Attaching A New Bolt-On Neck

[Steve Haynie]

If one has a brand new bolt-on neck with no screw holes, how are the holes drilled?

If there is any play in the neck pocket would that not create the possibility of the neck being installed at an angle to the center line of the body? Would that cause the strings on one side to be too close to the edge of the fretboard?

Stewart-MacDonald has no templates for this, so do you mark your holes through the body and give it your best shot?

[Jeff R]

Stewart-MacDonald has no templates for this, so do you mark your holes through the body and give it your best shot?

That's the way I've done it on a couple of my homebuilds. I'd position the neck where I want it in the pocket, aka butted up tight against the bass-strings side of the cup and use a nail to make little divots where I wanted to drill my bolt holes.

[Kramer_nut]

I install the two E strings to make sure the neck is aligned properly then carefully clamp the neck to the body and then mark your holes.

[edgar_allan_poe]

I solder it in. I have an aluminum baseball bat that makes for great solder joints. Just ask Richard about my prowess with an iron, it is legendary.

[cmatthes]

. Just ask Richard about my prowess with an iron, it is legendary.

Easy there, Elin...

[Jeff R]

Tech question for Poe ...

What's easiest to solder to a tone pot?

a.) plain M&Ms

b.) peanut M&Ms

c.) thumbs

[edgar_allan_poe]

Tech question for Poe ...

What's easiest to solder to a tone pot?

a.) plain M&Ms

b.) peanut M&Ms

c.) thumbs

That is easy. All of the above. I have learned that you can solder anything to a tone pot with enough solder. Hell, I even filled the entire cavity of a guitar with solder once. That was one helluva heavy guitar but it sounded glorious because it had rock solid connections...literally.