How would you remove these?

[kirkplunkett]

Hi all,

I recently discovered the Luthiers’ Corner here on TB. I was wondering if you kind folks would mind helping me out by offering some advice.

I am swapping the pickups on this bass. It will require a small amount of routing for the new pups. The problem is, the body has these brass inserts for the original pickups. My buddy suggested an easy out, but that didn’t work because they aren’t threaded into the wood. I’ve managed to get one to spin freely in the hole, but I can’t get the darn thing to come out of the hole.

How would you go about removing it?

 

[laristotle]

Vice grip the bolt heads and a good yank while standing on the body?

 

[kirkplunkett]

I tried that.... the screw is soft brass, so it bent. I feel like if I keep pulling on it, it would likely just break.

 

[Beej]

Heating it up with a soldering iron until the glue melts/evaporates would probably help, but it'll be fussier to do in those cavities than say, heating up frets before pulling them.

 

[Hopkins]

Drill them out and dowel the hole

 

[thisSNsucks]

+1 on trying heat.

If the hole in the insert goes all the way through you can try putting a small screw/bolt/metal pin down the hole then put in the correct size threaded screw and screw it down. The screw will hit whatever you fit in the hole causing the insert to ride up the screw, pulling it out.

it’s an old trick to get out tune o matic bridge bushings out without a specialty puller.

 

[HearNoStevil]

Set the body on fire, then sweep up the ashes. Separate the brass inserts from the rest of the ash. Done.

 

[Bruce Johnson]

Use the screw itself to pull the anchor out. You need to put some kind of washer or plate under the head of the screw which spans across the top surface of the body. Find a piece of 1/16" to 1/8" metal with a hole in it that you can lay over the pickup opening. Put the screw down through the hole and thread it into the anchor. Tighten the screw down. Keep turning it and it will gently pull the anchor straight up out of the wood.

Here's a case where I'm doing a similar thing to pull a stubborn truss rod anchor up out of a MusicMan neck. Here, I drilled and tapped a 10-32 hole in the anchor first, then used a good machine screw to pull it up out of the wood. I put some big washers under the head of the screw, and stacked scraps of aluminum plate on either side. Tightened the screw, and it pulled right up.

You get the idea. Screw threads can apply a lot of pulling force if you let them. Those are simple brass friction anchors, and you shouldn't have any problem pulling them out with the screws.

 

[kirkplunkett]

Use the screw itself to pull the anchor out. You need to put some kind of washer or plate under the head of the screw which spans across the top surface of the body. Find a piece of 1/16" to 1/8" metal with a hole in it that you can lay over the pickup opening. Put the screw down through the hole and thread it into the anchor. Tighten the screw down. Keep turning it and it will gently pull the anchor straight up out of the wood.

This worked perfectly. Thank you!

 

[Beej]

This worked perfectly. Thank you!

If your thing works the way it's supposed to, thank an engineer. @Bruce Johnson is a scholar and a gentleman.

 

[Drucifer]

I tried that.... the screw is soft brass, so it bent. I feel like if I keep pulling on it, it would likely just break.

I see you got them out, my suggestion would have been to use a stronger (i.e. stainless) machine screw.

 

[bassliner50]

Gotta get under them and pry with someting to use as a tiny crow bar. A small fulcrum may help. Looks doable. Keep at it.

 

[Beej]

Gotta get under them and pry with someting to use as a tiny crow bar. A small fulcrum may help. Looks doable. Keep at it.

I'm with you - to the OP, don't stop, even after you get it out...

 

[dwizum]

...even though you already did!

 

[DennisM]

+1 on trying heat.

If the hole in the insert goes all the way through you can try putting a small screw/bolt/metal pin down the hole then put in the correct size threaded screw and screw it down. The screw will hit whatever you fit in the hole causing the insert to ride up the screw, pulling it out.

it’s an old trick to get out tune o matic bridge bushings out without a specialty puller.

You've got the right idea!

 

[BazzaBass]

Set the body on fire, then sweep up the ashes. Separate the brass inserts from the rest of the ash. Done.

Crematorium Worker?

 

[dwizum]

I wonder if you could braze a piece of brass stock to the insert and then hire some tiny men with tiny crowbars to pull it out, using the bar stock as leverage.

Maybe hire some specially trained termites?

If you ship it to Australia or New Zealand, I bet they could use one of their backwards screwdrivers to turn it out...

 

[dwizum]

See if these guys are available?

 

[Ihaveshingles]

That’s a Warwick, isn’t it....
What a shame you are removing something most people wish their pickup cavities had....most single oils should fit in there without mods...

 

[Ihaveshingles]

Single coil shaped I mean