Widening control holes luthier advice needed.

[f.sardis]

I need to widen the shaft holes so my CTS pots fit. I previously had EMG pots. I am planning to use sand paper as some people suggested here before but what grit do i need?
It is a maple top guitar and it has a gloss see through black finish.

Cheers

[Twinfan]

I've used a drill before - if you're careful, you can waggle it to enlarge the holes slightly.

Failing that, you want a nice coarse sandpaper otherwise you'll be there forever....

[f.sardis]

Cheers mate,
by coarse what grit do you mean?

[Philly Q]

I usually use a 10mm countersinking bit in my hand drill, and work on it from both sides so it  doesn't rip the wood or the finish.

If you're using paper, about 180 grit should do it.  You only need to widen the hole about 1mm on each side (from 8mm to 10mm diameter), so don't go crazy with it.  Use the washer from the new pot to mark the outline of the new hole, and wrap the paper round something like a pencil or drill bit so the hole stays rounded.

[rohlfo]

a rounded file?

[Philly Q]

a rounded file?

Yeah, it'll do the job, but it's a bit aggressive - tends to chip the paint, unless you countersink the hole first.

[WezV]

A REAMER!!!!

[Philly Q]

A REAMER!!!!

Yeah, but nobody actually owns one of those except you pro boys!  :P

You'd have to go out and buy one especially.  Though I don't suppose they actually cost much....

[rohlfo]

a rounded file?

Yeah, it'll do the job, but it's a bit aggressive - tends to chip the paint, unless you countersink the hole first.

I'd just hope the knob would cover any small chippings!  :lol:

[WezV]

yeah i know... not sure why i shouted! ...tbh  a bit of sandpaper around a pencil does work quite well as long as you make sure no stray bits of sandpaper are scratching into the top

[f.sardis]

i did it with sandpaper. pots fitted just fine  :D

watch out for the next thread, it is more technical.

[FELINEGUITARS]

A tapered reamer


Or just go to a guitar /violin repairer and get them to do it
Wont charge you much - quick job

[MrBump]

I did exactly the same thing with my Yam SG - but I used an oversized drill bit and just used it as a file in my hand.

Didn't realise that I'd cut my hands to shreads and was bleeding everywhere until some time after...

 :(

[HTH AMPS]

I've done it with drill bits in 0.5mm steps and had no trouble so far - probably out of pure luck though and I do recognise that a reamer is the 'proper' tool for the job.

[f.sardis]

sandpaper worked just fine. took about 10 mins per hole.