skibum5545 Posted August 13, 2004 Report Share Posted August 13, 2004 I've put some thought into the idea of making my bass headless, and putting the tuners in the back of the body. To discover if this were in fact possible, I dissected one of my tuners (thanks silvertonessuckbutigotone!) and found that the tuning "knob" is 7/8" long, but only mounted on a 3/8" shaft; a 3/8" knob would fit in the bass, but the normal knob won't. So, I want to make/get some custom knobs. The only problem being, these things are mounted with a screw, going into a post with two square sides. Therefore, my custom knob would have to have a matching hole. How can I make this hole? Also, any ideas of how I can make the knobs themselves, or people who could machine them to specs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted August 13, 2004 Report Share Posted August 13, 2004 Hmmm, nice challenge, just have to dig out that square drill bit, . How about 2-piece "knobs" with square channels cut out, then glue them together. Or drill a hole the size of the smallest dimension, across the squared sides I guess, then elongate the hole on either end with a dremel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvertonessuckbutigotone Posted August 13, 2004 Report Share Posted August 13, 2004 im not sure what your talking about, im a visual dude, so if you frew me a picture on apint or something, i might be able to understand, but icame up with another idea: put the tuners on the back side of a body, and not alter them, and creat small holes in the back so the tuner handles have room to turn, and have a string thru sort of, and the tuner shafts are sticking into a cavity that the strings are going into, and the string will hook into the shaft as normal, etc. and it (i think) would work pic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skibum5545 Posted August 13, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2004 im not sure what your talking about, im a visual dude, so if you frew me a picture on apint or something, i might be able to understand, but icame up with another idea: put the tuners on the back side of a body, and not alter them, and creat small holes in the back so the tuner handles have room to turn, and have a string thru sort of, and the tuner shafts are sticking into a cavity that the strings are going into, and the string will hook into the shaft as normal, etc. and it (i think) would work pic I thought about that, and it would work quite well. However, the look I am going for with this bass is a very "clean" look: no head, minimalist bridge, recessed straploks, knobs flush with body, etc. It'd look a little distracting to have stuff sticking off the back. Here was my idea: essentially use the body instead of the headstock: the tuners go underneath, and the pegs stick out the top of the bass, behind the bridge. However, the "body" of the tuner would then stick out from the back of the bass. Reducing the size of the knob you turn would make it fit. However, all that is essentially irrelevant: What I'm asking is how I drill a square sided hole, and how I machine custom knobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvertonessuckbutigotone Posted August 13, 2004 Report Share Posted August 13, 2004 couldnt you just turn the tuning machines around so the knobs are pointing towards the neck? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skibum5545 Posted August 13, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2004 I realized something: it isn't in fact the length of the knobs along the shaft to which they are attached, but in fact the width! Thanks for making me realize that! I feel really dumb now. However, my square hole/custom knob problem still stands. It's just that I need the knobs narrower, not shorter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvertonessuckbutigotone Posted August 13, 2004 Report Share Posted August 13, 2004 i suggest making 2 peice knobs like southpa said Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wademeister Posted August 15, 2004 Report Share Posted August 15, 2004 I'm having a hard time visuallizing what you're after, but from what I get, it seems like you just need to cut the existing knobs smaller. Would that work for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skibum5545 Posted August 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 Essentially, yes. However, I'd rather have working tuners that are too big, than non-working tuners. What, exactly, would happen if I lopped the wings off the tuner knobs? I really don't know what's under the chrome.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wademeister Posted August 17, 2004 Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 Well certainly it would take more finger strength to tune the bass. How hard it would be depends on tuner ratio I suppose. Structurally I can't imagine there would be a problem, but you're right about the raw material under the chrome. Then again if the tuner is down in a hole was it? It would only really need to be smooth wouldn't it? Not the ideal situation, but something to think about might be a key like this one? Not very elegant solution but it would certainly cut down on your required space. As for making your own custom knobs, that's gonna be tough unless you have quite a lot of equipment or endless skill and patience with a Dremel. I would say making them from any kind of metal would be pretty much inpractical. You might be able to work it out though with some plastic. You would be able to drill a round hole in that and chase the corners square with a 1/8" chisel if you're careful, then file and sand the outside of the knob as needed. Would still be a pain in the rear but you would be able to try out your idea at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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