How to fix the kluson tuner on my jazzmaster - not holding the tune

Discussion of vintage Jazzmasters, Jaguars, Bass VIs, Electric XIIs and any other offset-waist instruments.
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Guitarman555
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How to fix the kluson tuner on my jazzmaster - not holding the tune

Post by Guitarman555 » Thu Jan 24, 2019 11:15 am

Hey, does anybody knows why a very old Kluson tuner, which looks perfect, but does not hold the tune when I am bending or playing a longer time (the e goes down pretty quickly)? Is there a way how to fix it, I mean to unscrew the tuner and tighten something inside? From outside, the Kluson don´t have any screw to tighten. I can see only a tiny little hole at the bottom and an end of rod at the side. Thanks!

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PorkyPrimeCut
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Re: How to fix the kluson tuner on my jazzmaster - not holding the tune

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Thu Jan 24, 2019 2:23 pm

How old? Are they nickel or chrome? Single line (KLUSON stamped in one line) or double (KLUSON stamped twice)?

That hole you mention, as far as I know, is for lubricant. The enclosures themselves are held shut with little teeth that are bent into place. The older the Kluson, the more brittle the metal & it's very easy to snap them off accidentally. I wouldn't recommend opening them up if they're nickel. Maybe slightly newer ones are more forgiving but even then, proceed with caution.

Saying that, I wouldn't know what to do once inside. There's very little in there to fix. If you're going out of tune it almost sounds like something inside has become slack, maybe slightly bent out of shape.
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Re: How to fix the kluson tuner on my jazzmaster - not holding the tune

Post by timtam » Thu Jan 24, 2019 5:33 pm

Tuners are rarely the source of tuning problems. If you really think this one is, you could simply swap it with another string's tuner and see if the problem travels with it or not.
"I just knew I wanted to make a sound that was the complete opposite of a Les Paul, and that’s pretty much a Jaguar." Rowland S. Howard.

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Re: How to fix the kluson tuner on my jazzmaster - not holding the tune

Post by Guitarman555 » Fri Jan 25, 2019 1:00 am

Thanks guys, at the first step I made a graphity pencil job at the nut, and it got much better, but still not perfect. I will repeat it more times and hopefuly this will be enough. I am gonna let you know after. Many thanks

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