Hey all. How would I go about fixing a stripped screw on the pickguard and output jack. It won't tighten down and it is driving me nut. Thanks

Head are strip ?

if the screw is stripped, just buy a new one. but i suspect you mean the wood wont take the screw. you can either try find a slightly large diameter screw that looks the same, which might be difficult, or fill the hole with some sawdust and glue, or wood filler i guess, and re-drill it when its dry.

Lightly coat a toothpick with some Elmer's (or equivalent) white glue. Insert the toothpick into the enlarged screw hole and break off the excess length of the toothpick. Screw the screw in. In extreme cases, multiple lengths of toothpick are required to snug up the hole.

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You dig?

Thanks for the tips guys. I should have been more specific. It is the hole that is stripped. And sorry for the duplicated thread. The forum won't let me delete it

Ah ! It is the wood is stripped. +1 for Martian

I have used Martian's fix a few times and it works great. Coat the toothpick with Elmers, break it off in the hole then install the screw.

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OK, I'll hum a little bit, got it now?

I always measure and cut my toothpick to length using a 12" table saw. Then I use surgical tweezers to hold it while applying a thick coating of Gorilla Glue followed by careful insertion into the hole. Normally I'll let the glue air dry but if I am in a hurry, I'll dry it with a 1200 watt heat gun. Just wear heavy gloves to avoid burning your hands.





+1 for Martian.

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Bill

There is another quick fix that I do all the time for this. Cut a small piece of one of the strings (usually a g-string is thick enough) just the length so it doesn't poke out of the top of the hole.. Drop it down in the hole and install the screw. You'll be surprised how well it works. If it still feels stripped, turn the guitar over and the string-piece will usually fall out, and cut a piece of A-string, do the same thing.

No glue needed. Try it. For a guitar neck, I wouldn't do this. But for a pickguard screw, works every time.

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+1 for the Martian Method

I've never used it for a pickguard screw, purely because I've never needed to.

But I've used it for strap button screws far on far too many instruments to count...

...with the slight variation of using a matchstick (without the head) rather than toothpick...

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How did it sound to you?

Double posting sucks!

http://www.fender.com/community/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=69922

No need for glue.

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---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

OK, if we are going to delve into the complexities of this procedure I will have to confess to the real method I use. I first take a small dowel of oak or hardrock maple dried to the correct moisture content and chuck it into my wood lathe. I then proceed to turn the diameter is the dowel to the size of a screw diameter at the extreme outer portion of the screw thread. I then taper the end of the dowel to match that of the screw. Once this step is completed just measure the length of the finished dowl to match the depth of the screw hole. I use a very thin cutoff tool with the lathe to cut the proper length. Next mix some 20 minute epoxy at approximatly 68 degrees F. Once this is done, apply the epoxy to the dowel and using surgical forceps and tap it in firmly with a six ounce hammer and flat end punch. Now take the screw.........................wait a minute what did I do with that screw, did it fall down the heat register?
Oh forget it lets play some music.

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OK, I'll hum a little bit, got it now?

Yeah, but this thread is longer and much more amusing.

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Bill

Shimmilou, my apology for the double posting but the forum wouldn't allow me to delete. Thank you for your help on the other duplicate posting. S Bender, are you sure it's not an eight ounce hammer I need?

An even quicker fix. Tear off a small piece of paper. roll the paper between your fingers till it is thin enough to fit in the hole. Stick it in the hole and put the screw in.
I know you guys were thinking something else when I was talking about rolling a paper. Sheesh! guitar players!

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TOO MANY GUITARS, TOO LITTLE TIME!

Current Stable:
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