Official Luthiers Forum!

I was concerned about fitting Schertler tuners with the oval backplates and getting them to line up well - if they didn't they would look pretty sloppy.
They have no straight lines to line up, no good reference, so came up with this.
Just tuners in, sharp awl to mark for pilot holes, tape off and screw on tuners.


Even if the lines drawn go slightly off (as with RHS above), able to line up reasonably well.



Are there any other solutions people use?

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I prefer the opposite look, where instead of the screws being in line, the tuners shafts are in line with each other at right angle to the center line. I just use the bottom of the saddle and hold it against the square gear housing, and punch the holes very carefully before drilling…

Same as Ed. Easy to do with a small straight edge.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

If all else fails, build a jig.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I wouldn't attempt this without a precision drilling jig.

I can make a precision jig so I always think in those terms.

Kevin Ryan taught me never to cut wood without pre-determining the outcome. His shop is filled to the brim with complex tooling to make only ONE PERFECT cut.

In this scenario....you make a fake headsotck....transfer your desired hole pattern onto the tool....mount the tuners on that and then have a very close look at that for approval....then you drill through that pattern with the prescrew sized drill.

Now you have a drilling jig with your approval to mount on the headstock and drill with. If I was going to do this often...I'd make it from aluminum and pressed in drill guides but one made from a solid hardwood should be good with just drilled holes as drill guides...at least for a few.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Hi Colin,
I like your solution. Simple and straightforward. No jigs to lose in the clutter.

Normally I prefer straight across too, but trying to hint at the original which had 3 on a plate tuners.
'29 L-0 probably replacement tuners -

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

We use both methods and replace a LOT of tuners at least once a week. It depends on the shape of the head stock and/or how the manufacturer intended the guitar to look as to which method we use.

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Ann Arbor Guitars