Removing threaded tailpiece inserts??

[shadco]

I want to swap out the tail piece on my Hamer Special.

The old one is showing the bubbling of finish syndrome.

I have a tonepro locking tailipece but of course the thread pitch is finer on the new one so I have to remove and replace the inserts.

Does anyone have any tips removing the old ones???

[kurtsstuff]

Stew -mac has a tool for just such an occassion....

[Submariner85]

Get a long screw that fits into the stud, preferably made of hardened metal, and preferably with a hex key head. Drill a hole in a piece of wood a little larger than the diameter of the screw. Put the new screw through a thick washer that won't let the head pass through the wood. Put the screw through the washer, through the wood, and into the stud. Turn the new screw until the stud pulls out. To protect your old guitar's finish, you could place some felt or leather between the wood and the surface.

or:

Place a bolt into the stud hole so that the stud is pushing down on the bolt ( essentially pushing the bolt into the body wood) . When the stud is tightened, it bears on the bolt which can't go anywhere and the insert comes up. This is similar to a "steering wheel puller." Caution: If your guitar has a cap top, there is a slight possibility that the post bushing is a "T" shaped item, with the wide part of the "T" on the underside of stud mounting hole. If this is the case, pulling the stud insert will also pull out large chunks of wood.

If you suspect this might be the case you can check the stud. To check, drive a small pin along the edge of the bushing down into the guitar to whatever depth satisfies your suspicion. If you strike metal, you're not going to be able to safely remove the stud insert without removing the cap top.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Special_...es.html#details

I am not responsible if your guitar gets F'd Up though. I think I would have a local guitar tech/luthier do it.

[BadgerDave]

Or you could just use metric threaded TonePros posts rather than the US threaded versions. The metric set fits the Hamer inserts,

Or, use your original posts with the TonePros tailpiece. You don't have to use the posts that come with the TonePros unit - they're just standard Gotoh posts, same as Hamer uses (except Hamer uses the Metric threaded version).

I believe this is the appropriate StewMac tool, if you want to go that route:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Special_...ing_Puller.html

[shadco]

Or you could just use metric threaded TonePros posts rather than the US threaded versions. The metric set fits the Hamer inserts,

Or, use your original posts with the TonePros tailpiece. You don't have to use the posts that come with the TonePros unit - they're just standard Gotoh posts, same as Hamer uses (except Hamer uses the Metric threaded version).

I believe this is the appropriate StewMac tool, if you want to go that route:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Special_...ing_Puller.html

Yeah that's what I get for listening to the WD Music guy. I said the Hamer took the us threaded ones but it turns out they are 8mm x 1.25 pitch.

Since I have everything apart I'll just make a puller out of an 8mm bolt, a socket, and plenty of care not to put a dent in the top.

[kurtsstuff]

Or....just send the guitar to our resident Luthier/Magic man/all around cool dude...BCR Greg

[BCR Greg]

Just get a set of proper metric studs.

I made a stud puller, but you have to be careful not to bugger the paint around the stud when you lift it out. I dremel away any paint that touches the insert, then heat the insert by warming up an old stud and threading it in. After a few minutes, you pull the old insert out BUT DO NOT BUGGER THE STRING GROUND!!!!

Just get the right thread studs and leave the inserts where they are.