake along with some lines. Seems to be one overy cheerful musical cloverleaf... That's what I get for my stupid remarks...

 

[silverburst]

Irony, Oli?

 

[Grand Wazoo]

But can you replace just a single tuner or will you require all 4 or 5 whichever applies?

and if you can get one, how much can one of those cost anyway??

 

[oli@bass]

Irony, Oli?

Seems so...
Oh, and about your status: get well soon!

But can you replace just a single tuner or will you require all 4 or 5 whichever applies?

and if you can get one, how much can one of those cost anyway??

I'm pretty sure you can get a single tuner as replacement for a broken one. Seeing what Schaller and Hipshot products cost, I'd guess a replacement would cost somewhere between 30 and 50 USD.

 

[silverburst]

On my 1990 SR4, My E-tuner had a loose cloverleaf. My tech looked at it and said "oh yeah". Then he took it to his bench, and got out a small anvil and hammer and peened it tight again. No problem.

If I had replaced one it would have looked goofy, because the new one would be all shiny and new, while the others would be nice and tarnished.

 

[oli@bass]

That's the reason I don't want to replace the tuner on the '88: It would look a bit out of place. However, I have to take that bass to my favorite luthier anyway because the fingerboard not as smooth as the seller made me believe. And that tuner's in for a check as well then. Thanks for the hint!

 

[five7]

Loose clovers? How about bent ones? They stay in tune though. Why? Because they are made by the best-musicman.

 

[oli@bass]

Actually, they're made by Schaller...

 

[kylierider]

I had the same thing happen with the G tuner on my 92. I called Ernie Ball CS and I had another tuner by the end of the week. Great people over there at EB. I think the key was like 23.00 and it matches the other 3.