Neck hole repair

[Tomatonator]

Hi all, I have a guitar neck where 1 screw is different from the other 3 and the hole for this one looks to have been drilled twice for some reason so the outer edge of the holes looks kind of like a figure of eight.

I'm looking at filling and redrilling but wondering whether it would be best to drill over the top of both (approx. 6mm) and plug or fill each with a smaller dowell/plug and drill through the body hole somewhere between them which is where the neck hole seems to need to be for this guitar body. At least the other 3 screw in properly. I'll also need to get a 4th identical screw and turf the odd one.

 

[Cagey]

Drill it large enough to eliminate both the wrong holes. You'll likely need to use a drill press with the neck clamped in place or the bit is going to wander and favor/follow one or the other existing hole. Plug the new hole with a Birch or Maple dowel, and let the glue cure thoroughly. Like 24hrs. Then, drill a new hole in the right place.

 

[Tomatonator]

Thanks for the info...

Look mum, no drill press I made a jig of sorts to assist with alignment for my regular drill. Unfortunately I didn't have maple handy so this is an oak dowel which I read is also ok although obviously doesn't match as nicely. I'm happy with the work I did. I went with 8mm dowel since 6mm looked a touch small and there was no 7mm. As you can see the holes were basically joined and the bit was new/sharp so there wasn't any drill wandering. I've also drilled the pilot hole in the right place through the dowel now.

I'm not sure the 3 matching screws it had are standard. I looked on allparts.com and it looks like standard screws are 1.75" or 44.45mm whereas mine are 41.3mm. Hopefully they are standard thread otherwise if I sell this neck on the next person might be hunting around for fitting screws or redrilling the other 3 holes!

Is it likely to matter if the threads are different and I get standard screws for all 4 holes? Or is it better to use 1 standard in the new hole and the 3 that were there already for as long as I keep the neck?

 

[BigSteve22]

I'm not sure the 3 matching screws it had are standard. I looked on allparts.com and it looks like standard screws are 1.75" or 44.45mm whereas mine are 41.3mm. Hopefully they are standard thread otherwise if I sell this neck on the next person might be hunting around for fitting screws or redrilling the other 3 holes!

Is it likely to matter if the threads are different and I get standard screws for all 4 holes? Or is it better to use 1 standard in the new hole and the 3 that were there already for as long as I keep the neck?

Looks like a nice job on the doweling. Before I had a drill press I also used a drill guide with my portable. You seem to have gotten excellent results with yours.

As for the screws, those 41.3mm screws are only .125" shorter than "Standard" screws, which is truly unlikely to make any difference. Remember, the length of an Oval Head screw is measured the same way a Flat Head is measured, from the widest portion of the head to the point.

Wood screws are not precision manufactured items, so variations are common. If you're concerned about the thread pitch, just place one screw up against the other, and see if they line up. "Standard" neck screws are #8x1-3/4" wood screws. If the existing screws are doing their job of holding the neck solidly in place, I wouldn't plug and re-drill the holes just for the sake of standardization.

You also didn't say if the body this neck is used with has a contoured heel. If so, two of the screws should only be 1-1/2" long.

 

[Tomatonator]

Thanks for the reply - interesting to know regarding the measuring point of the screws. I'm mainly interested in the thread/root diameters and spacing although I don't even know how spacing is written I wouldn't redrill the other holes but I would like to choose my own Warmoth neck one day so would want to sell this on in the best possible shape. Maybe I'd have to ship it with the 3 screws hehe.

The body is a cheap strat copy which I posted when I 1st picked it up here http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=27837.msg395411#msg395411

Unfortunately I don't have any standard screws around. I have one other bolt on neck and it also looks to have non standard screws but I've had that guitar since new so there are no changes required. I also forgot to mention the thread diameter is 5mm on the 3 matching screws and what I think is the root diameter is 3.5mm. The new hole I put in the dowel is 3.5mm.

 

[BigSteve22]

Thanks for the reply - interesting to know regarding the measuring point of the screws. I'm mainly interested in the thread/root diameters and spacing although I don't even know how spacing is written I wouldn't redrill the other holes but I would like to choose my own Warmoth neck one day so would want to sell this on in the best possible shape. Maybe I'd have to ship it with the 3 screws hehe.

The body is a cheap strat copy which I posted when I 1st picked it up here http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=27837.msg395411#msg395411

Unfortunately I don't have any standard screws around. I have one other bolt on neck and it also looks to have non standard screws but I've had that guitar since new so there are no changes required. I also forgot to mention the thread diameter is 5mm on the 3 matching screws and what I think is the root diameter is 3.5mm. The new hole I put in the dowel is 3.5mm.

A 5mm thread diameter translates to about a #10 gauge Imperial screw, which should have a root diameter of .130" or 3.3mm. This would indicate that the screws your neck is set up for are the metric equivalent of a #10 instead of #8. No big deal, just different. Personally, I'd keep them all the same, and since you've already drilled the plug to accept a 3.5mm root, (a #8 screw has a root of about 2.8mm), I think that's the way to go.