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Topic: nylon hex tuner durability? |
Christopher Peck
From:
Seattle
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Posted 15 Oct 2021 6:54 pm |
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So I'm fiddling a bit with tuning my new-to-me BMI and one of the nylon hex tuners drops off while I'm pedaling back and forth checking the tuning. Big clomp on the floor from the tuning wrench and a couple minutes later I realize what happened (at first I thought the tuning wrench just fell off) and I find the hex tuner laying on the floor next to the volume pedal. I go to put it back where it belongs and back up a step or two and wouldn't you know one end is stripped out. Well it's got two ends so I use the good end to put it right.
My question is how often to those nylon hex tuners wear out? It's no big deal, they're cheap and easily replaced. I'm just wondering if it's worth having more than a few on hand at any one time.
bonus question: Are they pretty much the same size between various makes or are they all different? I'm fortunate enough in that BMI has them listed for 85 cents per on their website but was still curious about it. |
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John Hyland
From:
South Australia
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Posted 15 Oct 2021 7:02 pm
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| If you are only using one end of the hex nut then you are asking a lot of the nylon. If you make sure the hex nut is fully engaged on the thread the nut should last a long time. |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 15 Oct 2021 7:47 pm
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I know nearly nothing about BMI guitars, but no they are not all the same size...either in length or internal dimension. I've seen them everywhere from 5/8 length to 1 1/4. I've also seen guitars that have different lengths on raises and lowers.
Some tuners only have one open end. The best ones I think are the translucent ones that you buy from the guitar builder.
Common rod sizes are .93, .109, .125 and may be threaded 4-40, 5-40 and 6-32 generally, but there are others.
The nylon tuners come without threads which are cut as they are force threaded on the rod.
You need to know which ones are used on your guitar and keep a pack of 10 or so on hand. If you change set ups a lot, they will wear out faster.
In over 40 years of playing pedal steels I don't think I've replaced more than a couple dozen or so from wear failure, but it does happen.
If you have a loose one and no replacement, sometimes you can squeeze it down with a pliers before placing it back on the rod to tighten enough to use until you get a new one. |
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Christopher Peck
From:
Seattle
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Posted 15 Oct 2021 8:04 pm
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| Jerry Overstreet wrote: |
I know nearly nothing about BMI guitars, but no they are not all the same size...either in length or internal dimension. I've seen them everywhere from 5/8 length to 1 1/4. I've also seen guitars that have different lengths on raises and lowers.
Some tuners only have one open end. The best ones I think are the translucent ones that you buy from the guitar builder.
Common rod sizes are .93, .109, .125 and may be threaded 4-40, 5-40 and 6-32 generally, but there are others.
The nylon tuners come without threads which are cut as they are force threaded on the rod.
You need to know which ones are used on your guitar and keep a pack of 10 or so on hand. If you change set ups a lot, they will wear out faster.
In over 40 years of playing pedal steels I don't think I've replaced more than a couple dozen or so from wear failure, but it does happen.
If you have a loose one and no replacement, sometimes you can squeeze it down with a pliers before placing it back on the rod to tighten enough to use until you get a new one. |
Thanks, that's useful stuff to know. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 15 Oct 2021 8:19 pm
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Sometimes, they strip out because they're not on the rod far enough. That requires a slight adjustment of the pull rod to make things right. But the biggest reason, by far, for them getting broken or stripped is over-tuning. Players will tighten them so much they run up on the unthreaded portion of the rod, causing them to enlarge and split, or wash out all the formed threads inside the nut.
So if you want them to last, never over-tune!  |
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Bobby D. Jones
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 15 Oct 2021 10:57 pm
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It takes about 3 measurements to obtain the proper tuning nuts for a steel guitar. Length, Depth of hole, diameter of pull rods. Length is important, The tuning nut should not extend past the end plate of the guitar. When being cased, carried or removed from case, Catch a tuning nut can break tuning nut or bend or break threads off pull rod. If you are working on a used guitar check rod sizes closely, I have seen add on pulls use different size rods.
Old MSA's have 1/8" (.125) rods, Tuning nut is only about 1/2" long hole clear through tuning nut. The old MSA's use an aluminum sleeve to cover the threads to keep the rod threads out of the changer levers.
Emmons guitars use 7/64" (.109) rods. And seem to vary from one model to another in length.
GFI Guitars use 3/32" (.093) 1 1/2" Long. The GFI guitars use a 1/4" (.250) Nylon/Plastic sleeve behind the tuning nut. |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 16 Oct 2021 2:31 am
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I had a Franklin for 38 years (bought new). It still had the original nylon tuners.
Not all GFI's have the spacers behind the nylon tuning nut as Bobby noted. I see the spacers listed on the GFI parts page but I had a 2000 year Ultra D-10 and a 2003 Expo S-10 and neither used spacers.
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GFI Ultra Keyless S-10 with pad (Black of course) TB202 amp, Hilton VP, Steelers Choice sidekick seat, SIT Strings
Cakewalk by Bandlab and Studio One V4.6 pro DAWs, MOTU Ultralite MK5 recording interface unit |
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Ken Mizell
From:
Lakeland, Florida, 33809, USA
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Posted 17 Oct 2021 3:11 pm
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Best thing to do is contact Don Fritsche or Dan Burnham at BMI. Phone numbers are on their web page. Best to call them about 3:00-4:00 PM Central time. Good people. Easy to talk with too. My 1983-1984 BMI had metal bullet nosed spacers between the nylon tuning nut and the changer finger. They sell them. Rather inexpensive.
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Steeless. |
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