Jump to content

Neck joint machine bolts


Recommended Posts

Threaded Inserts

I'm using the 12K10 type. I use stainless oval headed screws with the stewmac ferrules for the body side. I never thought they would make much of a difference but I like them so much that I'm planning on using them for all of my future bolt-ons. They are just very solid sounding - hard to describe but I can hear a difference between wood screws and these.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Threaded Inserts

I'm using the 12K10 type. I use stainless oval headed screws with the stewmac ferrules for the body side. I never thought they would make much of a difference but I like them so much that I'm planning on using them for all of my future bolt-ons. They are just very solid sounding - hard to describe but I can hear a difference between wood screws and these.

What kind of machine screw/bolt are you using with it? Specifically, what kind of head? I want to retrofit some bolt-ons and I want to re-use the neck plates so the type of head on the bolts would be kind of important I think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oval head wood screws are what's commonly used for attaching using a neck plate. Just buy the right oval-head machine screws (#10 thread pattern) in the length you need to match up with those inserts.

I've got a bolt-on guitar project waiting to be finished and assembled, and i think i'm going to try using threaded inserts with it. I'd love to use oval-head Robertson machine screws for better durability than Phillips heads give.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To use the stock plates, you'll need to use something like 8-32 screws. I have a bag of the 10-24 stainless screws like vintique uses, but I have yet to make or buy custom plates for them. Some necks don't have the problem with the plate. For example, a Peavey wolfgang neck takes the 10-24 machine screw heads perfectly in the little screw bushings on the back of the body.

And if you use 8-32, you'll probably have a little "slop" in the body holes. You could put some kind of tubing around the screws to help with that. I have used 8-32 screws in the past, but just don't feel they are heavy-duty enough, which is why I bought the bulk amount of 10-24 screws.

Rob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't worry too much about the phillips head / square head thing. If you are using any type of insert with them, you won't need to apply a tremendous amount of pressure on them - in fact, you would run the risk of stripping the brass. You probably won't be able to relate until you've tried them. I think you'll see that the phillips head will work just fine over the life span of the guitar.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As a matter of principle I wouldn't use brass inserts with stainless screws. Using two different types of metal causes problems as they both have a differenrt electrode potential. This creates little eddy currents and in the presence of moisture can cause degredation of the (in this case - probably) the brass inserts. It probably won't be too much of a problem on a guitar but it's a possability and might cause problems 20 years or so down the line.

Not saying you shouldn't do it, just thought you should be aware.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As a matter of principle I wouldn't use brass inserts with stainless screws. Using two different types of metal causes problems as they both have a differenrt electrode potential. This creates little eddy currents and in the presence of moisture can cause degredation of the (in this case - probably) the brass inserts. It probably won't be too much of a problem on a guitar but it's a possability and might cause problems 20 years or so down the line.

Not saying you shouldn't do it, just thought you should be aware.

Good point. I asked a similar question when it was suggested to use snipped up aluminum cans for floyd rose saddles shims. I found this article for trailer manufacturers about the use of dissimilar metals and galvanic corrosion.

This is probably why vintique uses stainless steel insert... but those prices!!! :D

Anyone know of a (reasonable) source for stainless steel inserts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Brian Goode - 07:09pm Jan 14, 2004 EST (#5 of 13)

Warmoth Guitar Products

I've used 8-32 oval-head stainless screws with screw-in brass inserts with great results. There's an exotic Tele knockoff company out there that uses the stainless inserts as well as stainless screws, but friends who know metalworking say this is not a good idea. Seems that stainless-on-stainless tends to gall and sieze up the screws. The harder stainless screw with a softer brass insert turns very smoothly, and is still an order of magnitude or so stronger than the wood screw it replaces.

Here's a quote that I found to be very useful. Another post in that thread suggested using some petroleum jelly or No-Oxid-A if you wanted to use stainless with stainless inserts. There's some good info in there on this subject. Some of it is just peoples opinions and thoughts and some of it is first hadn experience such as the one I quoted from Warmoth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anyone know of a (reasonable) source for stainless steel inserts?

NO ! WAIT! - read my reply on this before anyone scares you into doing something you'll regret. The stainless with stainless actually doesn't work that well unless you use what is listed. In my opinion (and the person from Warmoth), stay with the brass - you should be fine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Vintique does not use stainless inserts. They use regular steel inserts, and the SCREWS are stainless. Brass inserts are not great and distort easily when driving them in to hard maple.

I know someone who bought the whole vintique kit, and said the inserts are steel, but not ss.

I hope you post about how your procedure goes.

Rob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Vintique does not use stainless inserts. They use regular steel inserts, and the SCREWS are stainless. Brass inserts are not great and distort easily when driving them in to hard maple.

I know someone who bought the whole vintique kit, and said the inserts are steel, but not ss.

I hope you post about how your procedure goes.

Rob

Ooh! You're right! Their webpage is a little deceptive (or at least unclear) with the wording "...our stainless neck plate kits..." It specifically mentions the bolts being SS but they make no mention of the inserts at all on that page.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Brass inserts are not great and distort easily when driving them in to hard maple.

I wouldn't say that they are not great. I like them a lot. I don't know if I'm going to use them on a maple neck but I think I would at least try it. I am using them in a black limba neck and there are no worries especially concerning distorting. I don't know if you have seen the ones that I am using or not but they are quite hefty and I would be very surprised if they had problems when driven into maple. I might try it later tonight and see. The ones that lmii sells are brass, I believe and the ones that the person from Warmoth is using are brass also. I really don't think there's any reason to avoid brass and go looking for steel inserts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope you're not using those really big ones made by ' E-Z lok' on a neck around the width of a strat neck. They make the outer threads .453" (little over 7/16") for the inserts used with 8-32 and 10-24 machine screws. The outer threads on these inserts would come close to busting out the sides of the neck, if you are locating the neck screw holes in the same location as a typical strat.

Rob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...