Bolt on neck solution, glue set / bolt in ?

[Kuro Uma]

Ok so lets say you have a guitar brought to you with modified neck pocket heal. such that it leaves it with the area of only 3 of the neck pocket screw holes. I'll use a warmoth soloist body to visually get my point across.

Like this:

Now they want the neck glued in.. and bolted.
The body has no screw holes and they want to use recessed ferrules with a threaded insert bolt on kit. but with only 3 bolts as it looks like there simply isn't enough room for a 4th without getting into truss rod territory.

I said this will be pretty much permanent.  The neck pocket is bare wood and the neck itself is bare as well. They fit together very tightly.
But my concern is this, Will the glue truly compensate enough for the missing 4th bolt? I figured this is as good a place as any to ask this question.

 

[spauldingrules]

No.

 

[Kuro Uma]

I ask because didnt Ritchie Blackmore glue his 3 bolt strat necks in, then crank em down?

 

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

I'm pretty sure the strats Blackmore used were the old Fender 3 bolt (triangular) joints, which was designed to have 3 bolts, rather than a 4 bolt rectangular pattern with 1 bolt missing.  The lack of symmety down there is going to mean stress being unevenly distributed, which is [major understatement]bad[/major understatement].

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

+1 for the "no."

Blacckmore's 3-bolt and this proposed 3-bolt are nowhere near the same animal.

 

[line6man]

Ok so lets say you have a guitar brought to you with modified neck pocket heal. such that it leaves it with the area of only 3 of the neck pocket screw holes.

It sounds like you've done something VERY BAD, but it's ok. Throw it in the fireplace and we never have to speak of this tragedy again. You are forgiven, but more importantly, this never happened!

 

[AutoBat]

Glue is a terrible idea and not the correct way to 'fix' this problem.
If your truss rod adjusts at the neck, make the fourth hole, if it's a side-adjust, someone on this board made the modification to get around that and use the Fender style 4 bolt contoured heel neckplate.

 

[rapfohl09]

I agree with everyone else and cant see anything good coming from this. I think the body is pretty much shot without extensive modifications.

P.S. Autobat I love your sig :laughing7:

 

[Jusatele]

expensive firewood

 

[Kuro Uma]

Ok so lets say you have a guitar brought to you with modified neck pocket heal. such that it leaves it with the area of only 3 of the neck pocket screw holes.

It sounds like you've done something VERY BAD, but it's ok. Throw it in the fireplace and we never have to speak of this tragedy again. You are forgiven, but more importantly, this never happened!

I haven't done anything LOL! I just told them I'd look into it and see if I can help. This is still up at the shop. I asked here about it and googled a bit. (coming up with the Ritchie Blackmore stuff) It looks like they bought a generic strat body and really went after it with a saw. I guess trying to create an Ibanez like pocket. but its cut too far for even those angled 4 bolt plates. I can't imagine they built the body otherwise why would they come to me for work on it and asking to recess the ferrules. I'll just tell em its a bad idea and send em on their way. I'll snap a pic before so you guys can see what i mean. If I was trying to contour the heel in a similar manner for one of my guitars I would've planned it out.

 

[Kuro Uma]

Glue is a terrible idea and not the correct way to 'fix' this problem.
If your truss rod adjusts at the neck, make the fourth hole, if it's a side-adjust, someone on this board made the modification to get around that and use the Fender style 4 bolt contoured heel neckplate.

It has no side adjust, it's not a warmoth neck. no markings. It's cut so far you're really only gonna get 3 holes in it. especially since ferrules are wanting to be used. It's just a bad idea like you guys say. I'm not doing it. Because I can't guarantee it

 

[line6man]

P.S. Autobat I love your sig :laughing7:

Indeed. :blob7:

 

[Corey P.]

From a pure curiosity standpoint, could something like that conceivably be re-fitted with a set neck if you routed out the neck pocket and some of the body? 

 

[Nightclub Dwight]

I think this is a lost cause whether it be a bolt on, glue on, or set neck not matter what modifications are made.

 

[Corey P.]

Oh, same, was really just curious if it was a theoretical possibility.

 

[Jeremiah]

Maybe a workable option would be to turn it into some kind of nylon-string hybrid like some of the guitars people have built on here - nylon strings have much lower string tension than nickel or steel so the stress caused by asymmetry may not be a problem. (Classical guitars do not need a truss rod as the string tension is so much lower.)

But still, if it's a guitar a customer has brought to you, you're best telling him it can't be done.

 

[lafromla1]

I'd string it up and see if it explodes on the first bend  :icon_biggrin: