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Nut-serts for bolt-on necks

Antny

Antny

Jan 30, 2011
483
3
New York
#1
So I finally had enough with my pbass neck movement (it's very old and beat up), and decided to get rid of the wood screws that have been (trying) to hold the neck steady all these years, and replaced them with nut-serts (threaded inserts) and fine-thread machine screws (8-32). It's MUCH more better now! And call me crazy, but the dead spot I had at the 7th fret is gone. Anyone else use these beauties and experience the same thing? Or have I am I in denial? lol.

The ones I used are like the one on the upper row, middle ....[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#2
Thanks for posting this. I was on EBay the other day when I came across an auction for these, the first I've ever seen them. The idea has been on my mind ever since I saw them. I'm glad to see they work for somebody here on TB. I might be looking to get some soon.
On a technical note, I would think that the holes drilled in the heel of the neck for these inserts would have to be "dead-on" for everything to stay true. For most projects "close enough" can suffice, but perfect the first time makes me nervous!
 
#5
5string5fingers said:
Used them on my last bass. Found out the hardway that i needed the Stainless Steel ones,after I had already bought the brass.
Click to expand...

Yeah, my local hardware store has the brass ones too. I figured with my typical Harry Hamfist Approach to Assemby ;), that I'd break them trying to thread them into maple. So I went with the steel ones, with the hex socket. No issues, they went in nicely after pre-drilling the neck. Such a nicer/tighter 'bond' now between the neck and body. Me likey. :bassist:
 
#6
First saw these as plastic drywall inserts and thought, wow- they should have these in metal for securing wood. Saw them a few years later, in SS, and thought...hmmm... my Fender 3 bolt necks would benefit. I just haven't had the guts to go there yet.
 
#8
Antny said:
So I finally had enough with my pbass neck movement (it's very old and beat up), and decided to get rid of the wood screws that have been (trying) to hold the neck steady all these years, and replaced them with nut-serts (threaded inserts) and fine-thread machine screws (8-32). It's MUCH more better now! And call me crazy, but the dead spot I had at the 7th fret is gone. Anyone else use these beauties and experience the same thing? Or have I am I in denial? lol.

The ones I used are like the one on the upper row, middle
Click to expand...

I put them on all my SX basses (upper row middle). They are zinc, by the way. Worked just fine. On a cheap bass with a ratty neck joint they really brighten up the tone and really make the bass feel much better.

As for the dead spots. I found the slight dead spot I had on my Ursa 5 became worse (but not horrible) after the inserts. Personally I really like what they do to a bass. However, if you have an expensive bass with a tight well-fitted neck pocket I don't think they'll do much for you. Work best when the neck joint needs help or you you want to have a bass where you can swap the neck (say fretted-fretless) from time to time.
 
#12
I put a set in my test SX SJB62 just to see if it made a difference... And it DID! As for how accurate you need to be, I just opened up the holes by hand (letting the bit follow the hole) and everything worked out fine. The 8-32 bolt is a little smaller than the regular screw so you have some wiggle rooom.

It added some top end on my SX, giving it a modern tone.
 
#13
Here's the threaded inserts I found at woodcraft, a site specializing in woodworking. I'd get the special tool. It's priced right, and would make insertion alot easier. I think with the threaded T driver you can use the brass inserts and not have any trouble.
8-32%252520Brass%252520Threaded%252520Inserts.jpg

#8-32 Brass Threaded Inserts (10) at Woodcraft.com
"T" Wrench for 8-32 Inserts at Woodcraft.com
I am not affiliated with woodcraft in any shape or form.

Anyone have any experience with the brass inserts and the threaded T driver?
 
#14
whenever i use them i use stainless steel ones. they're 10-24 thread and the oval head screws are slightly resized smaller to be the same size as stock fender neck screws. the 10-24 screw's threaded area is the same diameter as the standard screws that they are replacing so there's no slop in the body holes.

10-24threaded-insertsandbolts.jpg
 
#17
I would have no problem with the brass if the thing wasn't going to be coming apart on a regular basis, but DEFINITELY use an insert toll (that handle is nice but overkill for only installing a few inserts). Also I'm not a fan of stainless for repeated use either (it tends to gaul), and you really should use an anti-seize with stainless (quality of the steel tends to be poor in these fasteners and they can easily "stick"). The OP's picture seems to have steel inserts which would be my choice for repeated work, with good quality screws.

One more thought: if the neck is that loose in the body, the tone is going to be seriously affected. While going through the hassle of the inserts, why not dowel the neck to the body too? When you get the dowels tight (and they should be, or else they are useless) the tone has a path and you are not relying on the screws apart from to hold the joint together.

That is what was running through my mind as I read the thread...
 
#18
Thanks for your response John and pilmat. I'm looking at these for some squier basses, and as the squier basses are easily moddable, I may change the neck down the road. So I'm not looking to put dowels in the neck joint. If you were going to dowel it, I would expect it would be glued also.

I'm looking for something that can be changed down the road, but would still make for a more solid neck joint connection. And this hardware is perfect for this. I'm hoping this may help with tension on the B string on my Squier Deluxe Jazz Active V. This and a better nut :)
 
#19
@ John and pilmat:

What criteria do you use for installing these? Does the bass have to sound deficient in some way? Is it something that any bass would benefit from? Or is it like the controversial high-mass bridge where you roll the dice, maybe it will help, maybe it won't?

I have a few basses that sound just fine, but I'm a bit of a worrier over neck/body relationship and tend to take a lot of time aligning the neck in the pocket as perfectly as possible and bolting it down as tight as I can before I strip the screw hole or break into the finish.

What do you guys think?
 
#20
electracoyote said:
@ John and pilmat:

What criteria do you use for installing these? Does the bass have to sound deficient in some way? Is it something that any bass would benefit from? Or is it like the controversial high-mass bridge where you roll the dice, maybe it will help, maybe it won't?

I have a few basses that sound just fine, but I'm a bit of a worrier over neck/body relationship and tend to take a lot of time aligning the neck in the pocket as perfectly as possible and bolting it down as tight as I can before I strip the screw hole or break into the finish.

What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

i only install them if a customer wants them. i don't have them in any of my personal basses, and IMO, i actually find them to be unnecessary, since i always make sure that the neck's holes are of the proper size and perfectly aligned with the body's mounting holes. if the neck's holes are stripped or mis-aligned, i just dowel them with maple dowels and re-drill them.

i have installed them several times in the past but i have not found them to be a cure or benefit for dead spots or change the tone in a positive way over a properly fitted/mounted neck using the stock 'sheet metal' type screws. so, unless you plan on frequently removing/remounting a neck on a particular bass (like going from fretted to fretless), IMO, there's no need for them.
 

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