BigRedX wrote:
The current problem with the neck screws may well be the result of previous over-zealous tightening which was only a temporary fix as the tension of the strings always overcame the tension of the neck screws.
IME the only permanent way to solve this problem is to first sort out the neck pocket so that the neck is held in place snugly and cannot move sideways due to the size and shape of the pocket alone. Once you have done that then you can begin to address the rest of the problems with the neck.
Right. That is it! I kept taking this guitar to the shop over the years, and I think they just tightened the screws down. Well, now the heads were stripped and the holes were stripped.
The new hardwood dowels seem to be taking. Have not reassembled yet.
So the question is this. Before I reassemble this guy, should I do anything to fix the pocket?
I am not hard on guitars but I do play them! And I do wear my strap connected to the head. Looking for a stable instrument. No creaks/cracks.
I am not sure I see how the pocket holds the neck in place. I mean, once I get my three screws locked down tight that is it right? The pocket is no matter.
Previous photos of when you got the strings running properly seemed to show the neck up tight along the upper side of the pocket. If so, then you can try fitting a shim in the short gap between the neck and the lower part of the pocket.
Because it's the short side of the pocket, it won't be quite as effective as if it was on the long side, but at least it will keep the very end of the neck in place. This in turn will reduce and tendency for the neck to move.
It looks like the tilt grub screw is in place, but not sticking out of the body plate. The right size hex key down the hole should allow you to wind it out completely so there's no risk of it pushing the neck at an angle as BRX suggested it could.
Late 70s was a very low point for QC at Fender, although the size of the neck pocket on your guitar isn't as over generous as some I've seen from this era.
As has been said you need to shim the sides of the pocket in order to prevent lateral movement of the neck. I'd not bother with the Micro-tilt as it appears that the plate on the neck is not mounted flat, and use a conventional wood or card shim if you need to change the vertical angle of the neck.
If that doesn't work what about a couple of dowels (hardwood or, better still, metal) through the body into the heel behind the back plate (engineering solution rather than Luthier)?
You'd need to ensure the neck was properly aligned before drilling the holes, so you would need to use some washers rather than the neck plate for an alignment fitting and extra hole drilling.
But really I'd first try a lateral shim down the side of the pocket. And with the newly dowelled holes and no micro-tilt screw, you should then be fine. The least you do, the more value the guitar retains. Maybe not your biggest concern at the moment, but if you do decide to let it go in the future, you may as well maximise your return.
I was thinking, fit the neck using washers or a spare neck plate then drill for the dowels from the back between the washers/through the spare plate (or pre drill the plate as a guide). I would definitely try something less invasive first though
Last edited by Sam Spoons on Tue Sep 10, 2019 2:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Neck is back on. Used new hardware. Dowel inserts were the key to making it work. Screws are very tight. Neck seems very stable now. Not using the grub screw. I reshaped the pocket just a bit and the neck seems to sit in there firmly now.
Also the machine screw that came with the new hardware set is much firmer and tighter in the metal threaded hole. The old bolt would bottom out before it was tight. But the new bolt gets fully tight and never bottoms out.
