Wow.... I've tightened the neck screws as tight as possible before warping the plate or beginning to strip the phillips head screws. Damn. Boy was I wrong. I've had guitars where one of the E strings was closer to the edge of the fretboard than the other and would loosen and move the neck up or down to straiten the string to fret board alignment and while holding it in the proper position tighten the neck screws down as tightly as I could while using my feel to know when to stop. As a mechanic I learned not ro over tighten bolts especially when using a steel bolt going into a aluminum threaded hole. That's dangerous of course. And always using a proper torque wrench set to the recommended tightness from the factory always tightening the bolts in the proper sequence. This video made me smile and feel silly about myself. I've never stripped out the screw holes or had any issues but it's amusing when I learn proper assembly techniques and thank you once again for sharing your knowledge. I will take your advice to the point to where if I notice or sense a neck has slipped or shifted then I'll of course apply more torque to stabilize the neck joint for professional use. Great video and channel.
I agree with you very much. People usually will strip the screws out thinking it needs to be super tight. It doesn't it just needs to be snug. Another great video!
I have seen some 1970 fender models featuring the 3 bolt neck plate and have seen some where the necks have shifted or slipped. I was told that's why fender went back to the 4 bolt system on they're guitars. Thanks Dylan.
It's not the 3 bolt that was the problem,it was the poor neck pocket fitting of fender strats from the 70's.Nothing to do with 3 bolts (i believed that too until i spoke to a renowned luthier)
I like the three bolt concept, lots. The way 4 bolt units are set, it is completely possible, that screws could end up in the same grain. This is like driving a pair splitting wedges in a log. Any actual carpenter avoids this nailing.
do not... ! wood will be impregnated with wax on hot days, wood is dead vegetal tissue and it has the ability to get the wax through hygroscopics ways into the wood , , will transfer wax softening the screw grooves on the neck.. not a good thing for sound transmission.
Some old dutch guitars had no neck pocket. The lack of tone came from the weak pickups, not the neck pocket. I believe they were called Egmonds. They were fun to play on and insanely cheap btw :). Just curious, how do I tighten when a neck is able to move around a little, with a crackling sound. The screws are tight as possible, but it still seems to "move". Any ideas?
Be certain that the through holes in the body are large enough in diameter to Not engage with the screw threads. If the screws thread into the body as well, it is possible to have the screws very tight and yet still not produce adequate clamping force between the body and neck. Make it so!🖖
Its wood. You should never try to torque the screws into wood. Snug is always well enough. Once you start feeling resistance, you should stop or it's much easier than you think to strip the wood threads out.
I once tightened the bolts so hard that the metal bit inside the neck broke out of its housing and then the bolts had nothing to hang onto. I replaced the bolts with screws and it held just fine, but I'm not game to ever remove those screws again.
I bolted my mity mite maple p bass neck to a Squire alder p body using 6 wood screw inserts -2 extra are offset between upper and lower screw holes-. That's machine screws not wood screws that came from factory. Yeah with two extra that neck is torqued solid to body I mean right tight. Result is a HUGE increase in sustain vs factory crap bowed neck with stripped holes and ski jump. The Indonesian body has a neck pocket way oversized like prolly a 1/16 strong too big. I just added kneadable epoxy at the sides. looks amateur but couldn't be more solid. sustain is forever with labella flats. Way I see it's a beater bass not a work of art.
Hey man I have an Ibanez seven string RG its a bolt on but the neck moves around a little in the pocket when I apply force. How can I fix this? Maybe some tooth picks inside the neck holes? I’ve used that method to fix stripped strap buttons before. Thoughts?
Thanks for another great lesson! Could you do a video on how to store guitars i.e, case standing, case laying... strings tuned, strings loose.. truss rod etc? I have a few guitars and some get played about once every 2 weeks, so i'm wondering should i be detuning them.
I humidify and protect my guitars with a gig bag and 1/2 a damp sponge. A pack of 6 sponges at a Dollar Tree can be cut in 1/2 and dampened at a faucet. And that's all it takes.
This is the first time I’ve ever heard a neck plate called a control plate. I had no idea! HA! Just messing with ya! Love your videos. You cut through all the myth bullshit and get to the real shit.
They are wood screws.....not bolts. Bolts screw into a thread or have a nut that screws on. A small detail but important. Oh and the “flares” you mentioned are called a countersink.
Hey Dylan, first of all I want to thank you for the wealth of knowledge you share but maybe it would help gain subscribers if you would add some footage of the building process or any work you do in the shop.
ultrafloss492 we do a lot of that on our Facebook page. Live videos and such. We have been talking about live streaming the shop on TH-cam from time to time
That's great! I just casually watch the videos on TH-cam as I'm not a builder myself but in my opinion this channel should be known and out there. There are too many depressing, malinforming channels from self acclaimed authorities and yours with a couple of others are great to watch and incredibly informative.
Hi there! Where I can find video on how to reduce sustain, because my Chinese fake strat has so long sustain, it is just ridiculous :-( Should I cut the body on two, three or four pieces and re glue it, because it's one whole piece of ash! How should I start experimenting!?! :-0
oh steve one solid piece of ash? poor guy. i think you should run it thru a planer until it is 3/8 inch thinner and then get a sheet of 3/8 plywood and make an awesome veneer for the face of it. be sure to get the cheap plywood with the obvious filled in knotholes because that would look extra cool and it should improve your guitar's tone drastically.
steve bro, i was totally being sarcastic because i couldn't imagine that anybody would seriously complain of their guitar having too much sustain. i mean really, too much sustain? if my chinese strat body was a single piece of ash i would leave it alone and count my blessings.
ok this is true with fender, why does Gibson make a big deal out of using Hide glue for their neck attachment, if it does not have to be tight, then why the big deal with the hide glue joints,
Just me, but never grab or pick up a guitar by the neck. Guitar bodies generally are shaped to have waist lines or shoulders that are better designed to handle the stress load of picking up a guitar. I realize that it's convenient, may not be a problem if the neck is securely bolted on. But if you think about the neck & guitar from headstock to bridge, alignment matters. If you think about where the strap buttons are on a heavy solid body guitar, they aren't attached to the neck itself. Would you pick up a baby/child, a puppy/dog or a kitten/cat by it's neck ? Some guitarists can play a guitar, that doesn't make them engineers/luthiers. Vice versa holds true, some luthiers/engineers can't play guitar to save their lives. And then there are those in the middle that reach for the neck that can play guitar and have some understanding of how a guitar is designed. If you come around any of my guitars, you better not pick it up by the neck. I don't want you handling my guitar if that's the way you pick up one of your own. Feel free to screw up your own instruments, keep your hands off mine.
I 100% agree Jim, I have always believed that from the age of 12 when I started playing, It just seemed like a common sense Thing to me I guess. Anyway, hope you're having a great day and I certainly appreciated your comment Sir. , P.S. I'm now 68 years old and still treat my guitars with kindness, and they always give back the emotion I put into them.
@@DylanTalksTone well, what's considered a good rule of thumb? I have this kit I'm putting together, and the neck is a pretty sizeable distance away. The pickups don't have enough height to get near the strings, and the bridge is raised pretty damn high.
you just made sure i will never buy from you. the holes in the body are the wrong size. the screw is already threading in the body. this means you don't understand how screws work, the physics part. the way you have it can't really tighten thew neck very well, tightening the screw more will crack the body, because instead of pulling the neck tighter, you are compressing the body.
@@DylanTalksTone not to the correct size. when the screw (not bolt) doesn't fit in the hole properly, you drill it to the right size. what kind of builder are you that you don't know that? i thought that was one of your own bodies, so you are the one who predrilled it. you don't understand how screws are supposed to work.
Since, my first bolt on neck, my final torquing has been understring tension. The age old concept ( not mine) is to make sure the neck's heal is in solid contact with the body's mating surface. This contact area is important and why shimming makes no real differance.
Thank you for this video. I began doing my first assembly last night, a Fender Tele body (new from Fender) and a Fender Tele neck (new from Fender). I always knew to "not over-tighten" the neck plate screws, my old '96 Squier Strat would get pretty tight. But last night putting this new Fender neck on a new Fender body, the two screws closest to the neck both stripped with very little effort and kept spinning. I'm thinking those two holes weren't dead on, as they looked a little more ovaled than the other two. I went for the toothpick and carpenters glue trick and let dry overnight. This morning I put the neck back into the pocket and pressed on the neck plate screws to see where I had to drill my pilot holes. Went in with no issue or spinning this time. But I was still curious, "how tight is tight enough, without over-tightening." You answered it for me. Liked and subbed.
I agree but I think thats a tad too loose. Maybe 5 lbs. ft. of torque (using a torque wrench) would be just nice to allow proper friction between the contact surfaces of the neck and body. Just my 2c.
I've had an early 80's Greco Spacey Sound Strat which had its neck pocket too wide for the neck and I had constant problems with this guitar for the neck shifting towards the high E string, so not too tight, but too loose's not good either.
I always put a protective shim under the plate, those black plastic square ones. The shim will even out the pressure and it will create that bit of tension needed to hold the screws as tightened. If the bottom of the heal is glossy then I will rugg it up slihtly so it will snugg in nicely and stay put. Now I do not need to tighten like a maniac.
5:05 Hi, could it be the reason why I hear some creaky sound from the neck plate of my Strat whenever I push the tremolo arm all the way down? I mean, that "scary" sound goes a bit away if I loosen the 4 screws... Is it for that reason? Thanks
A little older video, but I've been enjoying the channel. Building my first tele and getting lots of tips. Appreciate your laid back view on tone. So much over emphasis on the instrument and accessories regarding tone. I've been playing for 30 years with both expensive and cheap guitars. Some "setup" correctly, but many just as they came from the factory. 99% is about the player. Technique has far more effect on tone than anything else. My recommendation is to learn on a cheap guitar. Make that sound good. Then you're free to play any guitar without worry if the neck is shimmed.
Cross Patten when screwing in the neck bolts! Top right, bottom left, bottom right, top left. And it's a good idea to add some wax to the screws so they fit nicer.
Crow tightening like bolting on a cylinder head prevents the cylinder head from warping when being torqued. It’s very important to follow the factories torque sequence at the proper Tightness. The same thing is true with anything your bolting together. And it doesn’t are anymore time to do it that way!
I've built guitars since 1962. I started with Doc Kaufman. I find that the guitar body should have a big enough hole that the neck screws just barely slide through the body. Otherwise the tension isn't all directed towards pulling the neck to the body if the screws have to thread through the body. I hope this helps.
Thank you Mr. Lindsey, I watched a couple reviews on that very exact concept and topic. That the holes in the body of the guitar should allow the wood screws to Freely go through so that when you tighten them into the neck that will pull the neck into the pocket of the body For a solid wood to wood joint connection. It honestly makes perfect sense when you're trying to get a solid joint between two pieces of wood. Anyway, I'm currently rebuilding a Stratocaster and just slightly oversized my holes in the body so the mounting wood screws Will be able to freely pull the neck solid into the body Pocket. Hope you're having a great day and thank you for your comment Sir.
Dead wrong , sorry..! get a lab microphone, make contact with the stop tailpiece part of the guitar, then, use some tape to secure it... with loose screws, pick the strings, measure your reading on protools and write it down... ..tight those screws and you will see when is tight enough... what you gain is more vibration coming in the microphone from a tight fitting... sorry is just the nature of physics...if you want more vibration moving between parts... you'll love this...! get the paint out from the neck on the contact part...you can sand the lacquer of by applying a piece of sandpaper with a doble faced adhesive tape to secure the sandpaper on the pocket that way you perfectly will copy the exact shape... then you add a litle water on both parts neck and body pocked, tighten very firmly and let the wood move and dry during process, will adjust both surfaces to a perfect zero tolerance contact... let it dry for a couple of days and use drops of super glue on the neck holes let it dry , completely dry, crystallisation i mean.. that way super glue will crystallise keeping the screw grooves on the wood strong enough, plus remember the body screw should pass clean through the body , they need to grab as strong as possible te neck pulling that way neck towards the body...last but not least paint the pocket and the bottom part of the neck talon wit superglue... when crystallised properly it will create two very rigid surfaces able to transport more vibration in a better way... I know ! , pain in the neck.. but you can measure the improvement with a lab mic and protools... this is not what "I believe" this is what the db meter and spectrographic analysis on pro tools can do for you.. I'm an old guitar picker from Adrogue Buenos Aires ,Argentina. cheers
@@DylanTalksTone so what are your readings to substantiate your "lol no"...? if you don't mind sharing it. I spent the time on this on my bolt on guitars. please feel free to erase my comments , I was just sharing my 2 cents.. saludos.!
Literally waiting on a new neck plate for a project which Amazon has said will arrive this evening and then will be installing a new neck on a project guitar i've been working on. First time i've done a neck swap out and honestly couldn't have found this video at a better time!
Thank you so much for this video! i was worried my neck pocket on my first build was ruined because it wasnt super tight... you just saved me a whole lot of stress!
So I've never taken a neck off. I'm starting to work more on my guitars now though. Since the angle of how the neck sits is so critical, will it be the same every time I put a neck back on? Is it that easy. I know about shims etc, but since I've never done it I'm not sure how it would go. Thanks
Great video, but I was always told when installing a bolt on neck to line it up at the top of the neck joint and push down on it to install and don’t slide it in like you did. Can you clear that up, which is correct or does it matter!?!
Hi Dylan, new subscriber here I’m putting a new fender neck on an old strat body. I’ve gotten the neck on and it feels good in 5e pocket but I noticed there is a slight gap at the top two screws after I’ve screwed it down. What would you recommend doing to get better contact without getting nuts and over tightening? Thanks, keep up the good work!
Hey Dylan, thank you SSSOOO very much for doing this video. I've been a guilty party of over-tightening neck bolts too...after reading some comments, I don't feel so bad admitting this. I am now a new subscriber to your channel thanks to THIS video...I also love the openness of your fans in this comment section. Y'all won me over. New fan from OKC, OK
Whoa!..do i dig this channel! Such a GodSend to us Guitar Playing/Builder enthusiasts!...ya done it again Dylan my man!..✨🎶🎸👍🏾 No bull..straight up info!!..is the shizzit!!!...☝🏾..and ya get that hear! (bettin’ he was a bad ass Engine builder too!!..🔧⚙️🧰🏎💨🏁)
Wow.... I've tightened the neck screws as tight as possible before warping the plate or beginning to strip the phillips head screws. Damn. Boy was I wrong. I've had guitars where one of the E strings was closer to the edge of the fretboard than the other and would loosen and move the neck up or down to straiten the string to fret board alignment and while holding it in the proper position tighten the neck screws down as tightly as I could while using my feel to know when to stop. As a mechanic I learned not ro over tighten bolts especially when using a steel bolt going into a aluminum threaded hole. That's dangerous of course. And always using a proper torque wrench set to the recommended tightness from the factory always tightening the bolts in the proper sequence. This video made me smile and feel silly about myself. I've never stripped out the screw holes or had any issues but it's amusing when I learn proper assembly techniques and thank you once again for sharing your knowledge. I will take your advice to the point to where if I notice or sense a neck has slipped or shifted then I'll of course apply more torque to stabilize the neck joint for professional use.
Great video and channel.
I agree with you very much. People usually will strip the screws out thinking it needs to be super tight. It doesn't it just needs to be snug. Another great video!
I have seen some 1970 fender models featuring the 3 bolt neck plate and have seen some where the necks have shifted or slipped. I was told that's why fender went back to the 4 bolt system on they're guitars. Thanks Dylan.
It's not the 3 bolt that was the problem,it was the poor neck pocket fitting of fender strats from the 70's.Nothing to do with 3 bolts (i believed that too until i spoke to a renowned luthier)
I like the three bolt concept, lots.
The way 4 bolt units are set, it is completely possible, that screws could end up in the same grain.
This is like driving a pair splitting wedges in a log.
Any actual carpenter avoids this nailing.
Back out the screws until they drop into the threads. Everyone knows that. No threads? Cut some.
You're absolutely correct. Just "Hand Tight." That's how I also tighten my Tele's.
I wax my neck screws before installing. Gives you a better feel of being just tight enough.🎸😎
Same here ! The Best !
do not... ! wood will be impregnated with wax on hot days, wood is dead vegetal tissue and it has the ability to get the wax through hygroscopics ways into the wood , , will transfer wax softening the screw grooves on the neck.. not a good thing for sound transmission.
@@MrSouthsilicon This is 100% correct.
@@MrSouthsiliconJesus! Really…god I’ve been doing that forever. So always just straight raw dog screws into the hole?
Some old dutch guitars had no neck pocket. The lack of tone came from the weak pickups, not the neck pocket. I believe they were called Egmonds. They were fun to play on and insanely cheap btw :). Just curious, how do I tighten when a neck is able to move around a little, with a crackling sound. The screws are tight as possible, but it still seems to "move". Any ideas?
Be certain that the through holes in the body are large enough in diameter to Not engage with the screw threads. If the screws thread into the body as well, it is possible to have the screws very tight and yet still not produce adequate clamping force between the body and neck. Make it so!🖖
Guitar makers should give torque specs for each guitar model.
Its wood. You should never try to torque the screws into wood. Snug is always well enough. Once you start feeling resistance, you should stop or it's much easier than you think to strip the wood threads out.
Good video...and since you asked so politely, I had to subscribe. Cheers from Rio!
I once tightened the bolts so hard that the metal bit inside the neck broke out of its housing and then the bolts had nothing to hang onto. I replaced the bolts with screws and it held just fine, but I'm not game to ever remove those screws again.
I bolted my mity mite maple p bass neck to a Squire alder p body using 6 wood screw inserts -2 extra are offset between upper and lower screw holes-. That's machine screws not wood screws that came from factory. Yeah with two extra that neck is torqued solid to body I mean right tight. Result is a HUGE increase in sustain vs factory crap bowed neck with stripped holes and ski jump. The Indonesian body has a neck pocket way oversized like prolly a 1/16 strong too big. I just added kneadable epoxy at the sides. looks amateur but couldn't be more solid. sustain is forever with labella flats. Way I see it's a beater bass not a work of art.
Hi Dylan...isn't string gauge a factor to consider?Thanks and cheers
Hey man I have an Ibanez seven string RG its a bolt on but the neck moves around a little in the pocket when I apply force. How can I fix this? Maybe some tooth picks inside the neck holes? I’ve used that method to fix stripped strap buttons before. Thoughts?
Thanks for another great lesson! Could you do a video on how to store guitars i.e, case standing, case laying... strings tuned, strings loose.. truss rod etc? I have a few guitars and some get played about once every 2 weeks, so i'm wondering should i be detuning them.
Jesse Hicks you bet. We will talk about this on our radio show tonight on kprlive.com and a video this week
Legend! Thanks.
I humidify and protect my guitars with a gig bag and 1/2 a damp sponge. A pack of 6 sponges at a Dollar Tree can be cut in 1/2 and dampened at a faucet. And that's all it takes.
This is the first time I’ve ever heard a neck plate called a control plate. I had no idea! HA! Just messing with ya! Love your videos. You cut through all the myth bullshit and get to the real shit.
They are wood screws.....not bolts. Bolts screw into a thread or have a nut that screws on. A small detail but important. Oh and the “flares” you mentioned are called a countersink.
he doesn't even understand how screws are supposed to work.
Hey Dylan, first of all I want to thank you for the wealth of knowledge you share but maybe it would help gain subscribers if you would add some footage of the building process or any work you do in the shop.
ultrafloss492 we do a lot of that on our Facebook page. Live videos and such. We have been talking about live streaming the shop on TH-cam from time to time
That's great! I just casually watch the videos on TH-cam as I'm not a builder myself but in my opinion this channel should be known and out there.
There are too many depressing, malinforming channels from self acclaimed authorities and yours with a couple of others are great to watch and incredibly informative.
Hi there!
Where I can find video on how to reduce sustain, because my Chinese fake strat has so long sustain, it is just ridiculous :-(
Should I cut the body on two, three or four pieces and re glue it, because it's one whole piece of ash!
How should I start experimenting!?!
:-0
oh steve one solid piece of ash? poor guy. i think you should run it thru a planer until it is 3/8 inch thinner and then get a sheet of 3/8 plywood and make an awesome veneer for the face of it. be sure to get the cheap plywood with the obvious filled in knotholes because that would look extra cool and it should improve your guitar's tone drastically.
jamesha175 dude!
Fenders got deep row cuts on the front and back that could not possibly be veneered!
I am not joking here!
steve bro, i was totally being sarcastic because i couldn't imagine that anybody would seriously complain of their guitar having too much sustain.
i mean really, too much sustain? if my chinese strat body was a single piece of ash i would leave it alone and count my blessings.
Mute the strings.
You're just pulling my leg.
Get a smaller trem block
Just Subbed
Really helpful thanks man \m/
Nice channel Dylan!
If the pocket is too tight, what is the best way to fix it ? Which sand paper ?
dekzan maybe 320 or a small file
dekzan small chain saw?😜
Is it a bad idea to drill neck holes without a drill press?
Nate Col just harder to get it all straight
ok this is true with fender,
why does Gibson make a big deal out of using Hide glue for their neck attachment, if it does not have to be tight, then why the big deal with the hide glue joints,
marketing gag
Just me, but never grab or pick up a guitar by the neck. Guitar bodies generally are shaped to have waist lines or shoulders that are better designed to handle the stress load of picking up a guitar. I realize that it's convenient, may not be a problem if the neck is securely bolted on. But if you think about the neck & guitar from headstock to bridge, alignment matters. If you think about where the strap buttons are on a heavy solid body guitar, they aren't attached to the neck itself. Would you pick up a baby/child, a puppy/dog or a kitten/cat by it's neck ? Some guitarists can play a guitar, that doesn't make them engineers/luthiers. Vice versa holds true, some luthiers/engineers can't play guitar to save their lives. And then there are those in the middle that reach for the neck that can play guitar and have some understanding of how a guitar is designed. If you come around any of my guitars, you better not pick it up by the neck. I don't want you handling my guitar if that's the way you pick up one of your own. Feel free to screw up your own instruments, keep your hands off mine.
I 100% agree Jim, I have always believed that from the age of 12 when I started playing, It just seemed like a common sense Thing to me I guess. Anyway, hope you're having a great day and I certainly appreciated your comment Sir. , P.S. I'm now 68 years old and still treat my guitars with kindness, and they always give back the emotion I put into them.
Subscribe ? Done, done it months ago, learning alot.Thx.
I really wish people would stop talking about the internet as if it's an actual entity.
Billy Shears LOL!!
Shhhh... The internet will hear you!
Subscribed.
How far should the fret board be away from the body
that just depends on the design
@@DylanTalksTone well, what's considered a good rule of thumb? I have this kit I'm putting together, and the neck is a pretty sizeable distance away. The pickups don't have enough height to get near the strings, and the bridge is raised pretty damn high.
Still wigglin here
Holy crap you screw fast..... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhahahahahahaha sorry
LOL love it
you just made sure i will never buy from you. the holes in the body are the wrong size. the screw is already threading in the body. this means you don't understand how screws work, the physics part. the way you have it can't really tighten thew neck very well, tightening the screw more will crack the body, because instead of pulling the neck tighter, you are compressing the body.
It was already predrilled dude...
@@DylanTalksTone not to the correct size. when the screw (not bolt) doesn't fit in the hole properly, you drill it to the right size. what kind of builder are you that you don't know that? i thought that was one of your own bodies, so you are the one who predrilled it. you don't understand how screws are supposed to work.
@@rohadtanyad8908 lol. How do you know from where you sit lol.
Don't beg for subs, If your content is good people will sub, It as simple as that...
A
Tone? Only pickups deliver tone. You mean sustain. Tone only matters when it comes to acoustics.
treat tension as if its your johnson .
"usually " - implies sometimes you do !!! ...Filthy habit -
cease and desist .
Not a good idea, you never know where that headstocks been.
$3000 guitar with a bolt on neck? not in my house.
weedshoes your loss bruh
weedshoes to be fair.... I wouldn't have that particular one in my house either
great video!
Since, my first bolt on neck, my final torquing has been understring tension. The age old concept ( not mine) is to make sure the neck's heal is in solid contact with the body's mating surface.
This contact area is important and why shimming makes no real differance.
Should be called Dylan Talks Sense.
Thank you for this video. I began doing my first assembly last night, a Fender Tele body (new from Fender) and a Fender Tele neck (new from Fender). I always knew to "not over-tighten" the neck plate screws, my old '96 Squier Strat would get pretty tight. But last night putting this new Fender neck on a new Fender body, the two screws closest to the neck both stripped with very little effort and kept spinning. I'm thinking those two holes weren't dead on, as they looked a little more ovaled than the other two. I went for the toothpick and carpenters glue trick and let dry overnight. This morning I put the neck back into the pocket and pressed on the neck plate screws to see where I had to drill my pilot holes. Went in with no issue or spinning this time. But I was still curious, "how tight is tight enough, without over-tightening." You answered it for me. Liked and subbed.
As usual, shattering the myths.
should I force screw if it doesn't go in all the way? got a Strat neck with both of the tops screw holes are a bit tighter but the bottom fits good
Wow thanks !
I agree but I think thats a tad too loose. Maybe 5 lbs. ft. of torque (using a torque wrench) would be just nice to allow proper friction between the contact surfaces of the neck and body. Just my 2c.
Great advice Dylan... thank you!
I've had an early 80's Greco Spacey Sound Strat which had its neck pocket too wide for the neck and I had constant problems with this guitar for the neck shifting towards the high E string, so not too tight, but too loose's not good either.
Dylan, what can i done if my vintage guitar has a neck screw thread stripped so it turns freely?
I always put a protective shim under the plate, those black plastic square ones.
The shim will even out the pressure and it will create that bit of tension needed to hold the screws as tightened.
If the bottom of the heal is glossy then I will rugg it up slihtly so it will snugg in nicely and stay put. Now I do not need to tighten like a maniac.
Thank you so much sir!!
You saved my guitar!!
I set my impact wrench to 440 ft lbs of torque then have at it.
Threaded inserts are the future of bolt on necks.
They're called screws
The more Coupling the more frequencies being able to resonate from the neck through the body..
One of my favorite channels
Do bolt on necks affect tone vs set necks?
Thank you Sir, I sub :) Greetings from Belgium
Damn that's why I have the cracks I'm my basses I over tighten the joint
I have Strats mostly from the 70's I gorilla glue the necks to the guitar if it breaks I just throw the guitar away and order a reissue
5:05
Hi, could it be the reason why I hear some creaky sound from the neck plate of my Strat whenever I push the tremolo arm all the way down? I mean, that "scary" sound goes a bit away if I loosen the 4 screws... Is it for that reason?
Thanks
Dylan do you have a video on the 90's adjustable micro tilt feature?
Hey Dylan man love your channel bro. I fixed my tremolo on my strat watching your video bro. May join soon.
bolts are not wood screws... so he is making a video using wrong words right off...
🙄😂😂😂😂😂
A little older video, but I've been enjoying the channel. Building my first tele and getting lots of tips. Appreciate your laid back view on tone. So much over emphasis on the instrument and accessories regarding tone. I've been playing for 30 years with both expensive and cheap guitars. Some "setup" correctly, but many just as they came from the factory. 99% is about the player. Technique has far more effect on tone than anything else. My recommendation is to learn on a cheap guitar. Make that sound good. Then you're free to play any guitar without worry if the neck is shimmed.
Thanks
The name of this video should be, I dont know the torque of a guitar neck and everytime I tighten a neck joint its completly different.
Should the pocket be flat?
Instead of shimming I tried to put an angle in the pocket... I reckon it's a mistake. Ugh!
Cross Patten when screwing in the neck bolts! Top right, bottom left, bottom right, top left. And it's a good idea to add some wax to the screws so they fit nicer.
Crow tightening like bolting on a cylinder head prevents the cylinder head from warping when being torqued. It’s very important to follow the factories torque sequence at the proper Tightness. The same thing is true with anything your bolting together. And it doesn’t are anymore time to do it that way!
KC Go back and check your typing and spelling and word choice...
Nice job 👍
I've built guitars since 1962. I started with Doc Kaufman. I find that the guitar body should have a big enough hole that the neck screws just barely slide through the body. Otherwise the tension isn't all directed towards pulling the neck to the body if the screws have to thread through the body. I hope this helps.
I have heard exactly that as well, it causes all sorts of tension problems and the neck will often want to skew instead of sit properly.
Thank you Mr. Lindsey, I watched a couple reviews on that very exact concept and topic. That the holes in the body of the guitar should allow the wood screws to Freely go through so that when you tighten them into the neck that will pull the neck into the pocket of the body For a solid wood to wood joint connection. It honestly makes perfect sense when you're trying to get a solid joint between two pieces of wood. Anyway, I'm currently rebuilding a Stratocaster and just slightly oversized my holes in the body so the mounting wood screws Will be able to freely pull the neck solid into the body Pocket. Hope you're having a great day and thank you for your comment Sir.
That's true, I wish Dylan had mentioned this as well.
Same thing with furniture. The screw threads grip the neck, the screw head provides the pressure that pulls the neck tight against the body.
This eased my mind so much, thank you!!
Dead wrong , sorry..! get a lab microphone, make contact with the stop tailpiece part of the guitar, then, use some tape to secure it... with loose screws, pick the strings, measure your reading on protools and write it down... ..tight those screws and you will see when is tight enough... what you gain is more vibration coming in the microphone from a tight fitting... sorry is just the nature of physics...if you want more vibration moving between parts... you'll love this...! get the paint out from the neck on the contact part...you can sand the lacquer of by applying a piece of sandpaper with a doble faced adhesive tape to secure the sandpaper on the pocket that way you perfectly will copy the exact shape... then you add a litle water on both parts neck and body pocked, tighten very firmly and let the wood move and dry during process, will adjust both surfaces to a perfect zero tolerance contact... let it dry for a couple of days and use drops of super glue on the neck holes let it dry , completely dry, crystallisation i mean.. that way super glue will crystallise keeping the screw grooves on the wood strong enough, plus remember the body screw should pass clean through the body , they need to grab as strong as possible te neck pulling that way neck towards the body...last but not least paint the pocket and the bottom part of the neck talon wit superglue... when crystallised properly it will create two very rigid surfaces able to transport more vibration in a better way... I know ! , pain in the neck.. but you can measure the improvement with a lab mic and protools... this is not what "I believe" this is what the db meter and spectrographic analysis on pro tools can do for you..
I'm an old guitar picker from Adrogue Buenos Aires ,Argentina. cheers
Dan Southsilicon lol. No.
@@DylanTalksTone so what are your readings to substantiate your "lol no"...? if you don't mind sharing it. I spent the time on this on my bolt on guitars. please feel free to erase my comments , I was just sharing my 2 cents.. saludos.!
Literally waiting on a new neck plate for a project which Amazon has said will arrive this evening and then will be installing a new neck on a project guitar i've been working on. First time i've done a neck swap out and honestly couldn't have found this video at a better time!
Wish I had known this years ago.
Thank you so much for this video! i was worried my neck pocket on my first build was ruined because it wasnt super tight... you just saved me a whole lot of stress!
So I've never taken a neck off. I'm starting to work more on my guitars now though. Since the angle of how the neck sits is so critical, will it be the same every time I put a neck back on? Is it that easy. I know about shims etc, but since I've never done it I'm not sure how it would go. Thanks
An Inch\lb rating would be nice.
A Wudtone or Callaham neck plate wouldn't have bent.
who wants to spend money on something not needed ... a regular one doesn't bend if you dont overtighten
Tighten it until the wood splits and the finish cracks! 😁👍
Relic
You have to tighten it for tone
Lovin the vids bud! ....can anyone explain to me why those long screws are called bolts?!
"Bolt on" sounds better than "screw on"
Lol
What about neck gap (on sides)?? What range of tolerance do you have??
Great video, but I was always told when installing a bolt on neck to line it up at the top of the neck joint and push down on it to install and don’t slide it in like you did. Can you clear that up, which is correct or does it matter!?!
Hi Dylan, new subscriber here I’m putting a new fender neck on an old strat body. I’ve gotten the neck on and it feels good in 5e pocket but I noticed there is a slight gap at the top two screws after I’ve screwed it down. What would you recommend doing to get better contact without getting nuts and over tightening? Thanks, keep up the good work!
Good vid you hooked me in when you mentioned the shim vid, lol.
Hey Dylan, thank you SSSOOO very much for doing this video. I've been a guilty party of over-tightening neck bolts too...after reading some comments, I don't feel so bad admitting this. I am now a new subscriber to your channel thanks to THIS video...I also love the openness of your fans in this comment section. Y'all won me over. New fan from OKC, OK
How tight should be ?.... its Best to have what's called a Transition Fit as apposed to an Interferance Fit ... Great video thanks !!
Whoa!..do i dig this channel!
Such a GodSend to us Guitar Playing/Builder enthusiasts!...ya done it again Dylan my man!..✨🎶🎸👍🏾
No bull..straight up info!!..is the shizzit!!!...☝🏾..and ya get that hear!
(bettin’ he was a bad ass Engine builder too!!..🔧⚙️🧰🏎💨🏁)