answer:I changed the heads on my electric when I refurbed it several years back. It was literally just take out the old ones drop in the new ones for me. But they weren’t machineheads like this, and though I didn’t have to drill new holes because my old ones matched, it wouldn’t have bothered me if I did because I repainted it. Honestly I would suggest calling the manufacturer and asking. That’s probably your best bet. side note: I personally don’t care if they’re fancy aftermarket machineheads. I’ve heard they stay tuned a bit better, but I’ve never had issues with my standard ones on my acoustic. Not worth the large investment to me.