Fender Dual Pro 8 Lollipop tuner fix- anything new?

Jim Rossen · Post by **Jim Rossen** » 14 Jun 2014 6:18 pm

Any new resources, ideas, techniques, parts for fixing slipping Dual Pro 8 tuners- the brazed ones with lollipop knobs that are different from most Stringmasters? Most of what I can find in the forum is for Stringmasters with Kluson tuners.
Thanks
Jim

Nate Hofer · Post by **Nate Hofer** » 16 Jun 2014 4:23 am

Pretty sure Mike Neer posted on exactly this topic a year or two ago. He had a Custom T-8 I think.

Tom Gray · Post by **Tom Gray** » 16 Jun 2014 6:09 am

This may be a lost cause. But while we're on the subject, I have a Fender D-6 that's missing a lollipop button. It's a great sounding guitar and ought to be played. Any suggestions besides plastic buttons or pliers?

Jerome Hawkes · Post by **Jerome Hawkes** » 16 Jun 2014 6:55 am

im not a machinist, but those should easily be cut from aluminum or steel rods of the same diameter and drilled for the shaft. take one to a machine shop to show them.

i've had luck with old school jewelry repair shops too on stuff like that.

the fender tuning key issue is just an unfortunate part of the deal. at least these steels are cheap enough (considering the price of vintage fender instruments) that sinking $200 into getting the tuners fixed isnt a big deal breaker.

Tim Whitlock · Post by **Tim Whitlock** » 16 Jun 2014 3:33 pm

Here is a link to a thread from last year. Using the information in the thread I was able to repair a broken tuner on my 1951 T-8 Custom for $2.

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... t=lollipop

Basically the tuners are soldered onto the pan. The lollipops are soldered onto the shaft sticking up from the tuners. You unsolder the lollipop from its shaft, unsolder the tuner from the pan, remove the tuner and solder a new tuner in place. Then you solder the lollipop onto the new tuner. Hey presto!

12-string guitar tuners can be bought from Stew Mac. They come in a strip of 6. You just hacksaw 2 of them off and the remaining 4 fit in the holes on one side of the tuning pan. Or in my case, I took a trip to my local guitar repair guy and he sold me a used strip of tuners for the aforementioned $2. I just needed to replace one of my tuners so I cut one tuner off the strip. Works like a charm now.

Stephen Cowell · Post by **Stephen Cowell** » 16 Jun 2014 4:11 pm

Not sure but you may need to slot the pan to get those replacement tuners onto it... the later Stringmasters have them slotted already.

Tim Whitlock · Post by **Tim Whitlock** » 16 Jun 2014 4:31 pm

Stephen Cowell wrote:Not sure but you may need to slot the pan to get those replacement tuners onto it... the later Stringmasters have them slotted already.

I'd say that is very likely Stephen. When I replaced just the one, I was able to finagle it in without cutting a slot. Four at a time would be very tricky.

Kelvin Monaghan · Post by **Kelvin Monaghan** » 17 Jun 2014 2:09 am

Heat up the lolipops ,I used a gas stove about 15 seconds then they come off easily with a pair of pliers.
Heat the strip with the four tuners on it with a pencil butane torch and it will fall off the pan ,then do the same to each tuner ,the solder melts and they fall off easy.
Get some open back tuners,but make sure the diameter is the same otherwise you will have to ream out the lolipop or grind the new stem,there is not much tolerance on the lolipop so best not to have to do that.
Then repeat the whole process in reverse ,you Don't have to cut the pan .
Its not that difficult but its fiddly.
Cheers

Jim Rossen · Post by **Jim Rossen** » 17 Jun 2014 5:03 am

Great info!
Replacing the entire tuner with a modern one with reuse of the lollipop button is appealing. A slot neck style tuner (has a straight capstan) would be best. Anyone know of one that is well suited with correct capstan diameter and length, knob shaft diameter and length, removability of stock knob, and suitability for soldering?

Jim

Tim Whitlock · Post by **Tim Whitlock** » 17 Jun 2014 7:56 am

Jim - I'm told that the Stew Mac 12 string guitar tuners work for this application, but I did not go that route so I don't know if the tuner knob shaft fits the hole in the lollipop. It's possible you might have to drill it out a tiny bit.

Instead, I removed the pan and took it down to my local guitar repair man. He had a box full of old tuners and we were able to find a strip of tuners that had the right size knob shaft for the lollipop head. Plus I saved $60 in the process. Here is a link to the Stew Mac tuners:

Link to Stewart-MacDonald tuners.l

Kelvin Monaghan · Post by **Kelvin Monaghan** » 17 Jun 2014 2:53 pm

The shaft on the 6 string set is a wider diameter,the 12 sting set looks to be the same tuners ,dont forget there is not much room to drill out the lolipops ,so its better to find some vintage sets .Cheers

Ron Kassof · Post by **Ron Kassof** » 17 Jun 2014 4:31 pm

So they're just plain soldered in place, not brazed or silver soldered? Relieved!

Kelvin Monaghan · Post by **Kelvin Monaghan** » 18 Jun 2014 1:37 am

Yep plain on solder Ron they come off easy.

Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 18 Jun 2014 8:06 pm

Mine had replacement tuners on one neck, and originals on the other, which were bad, so I replaced the originals on the other neck. Had to slot the pan, which made both pans the same, etc.

Ron Kassof · Post by **Ron Kassof** » 19 Jun 2014 7:21 am

Same setup on the early long scale Stringmasters?

Mark Roeder · Post by **Mark Roeder** » 19 Jun 2014 1:41 pm

I have used those Stew Mac 12 string tuners on a double neck rick. I can't remember if they were their Golden Age brand. The posts lined up with the holes perfectly and the screw holes matched. You will have to cut off the extra tuners, that wasn't a problem though. Call me Jim if you want more details.

Lee Cecil · Post by **Lee Cecil** » 20 Jun 2014 6:45 pm

I had all sorts of issues with the lollipop tuners on a '53 Fender T-8 I used to have, gears, the worm gears, the brazing, you name it, and a guy named Terry Mueller up in Carbondale, Illinois fixed all my problems using original parts. No slots cut in the tuner pan. I haven't read this entire thread, so someone may have mentioned his name already, but I sent two tuner pans up to him a few years back, and had them back in working order in two weeks for a very fair price. I could probably find his contact information, but it's also probably in an old thread on the forum. I think that's where I found him a few years back.

Russ Wever · Post by **Russ Wever** » 20 Jun 2014 7:26 pm

Lee Cecil wrote:. . . probably in an old
thread on the forum. . . .

~>click

Wade Dawson · Post by **Wade Dawson** » 24 Jul 2015 10:42 am

OK you say the information I need may be in an old thread, I just joined the forum 5 or 6 days ago so how would I dig this info up? Sorry but I'm an old fart and don't know crap about navigating this sight. Thanks for any help. JW

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 24 Jul 2015 11:11 am

James Dawson wrote:OK you say the information I need may be in an old thread, I just joined the forum 5 or 6 days ago so how would I dig this info up? Sorry but I'm an old fart and don't know crap about navigating this sight. Thanks for any help. JW

Use the Search feature available in the upper right.

Wade Dawson · Post by **Wade Dawson** » 26 Jul 2015 3:34 pm

Thanks for all the help. I've ordered the stewmac 12 string setup. Will let you know how it works out.

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