drilling for trem holes

[69strat]

Whats the best way to go about this? I want to install an American vintage trem on a strat body I bougth, and need to drill the six holes. I don't have access to a drill press. Is it wise to attempt this with a hand drill?

I have a neck I can mount and it has tuners so I can line up the E strings, but how do I get the position so the strings will intonate correctly?

Also what size drill bit would you guys recommend?

[tdurik]

Also what size drill bit would you guys recommend?

One that's smaller than the screws.

[tdurik]

Sorry, couldn't resist myself. just being a Dumbass!

I would think that if you used tape to mark your bit for depth that a hand drill would be fine (if you have a steady hand). Intonation is adjusted at the saddles, but it should be parallel to the nut. As far as bit size goes, use one that's slightly smaller that the screw itself...

[Offshore Angler]

Here's a trick I use to select a drill size. I hold the bit directly in fornt of the screw. If I can see all the threads but not the shaft of the screw, it's usually perfect.

[Plugger]

To position the trem, you need to measure two things: a) how straight the strings lie over the fretboard (relatively easy, but you have to make sure the neck is positioned OK in the pocket to start with, and b) that the distance from the nut is right. For this, remember that the distance from the nut to the twelfth fret should bethe same distance as the twelfth fret to the saddle (approximately). If you start with this positioning, the saddle adjustments should be sufficient for fine tuning the string-to-string intonation.

Chuck's advice about the drill size is spot-on; you want to drill out the diameter of the solid part of the screw shaft, so that only the threads are cutting into the wood. This avoids splitting. However, if unsure, start smaller and then try larger -- it's easier to enlarge a hole than to fill it again! Good luck.

-Mark

[NeoFauve]

I don't know about locating the holes you'll drill, but
another way to pick a drill is, if you keep your bits in a box like this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ima...&n=228013&s=hi

you can thread the trem screw in to the hole it fits best.
That's the size drill you want to use.

[telecast]

Okay, from the top:

You must start by finding the body's centerline. Once you've done that, draw a very light pencil line down the middle of the body. LIGHT, you'll have to sand it off, and dark pencil line goes deep. You can use the rear strap button and center of the neck pocket to find the correct position.

Bolt the neck on. Using a piece of kite string or something that can be pulled taught easily, center the string over the fretboard markers and see how it alligns on the pencil mark. Adjust the neck until the string is over the center of each fretboard marker and the pencil line. If you have block markers, you'll need to find the center of at least two of them. I set the string on the nut and just allign it to the center of the G and D slots with my eye. Yeah, that's close enough.

Next, center each saddle in the middle of it's adjustment range, then move them all out a bit more. Your high E when intonated will end up very close to the 12 3/4" measurement, and all the other saddles will be move back, so leave enough room in the adjustment. Find the center of the bridge side to side and mark it at the leading edge.

Take a measurement from the nut to the 12th fret, repeat the same measurement from the 12th fret to the body and make a mark. If it's standard Fender scale, the measurement will be 12 3/4". Do this on both side of the neck so you have two points a couple of inches apart, and draw a light line across the marks that extends beyond the bridgeplate in both directions.

Now, set the bridge in place. Allign the centering mark on the bridge plate with the centerline of the body, then allign the saddles (right exactly where the string will rest) with the cross line you drew. When all three points line up, the bridge is in place, centered and square. Mark your holes.

As described above by some of our more astute members, pick your drill bit by finding a size that will hide the shank of the screw, but not the threads. Determine the proper depth, and use a piece of masking tape on the drill bit to mark it so you don't go too deep. Hold the drill as straight as possible, checking while you go. Use a piece of scrap wood to drill a test hole and check the fit.

MAKE SURE YOU LOOK AT THE BACK OF THE BODY AFTER YOU DRILL THE FIRST HOLE. Fixing one tiny drill through is a pian in the ass. Fixing 6 of them is like having a root canal.

Note: Do not worry if the bridge is off a teeny tiny bit after you're done, either side to side or front to back. The saddles will take care of any length issues and you can tweak the neck to take care of any side-to-side issues.