neck bolts

[shanejw]

When i bolted my neck to my body i got the bolts pretty snug, but i didn't go crazy with the torque.  How tight should i have these?  Do i need to torque them down to the point right before the screws strip?  i put some soap on them, maybe thats why they were so easy to put in, just felt a little too easy for me.  just wondering.

 

[tfarny]

Pretty snug but not crazy sounds right. Is it solidly mounted? You shouldn't be able to do much with it besides some vibrato action. I stripped two neck screws on my first homebuilt (not a W) and had to take it to a shop.

 

[dm251z]

I'll be screwing in my first later this week, and was wondering about that.  Which strips first, the screw or the wood?  btw, my neck is wenge.

 

[Bill in SC]

With ALL woods, the wood will strip before the screw does. Just use common sense and "feel" when tightening. Also use a screwdriver that FITS the screw. The most common error when folks are working on precision stuff is the wrong screwdriver for the application. This is especially true with guitars and guns.
BB in SC

 

[dm251z]

thanks Bill, that's what I figured, just was confused w/ folks talking about stripping neck screws.