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Bolt On Neck


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Hi, from what I can tell "bolt on necks" are actualy "screw on necks". Do any manufacturers actualy use bolts? Couldnt the neck be attached with bolts thru the actual neck and body? Mabey if a small plate was fitted under the fingerboard with the bolts in, then the nuts could be fitted at the back of the body? (ok not ideal but bear me out) A screw is going to pull much more at the poiint where it goes into the wood. And where it actualy penetrates the wood it may cause a slight buldge which will affect the contact area. Where as having the neck and body sandwitched between two plates will result in more even presure across the join. Hence better contact and better sustain?

Anyone tried this?

Or is it a daft idea :D ?

chris

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Bolt-on necks are, usually, wood-screwed necks -- yes.

A lot of folks want a stronger connection, which also allows the neck to be removed/reconnected without tearing the wood/loosening the connection over time.

So, they use "cabinetry" type hardware: knock-down bolts/nuts, machine screws/inserts, etc.

I've used the 1/4"-20 bolts with brass inserts -- this tends to be a bit larger than the neck wood screws. But for fixer-uppers from eBay, I want something that fits the existing holes/neck-grommets. So, I'm looking for something smaller (which is harder to find) -- the #6-32 inserts/bolts. The 1/4"-20 (same as #10-20?) seems to be a "standard" size.

The inserts are fitted (screwed) in a hole in the neck, epoxied/glued in place. These things have barbs or threads that hold it in the wood. However, some folks plan ahead (not me :-) and place T-nuts in from the fretboard side of the neck.

Google for T-nuts, etc ... and you'll see there is a collar on those, which forces you to put it in from the "other" side from the bolt/machine-screw.

Some folks even use small inserts/machine-screws for other places (cavity covers, etc.).

--> notice this is useful across guitar types (see

http://www.cumpiano.com/Home/Articles/Spec.../headblock.html for the acoustic folks' examples of knockdown bolts in neck heels)

-- joe

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Some folks even use small inserts/machine-screws for other places (cavity covers, etc.).

I had some Hamers (back in the day..... :D ) that had brass inserts for the cavity covers, and for the direct-mounted pu's.

That was just awesome! Such attention to detail!

Never had the necks off, so I don't know what they had done there.........

B)

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If you have a tap for thd size bolt you want to use (I used 10-24) then you can tap a hole straight into the maple, and not even bother with the threaded insert. It works great for me, and is plenty strong-- when using a crowbar to pry the bolt out of the wood as a test, the head of a stainless steel bolt broke off before the screw even budged from the wood-- so you shouldn't have any trouble.

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The inserts are the easiest to install. Just drill a pilot hole, 1/4" for the ones I got, and screw them in (slotted at one end). 1/8" bolt fits the threaded inside. Thats a little small in comparison to those used in other guitars but I think 4 would still do the trick.

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Some folks even use small inserts/machine-screws for other places (cavity covers, etc.).

I had some Hamers (back in the day..... :D ) that had brass inserts for the cavity covers, and for the direct-mounted pu's.

That was just awesome! Such attention to detail!

Never had the necks off, so I don't know what they had done there.........

B)

Hiya, newbie post !

All US made Hamer's have standard screwed in necks. The threaded insert's are, as you mention, a great idea and show's much attention to detail BUT they use ~4-40 screws which although standard hardware for the US are impossible to get hold of over the pond !

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Some folks even use small inserts/machine-screws for other places (cavity covers, etc.).

I had some Hamers (back in the day..... :D ) that had brass inserts for the cavity covers, and for the direct-mounted pu's.

That was just awesome! Such attention to detail!

Never had the necks off, so I don't know what they had done there.........

B)

Hiya, newbie post !

All US made Hamer's have standard screwed in necks. The threaded insert's are, as you mention, a great idea and show's much attention to detail BUT they use ~4-40 screws which although standard hardware for the US are impossible to get hold of over the pond !

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I was thinking about adding a little super glue to the threads of my inserts, would that be overkill?

What type of wood is it? I used brass inserts in a black limba neck and they aren't going anywhere. I was wondering if I was going to need to apply some CA glue to the wood to stiffen the area where the threads grab but even with that soft of a wood, there was no problem.

One tip that I want to pass along (I don't know if anyone mentioned this yet) -

When you drill the holes for the inserts - make sure you counter sink them a bit before you drive them in. This will prevent any lifting or tearing on the surface of the neck's heel.

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