Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I've been checking out another early 70's 4001.

Looks very clean overall, has had little use in it's 40+ years.

All is original and very nice looking, even the wavy Grovers!

This is an aspect of Rics which I have read a little about, but have never owned.

I do think they look good, but TBH I'm a little worried - I've heard a lot about the exploding Grovers as well!

What is the consensus? My basses are gigging instruments, and the last think I need is a tuner breaking at a gig. Are they know just to go at any minute?

With the bass being of age, and not being used much, I'm concerned that they could be a problem...and I don't really want to start having to mess around with such a nice example.....

I used to own an early 73 with all the desirable appointments, but 2 of the 4 Grovers had the issue. It's not that you can get hurt from the "explosion", but for me it would be too risky to depend on it at a gig. I guess it all depends on the condition of the tuners, I bet there are perfectly working examples out there. Being a mechanical engineer, I just wonder how such a misconstruction could ever have made it to a standard production item...

There is a "cure" for those,but i am not the person to give you the particulars....perhaps Joseph Starost? Or Paul W?

woodyng wrote:There is a "cure" for those,but i am not the person to give you the particulars....perhaps Joseph Starost? Or Paul W?

Yup I had a bass with wavy Grovers and they worked very well, the case can come off with everything inside falling out, when i bought the bass two of them were apart but I bought a set somewhere or other and never had problems with them. I have also read about people fixing them on this forum but it's been a while and I don't remember who it was.

I personally love the look, feel, and functionality of wavey Grovers. My first vintage 4001, a early mid 1973, had the Grovers on it and I never had a problem. My 72 has them and again, everyone of them is rock solid. I purchased an early 1973 4001 and someone had swapped out the Grovers for another tuner. I located a set and out of those 2 or 3 were loose. They are fixable but you need certain tools to do so. If the backs have play in them, take them off and look at the pins to see if they can be peened. Some pins are just too recessed to trust and can't be peened with good results.

I've modified them and they are a bit of a pain to do. Paul W has it down to a science. he gave me the tips to figure out how to do it. I posted a thread, I'll see if I can find it.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=413403

Sepp

spongebob wrote:I've been checking out another early 70's 4001.

Looks very clean overall, has had little use in it's 40+ years.

All is original and very nice looking, even the wavy Grovers!

This is an aspect of Rics which I have read a little about, but have never owned.

I do think they look good, but TBH I'm a little worried - I've heard a lot about the exploding Grovers as well!

What is the consensus? My basses are gigging instruments, and the last think I need is a tuner breaking at a gig. Are they know just to go at any minute?

With the bass being of age, and not being used much, I'm concerned that they could be a problem...and I don't really want to start having to mess around with such a nice example.....

Go for it, they are great basses! The Grovers, as noted above, can be taken care of.

As you certainly know, I have gigged with mine quite a bit.

Jeff,

That's a great foto! Did you take it? LOL!!

I gig my 72 all the time, with unmodified Grovers, I I don't worry about it at all.

Sepp

I love the wavy Grovers on my '83. When I got it, one was in the process of coming apart and two others were quite loose. It wasn't difficult to stake the pins with a couple of taps from a hammer on a small Phillips screwdriver, backed up against the anvil section of a bench vice. It worked fine, and the tuners are now solid. Had it not worked, I'd have drilled and tapped them per the instructions available here.

Kopfjaeger wrote:Jeff,

That's a great foto! Did you take it? LOL!!

Not my name on it so I guess not!

You have the black Jetglo cousin of mine, although yours does have CP (mine's poured resin).

So we have some that have lasted the test of time!
When they do break, do they go slack first...or do they just explode without warning?

spongebob wrote:So we have some that have lasted the test of time!
When they do break, do they go slack first...or do they just explode without warning?

The "box" that is staked on houses the worm gear, which is the machine head or key part of the tuner. Once the box pops off, there is nothing to stop the peg shaft from rapidly loosening. That would be what's called a "catastrophic failure". Much like a tire blow out or your steering gear falling out at 60 mph.

Sepp

Oh dear! So you effectively could be mid - song at a gig, and all of a sudden you're heading for the ditch!

Makes for an exciting time!

jps wrote:Makes for an exciting time!

I don't think that's the kind of vintage experience I like!

I'm starting to see why so many were changed if that's what can happen. I don't gig with a spare bass with me, so things like that could spell an early bath.....

I had a set that were so loose they would unwind as I played. I ordered a set of Klusons from Rick (cost me $35.00 in 1978) and had no problems from then on.
Grovers have always been somewhat lacking in precision and quality. The newer Gotoh Kluson replicas are outstanding and are my favorites!

Jim