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Defective Screws Breaking In My Body?


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Here is a bit of a predicament.... I just got the final pieces to finish my tele project. I purchased a Fender bridge from GRguitars.com and I was set to try everything out. I had holes pre drilled to where the bridge was to line up. When I went to install the first of 4 screws to mount the bridge, I got almost entirely "in" and the screw broke.

It made me a little irritated but I am sure these things happen and after all, it was only one screw. I think to myself, no problem - I will find a way to fix the screw hole and in the meanwhile I can still mount the bridge with the remaining 3 screws and play it.

Screw #2 goes in - no problem.

Screw #3 - break. :D Am I just a glutton for punnishment today?

Screw #4 - break. :D

Now my question is two fold. One, how do you repair 3 broken screws in the bridge mount holes of where your tele bridge is suppose to be(there are no threads visible on any of the screw holes.

Two, what would you do if you were me - is this something worth bitching about to Greg Roggers guitars? I mean, they sold me a product with defective parts. The problem is 3 new replacement screws does me no good as the swamp ash body appears to be ruined for the vintage style tele bridge - as well as my time and paint going down the drain. Am I right to ask for a new body? I really don't want a new body - I want to fix the old one but if that can't happen, then what? To make it worse, I don't really have many wood shop tools to do a clean route and repalcement of the area... Any ideas?

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if I could I would grab the screw ends with pliers and twist/pull them out. if you have a drill press you could try drilling them out. this happened to me with tuners b/c I didn't drill big enough piolot holes. just a thought

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I this isn't what you want to hear, but if it happened in 3 different holes, with three different screws, the problem is probably you. No bolt on guitar is ever ideally setup to ahve the neck and hardware fitted without the odd tweak, so next time you have to strain to get a screw in, back off and tweak the size of the hole.

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Yup, ALWAYS drill pilot holes for every screw you plan to insert in your body or neck wood. You risk the chance of splitting wood or....snapping screws from having to use too much force. Picture the screw without the threads, that is the size drill bit I usually use for the pilot hole. Makes a snug fit without having to use too much force.

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it may not be his fault.i bought some screws once from ace hardware(made in china) and,even though i had pilot holes of the proper size drilled,two of them broke off flush with the body under very reasonable pressure.

of course,these WERE very small screws.but now i only buy ss screws of good quality.that is no place to scrimp

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I don't know if this is any help, but it's a good check to make sure you have the right size bit before you mount stuff (I'm real picky about pilot holes and the various materials that I'm drilling). I always try to anticipate what I'm going to be working on well in advance so that when I drive by a Home Depot, or similar, I can run in and pick up a drill bit or two taht I might need. Let's face it, most of the holes we drill into wood, for wood screws, are going to be #2, #4, #6, #8, or #10. The pilot holes, be it for soft hardwood, or hard hardwood, are small, so the price of a fresh bit is usually just a buck or two. A small price to pay to have a smooth project. Believe me, I learned the hard way that the often times seemingly trivial aspects of fitting a piece to your work can be the show stopper. I've barbequed brisket over more than one piece of GOOD project wood.....

http://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-informat...-Hole-Size.aspx

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Go down to Sears and grab a Screw-Out set. It'll be easier than drilling the broken screws out, especially if you don't have a drill press.

Next time, drill the pilots a little bigger, use quality SS screws, and rub a bar of soap on the threads to lube 'em up.

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Good advice guys. The guide holes were drilled by the maker of the guitar body(Priest Guitars). I thought the hole was close but I will be for certain next time. I will also try the bar soap next time for sure too. I guess I need to make my way to Sears since I don't have a drill press(yet).

Does the fact that the screws are relatively small make a difference in finding a suitable scew out set(do they come that small)?

Thanks for all your help!!!

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Actually, I just had a brain fart. You'll need the Drill-Outs, not the screw outs, and they won't work if you don't at least have a hand drill. Bring one of the screws in with you and hold it up to the smallest drill-out bit. If the screw is smaller, it won't work.

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I'm having a similar but different problem. I drill holes in the body for screwing the neck and neck plate on...test things out, make sure it lines up...I managed to strip two of the screws!

The metal just melted...okay, these screws are 20 years old (so's the neck), but still...now I have to find a new set.

Luckily I stopped before it was too late and was able to back the screws out....

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Another possibility for removing the screws is fine brass tube. You can cut teeth in the end and use it as a one-shot hole saw, to remove the screws, and a tiny area of wood around it. Then you dowel and re-drill. Again, you'll need at least a handheld power screwdriver for this.... it would be extremely tediuous by hand!

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