Advice for my guitar kit build

[PRSfanboy46]

Hey y'all, I am currently building a guitar kit and I have run into some issues. The kit I ordered was from the fretwire and it was 180 dollars, and I decided I wanted to get seymour duncan distortions, hipshot open gear locking tuners and CTS pots. My two issues is that A: The pots are too big for the pre drilled holes, some simple drilling should sort that out. The second issue is the tuners, they are a bit shorter than the tuners the kit came with. Should I just sand down the headstock to the point where the tuners can fit so I can have them fit well?
Thanks.

 

[garrett]

The holes are an easy fix. It doesn't take much. A few options:

Use a reamer
I've done some with sandpaper wrapped around a pen. More difficult to keep the hole round, but it doesn't have to be perfect.
Most recently, I did one with my cordless drill on low speed, spinning in reverse.

Do NOT use a high power drill spinning clockwise.


How short are the tuners? If you can still get the string through the hole, no problem. Locking tuners often have shorter heights to keep a good break angle over the nut since they don't need string wraps around the posts.

 

[PRSfanboy46]

The holes are an easy fix. It doesn't take much. A few options:

Use a reamer
I've done some with sandpaper wrapped around a pen. More difficult to keep the hole round, but it doesn't have to be perfect.
Most recently, I did one with my cordless drill on low speed, spinning in reverse.

Do NOT use a high power drill spinning clockwise.


How short are the tuners? If you can still get the string through the hole, no problem. Locking tuners often have shorter heights to keep a good break angle over the nut since they don't need string wraps around the posts.

My father thinks otherwise, he doesn't necessarily want to use a reamer because drilling would be easier. I'll tell him to use it at low speeds. The tuners, fitted, go into the holes and im sure a string could get through it, but Im worried it wont when everything is set up.

 

[garrett]

My father thinks otherwise, he doesn't necessarily want to use a reamer because drilling would be easier. I'll tell him to use it at low speeds. The tuners, fitted, go into the holes and im sure a string could get through it, but Im worried it wont when everything is set up.

Based on the advice I've read on guitar forums over the years, a reamer is the "right" way to do it, but you have to be very careful to not overdo it.

A pic of the tuner fit would help. Maybe take calipers to the headstock to check the thickness and compare it to available specs for the type of guitar the kit is based on.

 

[Roy]

You could recess the tuner nuts (back side of head). More work but might be cool.

 

[bodia]

Do NOT use a drill, especially if the body is already finished. You’ll risk two things with a drill:
1) You can go too far too quick
2) You risk chipping the finish around the hole.

 

[PRSfanboy46]

Based on the advice I've read on guitar forums over the years, a reamer is the "right" way to do it, but you have to be very careful to not overdo it.

A pic of the tuner fit would help. Maybe take calipers to the headstock to check the thickness and compare it to available specs for the type of guitar the kit is based on.

I would just guestimate that the tuners are maybe an 1/4 to an 1/8 inch shorter than the tuner, the tuners reach through the hole with everything put on, but I'm most likely gonna have to sand down the headstock a bit

 

[PRSfanboy46]

You could recess the tuner nuts (back side of head). More work but might be cool.

They fit vertically, but they're a bit short, they fit in the holes just fine, im just worried I will have to sand the HS down to compensate

 

[PRSfanboy46]

Do NOT use a drill, especially if the body is already finished. You’ll risk two things with a drill:
1) You can go too far too quick
2) You risk chipping the finish around the hole.

Body is not finished and I will tell him not to

 

[Mark 10top]

I know you already bought the tuners but hipshot makes longer tuners and they are great at helping people out. If you can wait the time for the shipping most likely you can give them a call and have the longer ones sent and send in the ones you have and they will refund the money on the returned tuners, as long as they are new. All the Hipshot tuners I have bought have been the shorter (19mm) ones and sometimes I think they won't work but they do. I have had to get longer bushings in the past thou and Hipshot sent them for free.

 

[Nice F Holes]

I can't reiterate enough not to use a regular drill bit. Harbor Freight has some decent reamers at a good price. I'm building a few kits and even reamed out the pot holes by hand using the reamer. Reamers are designed to center in the hole because they're conical, and have multiple cutting surfaces so they don't bias themselves when they begin to cut. Drill bits have only 2 cutting surfaces usually, and don't center in the hole so they walk and leave oblong holes. Reamers are ALWAYS used to finish a hole if a circular shape is important.

 

[Nice F Holes]

Oh I also got the Hipshot open gears, and am also a little put off by the short posts (non locking).

 

[SinSir]

Yes, like already said. Use a reamer and an easy fix. Also, yes hipshot does make longer post tuners, exchange for those

 

[PRSfanboy46]

Oh I also got the Hipshot open gears, and am also a little put off by the short posts (non locking).

What did you have to do for the shortness of the posts? sand the head stock down? Would that be best for my situation (I don't like waiting for parts again)

 

[PRSfanboy46]

Yes, like already said. Use a reamer and an easy fix. Also, yes hipshot does make longer post tuners, exchange for those

Not really looking to replace my tuners. Those were expensive and I can just sand the head stock down

 

[PDC]

If the hole in the post where the string goes in sticks up high enough for the string to go in then the post is long enough. With locking tuners you put no more than 1 wrap of the string on the post. Locking tuners are shorter than regular tuners.

You seem to want to sand the headstock. But if the hole is high enough to get the string in you are good. I'm pretty sure there is no reason to sand.

The hipshot locking tuners I put on seemed short, but they worked out fine.

 

[Nice F Holes]

What did you have to do for the shortness of the posts? sand the head stock down? Would that be best for my situation (I don't like waiting for parts again)

Well, I emailed Hipshot and am waiting to hear back, but most likely I'll sand the headstock. If it was for my PRS or something nice I wouldn't sand the headstock.

Actually, if you look at Hipshot's website images they show a really short peg. And they also mention that the peg needs to be long enough such that the hole clears the thickness of the headstock (and installation hardware), indicating they don't expect it to extend up much farther.

I'm glad I learned this on a kit guitar at least. In the future I would order longer pegs, at least for non-locking tuners.

 

[PRSfanboy46]

Well, I emailed Hipshot and am waiting to hear back, but most likely I'll sand the headstock. If it was for my PRS or something nice I wouldn't sand the headstock.

Actually, if you look at Hipshot's website images they show a really short peg. And they also mention that the peg needs to be long enough such that the hole clears the thickness of the headstock (and installation hardware), indicating they don't expect it to extend up much farther.

I'm glad I learned this on a kit guitar at least. In the future I would order longer pegs, at least for non-locking tuners.

Ok thanks so much for the advice, 200 grit sandpaper for the HS?

 

[PRSfanboy46]

If the hole in the post where the string goes in sticks up high enough for the string to go in then the post is long enough. With locking tuners you put no more than 1 wrap of the string on the post. Locking tuners are shorter than regular tuners.

You seem to want to sand the headstock. But if the hole is high enough to get the string in you are good. I'm pretty sure there is no reason to sand.

The hipshot locking tuners I put on seemed short, but they worked out fine.

Ok so they tend to be shorter because they're meant for locking, seems like a good idea since they wanna be lowpro

 

[Nice F Holes]

I've been using 150-180 for heavier removal, then following up with 220. But it depends on how you finish the guitar. Different grit finishes absorb color differently, as do different wood grains. You probably know this but use a block whenever sanding a flat surface. It can be a scrap piece of wood, just something hard and flat. And always sand with the grain. If you see scratches with the grain and want to get them out, you can go at a 10 degree angle to the grain and alternate directions, so mostly with the grain but just slightly across. If you're not using a color you might want to go higher grit, you'll have to decide when you're done.

Also, when you finish, use a damp rag and wipe the surface, let it dry, and sand once more. Wetting the surface raises the gain, then you want to sand it off, so it doesn't raise when you put your finish on and fuzz up.