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Please, I beg for your help

J

JTomm

Guest
Jul 17, 2011
24
1
Valencia, Venezuela.
#1
So, I have a Modern Player Tele Bass. Looks like the the holes for the neck screws were drilled too big, so, over time, from holding the bass from the neck and taking the neck off it, it became too big for the screws and now they don't hold it together. I was playing one day and when I was leaving the bass in the stand, the neck came off the body. So, I ask you, please, How can I repair this? If you try to screw it again, the neck just slides off the body and screws.
 
#11
JTomm said:
Yeah, could be my best option, but I'm a novice when it comes to repairing, so, I know it will sound like a really ignorant and stupid question, but, how would I do it?
Click to expand...

First of all, don't use match sticks, the wood they are made of is much to soft. I wouldn't recommend you trying to drill the holes out and dowling them, because it seems like you are pretty in experienced with any kind of wood working and I would hate to see you make your problem worse.

Get some tooth picks, I think some tooth picks are made from bamboo, so make sure you are using the wood kind. Get some basic yellow wood glue, I use Titebond, but any brand will work. Cut the tooth picks to where they fit all the way to the bottom of the hole and are flush with the top of the neck, depending on how stripped out your holes are, you may need two per hole, but I'm guessing one will be enough. Coat the tooth picks completely with a light layer wood glue and drop them in the neck holes. Let the glue set for about 5 minutes to start setting up. Then install the neck with the screws installed all the way but tight yet, then let it sit over night. The screws will act like a clamp tightly pressing the tooth picks to the inside of the screw holes.

When everything drys over night, tighten the screws and restring your bass.
 
#12
Hopkins said:
First of all, don't use match sticks, the wood they are made of is much to soft. I wouldn't recommend you trying to drill the holes out and dowling them, because it seems like you are pretty in experienced with any kind of wood working and I would hate to see you make your problem worse.

Get some tooth picks, I think some tooth picks are made from bamboo, so make sure you are using the wood kind. Get some basic yellow wood glue, I use Titebond, but any brand will work. Cut the tooth picks to where they fit all the way to the bottom of the hole and are flush with the top of the neck, depending on how stripped out your holes are, you may need two per hole, but I'm guessing one will be enough. Coat the tooth picks completely with a light layer wood glue and drop them in the neck holes. Let the glue set for about 5 minutes to start setting up. Then install the neck with the screws installed all the way but tight yet, then let it sit over night. The screws will act like a clamp tightly pressing the tooth picks to the inside of the screw holes.

When everything drys over night, tighten the screws and restring your bass.
Click to expand...

Doing that tomorrow, thank you a lot! :hyper:
 
#13
Before doweling, you might want to see if you can find some larger screws. A slightly wider screw may rethread the old hole and hold fine. If you can go slightly deeper without damaging the fingerboard that would help too. If that doesn't work I would go with the dowel (or toothpick) method.
 
#14
Also, if the neck came off the bass while it was in the stand it had to be pretty loose before you set it down. After you make your repair with toothpicks or whatever I'd recommend that you check occasionally that the neck is still firmly seated in the neck pocket and that the screws are tight. And stop taking the neck off the bass!!!

If you really do need to disassemble it often try to find a luthier, cabinet maker, machinist, etc (someone good at drilling accurate holes and making good measurments) and have them install some metal inserts in the neck to accept machine screws. Wood and wood screws are really not made for more than a few cycles of disassembly.
 
#15
toothpicks and wood glue is your best bet, friend.

I've used the toothpick method WITHOUT glue and it has held up many times, but on something with as much tension as a neck, you don't want to take any chances so I'd use both. Just take some toothpicks or dowel rods, stuff them into the hole where they barely peek out of the hole if at all. Once you've shoved as many in there as you can (may need to hammer some in to make sure it's tight), pour in the wood glue and let it sit for a good long while. When it's solid, get your screws and put the neck back in place. Simple as that.
 
#17
grisezd said:
Also, if the neck came off the bass while it was in the stand it had to be pretty loose before you set it down. After you make your repair with toothpicks or whatever I'd recommend that you check occasionally that the neck is still firmly seated in the neck pocket and that the screws are tight. And stop taking the neck off the bass!!!

If you really do need to disassemble it often try to find a luthier, cabinet maker, machinist, etc (someone good at drilling accurate holes and making good measurments) and have them install some metal inserts in the neck to accept machine screws. Wood and wood screws are really not made for more than a few cycles of disassembly.
Click to expand...

It was not in the stand, I was taking it off me to put it in the stand and mid way to it, it came off, like John Entwistle said "I had a instant four string harp".
 
#19
HeavyDuty said:
Do not use superglue - it soaks into the wood and hardens it.
Click to expand...

There is nothing wrong with CA in a repair, I use super glue when dowling a hole. The reason wood glue is better for the toothpick technique, is that you can install the screws with the glue not completely dry, and it will act as a clamp pressing the toothpick against the inside of the screw hole. If using super glue, it would stick to the screw as well, and the whole repair could possibly come out with the screw the next time it was removed.

Big B's idea of using a slightly larger screw is a very good one. I would try that first.
 
#20
Hopkins said:
There is nothing wrong with CA in a repair, I use super glue when dowling a hole. The reason wood glue is better for the toothpick technique, is that you can install the screws with the glue not completely dry, and it will act as a clamp pressing the toothpick against the inside of the screw hole. If using super glue, it would stick to the screw as well, and the whole repair could possibly come out with the screw the next time it was removed.

Big B's idea of using a slightly larger screw is a very good one. I would try that first.
Click to expand...



I agree there is nothing wrong with using CA in a repair, but it's an inappropriate choice for this fix - it's too brittle and doesn't have the sheer strength needed for neck mounting. Now, if you're trying to harden a neck under a truss rod nut, now we're talking - CA is the perfect choice.
 

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