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Posts: 503
Joined: Jun. 14 2014
From: Encinitas, CA USA
Stripped tuner screws
The screws holding the tuners to the headstock have stripped and the tuner is pulling away. Can I glue in toothpicks or thin slivers of wood to fix this? Would longer screws be an option?
Thanks
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Ah well, there was a fantastic passion there, in my case anyway. I discovered flamenco very early on. It grips you in a way that you can't get away - Paco Pena
Toothpicks or slivers of wood glued into the hole is a viable option. A luthier will generally carve an exact fitting dowel using the same type of wood as the head and then redrill a pilot hole but it’s not necessary. The main thing to watch out for is if the screw feels tight or argues with you when being screwed in then don’t force it as those screws are notoriously weak and the head can snap off. A bit of soap or wax on the tip of the screw can help lubricate it and alleviate the problem, but if it fights back then drilling a larger diameter pilot hole is needed. Just make sure the drill tip is taped off to mark the depth so you don’t drill through to the slot.
Along the same cautionary line, do not choose a longer screw without verifying that is is not going to punch through into the string slot. If the appropriate length screw isn’t available and only longer ones are, then the ends can be snipped off with a wire cutter. Just wear eye protection when doing this.
Your local luthier would probably take care of all this for you for surprisingly little cost. It’s not a big job.
Thanks for the tips. I do have experience with woodworking and have fixed stripped holes using this technique before so I think I can handle it. I will try one hole first and see how it goes.
_____________________________
Ah well, there was a fantastic passion there, in my case anyway. I discovered flamenco very early on. It grips you in a way that you can't get away - Paco Pena
Finally found the time to get this done. Everything went smoothly. Thanks for the tips. I never bothered to figure what tuning machines came on the guitar. They look like they are Gotoh and seem good.
_____________________________
Ah well, there was a fantastic passion there, in my case anyway. I discovered flamenco very early on. It grips you in a way that you can't get away - Paco Pena
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