Tuner Screws Stripped - OK to glue 'em in place?

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nyarlathotep9

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Yeah, so I replaced my guitars tuners awhile back and now the screws holding the gearbox on the back of the headstock for the high E are stripped. The only thing holding the tuner in place is the string tension itself. Would it be a bad idea to just glue the screws in place with some Gorilla wood glue? I'm aware I could never take the tuners off

Any better ideas?


Thanks
 
Re: Tuner Screws Stripped - OK to glue 'em in place?

You could drill and glue some dowel into the hole for a less permanent tuner affixing. This would be a more time consuming fix but better for the guitar in the long run.
 
Re: Tuner Screws Stripped - OK to glue 'em in place?

explain?
 
Re: Tuner Screws Stripped - OK to glue 'em in place?

Toothpicks and wood glue.

Put a glob of wood glue on the tip of the toothpick. Jam the toothpick into the stripped screw hole. Cut the toothpick so it's as flush as possible with the headstock wood. Carefully sand it down. Let dry. Boom.
 
Re: Tuner Screws Stripped - OK to glue 'em in place?

Put a dollar bill in their G string. Oh wait .... they've already stripped. Nevermind.

TLD's method will work fine.
 
Re: Tuner Screws Stripped - OK to glue 'em in place?

Drill out the screw hole to the next largest size that will accept a small dowel. Maybe a toothpick would work, if it is thick enough. Then you glue in the dowel, let it dry, and trim it flush. You can drill a small pilot hole for the screw, and then screw it in.
 
Re: Tuner Screws Stripped - OK to glue 'em in place?

Yeah thanks guys, that does sound pretty easy and the best shot. Never thought a toothpick could be so useful
 
Re: Tuner Screws Stripped - OK to glue 'em in place?

Is the screw itself stripped, or the screw hole?

You can get a pack of tuner screws on eBay for a few bucks.

If it's the hole itself, just jam a toothpick in the hole, break it off even with the back of the headstock. No need for glue or anything.
 
Re: Tuner Screws Stripped - OK to glue 'em in place?

Toothpicks. You want them soft for a reason, so they can be threaded with the screw. With hardwood it is a lot more work, but that extra work is sometimes what is needed. For this, the toothpicks would do just fine, as it keeps them in place, and the washers + string tension would keep the tuners in place for the most part on its own, the screws are there for extra stability.
 
Re: Tuner Screws Stripped - OK to glue 'em in place?

MetalManiac said:
Toothpicks are soft pine and a jury rigged fix.. use Itsa bass idea. A dowel is hardwood. Permamant fix.
Click to expand...

Yes, because most people have the right sized bits, and matching hardwood dowels lying around. :banghead:

Toothpicks are made from Birch, and are plenty hard enough. The small screw on the back of most tuners is there to simply align the tuner, so just snug is tight enough.

One method that works well is to insert the toothpick, mark the depth and then remove. Clip off the tip where you marked it, and then glue the toothpick back in fat side first. This will leave the pointed end flush and will allow you to start the screw without having to drill the correct size hole.
 
Re: Tuner Screws Stripped - OK to glue 'em in place?

+1 ^ It's what I do to any small stripped screw in a guitar. As all of my guitars are used I have to fix this stuff a lot and it works perfect every time for me. Good luck.
 
Re: Tuner Screws Stripped - OK to glue 'em in place?

nyarlathotep9 said:
Yeah, so I replaced my guitars tuners awhile back and now the screws holding the gearbox on the back of the headstock for the high E are stripped. The only thing holding the tuner in place is the string tension itself. Would it be a bad idea to just glue the screws in place with some Gorilla wood glue? I'm aware I could never take the tuners off

Any better ideas?


Thanks
Click to expand...

Why don't you replace the screw man? Buy it at a hardware store or salvage from other thing lying around your house. I guess it needs a scientist to figure this solution out.
 
Re: Tuner Screws Stripped - OK to glue 'em in place?

No, it just needs someone with the least idea of reading comprehension.

Its the wood that is the issue here, not the screw.
If you get a larger screw it probably won't fit through the hole in the tuner, therefore you find a solution that involves refitting the existing hardware.
 
Re: Tuner Screws Stripped - OK to glue 'em in place?

What sort of tuners are they? On most modern tuners, toothpicks should be fine as the screws are just there to stop the whole assembly twisting relative to the headstock. Some types of tuner (Sperzels) don't even use a screw, just a small post that slots into a hole in the headstock.

With vintage tuners, I'm not so sure.
 
Re: Tuner Screws Stripped - OK to glue 'em in place?

AlexR said:
No, it just needs someone with the least idea of reading comprehension.

Its the wood that is the issue here, not the screw.
If you get a larger screw it probably won't fit through the hole in the tuner, therefore you find a solution that involves refitting the existing hardware.
Click to expand...

Oh ...OK, I guess I misunderstood the poster's original statement:

"the screws holding the gearbox on the back of the headstock for the high E are stripped"

Thanks for clarifying the issue my man!
 
Last edited:
Re: Tuner Screws Stripped - OK to glue 'em in place?

Just use a bit of wood filler. That should stabilize things.
 
Re: Tuner Screws Stripped - OK to glue 'em in place?

TheLivingDead said:
Toothpicks and wood glue.
Click to expand...

+1. Done this many times, on all kinds of screw holes in guitars, even strap pins. Works great. Glue by itself can be brittle, but toothpicks give some mass and make a truely tight grip even without glue. I jam the hole tight with toothpicks, then it's like starting with a new hole when you put the screw in. If the hole's too big for that, then dowels work.

One more piece of advice: Never drill another hole next to the old one!
 
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