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Learning Too Much About O-Rings

In our fervent Guitar Hero II playing, Jenn's whammy bar has gotten slightly loose.  (Yeah, that sounds dirty.)

Anyway, I thought that one way to fix it would be to get one or two tiny o-rings, put them around the whammy bar, and push them down as far as they'd go to create friction between the whammy bar and the guitar.  Hey, it's worth a shot.  (I've also contacted RedOctane to see if they have some suggestions.)

So I headed over to the local Home Depot and noticed they had like 20 different sizes of o-ring.  I made a guess at the size I needed and picked up a pack of 10 rings (you can't just buy one, and a pack only costs like $2).

I guessed wrong.  They were too small.

I went back later that day and got the next size up.  Too big.

So I went online this morning and started looking at o-rings.  First, I had no idea that there is a whole size scale for o-rings called "AS568A."  There are standard number codes that represent the possible sizes you can get.

Then, when you want to buy o-rings online, you can't really just search for "o-rings" - you need to search for "industrial supply."  Turns out most industrial supply places won't sell to consumers, and many that do offer you the awesome shipping options of "same day" or "next day," which, for a $2 pack of o-rings, costs about $20.  Oh, and buying o-rings at an industrial supply company still only costs around $2 - $3/pack, but there are 100 in a pack, not just 10.

I ended up getting two sizes of ring from McMaster-Carr, one of which, I'm sure, should fit.  And shipping was fairly reasonable at $4.50 for the two packs of rings.  Hopefully this will fix the whammy bar issue, but I can tell you right now I've learned far too much about o-rings.

Print | posted @ Monday, June 18, 2007 10:02 AM

Comments on this entry:

Gravatar # re: Learning Too Much About O-Rings
by Scott Elkin at 6/18/2007 1:43 PM
Wow! What are the chances I read this today.

I too, am suffering from a loose whammy.

Can I buy an extra few from you when you find the one that fits?
Gravatar # re: Learning Too Much About O-Rings
by Travis Illig at 6/18/2007 1:55 PM
At the very least, I'll post the solution on the blog. I've also got a query out to RedOctane on it that I'll let people know the result of. Hang on and I'll keep you posted.
Gravatar # Loose Whammy Bars Seem To Be Common
by Travis Illig at 6/20/2007 5:39 AM
Minor follow up - I searched around and found two interesting forum topics. The first is from 2005 talking about the SG controllers and the loose whammy bar mechanism. This sounds like it's supposed to be loose:
http://forum.guitarherogame.com/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=470

The other post shows how to reassemble your whammy bar mechanism if you end up taking your guitar apart:
http://forum.guitarherogame.com/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=2026
Gravatar # Solution To The Guitar Hero Loose Whammy Bar Problem
by Paraesthesia at 6/22/2007 8:26 AM
Solution To The Guitar Hero Loose Whammy Bar Problem
Gravatar # Fix without o-rings
by Bobby at 1/12/2008 4:51 PM
If you don't mind taking your guitar apart (voids warranty) you can fix this somewhat easily and cleanly. You'll need a T10 torx screwdriver, teflon tape, sharp scissors, short needle nose plies, a very small cross head (phillips) screwdriver, and a very small slotted screwdriver.

I have the Wii version so my directions apply to that.

Begin by taking the guitar apart. Remove the neck of the guitar (part w/ the fret buttons.) Remove the faceplate. Take out the Wii-mote and leave the cover off. Take out all screws including the one under the "warranty void if removed" sticker and the four on the front near the neck. Seperate the two halves of the guitar and leave it face down. Find the whammy bar assembly and CAREFULLY lift it out. Don't twist or damage the wires. They're not very flexible and must be handled delicately. You can do this by taking the whammy bar assembly apart or with it in one piece. It's not hard to put back together if it falls apart.

Firmly but CAREFULLY use needle-nosed pliers to pull the little 3/4 lock washer away from the post it's attached to. Pull straight back DO NOT try to slide it off. You may need the small slotted screwdriver to help pry it away a bit. DON'T BEND IT. You should now be able to slowly work the metal part of the whammy bar out of black plastic semi-circle it's held in. Once it's free note the white rubber compound they used as a friction modifier. This is what has worn down or was not made thick enough. Wrap this part of the whammy bar with teflon tape. I used approximately 10-15 wraps and I could've done more. Teflon tape is VERY thin. It's used pneumatics (air-tools) to prevent air from leaking. If it keeps air from leaking through cracks you can imagine how thin it must be. Replace the whammy bar in it's housing. Before you reinstall the lock washer check that the whammy bar is tight enough. If not add more teflon. If it's ok then reinstall the washer. To reinstall it, make SURE the whammy bar is all the way in it's housing. You should see a very small ridge in the metal that is for the washer. Push the washer (with pliers) straight on. It should sit in the groove. You are not looking for the washer to be a tight fit. It's only job is to prevent the whammy bar from being pulled off. Reassemble the guitar and Bob's your uncle!

Good luck. Hope this helps.
Gravatar # re: Learning Too Much About O-Rings
by RotJ at 4/26/2008 8:22 PM
Bobby's method worked very well for me. I uploaded pictures of the steps.
Gravatar # re: Learning Too Much About O-Rings
by Free Xbox 360 Elite at 9/4/2008 6:46 PM
I saw this and thought, "If all I need is something to add some friction the whammy bar...", so I wrapped two small band-aids around the whammy bar which gave it enough resistance to keep from slipping. It's not aesthetically as pleasing since it noticeable, but it gets the job done.

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