I use open back tuners with bushings installed from the peghead face on my guitars. Those types of tuners include Grover Sta-Tite, Waverlies, Gotoh, and Schallers. Their shafts are 1/4″. The bushings are larger and need to be a tight press fit onto the shaft hole. They are very difficult to install without some type of tool which will keep the bushing centered on the hole. Stew Mac sells such a device but it costs $99.76 as of October 2024. I first learned of this tool from Terry Kennedy – thanks Terry! I thought I would describe the measurements, etc. to make this tool. My version of the bushing tool works extremely well and I estimate its’ cost at about $1.50 (the expensive item is the 1/4-20 through knob).
The device is simplicity itself. It is nothing more than 2 one inch long pieces of 3/4″ dowel rod, 4″ of 1/4-20″ threaded rod, a small piece of cork for padding, a 1/16″ finishing nail and a 1/4-20 through knob. Building the device will take about ten minutes. Just drill a 1/4″ hole in the center of the two pieces of dowel rod. Glue the 1/4-20 rod into one of the dowel sections. I used a polyurethane glue like Gorilla Glue. I then drilled a 1/16″ hole through the side of the dowel and inserted a 1/16″ finishing nail through the dowel and its’ rod. After inserting the nail cut it off flush with the dowel. This will insure that the dowel and rod will not come apart in use. Glue the small piece of cork or other padding material to the dowel that has the 1/4″ rod glued into it. Congratulations! The tool is done!
To use the tool, remove the knob and first piece of dowel. Insert the threaded rod with the padded dowel attached through the back of the peghead and through the 1/4″ hole. Insert a bushing onto the rod from the front of the peghead. Put the dowel on top of the bushing and screw on the knob. To fully insert the bushing into the hole just screw the knob in until you see the bushing seat.
That’s all there is to it!
