Kit Bass: Tuning Collars/Bushing won't fit

[Brendon95]

I'm building a kit bass because I was tired of being left out of the cool basses just for being left handed. I made a thread about it.

It's painted now and I'm installing the hardware. Well the tuning collars/bushing don't fit. And from looking at my Squier jazz bass they should sit nice and flush in the the hole for the tuners. And with my terrible math skills and more by sight and feel, I'd say it's about a millimeter difference. And I can't get them in.

First I tried sanding one of the holes by rolling up the sandpaper. I'm not sure if I just need to be sanding more (I'm using 80 grit) vigorously but I don't see a change at all.

Then I tried rubbing the collar in bar soap for lubricant and pushing it in with my fingers. That didn't work.

Finally I tried hammering it in over a towel. Now one of them is kind of wedged half in and doesn't look like it will move in or out at this point.

If anyone has any tips, please explain them to me like you would a 5 year old or someone with very little technical knowledge.

For reference, I own a very basic tool kit but I could venture over to my parents house where my step dad has more tools.

 

[Turnaround]

You don't want to go hammering them in because you can split the headstock. You were on the right track by enlarging the holes. It should be a tight fit, but not a force fit. If you had a step drill or a tapered reamer, that would be the tool to use, but failing that , roll some sandpaper around a cylindrical object that fits in the hole and sand away. Stop when it feels like the ferrule will almost go in with hard finger pressure, but not quite. Use a C-clamp with a small block of wood on both sides and slowly squeeze it in. If it takes a lot of clamping pressure, stop and sand some more.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

A round file or sand with sandpaper on a dowel or piece of PVC pipe. Go slowly and try to make sure you’re keeping the sides of the tuner hole parallel.

 

[sissy kathy]

A tapered reamer is the perfect tool for your job. If treated right and not abused, it will last through all your builds. Amazon has them for a reasonable price. https://www.amazon.com/-/es/WINMAX-...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=26BDJHRSN1WHSH2ZXGX9

 

[Gordo350]

You need this