Building "Pistol Pete" The $52 Temu Guitar: Wet Sanding & Tuner Upgrade (OSU Tribute Part 7)

In Part 7 of the "Pistol Pete" build, we’re back at the workbench for a little shop talk and some necessary corrections. This Oklahoma State University tribute project is nearing assembly, but first, we have to wet sand the neck and upgrade the tuners. Today, I’m getting brave with some wet sanding on the headstock and neck to smooth out that "orange peel" texture before we move into hardware. We also hit a major snag with the tuner alignment—turns out those pre-drilled holes in the $52 Temu kit weren't exactly copacetic. Watch as I walk through the process of filling those holes with the toothpick-and-glue method to prep for a set of staggered Gotoh locking tuners. Whether you're building a budget kit or just here for the coffee and cookies, it’s all about the journey and learning as we go. Note: This project is a personal fan tribute and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Oklahoma State University. Just a dad building a cool guitar for his son! In This Video: The "Courage" to Sand: Using 1200 grit and soapy water to even out the neck finish. Tuner Troubles: Why I’m swapping the stock tuners for staggered Gotohs. The Fix: How to fill and re-drill misaligned tuner holes using wood glue and toothpicks. Community Shoutouts: Catching up with Sparky, John at Smoke Eater Guitars, and Brandt. Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro: Coffee, Cookies, and Pistol Pete 1:22 - State of the Neck: Frets, Nut, and Headstock Gloss 3:50 - The "Orange Peel" Issue: Prep for Wet Sanding 4:37 - Channel Shoutout: Sparky’s Influence 6:26 - Wet Sanding the Headstock (1200 Grit) 8:16 - Shop Talk: Budget Parts vs. High-End Skill Sets 12:20 - Reflecting on 65 Guitars Through the Shop 14:35 - Tackling the Sides and Finishing the Sanding 19:29 - The Tuner Snag: Alignment and Staggered Gotohs 21:45 - Warning: Pre-drilled Hole Issues in Budget Kits 23:09 - Community News: Smoke Eater Guitars and Gypsons 24:37 - Step-by-Step: Filling Tuner Holes with Toothpicks 28:27 - Next Steps: Drying and Final Assembly Prep ____ Shoutouts: @sparkyguitars971 (Sparky) @TonJager (Brant) @SmokeEaterGuitars (Smoke) @AOsAreaofOperations (Aaron) Checkout our playlist page for more series and journeys https://www.youtube.com/@TedTalksGuitars/playlists Special Thanks to our channel members "The Jacks" Want to support the channel? Feel free to explore Channel membership options: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBr6kaWeOvldTHvntB3tnMg/join Ted Talks Guitars & Life Merch Store: https://tedtalksguitars-shop.fourthwall.com/ Amazon Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/3W3PZox *If you click on this link to shop at Amazon the channel will receive a modest financial commission from your purchases. Guyker Referral Link: https://www.guyker.com/?ref=tedtalksguitars If you use the link you will save 15% at Guyker Use the coupon code: TEDSMITH #GuitarBuilding #TemuGuitar #PistolPete #GuitarMod #Luthier #GuitarTech #BudgetGuitar #OklahomaState #Gotoh #TedTalksGuitars