Maccafferri plastic guitar tuning machines

[j. condino]

No mandolin content today.

Has anyone come up with a good solution for replacing the banjo style tuning machines in a 1953 Maccafferri plastic guitar? I've got a great example of one of these that I mentioned in an earlier thread today, but one of the machines just self destructed and Django, my six year old, is giving me a hard time about getting his guitar running again!

Thanx,

j.
www.condino.com

[DavidKOS]

Do any modern banjo tuners fit? Perhaps one of the better uke tuners?

Those are cool little guitars.

[Charles E.]

James, as you know, those tuners are pretty bad and incased in the headstock. I have one and ended up making a whole new tenor neck for it. I even reused the original headstock appointments superglued to plastic (from a dinner plate) for the head stock overlay.
I understand that this will not get the guitar back into your son's hands soon, but would be a long term solution. It was also a fun project.

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...r-a-maccaferri

[DavidKOS]

James, as you know, those tuners are pretty bad and incased in the headstock.

Interesting. I assumed the tuners would be easy to replace - it's been years since I held one.

[Jim Garber]

I have one of those Maccaferris in the back of my closet. A few of the tuners just disintegrated. A friend of mine bought a bunch that Mario had left over in his factory that never sold. That is where many of those came from in the mid-1980s. I just emailed you.

[Michael Lewis]

3D printing comes to mind.

[j. condino]

Thanks for the link to your tenor conversion Charlie; nice job and that is the same body as mine. When I got the guitar, I just assumed I would be building a whole new neck for it, but this one is in excellent playing condition. After dissassembly and a bit of work they are back running again. The slightest impact to the headstock causes everything to misalign and not work properly. Here are a few images of one of Mario's not so great ideas. The final image shows the long button shafts that go through the back of the headstock and the buttons attach to those. If I had to take this apart again (when, not if...), I'll probably just make a whole new wooden insert that fits into the aluminum substrate of the back of the neck, glue it all up with the original faceplate, then add some functional modern tuners.

If you have never played one of these old guitars, I encourage you to check them out. They really do live up to Maccafferri's goal. They are not just a kid's toy, rather (at east mine is), they are a very functional little guitar with a distinct voice and vibe that happens to be made out of plastic. I've brought mine to several jams loaded with overly expensive vintage guitars and it holds its own just fine- a surprise and a big frown to many folks who have invested 200x the price. With a few minor mods, you can retrofit a telecaster neck on one and they make for a whole different world with a pickup run through an old tweed Fender twin!

j.
www.condino.com

[Timbofood]

Now that's an interesting project! I imagine the disassembly was not the normal kind of tear down!

[j. condino]

Now that's an interesting project! I imagine the disassembly was not the normal kind of tear down!

Not so bad; if you have another that you want fixed up....send it to John Hamlett!!!

[Charles E.]

James, thanks for the pic's. Did you acetone and a thin blade to separate the headstock? And then, what to glue it back together with?

I like your idea of the pickup and amp, I have thought that a De'Armond floating mandolin pickup would sound pretty cool on mine.

[j. condino]

75 year old plastic separates pretty easy and goes back together with just a small paintbrush of toxic junk...

Check these out for a sample of the surprising voices you can get out of one- hold out for the end of the first video towards 1:47:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuB2hprvfdc

Here is jeff Beck calling one that Jimmi Page gave him one of his most prized guitars:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzQf...zonmIYtOlavOQT

And a pretty nice version of All Of Me on one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZOqnUdb_LM

Sorry, they are not very popular with the bluegrass police....

[Timbofood]

I like the professional courtesy...."Send it to John Hamlett"
Such grace is hard to find.

[Pete Jenner]

I have one of those Maccaferris in the back of my closet. A few of the tuners just disintegrated. A friend of mine bought a bunch that Mario had left over in his factory that never sold. That is where many of those came from in the mid-1980s. I just emailed you.

How big is your closet Jim? I have a picture in my head of something aircraft hangar sized.

[Timbofood]

Or something like the Ark, two by two and all that.