chicken or egg?

TUT2222 · #1 05-13-2009, 07:20 PM

I want to put a PBass neck on my Marcus(amongst other things). The question I have is, I have a predrilled Pneck and a 4 bolt plate(which lines up), but the Marcus is 3 bolt. Do I dowel all the holes(body and neck) and start from scratch, or is there a way to drill the body for the new neck? Also, what kind of clamp do I need to bolt the neck to the body and still use a drillpress? My question actually is, is there a way to line up a predrilled neck with an undrilled body? And to add more drama, I am getting a P/J body for a build, and not only do I have to drill the neck, but drill the BAIII. Is this something I do together, or what should I do first?

Rocky McDougall · #2 05-13-2009, 07:59 PM

The easiest thing to do is change it to a 4 screw neck plate. I would mark the hole pattern and see it it clears the old holes. If they are close to a previous hole, I would dowel the neck. Coverting a 4 screw neck to a 3 screw Microtilt is a little more work.
The only way to drill a 3 screw body to a new 4 screw is with a very accurate pattern.
I would position the 4 screw neck plate properly on the body and drill the body using the plate as a guide. Then, locate the neck in the pocket (all the way to the rear) and clamp it down, install the two outer strings loosely and make sure the neck is in alignment. Then use the same drill you used to do the body and use the drill to lightly mark the neck for the 4 screws. Drill the neck with a drill the size of the screw shank to the proper depth. I usually drill the neck holes about 1/16" further back towards the heal of the neck. That way the screws will pull the neck backwards into the pocket tightly. I usually use some lube (bar soap) on the screws so they will not be under too much strain and brake off in the neck. Good luck.
The BAIII should not need drilling, it should use the same holes.
PS, do you still have the Marcus neck?
Rocky

TUT2222 · #3 05-13-2009, 08:36 PM

If you are interested, I have no use for it. I took the string retainer off for the new neck, but that's it. I have to say though, that I bought this off Ebay as a used/blem, and it is marked as used on the headstock back. There was some buzzing around the 5th fret, but I never took it anywhere to have it checked. I am replacing the pups, pickguard, neck, and pre, so essentially the only part left will be the body.