Hi All,
Okay stupid question, but I seem to have lost my screws for the tuning Machines (you know the tiny ones).
Does anyone know where I could but these in Australia?
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Hi All,
Okay stupid question, but I seem to have lost my screws for the tuning Machines (you know the tiny ones).
Does anyone know where I could but these in Australia?
Do you mean the very small screws that go through the tuner and into the rear of the headstock? According to my digital calipers (flat battery so just reading by eye off the scale), they are 2.5 mm diameter and 12 mm long. So that would be M2.5 x 12mm self tapping screws. Most of the stuff on eBay is for packets of 50 or more.
I went for Grover upgrades, so I have a spare set of screws from the original tuners. If you PM your address I can post my spare set to you. Mine are from a Tele, so I have 6 screws, 1 per tuner. Hopefully that is how many you need.
Adam at PBG might also be able to send replacements.
Postage will be more than the screws, but I always order more than I need and/or stock up on other small items I may need in future (eg: pots) to help offset the per unit postage cost. (you could call that justification ;))
Real Tone Music
I buy a lot from these guys and they're very good to deal with.
Actually, they are not self-tapping. Just M2.5 x 12mm wood screws (the ones with a sharp point). Self-tapping wouldn't work as well since they are more blunt and would need a pilot hole to get started. I can just send you my spares.
Self-tapper or wood screw makes no difference. They both should have a pilot hole or there is a very good chance of twisting those little heads off. Especially with little ones like tuner, string tree or truss rod cover screws and especially if they're going into maple.Quote:
Originally Posted by jugglindan
There isn't one screw, regardless of size, in a guitar that I don't pre-drill. It's just asking for trouble not to.
If you ever have a tuner screw break off, you're in for some fun fixing it. Completely doable, but it's a PITA and there's not much room for hiding the repair.
I keep forgetting just how hard maple is. And I should probably preface all my comments with "I haven't done woodwork since high school (and I didn't pay much attention then), but ..."
I haven't gotten to the drilling part yet, but yes, I will be using pilot holes. And I know enough to know about putting tape around the drill bit to indicate required depth since I don't have a bench drill with a depth gauge.
Thanks Jugglindan,
I sent you a PM your a lifesaver! Yep I need the 6 screws.
No worries, I should be able to get them sent tomorrow.
Also, note my new signature :) Be sure to use pilot holes!
Lol, love the new signature and thanks for your help.
That’s fortunate. The first thing you should when you get a kit is throw out the tuner screws. They are poorly made of the cheapest mystery metal. Any screws from Bunnings would work better.Quote:
Originally Posted by FCD
...as long as they were chromed or nickel round heads of the right size and length.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fretworn
After reading all the stories of mystery metal screws here, I am tempted to replace everything with some quality screws from RealParts. Apart from slight price and appearance differences, is there any particular winner among stainless, nickel plated, or chrome plated?
To save on postage I could get some nice electronics upgrades at the same time.
It's more about matching the finish of the tuners than anything else. I tend to buy nickel plated hardware if available, rather than chrome, which I generally find too bright for my tastes. Whereas nickel isn't quite so bright and shiny and ages well.
Chrome and nickel (plated) are options if you want to match hardware that’s on the guitar. If you won’t see the screws or don’t care about appearance, stainless has no chance of a plating wearing off from screwdriver contact (most durable). Chrome is best for corrosion protection, but often nickel is used in bridges and pickup covers for tone, so there’s hardware to match everything.
You know I haven’t built a kit yet - I generally try not to give advice where I don’t have experience. But my background is in aerospace and marine engineering and I do have plenty of experience designing hardware and components from nickel, steel, and corrosion resistant alloys.
I agree with Simon I think nickel looks the best. IDK if my OCD would let me use nickel screws through chrome tuning machines. Hopefully you don’t have the same problem :)
Thanks Simon and Joe. I am already at risk of hijacking this thread so why stop now? I have the Gotoh tuner upgrade so have hopefully decent tuner screws (which is good cause I posted the stock ones to FCD). I am looking to replace the pickguard, bridge, and neck screws. Might go with nickel pickguard screws, chrome bridge to match the stock chrome bridge, and nickel or stainless on the neck. Will use stock pickup hardware since I will likely upgrade to ToneRiders in the near future.
Sometimes it's a case of having to use what you can get.
Realparts have pretty much every option, in pack sizes that should do 2 guitars.Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Barden
Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk
Hey Jugglindan,
Thanks for sending the screws, very kind of you and I am very thankful. Just got them in the mail!
No worries, glad to help. Just don't lose 'em, I don't have any more :)Quote:
Originally Posted by FCD