I’m one of the stupidest people I know and I taught myself to do setup.
I’d really encourage you to at least try and make a truss rod adjustment / adjusting the action as a first step into the pool of not paying people to do pretty simple stuff.
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One of the things the Luthier suggested was to buy a cheap bass and try to make it work.
Until now… nothing decent on the used market around me… but I do have a bass with dead electronics in Portugal that I can bring and fiddle with. 
Ovation bass… any1 knows ?
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I did try that but got myself way off the rails chasing a non-problem new string rattle I wasn’t used to having not changed the string in far far too long and ended up taking it in to a local shop to get it back in proper setup. 100USD and a day later, it was playing better than ever again.
Next time I’ll have more confidence to check myself after changing strings.
As for the original topic, I don’t remember taking a drill to my bass when I installed the Dunlop strap-locks I have, but I did that very shortly after I got the bass, so almost half my lifetime ago now. I might have used the original screws with the Dunlop buttons, but cannot recall.
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*[I got the Dunlop 48700702001 Ergo Lok Strap System (7007SI)offf Amazon for about $5.00 for two sets. No modification, drilling or anything - slip on the peg after the strap is on. Only issue is it take some effort to remove the strap (I do when the bass is back in hte case)
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I purchased a Squier Sonic and put some Fender strap-locks on it. Fender screws were thinner than the Squier screws so it wiggled bad and started to pull out. Pulled out the screw, put in a toothpick covered in wood glue in the hole and the next day put in the Fender screws. No problem since. A lot of repairs are fairly simple. If you screw it up too bad then just take it to a luthier.
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Just do it on your most expensive bass, you aren’t gonna harm it
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Are you suggesting that all of @Megatronpt’s basses are cheap?
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No, more that he shouldn’t be afraid to do this even if he has all Foderas. He’s not gonna hurt anything.
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Well… that’s not gonna happen unless I find a sponsor 
I love them but can’t afford them.
They are… especially when compared to Foderas
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I mean, if it needed it, I would tweak the truss rod of a Fodera in the store 
Ok I wouldn’t, but not because I was afraid of harming it; mostly because I wouldn’t have the allen wrench on me. The store would totally do it for you though.
The amount of tightening you would need to do to harm the thing - look, it’s not likely to happen, despite internet mythology.
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I literally lol’ed!
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Yeah… saw it on the irish used market for nearly 3000 euro.
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“Set Up Your Guitar with John Carruthers” Search this up on youtube, there are 6-7 vids he’s produced for Elixir Strings. Best DIY set up tutorial I’ve been able to find.
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Or you could post the link to be extra helpful?
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Here’s a link to the whole playlist rather than complaining to someone that was trying to help.
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If it’s any consolation I felt exactly like you.
The guy in the music store said “it’s easy… you just need a screw driver”. I get home and the instructions say I need a drill and tape and ruler and a level and 4 screw divers and chapstick and and and…
I was terrified I’d kill my bass. But more terrified I’d drop it which had already happened once. So I followed the directions carefully (just like the carpenter above said) and viola… strap locks on.
Just take your time. Go slowly and carefully.
Or take it to the store… no shame in that at all.
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I actually want to learn… at least the basics.
The only normal shop that does them here closes at 5PM.
I finish work at 5PM… and the shop is 45 min away… and they usually take a week.
This professional guy was expensive yes… but took 2 days because he had to finish a mandolin that had been in an accident.
If I learn the basic ones… I only need to pay for the professional services once a year.
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Once you get a bass set up in a way that feels great to you, it’s pretty much string changes and truss rod adjustments after that. Unless you buy a new bridge or something.
One of the many benefits of learning to do your own setup is that when you find “your” sweet spot you can take note of the string gaps and get it to the same spot every time.
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