Personally, I’d rather plug and re-drill the low E tuner into a more acceptable location if the straight draw is a necessity…you already use an oddball tuning machine in that slot…might as well make it right.
The oddball key doesn't bug me. It's just a working guitar. Nothing special, but I did locate a Grover 136G6 that will blend in correctly with the Grover SD91's and be less of an eyesore...
Yes, to plug and redrill would be the 'correct' fix, but since i can use it with absolute abandon and know that it will return to pitch every time, I just keep using it like it is.
My number one consideration when making a change is "will this earn me more money." Generally, if it doesn't make money, I won't put any real effort into it.
Now, on studio projects, I almost always use my 2019 Schecter Hellraiser C1 with Floyd Rose 1000 (plus coil tapping) for all studio projects. It's super accurate and very versatile.
When I play live, I tend to prefer the 4-1/2 pound Yellow Strat backed up by my counterfeit, Honeyburst Les Paul.
When I am teaching at the local music academy, I tend to rotate though guitars, like my custom double neck, just for show, but surprisingly, the fake Les Paul is the guitar that everyone wants to play and largely because of the stigma that Slash created with the Kris Derrig replica, and how it looks.
The Yellow Stratocaster is the guitar I let people play when they say a stock Fender tremolo won't stay in tune...
