Pickguard inserts ?

[croquet hoop]

I know that neck inserts have been discussed at length on this board, but what about inserts & screws for pickguards and control plates ? It may seem superfluous, but as someone who switches pickguards quite often and opens the electronics cavity of my guitars regularly, I find the idea interesting. The thing is, I can't find what I need anywhere near where I live (France), at least for inserts — and I'm not sure what screw & inserts size I need. Oval head screws, but which diameter/threading ?

Anyone has a link to the type of screws that would fit in typical pickguard holes and the corresponding inserts ? (which will certainly be fitted on a chambered body) I don't care if I have to order from a US shop as long as I get precisely what I need.

 

[bagman67]

The one reason I can come up with to not do this is that pickguard screwholes are notoriously inconsistent from one supplier to the next, and even within suppliers.  You could go to the trouble of installing 8 (or 11) inserts, and then find out that various holes are between 1 mm and 3 mm off when you go to swap pickguards.

 

[Cagey]

That's true. Also, even if there were no plans to change pickguards, installing the inserts in the first place could be demanding. They're threaded for machine screws rather than the usual wood screws, so placement is highly critical. A wood screw allows for some slop - a  machine screw has to be spot-on, or it'll cross-thread.

That said, I have seen people do it for rear control cavity covers, particularly when they have batteries stashed inside. You can only run a wood screw in/out so many times before the hole is shot. So, you can get some small inserts with an internal thread of 4-40 here, then find the screws you like wherever.

These days, I think most folks are installing battery boxes. Of course, that doesn't help if you want to pull your pickguard frequently to change pickups or wiring.

 

[croquet hoop]

Well, thanks you both, lookes like you've spared me some trouble.

 

[Cagey]

Incidentally, for battery box installations, rather than route a cavity in the body you may be able to mount it on the control cavity cover like I did here on my VIP...

If you use a flat battery box like you can get here, there should be room. Then you don't have to pull the cover to change batteries.

 

[Johnny]

Nice idea, Cagey  :laughing7:

 

[Cagey]

There you go! We should start a club... <grin>

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

I've done the threaded inserts on control cavities of 2 builds.