Traditional Fender-style String Retainers

It needs a few improvements like stiffer screws. Must be used with extra care.

The screw spun off into the pilot hole, leaving me wondering how I'm going to dig the metal out of my headstock. I pay more for stuff from Stewmac because I expect it to be good quality, not because I love the fancy packaging and quick shipping. So far the soft screws are about to put me off for good. This broken screw is going to cost me a day of frustration and I'll be lucky if I end up with an unmarked project by the time I'm done.

I only selected one star because I was required to. Zero stars.

Excellent item. No problem with the screws, but I was replacing other retainers, so the holes had already been used.

I use these trees on my guitars, and with the high school students in my manufacturing class. Drilling the proper size pilot hole to adequate depth, and turning with an appropriately sized driver tip, we have had no issues using these trees. I appreciate that they have metal spacers rather than the potentially tone-robbing nylon spacers that other suppliers provide.

The screws are total junk. First one I tried to install(with soap) snapped off even with the wood. Went and bought new screws from ACE hardware.

You really really need to lubricate the screw with wax or soap, and drill a hole deep enough for the screw with a decent drill bit and to be really really gentle with the screw, using a screwdriver with the exact size for it and never force it.

If you fail at doing one of those things right, you probably will end up with a screw inside the wood, but without the head of the screw.

It has happen to me just once, but that was a real bummer since it was the last detail missing in my build.

The screws need to be made of a stronger metal.

Reading the other reviews I regret not have listened to the warnings that the screws would break in the headstock. I was even extra careful with pilot holes and waxing, but still no success. The only comforting thing is knowing that others have felt this same frustration.

I purchased these trees for a project guitar I was building. Quality is good, however the strength of the supplied screws is lacking. I know that there was some user error (pilot hole not drilled deep enough), but when screwing into a maple headstock, the screw sheared off, leaving 3/4 of it embedded into the headstock.

Overall, not a show-stopper, but a bit of a shock, considering that this was the second to last part of the build. Drill deeper pilot holes is all I can say.

I've used these string trees for two telecaster projects, and in both cases, one of the screws broke and I've had to drill out / repair and replace the tree location. NOT happy with the quaity of the screws on these items. So - beware when using them and have some higher quality screws available for your project.

I drilled pilots and screwed them in, not even snug. I put the strings under the trees with light string tension and snappo! Broken screws in my headstock! The rest of the parts are fine. The screws are a JOKE! DO NOT USE THE SCREWS... StewMac, PLEASE discontinue till they fix this.