Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I bought a used 1998 650C about a year ago, and I find that it just won't stay in tune. It occurs to me that maybe the tuning keys need to be replaced because they are getting old. Does anyone have any experience with this issue? I am using the right string gauge (9 - 42) for this guitar, and it is definitely not the nut. Do those Schaller tuning keys get loose when they get older?

I don't know about aging tuning keys. The first thing I suspect is that the little tension screw has come loose. I've had that happen on some Grovers. Quarter turn solved that problem.
JimK

I have tuners older than that and they don't loosen up.

Richard, I assume that you have enough loops of string around each post so that they don't slip. I also assume that you've checked that the neck is still straight, i.e., the action isn't changing when the strings detune, and that the truss rod nuts are not loose.

Do all of the strings go out of tune the same amount?

Richard: Please tell us what strings go out of tune and whether they are sharp or flat.

It seems to be all the strings and mostly they go flat.

Richard: Do you have a detailed photo of the headstock showing the tuners and a photo at the side of the neck showing the string relief along the fretboard?

No, I don't, and I don't have the equipment to make that happen. I have tightened up the tension screws, as suggested by JimK, and now I am letting some time pass and playing it to see if that will have solved the problem. If not, I will have to look at some of the more complicated solutions you are referring to. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Does it go out of tune overnight or after playing one song? If it's the former, it might just be temp &/or humidity in the room.

Tony

Sometimes it goes out of tune after playing one song.

I suspect that my solution won't address the problem. If I had known that all the strings go flat, I'd have said something different.

What happened to me was that one string in particular would go out of tune flat, and when brought back up to pitch, the tuning key would noticeably slip. I could see it actually turn. Sorry I'm not much help here.
JimK

The Schaller M6 Mini tuners on your 650C should be very stable and usually last a lifetime - nevertheless there might be mechanical problems with the tuners - very unusual, but not completely unthinkable. There also might be problems with the general setup of the guitar, the trussrods or the nut.

You say you use 009-042 strings. How old are these and of which type and brand? Have you tried the original Rickenbacker compressed roundwound strings 010-042?

Thanks for all your help, folks. My tuning problems are over! I did several things to remedy them, so I don't know for sure which thing was the solution but here is what I did:

Tightened up the tension screws on the tuners
Put on new Elixir polymer coated strings (9 - 42)
Stretched the new strings thoroughly
Tuned them all up to pitch, not down to pitch

All's well that ends well; this is a story with a happy ending - strings that are staying perfectly in tune now for three days, despite a lot of playing.

Glad you got the problem solved! Congrats!

drzoom wrote:... Tuned them all up to pitch, not down to pitch ...

That one is easy to forget ... I catch myself sleeping at the wheel sometimes when tuning.

drzoom wrote:Tuned them all up to pitch, not down to pitch.

Lesson I learned early on. Glad you got it figured out. Now enjoy!