Opening ric wavy grover bass tuners

[flosspick]

Any have any tips for opening the grover bass tuners for rics? I got one that spins pretty freely and would like to see what's up

[jps]

Hmm, spinning freely, eh? Sounds like a bigger problem than just the back cover popping off. You should be able to gently pry the back off as it is just staked in place.

[flosspick]

So to open the back I should take a hammer and pin and tap the pins holding it closed?

[jps]

You could do that, or if there is a gap between the cover and the baseplate you could gently pry it off. Either was you will be peening/swaging the pins down when you put the cover back on. A longer term solution for the cover is the grind off the pins and drill/tap holes for small machine screws to hold the cover on. You will also have to countersink the back side of the backplates so that the screws will sit flush with the plate. Or, you could make"divots" in the headstock to accommodate round/pan head screws, similar to how old Ricks and Fenders had "divots" for the old Kluson tuning keys.

[flosspick]

used a pin to tap it open, opened a lot easier than i thought it would.
somehow a few of the teeth on the worm gear are broken.
might make a new shaft or just buy a new tuner.

[jps]

Some pretty rough handling for the teeth to break as those tuners are very smooth to turn, normally.

You can't buy them new, so you will have to look for a used set or someone who will part with one.

[flosspick]

Here are some pics of what I found when I opened the case:





Kinda hard to see the damage on the last pic, but it's there.

Definitely considering making a new worm gear.

[jps]

No, the damage is very easy to see!