Help, loose neck!

[Fiver]

Help!

I have put together a parts tele. It's all squire stuff. I have been having some tuning issues and at first I thought,eh it just needs to settle in.

I was playing and sometimes shake the neck for effect. While doing that I noticed it felt a bit loose. I checked the bolts and one feels like it's ready to strip out and one other may be on it's way too. It's a used neck so I don't know what it's been through.

I want to put those inserts into the hole that then allow you to put a machine screw in and hold the neck that way.

First I don't know what you call those things, and second, is this a good idea or is there another way to cure my woes?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[ievans]

Materials:
1 wooden dowel
1 bottle of wood glue

Equipment:
Drill
1 drill bit of equal diameter to the dowel
1 drill bit appropriate for your neck screws
painter's tape to mark the bit depth
Saw to cut dowel
Sandpaper

Machine screws and metal threads is unnecessary, and likely much more difficult. Drill out the holes, cut up the dowel, glue it in, sand it flush, redrill for your current screws.

[spannerman]

ievans' method works fine and is pretty simple. What you were mentioning by the sounds of it are threaded inserts. I'm not sure how much they cost but i've installed some for a friend and they're not too difficult, if you've put together a guitar u can probably manage it

gud luck

[guitarbuilder]

Another option, instead of dowel, you could always use glue and some uncoated wooden toothpick tips ( the thin ones) in the hole. Break some off with pliars and jam them into the hole so that the wood fibers are random and not parallel to the hole. Dip them in some glue before insertion. Dowel is made so that you are looking at endgrain at the end of it. Endgrain doesn't hold screws well.

[TeleTim911]

OR...metal inserts?

[Fiver]

Thanks, those are some good suggestions.

I didn't really consider filling the hole and redrilling. I guess because that would mean locating the holes correctly again. I suppose I could make the dowels just short enough so the there is a small depression to aid lining up the drill bit.

I was thinking the metal inserts, thanks for that, since all I would have to do is drill the hole out a little.

I like the dowel idea since it keeps it all wood. I may give that a whirl once I get back home.

Thanks gents!

[Teleblaster_1]

I've got a sure fire super easy and effective way to fix it, but you may not like it.
How often do you plan on removing the neck?

[waygorked]

Big thumbs up on the metal inserts method. I just did this to a strat with a single mildly stripped hole last night, and was astounded by what a difference it made. Suddenly the guitar sings, way more than it ever had. It literally took 15 minutes to do, and cost 25 bucks. I'm not sure if we're allowed to post links to commercial sites here, but I found mine by googling strat neck stripped. I'm going to put the inserts in all my guitars from now on.

[Fiver]

've got a sure fire super easy and effective way to fix it, but you may not like it.
How often do you plan on removing the neck?

Hmm. Well I do want to replace it eventually. Though what I really want to do is build a nice one, maybe Warmoth or similar. I like a thick neck. This one was cheap and I wanted to have some fun and try some things out. What is your suggestion?

So the inserts are great and easy to do? Hmmm. PM link?

[Teleblaster_1]

OK
I use PC-11 epoxy. It's a two-part paste. Mix some up and use a finishing nail, head first, to force it to the bottom of the screw holes in the neck. Only fill the holes about 1/3 to 1/2 because you don't want the epoxy to ooze out into the neck joint. You can do a "dry run" using the neck bolts to see exactly how much material it will take.
Leave a glob on your work bench for reference.
Put the neck on and tighten the neck bolts, but not enough where they are spinning in the neck.
Using the glob of epoxy on your workbench as a reference, wait until it dries to a consistency of plastic army men or a little softer, DO NOT wait until it is hard as rock. This takes anywhere from 2 to 6 hours depending on your mix and the temperature.
While the epoxy is plastic-y but not fully cured, torque those neck bolts down, make sure you got the right Phillips screwdriver to fit perfectly, and crank 'em down.
Leave the epoxy to cure overnight.
The only disadvantage is that sometimes you have to heat the neck bolts for removal. Sometimes the bolt will screw right out, it depends if the epoxy adheres to the thread on the neck bolt.
I've done this quite a few times with great success.
Works better for me than toothpicks and dowels.
If you want to re-drill the holes, get a wood plug cutter and a hardwood fret board blank.
Use an endmill of the same size to open up the bolt holes. Glue a couple of the wood plugs in, as mentioned earlier in this thread, you will now have strong cross grain hardwood to drive your neck bolts into.

[bokeh]

http://www.ezlok.com/InsertsWood/hardWood.html

[Scooter91]

I found some hex drive 8-32 inserts at Menards for .69 apiece for steel, brass were a bit higher as I recall.

[TeleTim911]

I got my brass inserts at Lowe's...like $1 a pair?

[Fiver]

I think I see a trip to the big box hardware store in my future. That will make two people happy. (wife)

Epoxy sounds like an accident waiting to happen though I appreciate the post. I can see it now.. everything in the garage stuck together including accidently dragging some in the house. That would make two people unhappy. (wife again)

The inserts seem like they will offer the most holding strength.

[gtrplr]

I got my brass inserts at Lowe's...like $1 a pair?

+1

I've used the 10-24 brass inserts from Lowe's with success on a neck I bought at a swap meet. The guitar really sings, and I, too, will be putting these in all my guitars.

One word of warning. Don't try to screw in the brass inserts using the slot in the insert. Screw a short screw into the insert and use that to drive the insert into the neck.

This page has some good step by step instructions on how to do it. I didn't bother to use a tap, and it still worked just fine.

[Thin69]

I've have been lucky through the years that I have never had to do this. I have always thought I would go with the metal inserts if I needed to do this as it appears to be robust and very importantly looks like they would have a very long life. I have used similar metal insert in wood many times and they have always worked great.

I only take necks off when I have no other options and I try to be extremely careful not to over-torque the screws when installing. I suspect that even with proper torque they will strip after being torqued excessively.

Good Luck!!