Just got a Squier p bass off ebay. I go to restring it, and the G tuning head pops off. On examining it, I see the most hilariously cheapskate manufacturing detail ever.

When fitted, a standard looking machine head....


But turning it over...


There are only two screws, and two of the Philips heads are molded on the casing! I'm kinda staggered that anyone would want to or bother to do that. That it makes enough of a saving to be worthwhile, or that it actually having two screws per head would put anyone off buying the cheapest bass from a budget line. Someone came up with the idea, there was at least one meeting, someone was commissioned to execute it...

I shouldn't have told you lot. I could have passed myself off as a four-screws-per-tuner guy, but now you know my shame.

You could probably get somebody to braze some screw shanks onto the fake heads. Nobody would ever know and it's almost certainly worth it for the extra tone.

I might even have some vintage shanks knocking around, although it depends whether you're after a more modern sound I guess....

I think two screws are machine thread and hold hold the cover over the gears. They're not fake. The other two pass through and attach to the wood.

Nate Dort wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 7:08 am I think two screws are machine thread and hold hold the cover over the gears. They're not fake. The other two pass through and attach to the wood.

I agree with that thought.

Dr Tony Balls wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 8:40 am

Nate Dort wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 7:08 am I think two screws are machine thread and hold hold the cover over the gears. They're not fake. The other two pass through and attach to the wood.

I agree with that thought.

This is exactly how they put together those Chinesium Squiers. I got one for 80 bucks and kind of chuckled at this myself..... once I threw the neck away it was OK. Pickups sounded really decent surprisingly.

Never underestimate the lengths to which Fender (and Gibson) will go to cost-cut.

I love the necks on the Squier Bronco basses. 30" scale, all maple, fantastic. I've done builds around 3 of them over the past few years. The first thing I do is throw the tuners in the trash. I've broken 2 of those stock tuning machines just trying to tune up the instrument. Not popping out of the headstock but just straight up breaking; stripping the gear and "pop". I am a big fan of Squier stuff, but those bass tuning machines are garbage. When the whole instrument is like $149.99 new, well, you know shit like that is bound to happen.

The "vintage style" guitar tuning machines on the Classic Vibe series, however, are great.