Locking tuners and thicker gauge strings ??

Ok so my first build is nearly complete and what i thought was going to be a dream has been a bit of a nightmare along the way however all the problems I've faced so far i have managed to pull through only i don't know how I'm going to solve this one without spending more money which id like to avoid. Basically everything i finished I just need to string up and set the neck action intonation all that kind of stuff but the problem is i have schaller locking tuners and i use 11-56 gauge strings and as I've gone to string up the .56 string won't fit through the hole :/ Any idea why this is ? I mean surely schaller would think that one people prefer heavier strings ! Are there any ways to fix this without having to buy a new set ? As this set was not cheap as they are gold and all the sets of gold locking tuners I've seen are expensive plus the tuner holes were drilled out for schallers ?

Put 10s on it? Are you sure the little locking pin is all the way down? Sometimes they stick and don't allow you to put the string in.

Pretty sure its all the way down. I suppose i could use 10's I'm just so used to 11-56 now.

See if you can find a set of 11-52s, or buy a few big E strings and see what's the biggest that will fit.

Thanks for the tip that these Schallers can't take that .056 size. The "F" or trapezoid shaped split tuners are even worse - they cut off all the way down at .050 (which is shocking to me).

I have Sperzel locking tuners on one of my Esquires and even .52's are a really tight squeeze, but they'll get in there. It's really annoying though.

Could you drill out the hole to fit the bigger strings?

Pretty sure you'd screw up the locking mechanism if you did.

I used to play 12-60 and 13-65 back in my drop tuned metal days and only used Sperzel lockers. I used a drill bit to open up the hole a bit. Just a little at a time till it fit. Still use the same tuners to this day with no problems. I use 11-50 now.

Trying to use 13-56 strings on my TL60, and encountered just this problem. Not really sure what to do here; I really prefer heavy strings and I've already got them and they cant be returned. How do I use a drill bit on the hole? By hand right?

ETA: smallest drill bit I have looks a bit too big, and turning it by hand is fruitless. It really puts me off these tuners. It's not like I'm using some fantastically heavy gauge!

I have a hobby bit set. But any small bit set from homedepot should work. Start with one that is just barely bigger than the string hole. Work your way up one at a time till your .056 fits.

I have a hobby bit set. But any small bit set from homedepot should work. Start with one that is just barely bigger than the string hole. Work your way up one at a time till your .056 fits.

Thanks for the tip!