Haven't strung a guitar in a few years, been focusing on bass.  Put new strings on a guitar today, boy that was a workout! I'm quite confident I did it wrong as well.  Bass is sooooooo much easier!

Two words:  Locking tuners.

'nuff said.

Bill, tgo

Bill, I don't really want to modify the guitar, but just curious which locking tuners you would recommend?

I did just watch a couple of videos on how to do it correctly

These days, my favorite I've used on my last few builds are the Hipshot Open Gear Locking Tuners.  Sperzels are really nice, too.    For non-locking, I love the old Fender style with the holes down the middle.

Bill, tgo