The Steel Guitar Forum

I have a '77 Pro II Custom and the nylon tuning nuts are striping out. Does anybody know where I might find some replacements?

Thanks,
Sean

George L. has a good selection of the nylon tuning nuts. here's a link
http://www.georgelsstore.com/

Thanks Fred,
Now the inevitable question is which size do I need for my Bud? It sure looks like the length of the originals is 1 3/4 inches though the longest I see on the George L site is 1 1/2. As for the diameter I have no idea what that is.

Any and all help is most appreciate it.

Should be a 5/40 thread.

Actually, shorter is probably better. I don't like to see them sticking out beyond the endplate. I've seen lots of guitars with bent pull rod ends because they stuck out and were bumped into and bent.

That's a fine point John. I'm sure I could work with 1 1/2 but I'm still not sure about the diameter. George L offers 1/8 or 3/32 and Ronnie is saying 5/40 which sounds like metric? I can't imagine Sho~Bud used metric parts.

5/40 is not metric. I'm not sure if that's the correct size, but,,,, pull a rod out, go to Sears, and find a nut that fits. That will determine the size without question, although I don't doubt Ronnie at all. I just don't know. All my Shobuds are older, and don't use nylon tuners.

Thanks Ronnie

Nobody seems to want to answer your question-----although there was a recent discussion involving 5/32" rods, 1/8" is the nut you need, not 3/32". They are not tapped nor do they need to be (5-40 is a tap (thread) size). The threading on the rod will cut into the nylon nut. If you should find that you adtually have the larger 5/32" rods you will probably need to slightly enlarge the nut opening--I'm not sure. Maybe you can still force the nut onto it. My Bud has 1/8" rods.

edit to add-------that 5/32" rod thing was news to me. So maybe someone will come along and say that they also at some point started using 3/32" rods in which case I will have given you crap info. I hate that.

Thanks for explaining that John. It sounds like I've got a 50/50 chance of ordering the correct size.

That's the half-empty in you. I'm a half-full guy--I'd like to turn that around and say that you actually have a 50/50 chance.

Take a rod to Sears. Although the nylon tuners are not tapped, some people suggest just a bit of a "starting" thread as a good way to get the nylon going onto the rods.

Why dont you just flip the nut over and use the other side? If it is closed, just cut off a little bit and start threading!

The rods are about 3/32nds. John is right, just cut about 1/4th inch off the nylon nut and re-thread it on the shaft. When I lengthened 2 of my rods on my Sho-Bud, I checked the thread size, to thread longer rods, and it is the 5/40 size. I wound up welding a piece of rod onto the existing rods, so I didn't have to buy a 5/40 die. I had a 4/40, and a 6/32, and one was too small, and the other too big. One of my nylon nuts stripped out some and I cut mine down, then put it on the least used pull rod. I found that the acoustic cieling wire that you use to hang the grid cieling tees are almost the same size. Good luck

Nic du Toit said:

Why dont you just flip the nut over and use the other side? If it is closed, just cut off a little bit and start threading!

De Nic du Toit Einstien!!!

Cheers!
Benton

That's what we are all here for, is to help in any way we can. My LDG is about the same vintage as your Bud, so I am assuming the rods are the same.

De Nic du Toit Einstien!!!

Cheers!
Benton

That's nothing!
Wait for this!

Just use plumbers tape on the stripped threads.


Nic

I thought all those nylon tuning nuts were self taping.
I know they are not threaded when they are shipped in and Bo never taps them just screws them on and they work fine.

Nic du Toit wrote:

De Nic du Toit Einstien!!!

Cheers!
Benton

That's nothing!
Wait for this!

Just use plumbers tape on the stripped threads.


Nic

Nic, I tried that and it didn't work. That was on a 3/32" rod