What's wrong with these tuners?

They're among the best you can buy, but these Waverlies just aren't doing the job.

[@gmill7911]

"Going full Julian Baumgartner" made me smile and remember that the artisan transcends the medium.

[@callumlowe6204]

Same!! Another person whom i throughly enjoy watching. Thanks for the videos. And please keep up the wonderful humorous comments

[@avelord6135]

In a recent video Julian said that he buys cue tips by the thousands!!! lol

[@lauripekonen3402]

@@avelord6135 I think it was by _ten_ thousands.

[@eliotmccann2589]

I only started watching Baumgartner videos for the first time last night- uncanny!- and I love them for the same reasons I love these.

[@JobyP]

I love Baumgartner Restoration... great Channel!!!

[@tommypetraglia4688]

I liked the part where Ted played upside down beautifully

[@WDeeGee1]

Indeed that guitar has a fine soudn to it as well!

[@cardboard316]

I got a bit puzzled with which e was e

[@robertshorthill4153]

Ted, I worked at Waverly in Bozeman for 21 months, until StewMac closed us down and moved everything to Athens , OH. I could have set those tuners up so there was no backlash between the worm and bronze gear. The ivoroid knobs are a type of plastic, the knurled end of the worm shaft doesn't have much for the plastic button to bite on. We used a CA glue to make for a more positive grip. How the Athens shop did it was out of our control. These may have been made by them, not us in Bozeman. Man, we took extra pains to make sure people were getting a superior product, no backlash, no fingerprints, no slip in the buttons at the worm ends. I'd bet these were made in Athens, if I'd want to bet. CA was our friend in our shop. Cheers, Ted. Bob in Bozeman, MT

[@RobMods]

Or made in China. Fake guitar strings and parts are all over the place, and have been for a decade.

[@blitz_zen]

Bob, I am sure you had the best intentions in Bozeman but Jorg Graf they were not...

[@luvbgrass]

I have heard that the quality dropped when the plant moved. I am having a custom build made for me right now. And I did ask for Waverlys to be installed on it. Hope it wasn't a mistake. I have Waverly on a lot of my other instruments and they have been great!. We shall see. I have a set of snakewood Waverlys on an old Martin I own. They are probably 5 years old. Do you think it would be advantageous for me to run some CA clue in around the buttons now?

[@gregorylazorchak9388]

I finally found a luthier on youtube that i can actually watch and enjoy greatly.

[@gramursowanfaborden5820]

yeah it seems for most professionalism is analogous with being boring.

[@onceupona1]

I’ve been to the Huss & Dalton “factory,” which is set up in an old, 19th Century house in Staunton, VA. It looks a lot like your shop, only bigger. They had about six employees when I was there. I watched Jeff Huss take a mahogany neck blank, straight off the bandsaw and carve a beautiful neck using only a standard hardware store rasp, a set of calipers and a bunch of 4” squares of various sandpapers. The final assessment of the neck shape was made using his hands - total time spent - around 30 minutes. Jeff had spent many years carving banjo necks at the Stelling factory in Afton, VA. before he started Huss & Dalton. I’m pretty sure Mark Dalton still does the final setup and inspection.

[@alaysiakayebutler6299]

That is so cool! Love knowing this is part of our worlds reality, lol. Thank you for sharing that :)

[@chopsddy3]

True confessions of a luthier. (sometimes I’m half afraid to watch !)Those tuners cost more than some of my guitars. Bone head move on Waverly’s part. I hope they’ve sorted that out.

[@christianvidigalmiranda4229]

I agree with you, I also thought about how such an expensive guitar can come with scruffy tuners.

[@peterkent5153]

I'm really surprised at the lack of spline on the shaft of those tuners. Even the cheap ones I use have little wings that lock into the buttons so if they work loose they still turn.

[@AlfOfAllTrades]

That guitar has an incredible sound. Beautiful!

[@MrJoeydano]

Another Awesome repair ! I’ve been so inspired that I did my first refret job and it actually came out great . You definitely have helped me learn and I appreciate it 👍

[@MarshallGTV]

“Big Scary Project”. Next week. Halloween. I see what you did there. Well done sir, well done. 😂

[@Wheel333]

I hope it is a pumpkin banjo Frankenstein bolt neck reset.

[@Blitterbug]

As a lefty myself, I've never played a lefty. I learned on 'standard' guitars as a kid, because that's all there was, and to be honest, now I really prefer having my strongest fingers on my dominant hand doing the fretwork! And I honestly believe it was good for teaching my 'dumb' right hand some dexterity it never used to have for the fingerpicking. I play just fine on all standard-strung guitars and could never now play a lefty.

[@rjlchristie]

In classical guitar at least, real test of artistry is in the control of expression, predominantly the domain of the plucking hand. Usually that's far better handled by the dominant hand. Physiology and all that. But there are exceptions to every guideline.

[@Blitterbug]

@@rjlchristie I hear you, man. Perhaps that could have been helpful to me, if there'd been one available to learn on, but I'm stuck now as a 'rightie' for better or worse. At least it means I can pick up most any guitar and knock some tunes out! And bar chords never hurt, even when learning, because my strongest fingers were on the fingerboard.

[@rjlchristie]

@@Blitterbug Yes, those are a couple of pros.

[@billknudson7895]

Another lovely piece of playing at the end. You’ve really got a great feel for choosing chords and lines that meld together very naturally. Nice job!

[@donnavorce8856]

Thank you for this informative session. It helped me understand the tuners.

[@MichaelMcBride58]

I always learn so much from your videos. Thanks!

[@LongTrout]

You are a craftsman. You have a true penchant for detail and quality workmanship. I have been a licensed HVAC Mechanic and installer for 30 years. Your focus on your trade inspires me to step up my game and give the best quality workmanship. This is how one becomes a Superbly Skill tradesman. CONSISTANT eye to provide the UTMOST quality and value for the customer. This can only be done with BOTH skill and efficiency. I value and admire your practice of your trade.

[@gorp27]

I have no knowledge of musical instruments but do know mechanics and really enjoyed troubled shooting along with you and being able to figure out the causes. Very well done video.

[@stevesstrings5243]

Nice fix! My jaw dropped when you mentioned John Calkin. I just built a cigar box guitar for him in a builder’s “swap off.” It’s a small world!

[@texascanadian]

Loved the Julian reference. You are both excellent teachers and highly skilled. Love watching you both.

[@michaelmace924]

Dude!! Is always so relaxing You're the best Luthier I've ever had the pleasure to watch in action. You said a reputable Luthier replaced the last set of tuners, but either they weren't able to find the problem causing them to fail or they just never bothered looking into it.

[@dougsensei]

This answered all my tuner peg questions. Thank you.

[@RedemptionArtsTeam]

He fixed it.. He filmed it.. He Albert Kinged it.

[@AZCobraman]

He really took a Cotten to that Huss and Dalton...

[@Phlloyd1]

Great one this week Mr Woodford. Great problem solving. Thanks for posting.

[@charlesturner7290]

I'm most impressed with your "backward" plucking !

[@hihowareyouitsme]

Love watching all your videos, thanks for them!

[@cradd00]

Its good to see a craftsman who takes pride in what he does. It would be nice if all luthiers did. Thanks for sharing!

[@robertrosenfield6696]

Very clean repair job on a beautiful full sounding guitar. Every episode you make inspires superb craftsmanship

[@russcorbett3923]

Awesome video with Great tips as always !!!! Thank You for all that you do !!!!

[@Sammywhat]

Ultimate respect for all that you do kind sir! Wish you lived closer, I'd send all of my guitars to you!!

[@therugburnz]

I'm thinking the previous tuner fix needn't have been a replacement.

[@sferguson1130]

What a beautiful little guitar. I love watching a craftsman work, regardless of what it is they do. You do things one way, and one way only....the right way 🙌

[@michaelstreets7816]

Another delightful video. Thanks for posting these.

[@thebeardyone]

Love the artwork restorer reference, which is entirely appropriate being as you are definitely the Julian Baumgartner of Luthiers! Keep up the good work and your generous sharing of your methods and thinking. You are the model against which other repairers and makers should be judged.

[@tochriss]

People comment on your SHIRT? I checked out Waverly, they cost more than I pay for guitars. I would not be thrilled if the buttons spun on the shafts for that sort of money.

[@runnningonempty]

Waverlys are overpriced for sure...Stu Mac product what a surprise.Grover sta tite open gear are the ones you want.

[@TeleCaster66]

I have the Grovers, they are excellent.

[@garywhitt98]

Great job Ted! And playing a lefty? Impressive!

[@D.Guitar]

Great Video. I love Your repairs. And it's refreshing to see a simple one that anyone can do. ;-)

[@Three_Eyed_Willy]

I put Waverlies on a couple of my slotted head resonator guitars. When I did, I figured it would help to use a Stew-Mac drilling gauge to get the holes in the right place. Surprise, surprise, surprise!!!! That gauge won't work with a slotted headstock. At least, they accepted a return on the gauge.

[@thomasbarker642]

I seeing parts fixed rather than replacing them great job as always Ted

[@steveroberts]

Outstanding work, as always. Really nice tone to the guitar

[@maximevaillancourt5956]

I immediately saw a difference, the camera is a nice upgrade, amazing video again. I can't wait for the next one!

[@atomspliter3493]

Great video as always,. Recently I was b trying to get a parts guitar working, was out of bridge pins so I used golf tees, it worked enough to adjust the neck.

[@HBSuccess]

Great job as always Ted. I’d be worried that the 1-2 tuners that haven’t failed yet...still will. Not sure superglue will prevent it. If you’re going to buy Waverly tuners WHY would you go with press-on plastic knobs? Steel, Ebony, etc are a little more but not much all things considered. I think the issue here is the density of the plastic not the machining of the tuner.

[@perihelion7798]

Even the best items can fail sometimes. Very nice fix on a fine guitar. Thanks for sharing.

[@terrorbirds9835]

I could listen to your voice for hours. It’s like if Rob Reiner’s character from Spinal Tap was a guitar magician.

[@vikingbeard]

Thank you for great guitar repair and guitar playing videos. Really beautiful playing this time, although the strings are upside down.

[@russellmayne7157]

This channel is great! I can watch you fix guitars all day long.

[@alaysiakayebutler6299]

Idk when your tutorial will come into play (no pun intended, lol) but I'm saving this video, because it is so clearly and simply explained and shows the steps well, to a visual learner .. thank you!

[@squishy312]

That guitar has a great full sound. I had a tuner do that to me once after my daughter knocked over my cheap early 90's yamaha. Used super glue, and that worked for a while. Eventually lost the button entirely. Hello 3D printing and epoxy. Now it works great.

[@martinpark8371]

yeah superglue does not really take to metal

[@TheGorillafoot]

Good video. Gave me a lot of ideas about what can go wrong with this style of tuner. Just acquired a guitar with some Grover's that a very similar, so wanted an idea of what can go wrong.

[@joelfrend4994]

I like the Seinfeld nod...."these wide lanes are so luxurious..." 😆

[@tomkirk6942]

Another great vid man. Cheers

[@reginaldfitzpatrick8681]

These videos are very soothing to watch. Besides the nightmare repairs made by previous "repair" people.

[@johnrazer9736]

Great channel and content 🙏

[@mikewithrow2271]

The clarity of that little guitar is amazing.

[@pauleandersonmusic]

Great video as always. Nice lefty DADGAD - your playing made think of John Renbourn, or maybe Albert King on holiday

[@ecalzo]

Super Info here as usual thank you from Italy

[@donaldfisher8556]

Ted another great video. Looking forward to your next post.

[@mikieknight6607]

Wow what a tone from that thing!

[@johnnyrandom100]

yet again Ted, you nailed the problem by just having a decent look.

[@joebowers3060]

Sounds great after the fix! And nice job playing lefty. I wouldn’t even attempt that.

[@chipsterb4946]

Never heard of Huss & Dalton before but they appear to make lovely acoustics. Interesting blend of very traditional construction with modern tools and finding whatever material is available and sounds good. Staunton Virginia was the home of the Statler Brothers FWIW. Bluegrass is big, and both of the owners worked at a banjo company previously.

[@nickafiedguitarstechandrep9617]

Yet another great video by this talented luthier....fantastic information as always Ted

[@mstringer90]

excellent work mate, love it

[@RnRanimal]

I've had waverly's on my guitar since 2000. Absolutely no problems. Beautiful tuners.

[@marccarter1350]

Great video as always. I have looked at Huss and Dalton before. Love the look of the Crossroads selection. The only issue, I am a mahogany top only kind of guy. I will keep an eye out if they include a solid everything mahogany guitar

[@twoodfrd]

I imagine they'd do an all-mahogany if you were serious and asked them nicely!

[@SillyMoustache]

I have had failures with Waverly Tuners and my guitars all have slotted headstocks. There are two separate issues here. The first is that the tuners were appallingly fitted, and required the screwholes to be plugged and re-positioned. Secondly the tuner buttons. This is a common issue with plastic (or composite) around steel, esp. on older tuners. All my tuners have the metal buttons and I've had no issues. Waverleys are well made and accurate but they have an Achilles heel - the small tensioning collar around the shaft which has two adjusting keyways, screw into the base plate wing and are held in place by glue! The bond can break and the collar loosens causing the assembly to fail. Waverley/Stewmac will NOT supply a small tool to adjust they but will replace the tuners. However, this was not the issues here. and I suspect poor fitment of the tuning machines by the maker has allowed excessive movement leading to tuning failure and the failure of the buttons, repeatedly turned to no effect.

[@bigtoelittlefinger6133]

Nice job mr I fixed my getar because of ur skills

[@markhennigar748]

So educational. Thank you.

[@johnbruno6868]

This is a first for me. A right handed guitarist playing a left handed guitar upside down with inverted strings. And making music!

[@gastank43]

Put Eric Gales in you searchbar on youtube. He's lefthanded though, but you wont be sorry :)

[@moconnell1000]

thats impressive!

[@tomthumb1322]

He's the bizarro world Jimi H!

[@calebm.5698]

That’s what Jimmy Hendrix did!

[@johnbruno6868]

@@calebm.5698 Jimmys' strings were switched top to bottom, so he had a right handed guitar strung like a left handed guitar

[@billdyke9745]

I was considering Waverleys for my HD28. Thanks, Ted, you've just saved me a fortune...

[@bhr788]

Waverleys are fine, just avoid plastic knobs on any set of tuners. Also, I get the impression that this guy was really wrenching on these if he managed to break two sets of the most reliable brand of tuners available.

[@billdyke9745]

@@bhr788 The whole point of Waverelys is the way they look. They are pretty. 3 points to consider, tuners, guitar & player. The splines on the button shafts are pathetically tiny, so one strike against the tuners. The thickness of timber at the sides of the headstock was really thin so the length of the screws was less than ideal, as the wallowing out of the screw holes clearly demonstrates. 3 to a plate tuners would have been a more stable choice. 2 strikes against the luthier. The (expensive) guitar was immaculate. No signs of any damage. I've been a player for 50 years and can't think of any way that the owner can have been responsible. The force required to strip buttons from their shafts is huge. No strikes against the player. I have no explanation. Schallers have never let me down. Shame about the pretty buttons. Feel free to elucidate.

[@runnningonempty]

I put iveroid or plastic knobs on all of my expensive guitars.The tuner s to use are the Grover stay tite open 18:1..Martin uses them extensively for a reason..Waverlys are a Stu Mac product OVER PRICED

[@johnhulsker9123]

Grovers last forever,

[@JohnShalamskas]

@@bhr788 I have to agree with you on not using plastic knobs on tuners. My 2015 Les Paul Classic Sprint Run came with several cracked plastic tuner knobs because some knob overtightened them. I suspect that the robo tuner was replaced with standard tuning machines before it got put on display at Guitar Center. Gibson replaced them for free, thank goodness. Gibson also replaced the rapidly worn out brass zero-fret nut with a Titanium one. Gotta love Gibson support.

[@rym5225]

That's exactly how we string up guitars at National were it seems a good 50% are slotted.

[@kirkrogers6968]

I was watching thinking what I would do and you went much further than I thought. I like that. A++++ again.

[@isowannabeleftalone1023]

Great vid really useful info

[@ScottoftheSahara]

Open tuning on a Lefty. That sounded really good. You have created a new playing technique.

[@SkyscraperGuitars]

I love the detective work!

[@briansimpson8116]

Another great video. Thanks.

[@kylemarkermusic]

Had the same loose peg head issue happen on a set of Sloanes. When I contacted the luthier that made the guitar he said the issue had started to happen so much that he no longer used that brand of tuners on his guitars.

[@gibfen1235]

Excellent work and playing, even beyond being a left-handed guitar!

[@924rob]

Wide lanes! I missed that Seinfeld reference the first time I watched it.

[@javiergiraldez1647]

Thanks, you give me that solution, easy that I thought. thank you very much. Epoxy and Crazy glue Fixed. Thanks!

[@richardweinberger6302]

Sounds lovely.

[@RetroPlus]

Very nice repair

[@rayvoorhies7180]

Nice repair. The tuners should give many years of service. I initially thought some of the strings were binding in the nut. I didn't expect loose tuner buttons on high $ tuners. I guess if it's possible something can mess up, it will.

[@hydorah]

It's a really pretty guitar but that delicate looking headstock would worry me! Gosh it sounds lovely

[@connordix1859]

Ye that headstock has a worse design then a Gibson

[@hydorah]

@@connordix1859 ​ @Connor Dix The Gibson headstock design is a bit notorious... But it's a vital ingredient in the tone. I've had loads of Gibsons, play three hours a day on average, used to gig a lot. Broke zero headstocks!

[@hellsing0999999999]

@@hydorah Headstock design has cero impact on tone, you can make a case for the mass of a headstock, but the headstock shape has nothing to do with tone

[@hydorah]

@@hellsing0999999999 Pitch of the headstock (in degrees) not shape. Although spacing and positioning of tuners can have some impact due to angles across the nut

[@rabokarabekian409]

Ya might try searches on the www. Amazing what you can learn, instead of posting uninformed guesses. www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS867US867&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=1930+martin+000+picture&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj-_LaEk_3sAhUhuVkKHT7oA2sQjJkEegQIChAB&biw=1909&bih=997

[@theayatollahofrockandrollah]

the wide lanes are so luxurious...Kramer LOL

[@PlayMakerrn]

I don't know why, but this is one of the coolest channels I've seen on KZbin!

[@gtrudel7247]

Great video as usual. If the local purveyor of musical instruments has a T and an F I might have to bring you my Stratocaster haven't been happy since I got it back.

[@svincentr]

Nice sting pre-cut technique, ima try that!

[@audiotechlabs4650]

Do a video on truss rods. Everyone has helpful tips and tricks, you must have some to! Love from NW Colorado. Thanxz

[@SeinFreak]

Haha loved the subtle Seinfeld reference!

[@not_your_raccoon]

Ahhh this happened to the ivoroid tuner buttons on my guitar. A shame because I love their shape. This is close to my plan with redoing the holes with epoxy. Didn’t think of the super glue though for the ones not yet slipping. Nice to see a guitar from my town :D

[@moes_film]

i've seen lefty's play upside down strings but you're the first righty I've seen play upside down strings. interesting and well played.

[@thomaswalz3515]

As an industrial maintenance technician, I've discovered that 3 in 1 is garbage. It dries out, creates goo. What do I do? Moble 1 motor oil. It doesn't evaporate like 3 in 1. Get the thinnest viscosity, and put it your dispenser. Every oil can in my shop has Mobile 1 in it. I use it on almost everything. The exceptions are when wax, graphite, silicon are necessary. Then there's Moble 1 grease... which has more to do with machinery than guitars.... Love your vids. I'm learning a lot.

[@JohnShalamskas]

Grease is nice for lubing nut slots.

[@dougals3575]

I bought a Huss and Dalton because of this video. An incredible guitar. Thank you

[@stephenhenion8304]

I had a Huss & Dalton DS / Custom.. Brown Sunburst.....Maple Binding....had to move it on a couple years ago. It was good, but I'm much happier with my D28 Custom Martin.... which I will never sell!

[@kenwebster5053]

I had a similar issue on guitar I was assisting with repairs at men's shed. It had been found smashed up in a dumpster. What can I say, we figured we would help the guy out by repairing it, even though they sell for under $100. So, after getting the wood back together & making a new bridge insert & filling a chip out of the nut, I tuned it up & found a buzz. Attended to the usual loose insert & screws but the buzz persisted. By touching parts of the tuners I tracked that down to loose buttons. The buttons still turned the worms OK, but rattled on their shafts but would not come off. So I applied super glue, tuned up, no more buzzing. I don't play guitar but I do play a charango that I repaired decades ago. Had to reset the tuners because they were drilled badly & jammed. Also repositioned the bridge to make it intonate correctly.

[@12string-Randy]

funny you should mention a charango, my daughter brought me a 10 string back from Bolivia made from armadillo shell . pretty bizarre!

[@JohnShalamskas]

My favorite source of buzz is when the truss rod is flopping around because it is too loose. Can happen when the guitar dries out a bit.

[@Sungodv]

...never long enough, but great work as always

[@f1s2hg3]

Great job great show

[@robertbartelmes7623]

... I LOVE Huss & Dalton guitars ... but, hey ... I'm biased ... I grew up in Virginia ...

[@runnningonempty]

I grew up in Shitcago..Took my family out of that shit hole state years ago..It must be nice in Virginia to have that kind of feeling..Huss & Dalton would sure be on my short list if I was after a Boutique guitar.Watching Jeremy from guitar hunter go there and talk to the owners is great and I think They are priced a little better.

[@mrz80]

I remember seeing one of those Calkin articles :D

[@RobMods]

I love your content Ted, but respectfully, i believe end grain mahogany is a poor choice to fill these holes, especially with such short screws. You know that the next guy to tighten them will strip the threads. Just like the last guy did. And they will need tightening from time to time for sure.