Tuners And Bridge Saddles For A Saga Kit?

[bigmoneygrip]

Hey Gang!

New to the forum, looks pretty cool!

I built a Saga T-style kit last year. I took everyone's advice and replaced the tuners; I got the StewMac "Economy" tuners. I haven't been real impressed. I'm also not a big fan of the bridge saddles.

I already replaced the nut with a GraphTech Tusq nut, and was thinking of getting the GraphTech String Saver saddles for the Saga-supplied bridge. Anyone else do this, and what didja think???

Also, is there some other tuner that will drop into this neck without having to make the pegholes bigger?

Thanks in advance...

[octavedoctor]

i don't know these kits, nor the Stew-Mac "economy" tuners.

IMO the best tuners on the market are made by Gotoh. SG30 for 3x3, SG38 (i think) for 6-I-L. Threaded ferrules for stability, don't be afraid to enlarge the holes. Get a good quality tapered reamer then enlarge the holes gradually until the stubs on the cast housing are a snug fit with no looseness. Tighten the ferrules carefully as they are thin and fragile.

[Daniel Sorbera]

any tuner that says it will fit 5/16" holes will work. (got that info from stew mac)

Edited December 30, 2004 by Godin SD

[octavedoctor]

any tuner that says it will fit 5/16" holes will work. (got that info from stew mac)

That's 8mm. That would accommodate the ferrule but not the casing stub which is about 9 -10mm (11/32"). So without mods to the headstock he's limited to plug ferrules and two back screws. Unless you're buying Waverly none of these are really much use.

[bigmoneygrip]

Thanks for the info, folks! Much appreciated!

Where's a good place to get a tapered reamer? That sounds like less margin for error than if I were to get a 10 mm drill bit and hope to center the new hole correctly...

Thanks again...BMG

[octavedoctor]

Thanks for the info, folks!  Much appreciated!

Where's a good place to get a tapered reamer?  That sounds like less margin for error than if I were to get a 10 mm drill bit and hope to center the new hole correctly...

Thanks again...BMG

Stew Mac do a tapered reamer but it may be too shallow a taper and cost a packet.

I use a basic tapered reamer which I got from Tandy (Radio Shack in the US). It's not a great precison tool but its taper is sharp enough that it doesn't open out the hole in the front of the headstock (which doesn't really need enlarging). It's actually sold as a tool for opening out holes in sheet metal.

Ideally I suppose you'd have a stepped hole; 8mm at the front, 10.5 x 10mm at the back, but sometmes life's just too short.

There's a company called Chronos in the UK that sell a wide variety of engineering tools including tapered and adjustable reamers. Go to the online catalogue and look for repairmans tapered reamer, 1/8 - 1/2"

http://www.chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/

Edited January 4, 2005 by octavedoctor

[jer7440]

You could try a 10mm straight reamer like this:

10mm straight reamer

If you take a 3/8 drill (.375) and open up your existing holes (the drill should self center on the existing hole if you use a drill press) then run this reamer through after you should get a pretty accurate hole with no taper. Make sure to go slowly with the reamer and pull the reamer out of the hole frequently to allow the chips to escape.

[bigmoneygrip]

Thanks again! I'll check those options out...BMG

[octavedoctor]

You could try a 10mm straight reamer like this:

10mm straight reamer

If you take a 3/8 drill (.375) and open up your existing holes (the drill should self center on the existing hole if you use a drill press) then run this reamer through after you should get a pretty accurate hole with no taper. Make sure to go slowly with the reamer and pull the reamer out of the hole frequently to allow the chips to escape.

I find that enlarging a hole using a centre point drill straight into the hole can cause splintering. It's not a bad idea to countersink first.

The 10mm reamer's a good suggstion,but when I used one I found the fit of the tuner to be a little tight. The tapered reamer allows me to control the fit of the tuner.

[Mickguard]

That's 8mm. That would accommodate the ferrule but not the casing stub which is about 9 -10mm (11/32"). So without mods to the headstock he's limited to plug ferrules and two back screws. Unless you're buying Waverly none of these are really much use.

Hold on a sec....10 mm sounds like Grover size....check out the Grover mini locking tuners, they work great and should fit this guitar out of the box, not mods required.

As for the string savers, I have them on a couple of guitars, I think they're really good (i.e., I don't break strings anymore). Haven't had that issue on my teles...and the string savers do affect tone somewhat (increased midrange, they say...)

I also put on Graph Tech's string trees, they're cheap and they make sense to have.

[PerryL]

I found a tapered Reamer at Home Depot for $14. last year and it did the trick for me but go with the higher quality tuners. I think you'll be happier.

[octavedoctor]

That's 8mm. That would accommodate  the ferrule but not the casing stub which is about 9 -10mm (11/32"). So without mods to the headstock he's limited to plug ferrules and  two back screws. Unless you're buying Waverly none of these are really much use.

Hold on a sec....10 mm sounds like Grover size....check out the Grover mini locking tuners, they work great and should fit this guitar out of the box, not mods required.

As for the string savers, I have them on a couple of guitars, I think they're really good (i.e., I don't break strings anymore). Haven't had that issue on my teles...and the string savers do affect tone somewhat (increased midrange, they say...)

I also put on Graph Tech's string trees, they're cheap and they make sense to have.

Your right that's Grover size but they won't fit without mods because the hole in the headstock is 8mm and needs to be enlarged at the back to 10mm.