Martin HD28V Loose Tuner Bushing and Pick Up Pack

[Ryan Inlow]

Hello!

I'm new this forum, so thanks in advance for adding me! 

I recently purchased a used late nineties HD28V and I’ve noticed 2 issues that need to be addressed. 

1. The butter bean Tuner bushings have come loose and are protruding upwards. I know that Stew MAC has a tool for this and I’ve read the article on this site about resolving this issue. Any thoughts on how to get them back in place without the tool?

2. The guitar has a loose pick up control board ( maybe a K&K mic and under saddle combo) that has come unglued. Any recommendations on how to reattach? Looks like new velcro may do the trick.     Also, I'm not a big fan of the location right in the center of the sound hole.   Is it possible to conceal the board a bit more? 

3.

The volume dials near the sound hole work but are a bit scratchy when adjusting the mic and pick up levels. Anyone have a recommendation on how to clean these up so they are not scratchy?

I'm considering just taking the guitar to Gryphon for a full set up the next time I'm in Palo Alto and I'm sure they'll be able to address these issues.    

Thanks so much!

[Paul Breen]

Take the tuners and bushing out. Use a clamp to press the bushings back in the holes with a light application of wood glue applied to the bushing splines. Obviously, you should protect the head stock wood from getting dented from the clamps. You can also press the bushings in and wick a small amount of CA from the back side.

Sticky back Velcro is fine, no reason it needs to be visible in the sound hole. I assume the wiring has a bit of extra leash to relocate it.

The volume and tone pots just need some tuner cleaner/ lube sprayed into them. Caig Laboratories makes a product called Deoxite. I haven't had to buy any for a while and they now offer several versions. You want it to clean, lube and be safe for plastics. I don't know off the cuff which one but believe one of their D series. Maybe someone else here has purchased some lately and knows which which is which out of the current offerings.

[LARRY KLOSE]

Caig Deoxit has D5 for general contact cleaner with no run and other options; they also have G5 for gold surfaces with a specific formula to condition them.  I have both and they seem interchangeable to me for non-gold contacts--I usually use the one I can reach the easiest.  it comes in several forms: aerosol, liquid, gel (I think), no-run, etc.  I got mine from Amazon but I'm sure it's available elsewhere.  Amazon seems to have most of the options.

I also use it for cleaning and conditioning nickel silver rail and wheels on my model railroad.  It keeps things clean for a long time.  These are subject to arcing between the two contact surfaces and it pretty much eliminates oxidation from that source.

Test it on any adjacent sensitive surfaces that might come in contact with it, although it seems to be compatible with the plastics I've used it near.

[Ryan Inlow]

Thanks for the tips Paul! I really appreciate it!

[Walter W Wright]

those are all easy fixes, but if you're thinking of taking it in to a world-class place for setup work then yeah, let 'em handle all of it.

for the tuner bushings it's a simple matter to take the keys off, pull the bushings the rest of the way out, smear some wood glue on them and clamp them flat til dry. use one flat piece of wood or plexiglass or something so you can get all six flat at once. avoid CA glue, it's risky to the finish and not needed here.

i've seen too many systems with provided velcro fail in just that way. i usually pull it all off (using naphtha to cut the adhesive) and replace with a bit of "industrial velcro" from the hardware store, much more reliable.

deoxit contact cleaner can sometimes fix scratchy pots, that's worth a try.