The washers are really thick and do not shed as much as the cheaper ones I have tried. Even though it may be hard to see it in the photographs, there is a hole punched in the center of each washer, so all I had to do was remove those tiny punched-out circles. And to soothe the perfectionists, I will add that the holes are punched exactly in the center. These are great for improving a cheap instrument, which is precisely what I bought them for.