1930 L1 - what to do about stiff tuners

[Idaho]

I am busy getting acquainted with the 1930 L1 I recently inherited. It has the original tuners on it. It's my daily player and there's no intention of selling it. When I die, it will go to a younger relative who's turning into a solid guitarist.

 

Out of the six tuners, two seem stiff to me. They don't require so much force that there's any worry about bending or breaking anything, they just feel stiff. When it's put in tune, it stays nicely in tune for at least a day or so, so there's no issue with the tuners failing to maintain string tension.

 

Has anybody else experienced this?

 

Would a touch of oil at the peg head bushings be out of order?

 

What about replacing the tuners? I understand Stewart-MacDonald makes “Golden Age Restoration” tuners, but I'm not sure they'd swap out using the stock tuning plate mounting screw points or the peg holes.

 

Any other comments or recommendations?

[jedzep]

If it happens only under string tension, the suspect tuners might have a little play in the posts, causing them to lean into the bushings and cause friction. I've taken mine off and with the tip of a toothpick fed a tiny amt. of white lithium grease into the gear works, but if bent or wobbly posts are the problem you either have to live with it, replace them, something I'd do only as a last resort, or have them tinkered with at the luthier bench. I favor keeping old geetars original whenever possible and keep a little stash of period correct tuners for emergencies.

 

Here's a Stew-Mac tutorial that may not address what's actually causing your issue, but you may get some good stuff out of.

http://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Online_Resources/Tuning_Machines/How_to_clean_and_lube_dirty_old_guitar_tuners.html

[powerwagonjohn]

That video will be very helpful for freeing up the original turners for my 1952 L-4 which are too stiff. I had the knobs replaced but they are coming lose, vibrating and making noise now so I put some offshore replacements on it for now. I would really like to put the originals back on the guitar.

 

Thanks John

 

 

 

[Idaho]

If it happens only under string tension, the suspect tuners might have a little play in the posts, causing them to lean into the bushings and cause friction. I've taken mine off and with the tip of a toothpick fed a tiny amt. of white lithium grease into the gear works, but if bent or wobbly posts are the problem you either have to live with it, replace them, something I'd do only as a last resort, or have them tinkered with at the luthier bench. I favor keeping old geetars original whenever possible and keep a little stash of period correct tuners for emergencies.

 

Here's a Stew-Mac tutorial that may not address what's actually causing your issue, but you may get some good stuff out of.

http://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Online_Resources/Tuning_Machines/How_to_clean_and_lube_dirty_old_guitar_tuners.html

 

Thanks much. You are extremely helpful. The video was informative. I've decided to leave things alone until my next string change, at which point I'll check to see if there's stiffness when the tuners have no tension on them. In the meantime everything works and considering the guitar is shortly going to turn 85, needlessly messing around with it would be foolish at best.

[darkside mike]

can you post a pic of the l1? :)