My 73 4001 tuners won't stop rattling

[dwinn]

I have a 73 4001 with the wavy tuners. Thing is that they rattle like a mofo when I play it. Is there anything I can do to dampen the noise? It's definitely a poor design, and the newer standard tuners are much better, but I don't want to put new tuners on it and mod it since it's all original. Thanks

[jdogric12]

Ah yes, the famous "exploding" Grovers? I've heard some stories.

[dwinn]

Yeah! Lol! They are exploding. When I first got the bass I didn't know about these and was trying to tighten the A string when "pop"! The tuner fell completely off. I thought I broke it. Turns out you have to just fit the tuner in the groove wheel and push it back. Very poor design

[johnallg]

If you put them all back together then swag the corner pins with a pointed nail set, the tuner will be good as new.

[megadan]

I have the exploding Grovers on my '74. I was advised that a drop of super glue would keep 'em together.

Also, when they explode (mostly the D tuner) there is lots of brown gunk inside. Is this gunk supposedto be there for lubrication, or is it just plain ole dirt? Should I clean it all out? I'm worried that they would stick and not move smoothly if I cleaned them, as I don't think I have any oil or anything.

[johnallg]

Dan, back from vacation. I have never seen a Grover first-hand, so I am limited to what I have read here about them and what I remember. There is a lubricating grease in these, but I suppose over years there can also be dirt and it all get gunky. You can clean them up and relube, but I recommend searching for exploding Grovers or the word swag or swagging and read the threads on this as what to lube with was covered. Sorry I can't be more specific.

[jdogric12]

One of the Star Grovers on the '81 360 BG just exploded last night. Looks like it's not the first time, a bunch of goopy glue-y stuff popped out.

[dwinn]

Didn't they think that this may be a problem down the road with this design?

[jingle_jangle]

Yeah! Lol! They are exploding. When I first got the bass I didn't know about these and was trying to tighten the A string when "pop"! The tuner fell completely off. I thought I broke it. Turns out you have to just fit the tuner in the groove wheel and push it back. Very poor design

Not a poor design per se, but a problem with the staking of the pins when Grover switched production facilities. They bounced back after awhile, and as John indicated, the pins can be re-staked with a hammer and nail set. You can use the SEARCH feature on this site and type in, "stake grovers" and all the dope is there.

You'll also get Grover Jackson's recipe for minute steak...

What's a "mofo"? Oh, never mind...