Drill Jig for mounting 2 pin fender Bass tuning pegs.

[Matt Liebenau]

That's the one I use. Got a better deal on Ebay...
BASS Guitar Tuner Installation Tool - Pin-mount - Drill Jig - Fender | eBay

I haven’t needed the bass jig but I got the guitar equivalent years ago and it works very well.

 

[AntiguaGuy]

Looking at some responses where folks have said how difficult it was to lay out the pin holes accurately - it's really quite easy. One way is to use some lipstick. Put it on the tips of the pins. Put the tuner in position on the peg head and press the pins against the headstock. The lipstick will mark exactly where the holes need to go. Need help lining up the tuners on the headstock? Lay them in place and place a ruler along one edge of the tuner base plates- that will line up all the tuners. Clamp or tape the ruler in place. Remove the tuner and apply the lipstick. Replace the tuner aligning it with the ruler and press the pins against the headstock. Your pin locations are marked and the tuner will be properly aligned.

The mistake that many people make is to try to measure the locations. You don't need to know the measurement. Use the tuner to show where the holes need to be.

I thought that Turnaround's technique seemed reasonable. And I'm pretty handy with DIY projects, so this sounded like something I could tackle. But I wasn't able to execute Turnaround's method. In order to line up the tuner, you need to start seating it in the threaded ferrule. So my lipstick marks were always smudged and didn't seem to be located uniformly for all four tuners. I wasn't confident that I could drill the holes in precisely the right places, and I didn't want to risk having to come back and revise them, Swiss-cheesing the back of the headstock on my brand-new Warmoth neck. So I ordered the G-Tech drill jig kit.
It was shipped out immediately and arrived in a couple of days. I must admit that I thought it was overpriced for what it was when I ordered it. But it worked so simply and precisely; I now believe that it was $55 well-spent.
I surmise from Turnaround's posts that he is experienced in guitar building and repair, and I don't doubt that he can perform this task precisely without the jig, drawing from his experience and judgement. But for anyone inexperienced like me, I would enthusiastically recommend that they use the G-Tech drill jig kit for this task.
The Fender #0992006000 Deluxe Fluted-Shaft Tuners are really nice, and I'll likely use them again in future projects. But I'm disappointed that Fender doesn't include a blueprint or template or jig or something to aid in drilling the guidepin holes for this $150 tuner set. (I bought a $7 Fender thumb-rest a while back, and Fender included a full-size paper blueprint for locating the screw holes on a Precision Bass and a Jazz Bass.)

 

[Turnaround]

I surmise from Turnaround's posts that he is experienced in guitar building and repair, and I don't doubt that he can perform this task precisely without the jig, drawing from his experience and judgement.

Yah - sometimes I forget that it took many decades to refine techniques that i use, and they may not be so simple for the inexperienced. Glad you managed to accomplish your goal without breaking the bank. Good on you.

 

[walterw]

i like the idea of that jig but the problem is it only works for that one model of tuner and there's no guarantee fender won't change it in a year or two

fender has been using two-pin mounted tuners since at least the mid-80s, has gone through what seems like a half-dozen different variations, and none of them are compatible

my '96 american standard P came with these massive boat anchors:

the best thing i ever did for it was to lose these and put the lightweight "boron" keys on:

they did not fit, i had to locate and drill new recesses for the pins

fender then went to a new lightweight version, like this:

pretty sure these don't fit either of what i put mine, and i don't know if they fit what fender uses now either

 

[Relsom]

i like the idea of that jig but the problem is it only works for that one model of tuner and there's no guarantee fender won't change it in a year or two

fender has been using two-pin mounted tuners since at least the mid-80s, has gone through what seems like a half-dozen different variations, and none of them are compatible

my '96 american standard P came with these massive boat anchors:

the best thing i ever did for it was to lose these and put the lightweight "boron" keys on:

they did not fit, i had to locate and drill new recesses for the pins

fender then went to a new lightweight version, like this:

pretty sure these don't fit either of what i put mine, and i don't know if they fit what fender uses now either

The good thing about those 2012 tuners is that they cover the old pin holes on your '96. I used them (off of a 2013 Am Std) to replace the boat anchors on my Y2K Jazz and then got a set of the latest modern Fender USA tuners for the 2013. They were a direct drop in. I'm struggling with a '97 Am Dlx Jazz right now that was fitted with '98 tuners from the factory. The pins are on the same side as BM Lights and the Fender Moderns, but the pins , and thus the holes, are a smaller diameter, AND, are slightly offset according to looking through the drill holes in my jig. If I can't locate a set of the '98 tuners I'll just install a set of BM Lights with the jig to enlarge the pin holes. I darn sure wish the old cast clover keys were available though. I think they look much better than the semi "Y" keys provided.