Arts >> Music >> Music Basics

How to Remove a Pressure Bushing Tuning Key

A properly tweaked guitar demands the effortless installation and removal of tuner bushings and keys. Keys and bushings work together as one unit for the proper tuning of a guitar. Bushings are narrow metal pieces with grommet-like heads that are pushed into pre-drilled headstock holes. Bushings provide a secure base for the insertion of tuner keys. Removal of the unit requires several household objects and a little patience because working too quickly — or without care — may result in the cracking of your guitar headstock.

Things You'll Need

  • Peg winding tool
  • Screwdriver
  • Work gloves
  • Safety glasses
  • Dust mask
  • 1-by-1-by-1-inch wood block
  • 120-grit sandpaper
  • Ruler
  • Wooden dowel rod
  • Saw
  • Drill
  • 3/8-inch drill bit (or one slightly wider than the bushing diameter)
  • C-clamp
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Place the peg winding tool on top of the first tuning peg. Turn the key counterclockwise to loosen the key and its respective string. Remove the key. Continue this process for all existing keys and strings.

    • 2

      Flip the guitar so it is face-down. Remove any existing screws or hardware from the headstock with a screwdriver. Flip the guitar back over.

    • 3

      Slide on a pair of work gloves, safety glasses and a dust mask to protect your skin, eyes and lungs.

    • 4

      Smooth the edges of the block of wood with 120-grit sandpaper.

    • 5

      Measure the diameter of the bushing. Cut a wood dowel rod that matches the width of the diameter of the bushing — one-quarter inch, for example — to a length of 2 inches. Smooth the ends of the rod with 120-grit sandpaper.

    • 6

      Drill a three-eighth-inch hole — or a hole a little larger than the width of your bushing — through the center of the block.

    • 7

      Flip the guitar so it is facing down. Place the block under the first bushing. Adjust the block so the hole is centered atop the bushing.

    • 8

      Center the dowel rod atop the back end of the first bushing. Secure the dowel rod and block gently into the grip of a C-clamp. Twist the C-clamp slowly to press the dowel into the backside of the bushing. Tighten the clamp until the bushing releases out into the block. Repeat this step for the removal of all additional bushings.

Music Basics

Related Categories