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Posts: 208
Joined: Mar. 29 2017
From: The Netherlands
How to fix new tuners
Hi all,
for my guitar-mod-project, I have bought these stunning Rubner tuners to replace the existing el-cheap-o's. Question is now how to fixate them.
1) Carefully remove existing tuners 2) Screw holes probably do not allign. Fill them with end of toothpicks/matches? 3) insert new tuners. Do I need to pre-drill the new screw holes or just screw them in...? 4) celebrate achievement with drinks and music :-)
any other tips?
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If you don’t have a sharp chisel or the means to do a proper clean-up job, then I would only fill any old holes that line up with the holes for the new tuners. The wood dowel used for filling should be glued in. I would just leave any old holes that aren’t close to the new tuner’s holes alone. They can always be filled later by someone who has the tools to cut the filler flush without scratching up the surrounding finish.
You definitely need to drill new guide holes where needed. Choose a drill bit that is the same size as (or a little bit smaller than) the inner solid portion of the screws, not the width of the outer flanges. Measure the width of the wood between the tuner slot and tuners and mark the drill bit at a little bit less than that length. This is to avoid drilling right through into the tuner slot. Also measure how much the screws stick out from the new tuners for the same reason; you don’t want the screw end to punch through into the tuner slots, either. If the screw is too long then snip the end off it with wire cutters.
It also helps to put a smidgen of soap or wax on the end of the screw thread to help lubricate it so it doesn’t bind. Don’t overtighten! As soon as the screw gives firm resistance, stop, there is no gain in continuing - the flanges will either strip the hole or the screw head will snap off. The screws provided with tuners are notoriously flimsy, I think most of them are made with pot metal, and the heads can snap off with surprising ease.
Drinks and music are the traditional final step, hopefully the music is provided by you on your newly updated guitar!
You can get a set of torch tip cleaner drills for super cheap at a local welding store. Good for stuff like this. Looks like one of those screw drivers for eye glass screws.
1mm. Also, the hole can be a little less deep than the screw, as the screw is tapered, maybe a millimetre less. Just eyeball the taper to get a sense.
And, just to clarify something I said in my first response, you only need to fill a hole if it lines up with the new tuners in a way that is enough off centre to pull the screw or otherwise inhibit it from going in cleanly, or is so loose that it doesn’t hold the new screw securely. If an old hole lines up perfectly and grabs the screw adequately, then clearly there’s no need to fill and redrill.
I have 2 holes on each side that are interfering with the new hole position. So I will fill them. The other 2 can stay as they are as I need to drill new holes for them.
And here the work in progress.. As I was OCD about getting scratches, I masked the tuners with tape and wrapped the screwdriver in tape. All in all, it was a throughly enjoyable work and you tips about the strenght of the screws was very valuable.
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