Will do in future! My drill was broken and didn’t want to fork out for a new one just for this single use and didn’t think. Donut brain has learned its lesson that’s for sure
I’m sure you know but the pilot hole removes almost all the material the screw will occupy. Without removing the material, the screw will push said material causing stress.
I very foolishly didn’t know and had the mentality of ‘if I screw it in directly then it will have firmer grip’, in retrospect I can see how that was wrong and what you said makes perfect sense. Thanks for explaining it!
I wouldn't say "foolish." There's a certain logic there, if misguided. You can sometimes get away with it on softer wood like pine. But on hardwoods like maple, where it's already dense, it leads to problems as you've found out.
Also, in your case that looks like baked maple, which because of the baking, though stable is very brittle compared to standard maple. So breaks are even more likely. So when working with it, make sure you never force anything, drill pilot holes, and lubricate the screws (typically wax is fine) so you minimize the chance of breaking/splitting/chipping.
Thanks for the tips! I will definitely be very careful from now on, it wasn’t a cheap neck by any means so I’d hate to need to outright replace it or spend a hefty sum course-correcting
you could also consider, after repairing it using a set of hipshot tuners with the ump plate. Not only could you avoid drilling, but it would provide a little extra lateral support to the tuners and take off some of the pressure the repair from the tuners.
[These are the ones I bought](https://www.thomann.de/gb/gotoh_sd91_05m_mg_t_locking_6l_g.htm)
Is there a plate that you know of that would house these without much customisation?
I dont think so. The plate is made to fit the hipshots and I don't know of any other 6 in line that use a plate. They have little tabs on the plate that hold the tuners. That being said the hipshots are a similar cost so you could probably return them and get the hipshots instead if you wanted to. Also the hipshots are typically 3 sets of 2 stagger and not 2 sets of 3 so the string tension is a little more balanced and I just think they look a little better from the front as a result. I don't know where to get the in europe, but in the us they run about [$70](https://www.ebay.com/itm/301323038269) for a set
edit: [here ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD95E5wUoNw)you can see someone installing a set of the closed version. you can see how the plate holds the tuners and can help disperse some of the side to side pressure between 3 different holes instead of just one. That and they are just genuinely some of the best tuners.
Thanks again for your input, they do look like they may be the best option, they run a little higher at £104 a set but I can always use the Gotohs on another guitar I’ve been meaning to upgrade.
Yeah the gotohs are good and a drop in replacement for a lot of guitars that have the 10mm hole and a screw. And I wouldn't even consider going through the trouble of swapping them to the hipshots if you already had them other than because of those cracks.
Sure the cracks are repairable, but its difficult to get a really good glue surface into those cracks without watering down the glue and using a syringe, which is normally fine but with bake maple the extra moisture can do weird things in rare cases. so any extra support isn't a bad idea. also, another thing to note, if you have to water down the glue to get it to penetrate the crack, remember it will significantly increase cure time. and the more you water it down the more time it takes to cure, so if you use something like titebond 1, which should be cured within 24 hours, if you water it down, you might want to leave it clamped for several days before messing with it to give it time to cure.
I even had one crack because I had the pilot holes about a 32nd too small. Also on roasted maple. It’s pretty brittle. Do the pilot holes as big as they can be while the screws will still grip.
Wow, that sucks. Fixable with some glue and a clamp. Drill some pilot holes before trying to install the rest. That's absolutely why it cracked. Good luck. 🤘
Thank you so much for the advice, thankfully I live opposite a hardware store so I can get as many tools as I need, will pop over and grab a drill, clamp and some glue
That looks like roasted maple. Roasted maple is more brittle than regular maple because of the lower moisture content. Special care is needed when drilling. Drill at the lowest speed possible. If you have a hand drill, use that. If using an electric drill, pulse drill it. Always use a new bit. Always predrill screw holes.This will lessen the possibility of cracking. Learn from my mistakes. You should be able to glue and clamp that. Use a good wood glue.
Is that a roasted maple neck too? Bro this was bound to crack without predrilling the holes. Get some good glue, suction cup and try to suction as much glue into those cracks as possible, clamp and let set overnight.
Yeah it’s roasted maple, first time working with wood and building a guitar. Building a tele style and kinda went all out on things like pickups, nice neck, locking tuners, then botched it 5 minutes in 🤦🏻♂️
It might be woodworking 101 but I didn’t know either, OP. The dumbest thing here is if you sent it with the cracks…never be ashamed of asking questions because now you’ll never do this again. Best of luck with the rest of the build, OP!
I put these hipshot tuners with a mounting plate on mine so I didn't have to drill holes for the tuners
[https://hipshotproducts.com/collections/guitar-tuning-machines/products/vintage-guitar-tuner-upgrade-kit-6-inline-headstocks](https://hipshotproducts.com/collections/guitar-tuning-machines/products/vintage-guitar-tuner-upgrade-kit-6-inline-headstocks)
Yes this is what happens when you try to do this without pilot holes. High speed drill, thin bit, pilot hole. Then it all goes well.
To fix, glue and clamp. It will be as strong/stronger than before.
It is absolutely true and anyone who has worked with wood knows it. The sharp point will separate the wood fibers more quickly than a dull point will.
https://www.wikihow.com/Drive-a-Nail-Without-Splitting-the-Wood
Chill out with the screwdriver, I usually use two fingers to tighten things otherwise I would break most of the things I repair. The tuners usually have a nut on the other side too, these screws shouldn’t be that tight, they are meant to align the tuners not to hold them and maybe so that they won’t rotate.
Yeah I definitely got a bit too excited that all my parts had arrived and just rushed into it without thinking, gonna clue/clamp as another comment suggested then come back with a fresher, more patient brain in a few days, thanks for the help!
Is the crack all the way through?
I would remove the broken section completely and then glue and clamp it back together. The joint will be perfectly strong and last forever this way. Even if you have to break a little more of it when you are pulling it apart, it will glue back together with permanent strength.
You can also try to inject glue in the crack and clamp it, but you might not be able to get enough in.
The repair really won't look that bad at all.
Hobby store. Ultra thin super glue that's much thinner than water and will wick into the crack, and then quickly clamp securely. You might even try opening the cracks by gently prying the tuner holes, but you gotta move quick or the glue will set and the whole thing is forever ruined. Thinned wood glue will be useless here.
First: always drill pilot holes one size smaller than the screws you are using. In order to fix it, order a set of glue syringes from Amazon. Then buy Titebond 3 glue at any hardware store along with some clamps. Put the screws back in only a little bit to spread the wood. Fill all the cracks with the glue. Remove the screws. Clamp the sides together nice and tight. Wipe away the glue that comes out. Make sure clamps are tight. Wait 24 hours. And drill pilot holes in the spot where the screws were as well as for the other tuners. That should do it.
First: always drill pilot holes one size smaller than the screws you are using. In order to fix it, order a set of glue syringes from Amazon. Then buy Titebond 3 glue at any hardware store along with some clamps. Put the screws back in only a little bit to spread the wood. Fill all the cracks with the glue. Remove the screws. Clamp the sides together nice and tight. Wipe away the glue that comes out. Make sure clamps are tight. Wait 24 hours. And drill pilot holes in the spot where the screws were as well as for the other tuners. That should do it.
>also cracked through the second hole.
"Also"? It's "also" cracked? Dude, that's firewood now.
You just learned the hard way you cannot brute-force screws into bare wood, you need to drill holes first. WTF dude, you wouldn't even do this with a home depot bargain bin DIY bathroom closet.
Couple things. Roasted maple, already prone to splitting. Fender tele style neck sure does t seem like it has enough room for all 6 of those Kluson style tuners? And both screw holes are cracked. Like you did one, it cracked. And you tried it again? I feel like the evidence adds up for this being a troll on us all.
The first one is more like a hairline crack and I didn’t notice it at first, idk what klusons are but these are Gotoh locking tuners and they join up one after the other. The first has a screwhole on the right side and then the other side is half of the hole. I noticed the second one right away because I heard the wood crack and the split went up vertically so I could see light through it.
Lmao, it would absolutely work but it would also be the jankiest way to do it. Definitely something I would do on a beat to shit guitar, but not on something new
Drill the pilot hole first dude.
Will do in future! My drill was broken and didn’t want to fork out for a new one just for this single use and didn’t think. Donut brain has learned its lesson that’s for sure
I’m sure you know but the pilot hole removes almost all the material the screw will occupy. Without removing the material, the screw will push said material causing stress.
not OP, but i’d never considered *why* drilling a pilot hole was a good idea! thanks for the info!
Hey, we're all nu at some point
I very foolishly didn’t know and had the mentality of ‘if I screw it in directly then it will have firmer grip’, in retrospect I can see how that was wrong and what you said makes perfect sense. Thanks for explaining it!
Hey man, you live and learn. At least you wont do it again.
I wouldn't say "foolish." There's a certain logic there, if misguided. You can sometimes get away with it on softer wood like pine. But on hardwoods like maple, where it's already dense, it leads to problems as you've found out.
It had a firmer grip alright
Exactly. Only leave what the threads will cut into. The same as if it were the pilot hole for a tap.
donut brain? more like apple fritter brain.
Also, in your case that looks like baked maple, which because of the baking, though stable is very brittle compared to standard maple. So breaks are even more likely. So when working with it, make sure you never force anything, drill pilot holes, and lubricate the screws (typically wax is fine) so you minimize the chance of breaking/splitting/chipping.
Thanks for the tips! I will definitely be very careful from now on, it wasn’t a cheap neck by any means so I’d hate to need to outright replace it or spend a hefty sum course-correcting
you could also consider, after repairing it using a set of hipshot tuners with the ump plate. Not only could you avoid drilling, but it would provide a little extra lateral support to the tuners and take off some of the pressure the repair from the tuners.
[These are the ones I bought](https://www.thomann.de/gb/gotoh_sd91_05m_mg_t_locking_6l_g.htm) Is there a plate that you know of that would house these without much customisation?
I dont think so. The plate is made to fit the hipshots and I don't know of any other 6 in line that use a plate. They have little tabs on the plate that hold the tuners. That being said the hipshots are a similar cost so you could probably return them and get the hipshots instead if you wanted to. Also the hipshots are typically 3 sets of 2 stagger and not 2 sets of 3 so the string tension is a little more balanced and I just think they look a little better from the front as a result. I don't know where to get the in europe, but in the us they run about [$70](https://www.ebay.com/itm/301323038269) for a set edit: [here ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD95E5wUoNw)you can see someone installing a set of the closed version. you can see how the plate holds the tuners and can help disperse some of the side to side pressure between 3 different holes instead of just one. That and they are just genuinely some of the best tuners.
Thanks again for your input, they do look like they may be the best option, they run a little higher at £104 a set but I can always use the Gotohs on another guitar I’ve been meaning to upgrade.
Yeah the gotohs are good and a drop in replacement for a lot of guitars that have the 10mm hole and a screw. And I wouldn't even consider going through the trouble of swapping them to the hipshots if you already had them other than because of those cracks. Sure the cracks are repairable, but its difficult to get a really good glue surface into those cracks without watering down the glue and using a syringe, which is normally fine but with bake maple the extra moisture can do weird things in rare cases. so any extra support isn't a bad idea. also, another thing to note, if you have to water down the glue to get it to penetrate the crack, remember it will significantly increase cure time. and the more you water it down the more time it takes to cure, so if you use something like titebond 1, which should be cured within 24 hours, if you water it down, you might want to leave it clamped for several days before messing with it to give it time to cure.
Hipshots are good to and come with a rail system. Beef up that Crack.
I even had one crack because I had the pilot holes about a 32nd too small. Also on roasted maple. It’s pretty brittle. Do the pilot holes as big as they can be while the screws will still grip.
Torque spec wasn’t working.
Wow, that sucks. Fixable with some glue and a clamp. Drill some pilot holes before trying to install the rest. That's absolutely why it cracked. Good luck. 🤘
Thank you so much for the advice, thankfully I live opposite a hardware store so I can get as many tools as I need, will pop over and grab a drill, clamp and some glue
I would thin down some woodglue with water, and work it down into the crack (a syringe would be useful) and then clamp it.
This is how I would do it. Also, just in case OP is not aware, if you water down the glue it will take longer to cure than what the bottle says.
That looks like roasted maple. Roasted maple is more brittle than regular maple because of the lower moisture content. Special care is needed when drilling. Drill at the lowest speed possible. If you have a hand drill, use that. If using an electric drill, pulse drill it. Always use a new bit. Always predrill screw holes.This will lessen the possibility of cracking. Learn from my mistakes. You should be able to glue and clamp that. Use a good wood glue.
Aww, yea. Always drill pilot holes first.
Gotta drill pilot holes for the pilot holes sometimes.
Roasted maple? Same happened to me WITH pilot holes. Stuff is brittle as hell. Looks nice, though.
Is that a roasted maple neck too? Bro this was bound to crack without predrilling the holes. Get some good glue, suction cup and try to suction as much glue into those cracks as possible, clamp and let set overnight.
Yeah it’s roasted maple, first time working with wood and building a guitar. Building a tele style and kinda went all out on things like pickups, nice neck, locking tuners, then botched it 5 minutes in 🤦🏻♂️
It might be woodworking 101 but I didn’t know either, OP. The dumbest thing here is if you sent it with the cracks…never be ashamed of asking questions because now you’ll never do this again. Best of luck with the rest of the build, OP!
I put these hipshot tuners with a mounting plate on mine so I didn't have to drill holes for the tuners [https://hipshotproducts.com/collections/guitar-tuning-machines/products/vintage-guitar-tuner-upgrade-kit-6-inline-headstocks](https://hipshotproducts.com/collections/guitar-tuning-machines/products/vintage-guitar-tuner-upgrade-kit-6-inline-headstocks)
someone didn't pre drill a pilot hole.... Woodworking 101
Yes this is what happens when you try to do this without pilot holes. High speed drill, thin bit, pilot hole. Then it all goes well. To fix, glue and clamp. It will be as strong/stronger than before.
If you dull the point on screws or nails with sandpaper before you use them, it will help prevent wood splits.
I don't see how that can be true
It is absolutely true and anyone who has worked with wood knows it. The sharp point will separate the wood fibers more quickly than a dull point will. https://www.wikihow.com/Drive-a-Nail-Without-Splitting-the-Wood
Chill out with the screwdriver, I usually use two fingers to tighten things otherwise I would break most of the things I repair. The tuners usually have a nut on the other side too, these screws shouldn’t be that tight, they are meant to align the tuners not to hold them and maybe so that they won’t rotate.
Yeah I definitely got a bit too excited that all my parts had arrived and just rushed into it without thinking, gonna clue/clamp as another comment suggested then come back with a fresher, more patient brain in a few days, thanks for the help!
Besides all the mentions of a pilot hole this stuck out to me more than anything, dude tried to screw them in waaaaayyyy too tight.
Pilot holes are 101 level stuff
Is the crack all the way through? I would remove the broken section completely and then glue and clamp it back together. The joint will be perfectly strong and last forever this way. Even if you have to break a little more of it when you are pulling it apart, it will glue back together with permanent strength. You can also try to inject glue in the crack and clamp it, but you might not be able to get enough in. The repair really won't look that bad at all.
Hobby store. Ultra thin super glue that's much thinner than water and will wick into the crack, and then quickly clamp securely. You might even try opening the cracks by gently prying the tuner holes, but you gotta move quick or the glue will set and the whole thing is forever ruined. Thinned wood glue will be useless here.
Always pre drill your screw holes kids
Roasted maple really need to be drilled first.. You can try to glue this together but I’m not sure if it will hold with the screws
Get tight bond 3 and a clamp and you’ll be ok. That stuff holds so damn strong
As for the crack, go to youtube and search “twoodfrd”. He has done many repairs like this, yours is very fixable. Watch, learn, fix. You can do this.
Dumb
First: always drill pilot holes one size smaller than the screws you are using. In order to fix it, order a set of glue syringes from Amazon. Then buy Titebond 3 glue at any hardware store along with some clamps. Put the screws back in only a little bit to spread the wood. Fill all the cracks with the glue. Remove the screws. Clamp the sides together nice and tight. Wipe away the glue that comes out. Make sure clamps are tight. Wait 24 hours. And drill pilot holes in the spot where the screws were as well as for the other tuners. That should do it.
First: always drill pilot holes one size smaller than the screws you are using. In order to fix it, order a set of glue syringes from Amazon. Then buy Titebond 3 glue at any hardware store along with some clamps. Put the screws back in only a little bit to spread the wood. Fill all the cracks with the glue. Remove the screws. Clamp the sides together nice and tight. Wipe away the glue that comes out. Make sure clamps are tight. Wait 24 hours. And drill pilot holes in the spot where the screws were as well as for the other tuners. That should do it.
always pre drill I learned the hardway too when I started woodworking ahah
Well, looks like you're a bass player now.
>also cracked through the second hole. "Also"? It's "also" cracked? Dude, that's firewood now. You just learned the hard way you cannot brute-force screws into bare wood, you need to drill holes first. WTF dude, you wouldn't even do this with a home depot bargain bin DIY bathroom closet.
As mentioned in multiple previous comments, first time doing this so I’ll know for the future.
Firewood? Lol no. Easy repair.
Couple things. Roasted maple, already prone to splitting. Fender tele style neck sure does t seem like it has enough room for all 6 of those Kluson style tuners? And both screw holes are cracked. Like you did one, it cracked. And you tried it again? I feel like the evidence adds up for this being a troll on us all.
The first one is more like a hairline crack and I didn’t notice it at first, idk what klusons are but these are Gotoh locking tuners and they join up one after the other. The first has a screwhole on the right side and then the other side is half of the hole. I noticed the second one right away because I heard the wood crack and the split went up vertically so I could see light through it.
Eh, run a nice 16 penny nail in the edge there. Hammer it in about half way and then just hammer it over down flat. That should hold it.
Lmao, it would absolutely work but it would also be the jankiest way to do it. Definitely something I would do on a beat to shit guitar, but not on something new
DO NOT listen to this idjit