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03-20-2009, 11:15 AM
|  | nyuk nyuk nyuk
Affiliated with Tune Guitar Maniac | | Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Los Angeles California | | | Loose neck tightening screws
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In the process of doing some recent modifications on a few of my bolt-on basses, I have had to remove and replace a few necks. I noticed that on several instruments, the holes through the body for the neck attachment screws seem to be either stripped, or perhaps were drilled too wide to begin with. With the neck removed, the screws just loosely fall out of the holes.
Fortunately, the holes in the necks are all fine, and take the screws firmly and snugly. So functionally, all of my necks seem to be secure and perform fine when tightened in place. But it seems to me that if the screws fit the body more snugly, that would probably be beneficial for transferring tone, wouldn't it? Is it normal for the screws to be loose through the body, or should I stick some toothpicks in there to firm things up?  |
03-20-2009, 11:31 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Edwardsville, IL | | | Bassbeyond-
I don't think firming the holes would hurt. You might want to consider filling in the existing holes and redrilling; starting over. I had to do this with a FrankenFender I put together and it worked really well.
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03-20-2009, 11:54 AM
| | nyuk nyuk nyuk
Affiliated with Tune Guitar Maniac | | Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Los Angeles California | | | Thanks for the suggestion. I'm curious, after you filled and redrilled your bass, did you notice a big difference in tone or sustain? |
03-20-2009, 12:32 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Virginia Beach, VA | | | You really shouldn't have a problem provide that (a) your mounting screw heads have some type of washer underneath and (b) the neck heel fits the pocket snugly. You can plug and re-drill as suggested but I see no advantage at this point.
Riis
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03-20-2009, 12:46 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Central Illinois, USA | | | Having the holes in the BODY open is probably a good thing. That way the screws can align with the neck however they need to in order to pull the neck tight to the body. If the screws are held captive by the threads in the body, they may not line up well with the threads in the neck. It's quite possible that the screws will be snug to the body before they pull the neck tight.
As long as the threads in the NECK are solid, don't worry about it.
jte
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JTE
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03-20-2009, 12:46 PM
| | nyuk nyuk nyuk
Affiliated with Tune Guitar Maniac | | Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Los Angeles California | | | I agree. I'm not inclined to go to that much trouble, since I'm not having any problems as it is. But what I'm wondering is: are the screws supposed to snugly fit the body, and what difference does it make soundwise?
Guess I'll try some toothpicks and see if I can detect any difference. |
03-20-2009, 12:49 PM
| | nyuk nyuk nyuk
Affiliated with Tune Guitar Maniac | | Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Los Angeles California | |
Quote:
Originally Posted by JTE  Having the holes in the BODY open is probably a good thing. That way the screws can align with the neck however they need to in order to pull the neck tight to the body. If the screws are held captive by the threads in the body, they may not line up well with the threads in the neck.
jte | Oh, yeah. That makes sense. Thanks for the explanation.  |
03-20-2009, 12:50 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: New Westminster, BC | | Quote:
Originally Posted by ThunderLizard Bassbeyond-
I don't think firming the holes would hurt. You might want to consider filling in the existing holes and redrilling; starting over. I had to do this with a FrankenFender I put together and it worked really well. | +1
Probably better tone, as there will be a more snug fit.
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03-20-2009, 01:08 PM
|  | Quatre-cordes | | Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: New Orleans, LA /El Paso TX | | Quote:
Originally Posted by JTE Having the holes in the BODY open is probably a good thing. That way the screws can align with the neck however they need to in order to pull the neck tight to the body. If the screws are held captive by the threads in the body, they may not line up well with the threads in the neck. It's quite possible that the screws will be snug to the body before they pull the neck tight.
As long as the threads in the NECK are solid, don't worry about it.
jte | that is also my opinion, could not have said it better. |
03-20-2009, 01:14 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Colorado Springs, CO | | | The holes in the body should not be threaded, and in fact should not be snug on the screws. This allows the screws to fit snugly into the neck and align correctly with any minor alignment issues between body holes and neck holes. You're asking for trouble if you fill them up.
H
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03-20-2009, 01:56 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Virginia Beach, VA | | Quote:
Originally Posted by HEADLE The holes in the body should not be threaded, and in fact should not be snug on the screws. This allows the screws to fit snugly into the neck and align correctly with any minor alignment issues between body holes and neck holes. You're asking for trouble if you fill them up.
H | Off-topic: Thanks for including me in your sig! BTW, I love Co. Springs. I was there a couple years back for a funeral at the Academy. My brother-in-law lived on Galena (?) Dr.
Now, back to the topic-on-hand: this is a perfect example of the time-worn phrase "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".
Riis
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