Stringlock holes: To fill or not to fill (when replacing with a Kahler)?

So I hinted at this question in a recent post.  I have the Kahler in-hand... the drilled holes are not the same, but are close enough I'm curious if I should fill them with an epoxy or wood glue before drilling pilot holes for the new stringlock.

A lot will depend on what shows and how picky you are.

I had a similar problem with the LX that I restored last Fall, which had an unholy mess on the head stock from the previous owner's botched install of a non standard string lock. In the end I used some wood filler and a black marker pen to minimize the damage.

It's a very long thread but you can see how it turned out HERE

Fill them with part of a toothpick and some white glue, re-drill and touch up the paint work - you'll feel better for having done it properly!

Yeah, the 'ole toothpick 'n glue is my go-to repair too. I find it works the best on small diameter holes, or ones which will be covered by the attachment.

For larger holes (like the ones in my head stock) if they are to remain visible, using multiple toothpicks can leave the surface end "ragged" and don't finish up too well. For those, a filler or plug is usually preferable, but more work of course.

True that, Barry - I was making the assumption that the Bendmaster stringlock screw holes were undamaged and therefore quite tiny and thus ideal for the toothpick trick!!

Barry & John:  This turned out great!  Thank you both!  Finally after buying a Genesis II from Mike (gittarasaurus) last February without a stringlock, the Burgandy Pearl is flying high. I really appreciate your input and expertise. I had read about the toothpick technique a while back, but wasn't sure if I was remembering correctly.  I post pics at a later date, thanks to iPhone issues . So my next adventure is wiring-up that XA1420 with the active pickups. Mike saved the day with a wiring diagram (as you've seen on the other thread)... maybe it should be added to the (newer) site?