Line Up the Drill Team

Now we drop the tuners in from behind and line them up.

When I do this I always wonder how Fender did it originally and how they do it now. They must have some sort of template that goes over the headstock and lines 'em up.

But this is how I do it, probably far less efficiently. Just line them up closely, then use a metal straightedge on the back/bottom side of the housing and clamp it down.  The tuners themselves aren't clamped down, which means they can move a bit - but if you're careful, they'll remain lined up long enough to drill the pilot holes.

The screws are #2 - pretty tiny.  I have a chart with the drill sizes for pilot holes for various sizes of screws, and this one (if memory serves me) was like 3/64...or I might have used 1/16.

Either way, the hole should not be too big.  Better to have it too small and then go to the next size up than to start out too large.

You also see the Buckocaster-approved method of flagging the drill bit for depth.  I just eyeball the length of the screw and use some o' dat blue painter's tape to flag it.

This is critical on the headstock, since if you drill too deep, you will go through the front!  That would be...ugh, I don't even want to think about it.

Drilling the pilot holes is straightforward.  I probably should use an awl and put a starter hole in the wood, but I was living dangerously and just went for it.

If you are eagle-eyed, you'll see the center is a tad off.  It really doesn't make a huge difference.

Gotta love love love those 'fins' on the back.  So timeless.  Form meets function big time.  Classic.

I started with the bit right down on the wood and used a very slow speed on the drill.  Used a hand drill - I suppose you could use a drill press, but I'm too lazy to do it that way.  Just drill down to the tape flag.

After the pilot holes are drilled, drive the screws in.  Remember maple is a hardwood, and you will want to use wax or some other lubricant on the screw threads.

With the tuners mounted, view from the back.  Looks pretty cool, eh? Hard to believe a dummy like me can get perfesshinul re-sults like this.

And from the front.  Some players hate the "Saf-T-Post" tuners, but I really like 'em.

The plating is nickel.  After a couple years they'll have a nice patina.