Downsizing the easy way with Waverly's
Oversize Bushings
© Frank Ford 2004; Photos by FF

Waverly makes two sizes of bushings for their fine 1930s Grover-style tuners. The regular one is just the same as the original issue, while the "oversize" version is intended to fit into the 3/8" mounting hole for modern die cast enclosed tuners. So, if you want to go for more of the vintage styling, you can make the switch without undue effort.

Here they are:

Unfortunately, some instrument have had enough UV exposure that their peghead veneers have lightened considerably, so the area under the tuner washer looks considerably darker than the surrounding wood:

Most guitars don't show such a strong color difference, but I thought it would be interesting to show this one as a reminder that sometimes things just aren't as easy as we'd like.

The oversize bushing presses neatly in place, and, although it's actually bigger than the regular one, it still looks small compared to what was there before:

Around at the back side, the Waverly tuner drops right into the hole, and, although the shaft is way smaller than the hole, it will work perfectly just like this:

With any luck, the lower mounting screw hole will line up with the hole in the back of the peghead:

I screw that one in to hold the tuner in place before drilling the 1/16" pilot hole for the upper screw.

The upper screw finishes the job:

All in all, it's a good vintage look. . .

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