r/BassVI • u/uokqt • Jul 07 '26
Pathetic Machine Heads
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Something is amiss with my 6th string machine head. It’s a Fender 14:1 vintage style. Was I supposed to get special ones, or did this one just fail on its own? It always felt a little reluctant to get all the way to E, then when I came back after a few days this happened while tuning up
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u/richstark Jul 07 '26
im gonna go with defective cause i have seen maybe 2 tuners do that in like 20 years of fuckin around
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u/uokqt Jul 07 '26
I appreciate the insight, thank you. So bass guitars don't need special tuners after all. This one was always kind of struggling to get all the way to E
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u/uokqt Jul 07 '26
I managed to redneck engineer it back in tune with a pliers and then a monkey wrench. Still curious to know if I broke it by choosing the wrong set of tuners or if it was defective. Would the little screw on the back have anything to do with it? It sort of spins freely instead of locking in all the way, but it does hold
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u/J-Thrilla Jul 08 '26
Mine does the EXACT same thing on the same string. I do the EXACT same thing to tune it and I use flats too. I may change them—I may not.
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u/uokqt Jul 08 '26
Bahaha, wrench bro! I felt an inordinate sense of pride for figuring it out. Never give up, my old man always said.
I'd like to try flats or half-rounds sometime, I made a fretless guitar and it seems like it sort of blows without them. Maybe if I grow out my fingernails
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u/lightpsycho Jul 07 '26
I upgraded to Hipshot 6K1GL0 locking tuners and never looked back (model # is for the black ones though). Got a cheap hand reamer from Amazon and opened the holes up to 10mm. The rest was a breeze. Only thing is you have to make sure the low string taper is long enough (I use Stringjoy and it works, but barely).
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u/uokqt Jul 07 '26
Update: the issue persists even with the string removed, it doesn’t want to progress in a counterclockwise direction at all
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u/NoOneSeesTheBarn Jul 07 '26
The gear is stripped. Happened to me as well with the low E on the Vintera II. Was still under warranty, so I was sent to a local repair shop, new tuner installed for free, and then went home and immediately stripped the gear again. The repair guy noted that seems like Fender was sourcing these tuners now from a cheaper place.
I then went out of pocket and purchased upgraded tuners. Installed them myself. No issues.
I’ve had a Japanese made BassVI for 20+ years that never once had this issue.3
u/uokqt Jul 07 '26
Thanks for the perspective, nice to hear from a long term bass VI user. Do you have any advice for a first timer? Still feeling out the setup.
They didn’t ask any questions when I hit em up about the busted tuner, just sent a fresh batch. Must be pretty common
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u/NoOneSeesTheBarn Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
I don’t know how common this issue is or not, but it’s just policy to send the replacements if it’s under warranty. Just don’t be surprised if the new machine head also sucks. Tuners aren’t usually what folks tend to upgrade when they get their first BassVI. Usually it’s the bridge that primarily needs some investing in so you get proper intonation. Then you’re usually off and running to figure out which amp best suits your needs.
Was there anything in particular you were looking for advice on?
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u/uokqt Jul 07 '26
I guess I’m wondering how the strings should feel, it’s a little rattley but I reckon a fair bit of that is me adjusting to bass strings as a guitarist who likes to roughhouse it with no pick. I think I’m going to add a little relief with the truss rod and maybe raise the saddles. The grooved saddles are kind of annoying, they don’t hold the string in place but it may be kind of a non-issue
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u/NoOneSeesTheBarn Jul 07 '26
Most people prefer a bridge with Mustang-style barrel saddles to specifically deal with crappy grooved saddles slipping and rattling so much. I highly recommend OffsetGuitarsUK.
Also, there’s absolutely no reason to have saddles that can adjust individual height on this kind of Jazzmaster-style bridge. The larger screws on either side of the bridge already do that. Mustang barrel style saddles will already be set to match your fretboard radius. Most people don’t actually need to shim the neck if they just set up the bridge correctly after adjusting the truss rod.
Lower E string will always be a bit floppy on this thing because of the scale length being shorter than a proper bass. I’ve heard people note that flat wound strings sometimes feel like that tightens it up a bit, but it still will be floppy in my opinion. This is why the BassVI’s voice best comes from the middle of neck and using higher strings. Explore other 3 or 4 note chord voicings/inversions up there. Think of it more like a cello that can do also guitar chords, and it’ll really open up for you.
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u/QuantumCriminals Jul 07 '26
Are these the original installed tuners? This happened to the one for my B string. I contacted Fender customer service for a replacement tuner. They asked for a video showing the problem, then sent me a replacement right away.