Wavy tuner questions

[antipodean]

Wow, so many examples of post 74 basses using the box back wavey Grovers. I was sure they has switched over to the open back style (Schaller??) tuners. Makes my initial post look like I've learned nothing!!

Sepp

I believe Rickenbacker went back to open-back reverse Klusons in '73/4 (these had been used up until late '69/early '70, when the "flat" Grovers were adopted). There are late '73 basses with Klusons and early '74 basses with Grovers, which is very typical of Rickenbacker transition periods. The wavy Grovers made a comeback in the early '80s on a number of basses, but not universally, possibly due to a supply issue with Kluson (or maybe someone found a crate of the Grovers in the back of a storeroom). I believe the Schallers came on board in the mid-80s, supplanting both the Grovers and the Klusons.

[songdog]

The straight box back Grovers were pre 73 maybe even pre 72. The stamped waxey wavey Grovers were most definitely 73.

My November '72 4001 (LK****) has wavey Grovers.

[ken_j]

In the summer of '69 I purchased a '68 4000 with open back tuners at the same time my friend purchased a '69 4001 with flat Grover tuners. He has a Feb. '72 he purchased new and it also has flat Grovers so these time lines are somewhat overlapped.

[wings012345]

My 82 lefty 4001s has the wavy grovers

[Dirk]

So are the 80's ones the non bent style then?
Nobody has said anything about that style wavies yet.
I'm guessing the ones I have are early 70's judging by this thread.
Pictures online soon from me.
Thanks,
Dirk

[heinpete]

...the wavy tuners on my 1974 4001 look very special! The outer lines on the boxes are curled!!!

[Dirk]

Wow those are cool, like little vines up the last line on the back.
Well I can rule out '74 then, thanks for the pic!
Dirk

[Kopfjaeger]

So are the 80's ones the non bent style then?
Nobody has said anything about that style wavies yet.
I'm guessing the ones I have are early 70's judging by this thread.
Pictures online soon from me.
Thanks,
Dirk

Dirk,

The flat machine head Grover marked box backed tuners predate the Grover marked wavey tuners on Rickenbacker basses. I suppose this is the most correct way to state that. If you have the wavey style that are marked Grover and have the box back then it seems to have covered a wide range. I think with some certainty they are normally found on some 72 all 73 and most 74 basses but seem to be mixed in into the 80's as well.

These wavy Grovers have the machine head, the part you grip with your fingers to tune, as a separate piece of stamped steel and is affixed to a separate split shaft and held in place by a pin. I've seen the one piece (shaft and machine head) cast Grovers advertised as Wavey Grovers and while they are made by the Grover corporation, they bear slight resemblance to the ones depicted here in this thread. if you do have a set of the box backed two piece shaft/head on your bass and there are no empty wood screw holes in the backside of your headstock, it would appear your bass left the factory with then and all is good. if you have another type Grover machine head on you bass, chances are it's a replacement.

For the record, my 73 4001 that I purchased from a music shop in London came to me with two box back wavey Grovers and two earlier box back straight Grovers. I was able to acquire a nice set of box back wavey Grovers and I swapped out the two straight Grovers, which were sold to a a collector in Germany. I'm very happy no extra screw holes were drilled in my headstock for Klusons or Hipshots or Schallers.

Sepp

[Dirk]

Thanks for the clarification, alas I don't have the bass anymore to help with the ID. From what I can remember and clues here, it sounds like they might have been off a late 60's early 70's, or maybe they were replacements too, I wasn't the original owner.
Dirk

[Seans]

72 LE Walnut wings,

[heinpete]

72 LE Walnut wings,

...walnut wings! Ah, very nice!

[Seans]

Those JG's were so OTT,

[Dirk]

Call me crazy, but how do you know that has walnut sided headstock? It's painted black!

[bassduke49]

Yeah, I was gonna ask that, too. Is it a refin so you know what's underneath? Of course, early '72 is the transition period between the presence of walnut head wings and the "new" three-piece neck with shedua strip down the center ("skunk stripe"). My June '72 MG (now berry-burst or "mink") has the shedua strip. I had walnut head wings put on during its restoration in 2006.

[chefothefuture]

If you hold the bass up to the light, you could see the seems.
Nice older headstock w/ larger crest like a 71