Where to find replacement gears to repair 50s Fender tuners?

Glenn Burleigh · From: St. Louis, MO, USA

Onto my next question on where to look for resources to fix up Don Stevens' Fender T8: any idea of where I could find replacements for the gears in the tuners? I'm gonna double check, when it arrives, but the tech at the shop said that two of tuners were non-functional, due to broken gears. It was a specific enough comment that I think it is likely accurate, even though it hasn't come in the mail. Is there anybody that happens to know where I could get replacement gears? Would the whole side of four tuners need to be replaced? Seems like something folks might know could be found. Thanks for any tips!
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Dekley Slimline 3x4, Sho~bud Professional, Encore 3x5, Fender Custom Professional, Gold Tone PDS-D, Melbert Roundabout, Gibson Les Paul Junior Special, Ibanez Custom Agent, Danelectro U2 Baritone, various Teles and Strats.

K Maul · From: Hadley, NY/Hobe Sound, FL

Is it a Custom with the â€œlollipopâ€ type buttons? Very hard to find actual replacements but a guy once fixed mine using mandolin tuners. He got to buttons off them, removed the lollipop buttons from the originals, then pressed them back onto the mandolin tuners.He just replaced both complete strips of 4. Itâ€™s the best thing to do because age will mean the currently good gears could go soon. If its a Stringmaster I believe there are repro tuners to be had, maybe through StewMac.
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Bill Sinclair · From: Waynesboro, PA, USA

Glenn,
Supposedly, the Stewmac slotted 12-string Golden Age tuners have the correct spacing for the Fender Custom (lollipop) pans. Just clip off two of the tuners from the end and replace the plastic tuners with the metal lollipops from the originals. Having done the individual tuner replacement on a Custom a few years ago, I would definitely go this route in the future. You're probably already aware that the lollipops are soldered on and you'll have to heat the tuner shaft with a small torch or soldering iron to remove each one.

https://www.stewmac.com/parts-and-hardware/tuning-machines/slotted-peghead-guitar-tuning-machines/golden-age-restoration-tuners-for-12-string-slotted-peghead-guitar.html

Glenn Burleigh · From: St. Louis, MO, USA

Thanks for the tips! It is the lollipop style. I will look into these options. The other thing that I was considering is seeing how much it would cost to just take a functional one off and get a couple copies 3D printed. I don't know much about how that works, but I commonly see the process used to replace small machined parts, so I'd kinda have to think that they can make stuff out something pretty hard.
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Dekley Slimline 3x4, Sho~bud Professional, Encore 3x5, Fender Custom Professional, Gold Tone PDS-D, Melbert Roundabout, Gibson Les Paul Junior Special, Ibanez Custom Agent, Danelectro U2 Baritone, various Teles and Strats.

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

If it is just the star gear you need -- the gear that gets engaged by the worm gear on the stem -- a long long time ago I discovered that the gear in an open tuner on an old beater Harmony flat-top I had laying around was a perfect fit for the one I had with a broken tooth. So you might bring the gear in question to a guitar repair shop and see if they've got something in their parts bin.

Brad Davis · From: Texas, USA

I'd be very interested if a drop-in replacement for the star gear is ever identified. I've got one or two of those older soldered-in messes where the tuner isn't functioning very well or binds up, and the star gear seems to have been chewed up or damaged by the worm gear due to misalignment or something. It looks like any ordinary star gear, but most I've tried don't fit quite right.

Glenn Burleigh · From: St. Louis, MO, USA

Update on this: I'd much rather be able to just screw on a replacement gear, instead of pulling the whole key assembly. The guitar came in and I pulled the pans. While two of the tuners are bad, a number of other gears are close to stripping. I'm gonna try and just replace all of them, as I figure that will just save some inevitable problems, down the road. My current plans are to see if any local guitar shops have something that would work. I'm also looking at the cost of getting somebody to just machine me a set of 24 replacements. If I go that route, I'll post who does it on the forum. That way, anybody that needs them could contact a shop that already has the file. Seems like a resource that the forum should have.
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Dekley Slimline 3x4, Sho~bud Professional, Encore 3x5, Fender Custom Professional, Gold Tone PDS-D, Melbert Roundabout, Gibson Les Paul Junior Special, Ibanez Custom Agent, Danelectro U2 Baritone, various Teles and Strats.

Roy Thomas · From: Louisiana, USA

i just repaired one for the 3 leg i am making. if you heat the metal buttons with a heat gun, you can take them off. the pan i have is around 1953 or so and used individual tuners, looks like kluson which were soldered bound to a brass strip. real easy to redo, if the lead is old and does not want to re-flow, add some electronic solder with soldering paste, NOT the acid type.
once you get the keys on the pan, put a button in a vise and heat it while adding electronic solder to the hole and then press it on to the key shaft(leave button in vise or you will lose the solder). the excess solder will come out. you can use a wet clothe as a dam to protect surrounding areas, i had to do so because i powder coated the pan due to the chrome condition, did a light blast sweep to clean it up.

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

I didn't spend much time but a quick search tells me that this won't be easy to find on any shelf (McMasters, etc.) That squared-off shape for the flattened shaft is the deal killer.
I can measure some specs if anyone needs them but the best replacement method is to carry one to a guitar repair shop.

Glenn Burleigh · From: St. Louis, MO, USA

So, I've got a few leads on people who could machine replacement gears. I'll let folks know, if it works out. I do want to make sure that I understand Jon's point about the lollipop heads, if I have to totally replace the tuner. This is the same kind of individual tuners. If I'm understanding correctly, you're saying that the tuning key heads are soldered onto the shaft? Basically, I'll need to heat the shaft, which will let me remove the head. Then I need to desolder the key from the strip. Then I'll need to the reverse to put the new tuner in. That seem like the right order?
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Dekley Slimline 3x4, Sho~bud Professional, Encore 3x5, Fender Custom Professional, Gold Tone PDS-D, Melbert Roundabout, Gibson Les Paul Junior Special, Ibanez Custom Agent, Danelectro U2 Baritone, various Teles and Strats.

Bob Stone · From: Gainesville, FL, USA

Try the non pedal Fender steel group on FaceBook.

For what it’s worth, replacing only the spur gear did not work on my 53 Dual Pro. I recommend getting a whole assembly. There should be some on the Fender FB group.

Good luck.

Tim Whitlock · From: Colorado, USA

I have replaced broken tuners in my '51 T8. Yes it involves desoldering the lollipop off the shaft, desoldering the tuner from the pan and then installing a strip tuner with the reverse process. You will need a small butane or propane torch. These are sold at any of the big box stores and are inexpensive. This whole process is not terribly difficult and can be accomplished with some thoughtful patience in about an hour or two.

You never said if the guitar in question was a Deluxe or Custom with the older lollipop tuners or a Stringmaster. If it's the latter, you're in luck and you can buy Kluson 8 string steel guitar tuners and it's a much easier process.

https://www.kluson.com/kluson-4-on-a-plate-deluxe-series-tuning-machines-for-lap-steel-guitar-details.html

Roy Thomas · From: Louisiana, USA

if you find gears that will work but no flat, you probably can find a broach that will put the flats in. we have to broach different parts and use square and hex types. some broaches are expensive though.

Jim Palenscar · From: Oceanside, Calif, USA

Regarding the Deluxe repair- in my experience it is rare to have the ring gear go bad- most always it is the worm gear. I have used the 12 string Stewmacs as replacements but 3 things need to be done:
1- drill out the lollipops to fit the new stems
2- drill out the tuner pans to fit the new stems
3- shorten the new shafts a titch to fit the pan as they
are about 1/8" too long and hit each other when
reassembled.
It is generally not necessary to solder the new strips to the pans as they stabilize each other.
Stringmasters have different spacings and require different tuner replacements- the new Klusons work well.

Glenn Burleigh · From: St. Louis, MO, USA

The pickup has come back from Mr. Brantley, and I'll be getting that installed, tomorrow. I've also gotten the stew mac tuning machines that were recommended. I tried to find some way to get new parts fabricated, but nobody got back to me. From what I read, I'm gonna need to get a torch setup for solderng pipes, so that I can get the tuning key off of the plate. Is that also how to get the lollipop heads off the keys, rather than an iron?
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Dekley Slimline 3x4, Sho~bud Professional, Encore 3x5, Fender Custom Professional, Gold Tone PDS-D, Melbert Roundabout, Gibson Les Paul Junior Special, Ibanez Custom Agent, Danelectro U2 Baritone, various Teles and Strats.

Jeff Mead · From: London, England

Glenn Burleigh · From: St. Louis, MO, USA

This is the Custom Professional, and it uses the lollipop tuners that are welded to the pan. I popped the pickup back in there and it's brought the top neck back to life. Now I've just gotta figure out the tuners. I've got one dead/stripped on the second and third necks. Will be getting a torch from the hardware store, but I'm still kinda confused on how to approach the tuner switch. I can cut off a couple of the tuners that I got from Stew Mac, but the procedure for removing the old ones has me a bit sideways. I get that I need to remove the lollipop with heat, but I'm kind of confused, after there. The tuner is welded to a strip that is then welded to the pan. I'm trying to figure out how I get the broken one off. Do I need to pull the whole strip or can I desolder the individual ones out? After that, I think my drill press helps with the modifications.
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Dekley Slimline 3x4, Sho~bud Professional, Encore 3x5, Fender Custom Professional, Gold Tone PDS-D, Melbert Roundabout, Gibson Les Paul Junior Special, Ibanez Custom Agent, Danelectro U2 Baritone, various Teles and Strats.

Jim Palenscar · From: Oceanside, Calif, USA

Remove the ring gear and you can then push the tuner shaft in enough to remove the worm gear and tuner assembly after you have un-soldered it from the strip.

Glenn Burleigh · From: St. Louis, MO, USA

Thanks. I've been looking at it and been unable to figure out how to get the whole L shape out of there. Being able to disconnect that shaft from the key makes it a lot more logical.
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Dekley Slimline 3x4, Sho~bud Professional, Encore 3x5, Fender Custom Professional, Gold Tone PDS-D, Melbert Roundabout, Gibson Les Paul Junior Special, Ibanez Custom Agent, Danelectro U2 Baritone, various Teles and Strats.

Glenn Burleigh · From: St. Louis, MO, USA

One quick question, prior to going to the hardware store:

I had a friend recommend that I go with a heavy duty soldering iron, instead of with a torch. His main reasoning being that I'm used to soldering electronics with a "normal" iron. He said to look for something like this:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Weller-Electric-Lead-Free-Soldering-Kit/1000395569

Would this be an alternative to the "Bernzomatic" torch that seems to be what was referred to? The listed melt temp on the solder would appear to suggest that it would.

Thanks again for all of the tips!
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Dekley Slimline 3x4, Sho~bud Professional, Encore 3x5, Fender Custom Professional, Gold Tone PDS-D, Melbert Roundabout, Gibson Les Paul Junior Special, Ibanez Custom Agent, Danelectro U2 Baritone, various Teles and Strats.

Glenn Burleigh · From: St. Louis, MO, USA

Got this thing all back together and working. Am already having fun learning new tunings! Thanks again for all the advice.
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Dekley Slimline 3x4, Sho~bud Professional, Encore 3x5, Fender Custom Professional, Gold Tone PDS-D, Melbert Roundabout, Gibson Les Paul Junior Special, Ibanez Custom Agent, Danelectro U2 Baritone, various Teles and Strats.

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