A Bender Telecaster for Bill

stratamania said:
Logrinn, I agree it is getting more difficult to source imperial measurements locally. Especially in the UK where invented imperial measurements, feet, and inches its somewhat ironic.

Indeed! The irony ...

Anyway, hope you're having a nice christmas.  :eek:ccasion14:
 
Logrinn said:
stratamania said:
Logrinn, I agree it is getting more difficult to source imperial measurements locally. Especially in the UK where invented imperial measurements, feet, and inches its somewhat ironic.

Indeed! The irony ...

Anyway, hope you're having a nice christmas.  :eek:ccasion14:

So far so good. Have a good Christmas, too.

 
davegardner0 said:
... I think all of the materials would be strong enough. Honestly if anything is going to fail I think it's going to be the insert's threads into the wood since you only have ~4 threads grabbing the wood instead of the normal ~10 on a neck screw. As for material I'd go with either the stainless:
https://www.mcmaster.com/#inserts-for-wood/=1atsfka
or brass
https://www.mcmaster.com/#inserts-for-wood/=1atsfqm
...

I'd guess the 10-24 and maybe even a 1/4-20 would fit through a neck plate in addition to the 8-32's in the kit that was linked previously. What sort of screws do you guys use with these. An oval head machine screw?

I've used both the brass and stainless that you've got reference here. Both work just fine, but it is a very good idea to tap the holes in the neck before installing the inserts.

The one problem that I've come across is that the tops of the brass inserts tend to strip, even when using the McMaster-Carr insert tool. Maple, et.al. are very dense and there's a lot of friction working against the insert, even in a tapped hole. No problem really though. Two or three passes with a file takes the broken tops off and leaves the insert level with the base of the neck.

Unless there's a specific reason not to, I'm using 8-32 Stainless oval head machine screws with the inserts.
 
MikeW said:
The one problem that I've come across is that the tops of the brass inserts tend to strip, even when using the McMaster-Carr insert tool. Maple, et.al. are very dense and there's a lot of friction working against the insert, even in a tapped hole. No problem really though. Two or three passes with a file takes the broken tops off and leaves the insert level with the base of the neck.

Unless there's a specific reason not to, I'm using 8-32 Stainless oval head machine screws with the inserts.

If you countersink the holes a bit with a 3/8" Forstner...

IMG_2859_Sm.JPG

...then you have clearance for the insert tool and are able to get the insert below the plane of the heel...

InsertsIN.JPG

It looks a little nicer, if that matters, and saves having to do any grinding. But more to the point: if you ever have to remove the insert, you've still got something to bite on. Removal shouldn't ever be necessary, but knock on wood if you say that out loud. I managed to drive an insert in slightly out of square once, then cross-threaded the damned thing installing the neck. Recovering from that comedy of errors was the genesis of a whole dictionary of new cuss words :laughing7:
 
No, drill press would be too much work. I just made a little jig out of some fuel. Couple of 2" lengths of 1x2 glued together with a 5/16" hole drilled through them on the press to ensure the hole was perpendicular...

IMG_2858_Sm.JPG

Hold it in place on the heel with one hand while tapping with the other. Works like a charm, costs almost nothing.

 
Cagey said:
No, drill press would be too much work. I just made a little jig out of some fuel. Couple of 2" lengths of 1x2 glued together with a 5/16" hole drilled through them on the press to ensure the hole was perpendicular...

IMG_2858_Sm.JPG

Hold it in place on the heel with one hand while tapping with the other. Works like a charm, costs almost nothing.
I tried Kevin's drilled block and, yes, it works like a charm. In the past, I've used a drill press to align the tap but this is what I'll do from now on.
 
The problem with using the drill press and tapping wood is the tap isn't allowed to follow its own lead. The press is sorta fighting you. With metal, it's different. The tool sorta controls itself to some degree. Since you don't dare power up the press, the only thing it offers is squareness, which you can get by hand with the jig and some TLC.
 
Cagey said:
The problem with using the drill press and tapping wood is the tap isn't allowed to follow its own lead. The press is sorta fighting you. With metal, it's different. The tool sorta controls itself to some degree. Since you don't dare power up the press, the only thing it offers is squareness, which you can get by hand with the jig and some TLC.

Your method for countersinking and installing the taps seems 100% the best way to go. I'm curious though, where did you find a tap to match the wood screw threads on the outside of the insert? I didn't know that wood screw taps were a thing. I'd love to get official wood screw taps for various sizes instead of grinding off the side of screws...
 
For some reason, they don't publish the thread rates on the exterior threads of inserts. I suspect it's because the vast majority of them are supposed to be "self-threading", so who cares? The problem is with guitar/bass necks, we're generally dealing with the hardest of hardwoods, so they don't displace like more frequently used construction/cabinetry woods. You really want to tap the hole before you try running the insert in. Otherwise, you risk splitting or blistering the wood, both of which are a Bad Thing.

What you have to do is use a caliper to measure the distance between the peaks of two adjacent threads and divide that into an inch to get a thread rate. Buy a bottoming tap at that size, and you're good to go.

I added a post to a thread around here someplace that lists out compatible inserts/taps and a supplier for them. If I can find it, I'll post a link.
 
Update:  Bill's tuners have arrived - direct from the manufacturer!  Now I just need to make sure I don't break the screws or crack the neck installing them  :eek: :)

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Those are nice, Nice, NICE! I installed a set on somebody's neck here, and was very impressed by them.
 
Mayfly said:
Update:  Bill's tuners have arrived - direct from the manufacturer!
The ones I ordered for my Jazzy came the same way. They'll assemble any combination of components you want, but it does take a while to get your order into their work flow!
Mayfly said:
Now I just need to make sure I don't break the screws or crack the neck installing them  :eek: :)
Exactly why I had Kevin install mine! And a great job as always.....
 

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Yepper.  They are very nice parts, and reasonably priced as well.  For most things I don't have a reason to look elsewhere other than gotoh.

In other news, the tuners are installed!  The usual suspects were involved:  a straightedge, transfer punch, drill with tape on the shaft, a screwdriver, and a candle.  I had to drill a shoulder hole as the latest screws have a bit of a shoulder on them.  But it all turned out well:

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They are pretty, aren't they? Fine attention to detail/shape/polish/etc. Plus, they not only look like a million bucks, they work really well.
 
Mayfly said:
Update:  Bill's tuners have arrived - direct from the manufacturer!  Now I just need to make sure I don't break the screws or crack the neck installing them  :eek: :)

If I may ask, where did you order them from? I am having issues finding the 18:1 ratio locking in gold.

And would really love a set of 6r and 6l 21:1 lockers in chrome for my Takamine 12 String.

Thanks,

Bob
 
Hi Bob,

I got them from Japarts: http://www.japarts.ca/.  They are the north american distributor for Gotoh and other fine Japanese guitar brands.

They can get any Gotoh part in the catalogue with any finish or option.  Most of the time the parts are built to order.  It takes some time, but you can get exactly what you want.
 
Gentlemen,

The guitar is together with an initial setup completed!  I gave the truss rod about a 1/4 turn from loose and the neck has just a leeeetle bit of relief:  Just how I like it!

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The new neck feels great and the guitar has a big throaty sound acoustically.  I like it!
 

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