Greetings Knights of the RickenTable!...and a Question

[Rich Briere]

Some may know or remember me.......it's been awhile.

A couple of years ago I found a 4001 with WAVY tuners.........THREE of them.........so I ordered another from a kind fellow on this forum. I was either "off my meds" or the Godz were speaking to me as the tuner that I received sat in the case, with the bass, for a couple of years while I dealt with some "life issues". At any rate, I finally got around to having my "guy" install the Wavy's and I received a call from him last night. "Rich....do you know that you have THREE left side tuners and ONE right side tuner?" I danced on my tongue through broken glass to find that fourth wavy tuner and paid good money for it. I take full responsibility for not checking it out when I received it......but I'm wondering if there might be a message here. Perhaps I'm not supposed to re-install the wavy's....which I understand are not the greatest tuner in the World.

So...bottom line. I have TWO options. I can sell the four Wavy's that I have and pop Hipshots on the bass....Blasphamy to many here, I know.:^>).....or I can try to find the guy I purchased the wavy from and see if I can trade the incorrect tuner for the correct one.

Any suggestions??

Any of you remember selling me the Wavy???

Bass-ically Yours,
Rich Briere

[dog]

Gee Rich, two years is a long time. If you really want to finally play your bass, just buy a new set. You can always save the Grovers in case you change your mind.

[jaymi]

Gee Rich, two years is a long time. If you really want to finally play your bass, just buy a new set. You can always save the Grovers in case you change your mind.

+1 buy the hipshots and save the grovers for another time...

[cassius987]

Some here may not approve of the bridge by Hipshot but I think we can all agree they make a new tuner. After all, the current tuners are also done out of house (by Schaller I think), so no one has to passionately defend their honor.

Hipshot makes a 27:1 tuner that some people like; my stock Schallers hold pitch for days on end though, so I haven't messed with it.

[thx1955]

Welcome back to the Forum.

Either the stock Schallers, or the Hipshots would do the job fine. The Hipshots are designed to drop right in and use the same location holes.

[thinneckrick]

UH OH !!!! Touchy subject matter here !! lol

[ben_brown]

I tell you what Rich.....you send me those Grovers and I will send you a practically new set of the Rick Schaller tuners.
I can use them on my 73 that had them removed many years ago.
And welcome to the forum!

[Rich Briere]

I knew I could count on the Knights to give me food for thought. :^>)

The problem with hanging on to the Wavy's is that I still don't have a "SET"......I go nuts when that happens. There's, obviously, much more to this tale than meets the eye.....but when I decide to do things...I do them THAT second. Hipshots it is.......Wavy's for sale.

Bass-ically Yours,
Rich

[Rich Briere]

I tell you what Rich.....you send me those Grovers and I will send you a practically new set of the Rick Schaller tuners.
I can use them on my 73 that had them removed many years ago.
And welcome to the forum!

Thank You for the Re-Welcome. I'll be happy to take you up on your offer. Which ONE of the Wavy's would you like in trade for your complete SET of Schallers and whatever is behind door #3?? LOLOL :^>)

[ben_brown]

PM sent...

[Rich Briere]

WOW....my first PM!! Ben..... I'd be Happy to be your date at the up coming Rickenbacker Holiday Festival.....but I WILL NOT wear the gown you like...........The Ruby Red Slippers ARE rather appealing though!!

[dog]

I tell you what Rich.....you send me those Grovers and I will send you a practically new set of the Rick Schaller tuners.
I can use them on my 73 that had them removed many years ago.
And welcome to the forum!

Thank You for the Re-Welcome. I'll be happy to take you up on your offer. Which ONE of the Wavy's would you like in trade for your complete SET of Schallers and whatever is behind door #3?? LOLOL :^>)

I must be missing something here. With the grovers being a 1+3 "set", and the stock Schallers being great tuners, I would have jumped on this offer hands down.

[rickaddict]

My $.02:

While the Schallers are better tuners than the Grovers, you'll have to drill 16 new holes for the new screw location if you switch. Also, I'm not sure if the ferrules from the Schallers will fit in the post holes on your bass that were drilled for Grovers.

I'd try to find someone with the correct wavy Grover and trade it. That way your headstock won't look like it was made of Swiss cheese, and you'll keep your Rick all original.

Either post your request in the "Rickenbacker Wanted" section, or contact Dave Pascoe. I think he has a bunch of wavy Grovers stock piled.

[rickenbrother]

Rich, I have to check and make sure, but I think if you work very carefully and can pop the beck off the tuner, you can reverse the direction of the key. I have an extra one twith a broken shaft that Tony Cabibe sent to me to cannibalize for spare parts.
You have to be very careful that you don't lose the little washers in the tuner if you take it apart. Then you'll have to put it back togther again and re-swedge the pins that hold the cover on.

I lost one of the washers when I was fixing a wavy Grover That's why Tony sent me that broken tuner.
I'll check back tonight.

[rickenbrother]

You can change the tuner key from one side to the other
Here is the broken tuner that Tony sent me before I took it apart:


Here it is after I put it back together with the key shaft installed the opposite way:


Carefully use a small regular head screwdriver to pry the cover off by the key side of the shaft. Once to start to get get it off, go slow, a little at a time around the inside of the cove to get it off evenly and not break one of the pins that holds the cover on. Do this at a desk covered with paper towels ad there will be grease inside the tuner. Be careful not to lose the washer that is on the end of the key shaft. Install the shaft the opposite way and put the cover back on. You might have to swedge the pins a bit to hold the cover on, then carefully apply a tiny bit of cyanoacrylate with a toothpick to each pin.