Neck bolts crooked?

[lammie200]

I honestly think that this is turning into a rabbit hole. The holes in the body can and should be large enough for the screws to pass through without any threads grabbing. Those holes can be large enough to allow the neck plate to fit square. There is nothing way off with what the OP has. A couple of minutes with a round file and everything will be perfectly aligned and tight.

 

[Intune]

If it was my guitar I probably take the drilling optoion. I just wouldn’t recommend that to person just starting out. Is there a reason why they they even thread the body? Did the holes just start out too small, and got threaded when the mounted the neck, from the screws?

I’m not really sure why they are threaded or end up being threaded as @Nocean mentioned. It’s very possible that swelling could be the reason. Holes drilled to a very tight tolerance? They are definitely not supposed to be threaded at all.

 

[3bolt79]

I’m not really sure why they are threaded or end up being threaded as @Nocean mentioned. It’s very possible that swelling could be the reason. Holes drilled to a very tight tolerance? They are definitely not supposed to be threaded at all.

Yeah I know what you mean. If you don’t do the procedure just right, you can wind up with a gap between the neck and the pocket.

I think your concept of the wood swelling after being put together may have some weight.

@Scott Baxendale can probably answer the question of why they thread the holes or if, as you say, may just be a natural occurrence.

 

[3bolt79]

Perhaps the luthiers at the factory did it on purpose so that you would have to pay a luthier to correct it. The Illuthierati?

 

[Maranello94]

As being said here enlarge the body holes a tiny bit so the screws don't thread in the body. As for all the wonkiness with the neck plate, don't worry about it. As long as you can align the the neck correctly everything is fine

 

[wooders]

The guitars I've put together have the body screw holes the exact same size as the screw including thread. Screw will push through but is snug.
When I drill the neck holes, I off centre 3 of them, away from the body. Neck on, hold snug and start the pilot hole in the actual neck, with the bit tight against the headstock end.
This gives me holes that are about 0.5mm out of alignment, but serves to pull the neck tight up against the pocket when tightening up. The 4th screw gets drilled once I'm happy the neck is properly aligned.

I have no issues with my necks and their fitments, with none of the holes 'perfectly aligned'
If the neck fits good and snug and is aligned (strings aren't falling off the fretboard), then I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[stratmanshow]

They are definitely not supposed to be threaded at all.

Agreed, but sometimes they are, at least in my experience with dismantling MIJ guitars.
It isn't a problem if the screw collar is nearly equal to the body depth but some neck screws have little or no collar.
Otherwise once the screw hits the plate it actually just tightens the plate to the body but not the neck.
If a person screws in a neck that way it's only ever going to mate as tightly as it's being held in place, no matter how hard the screw is tightened.

the screws do seem to thread through the body, they do not slide freely through the body, but there is a noticeable change in resistance when the screw finally enters the neck

which could be because the screw is cross-threading as it enters the neck

 

[Scott Baxendale]

Yeah I know what you mean. If you don’t do the procedure just right, you can wind up with a gap between the neck and the pocket.

I think your concept of the wood swelling after being put together may have some weight.

@Scott Baxendale can probably answer the question of why they thread the holes or if, as you say, may just be a natural occurrence.

The neck screws should pass through the body and not need to be screwed. The neck however should have threads to hold the neck down.

 

[Butcher of Strats]

I have been reading about presumably hundreds and hundreds of Fender guitars with screw holes in the body: threaded.

To me this is over thinking hysterics!
I have worked on thousands and thousands of Fender and copy guitars over 43 years and what I find is slight resistance, meaning the screw does not drop right through.

But the slight resistance that requires turning the screw if using your fingers, does not equate to the body being "threaded".

As mentioned along with suggestion to drill or file the holes bigger; all you need to do to clear the resistance is screw the screws all the way throuh wih the neck off and tighten them.

Unless you have one of those el cheapo Chinese bodies and thenholes really are "the wrong size", any guitar manufactured and sold by Fender with the neck bolted on, HAS THE RIGHT SIZE HOLES.

IF, Fender was making guitars with threaded holes in the body, all those guitars necks would be loose and moving side to side, impossible to set action on, and caught by inspectors as the necks would not be seated thus as soon as you pick onemup the neck would move due to not being clamped into the pocket, instead extended off by the screws and not pulled in.

But when someone on the internet asked ten years ago, if feeling resistance putting the screws in meant the body was threaded, this myth got started and many hobbyists were encouraged to drill out those holes.

The problem with drilling out the body holes bigger based on gear chat suggestions, is that the bigger the holes, thw looser the side to side fit, the more the neck can move sideways, and the more likely the pocket can be cracked due to a loose neck fit that is the first thing to give if you smack the neck into something, or sometimes even in the case if the body is held snug and the case is dropped by baggage handlers etc.

Seriously, the holes should be snug, and all you need to do to confirm that THE BODY IS NOT THREADED is turn all the screws all the way through with the neck off!

All the import kit builds and GFS bargain bin markdown parts aside, Fender is not shipping new guitars with threaded neck screw holes in the body.

 

[Butcher of Strats]

Hey guys!
Quick question about neck bolts on my Vintera Road Worn 60's Strat. I just recently started trying to do my own setups and such, so I do not have much experience with this. This is also my first Strat, so I don't have much to compare to. But, I took the neck off to adjust the truss rod and when putting back on, I notice the neck screws seem to get pushed a little off-center during the last 1/4" or so when screwing into the neck. Seems that all the screws kind of get pushed away from the center of the neck plate (see 1st picture). As I continue screwing in, the recessed holes in the neck plate somewhat force the screws back into alignment, but I am wondering if this is bad for the guitar neck or is it more or less normal? When fully screwed in it is not really that noticeable anymore (2nd and 3rd picture). Anyone have experience with something similar? Not sure if there is even anything that can be done about this, except for I guess minimizing the number of times I take the neck off (which I would likely do anyways), I just want to know if it is bad or not.
Thanks!

What you are seeing in terms of the neck screws getting pushed off center by the neck plate, that is basically impossible, and is probably an optical illusion, since the neck plate slide freely on the body until the screws pull the neck plate into place when tight.

First off, the plate cannot push the screws, the screws pull the plate into place.

Second off, the holes in the body are in exactly the right place now, if the neck lines up once set up and adjusted for centering the strings.

Third off, while you CAN bend a screw, you do not want to attempt to file or drill the holes in the body off to one side or another hoping to make the neck plate LOOK more centered along the edges of the body, since you must keep the alignment of the body and neck holes where those two lines meet up,mtomchange the location at the head end of the screws while keeping the location the same down where the screw exits the body and enters the neck,myou would need to bend the screws.

Last, the alignment problem SEEN VISUALLY is probably related to sanding the body before paint, so what is a tiny bit off is the edges of the body, not the alignment of the neck screws and neck which determine the location of the plate.

If your complaint was that the neck was mislaligned and the strings could not be centered over the fingerboard, THEN that would be a problem where relocating the holes might help.
If the neck lines up with the bridge, the neck bolts secure to the body, and the guitar can be sut up to play well, you have zero problems with neck holes that need modding!

 

[Intune]

I have been reading about presumably hundreds and hundreds of Fender guitars with screw holes in the body: threaded.

To me this is over thinking hysterics!
I have worked on thousands and thousands of Fender and copy guitars over 43 years and what I find is slight resistance, meaning the screw does not drop right through.

But the slight resistance that requires turning the screw if using your fingers, does not equate to the body being "threaded".

As mentioned along with suggestion to drill or file the holes bigger; all you need to do to clear the resistance is screw the screws all the way throuh wih the neck off and tighten them.

Unless you have one of those el cheapo Chinese bodies and thenholes really are "the wrong size", any guitar manufactured and sold by Fender with the neck bolted on, HAS THE RIGHT SIZE HOLES.

IF, Fender was making guitars with threaded holes in the body, all those guitars necks would be loose and moving side to side, impossible to set action on, and caught by inspectors as the necks would not be seated thus as soon as you pick onemup the neck would move due to not being clamped into the pocket, instead extended off by the screws and not pulled in.

But when someone on the internet asked ten years ago, if feeling resistance putting the screws in meant the body was threaded, this myth got started and many hobbyists were encouraged to drill out those holes.

The problem with drilling out the body holes bigger based on gear chat suggestions, is that the bigger the holes, thw looser the side to side fit, the more the neck can move sideways, and the more likely the pocket can be cracked due to a loose neck fit that is the first thing to give if you smack the neck into something, or sometimes even in the case if the body is held snug and the case is dropped by baggage handlers etc.

Seriously, the holes should be snug, and all you need to do to confirm that THE BODY IS NOT THREADED is turn all the screws all the way through with the neck off!

All the import kit builds and GFS bargain bin markdown parts aside, Fender is not shipping new guitars with threaded neck screw holes in the body.

Yes maybe the body is not threaded but I’ve seen so many different fender bodies with screws basically threaded into the body with his tight the screws were with the neck off. I could not physically pull the screws out without completely turning each screw by hand until the very last thread of the screw.

With a MJT body I’ll usually run the screw in by hand and snuggly pull the screw in and out to clean up the body holes. Then I can drop each screw in with ease. Having it tight sure but from what I’ve seen with recent fenders is that they are beyond snug. Threaded, probably not but what’s the difference. It basically is threaded because they are so tight. My brothers squier classic vibe tele was actually threaded.

 

[Butcher of Strats]

Yes maybe the body is not threaded but I’ve seen so many different fender bodies with screws basically threaded into the body with his tight the screws were with the neck off. I could not physically pull the screws out without completely turning each screw by hand until the very last thread of the screw.

With a MJT body I’ll usually run the screw in by hand and snuggly pull the screw in and out to clean up the body holes. Then I can drop each screw in with ease. Having it tight sure but from what I’ve seen with recent fenders is that they are beyond snug. Threaded, probably not but what’s the difference. It basically is threaded because they are so tight. My brothers squier classic vibe tele was actually threaded.

Well as I said though, “threaded” in these recurring gear chat discussions meaning cannot be dropped through or pushed through with just the fingers.
But if you screw the screws though only the plate and body with a screwdriver, do they tighten hard into the body, and you cannot turn them because they are holding fast, in the “threaded body”?

Or if you “drive” the screws through the plate and body without the neck in place, can you then give a tightening turn with the screwdriver resulting in them turning in the “threads” of the body?

Seriously, if your brothers CV Squier body is “threaded”, it is pretty much impossible for the factory to assemble the guitar.

What I have found 100% of the time when screws do not drop right through in a guitar that has been assembled and set up properly, is that it is just some paint that creates resistance but not “threads in the body”.

 

[Intune]

Well as I said though, “threaded” in these recurring gear chat discussions meaning cannot be dropped through or pushed through with just the fingers.
But if you screw the screws though only the plate and body with a screwdriver, do they tighten hard into the body, and you cannot turn them because they are holding fast, in the “threaded body”?

Or if you “drive” the screws through the plate and body without the neck in place, can you then give a tightening turn with the screwdriver resulting in them turning in the “threads” of the body?

Seriously, if your brothers CV Squier body is “threaded”, it is pretty much impossible for the factory to assemble the guitar.

What I have found 100% of the time when screws do not drop right through in a guitar that has been assembled and set up properly, is that it is just some paint that creates resistance but not “threads in the body”.

Yes threaded as in the sense where you cannot pull the screws out of the body by hand. Maybe the body is not technically threaded at the factory but drilled so tight then any swelling of the body causes it to take the form of the threaded screws. Really I could be way off here.

Still we posted in this thread saying threaded. Maybe that’s a myth or mistake but it sure feels like it from the bodies I’ve had. The finish will cause the same tightness. So that why I said run a drill be slightly oversized to clean up the holes. I didn’t say go to a drill press with a 3/4” bit and go to town.

Me personally I want to hole loose. So loose that I can throw the screws in from the 3 pointer line. I don’t want any chance of swelling. Even if a hole is snug and it swells, pick you guitar up of the stand, bump another guitar and hear a crack. Chances are that’s the neck pocket creaking. Many ways to do this and again I could be so far off but this works for me.

 

[Fenderbaum]

Dont know why Fender threads the body holes.
Had a Fender Blacktop in recently. Same thing on those.

 

[Nocean]

What you are seeing in terms of the neck screws getting pushed off center by the neck plate, that is basically impossible, and is probably an optical illusion, since the neck plate slide freely on the body until the screws pull the neck plate into place when tight.

First off, the plate cannot push the screws, the screws pull the plate into place.

Second off, the holes in the body are in exactly the right place now, if the neck lines up once set up and adjusted for centering the strings.

Third off, while you CAN bend a screw, you do not want to attempt to file or drill the holes in the body off to one side or another hoping to make the neck plate LOOK more centered along the edges of the body, since you must keep the alignment of the body and neck holes where those two lines meet up,mtomchange the location at the head end of the screws while keeping the location the same down where the screw exits the body and enters the neck,myou would need to bend the screws.

Last, the alignment problem SEEN VISUALLY is probably related to sanding the body before paint, so what is a tiny bit off is the edges of the body, not the alignment of the neck screws and neck which determine the location of the plate.

If your complaint was that the neck was mislaligned and the strings could not be centered over the fingerboard, THEN that would be a problem where relocating the holes might help.
If the neck lines up with the bridge, the neck bolts secure to the body, and the guitar can be sut up to play well, you have zero problems with neck holes that need modding!

My problem was never the orientation of the neck plate. My concern was the way the screws angle outwards when they seem to start entering the neck. I will absolutely try your method of clearing the build-up out of the body holes by screwing in without the neck attached, that is good advice.
But previously, the screws appear to go in perfectly straight through the body, then when they start going into the neck they seem to angle outwards, essentially the top of the screws end up pushing outwards away from the center-line of the neck. This was my main concern. I wanted to know if that was somewhat normal or ok behavior for a Strat neck or if it may be harming the neck at all.
From answers here it seems it is probably minor enough to forget about, although I will absolutely be trying to clear the gunk from the body holes using the method you mentioned, because the resistance in that part is very low.

 

[Nick L Plate]

Like the OP, I would not like screw heads not seating flush and level in the neck plate. If all the parts involved are OEM, it would seem that the only possibilities are slight drilling inaccuracies at the factory, or mis-positioning and awkward reassembly by the owner. On a properly drilled neck, designed to be easily and quickly in an assembly line, everything fits easily and quickly. The OP's initial description suggests one or more incorrectly-drilled neck holes. If the neck is properly positions and stable once screwed, I would not mess with the neck or body. I would, personally, use my Dremel to grind the screw recesses in the plate slightly larger so the screws seat lower and the crookedness at the head cannot be seen. I would, of courses, follow good practice in screwing the neck screws, working all four gradually into place. Worst case scenario: new thicker neck plate and more time with my Dremel.

 

[wooders]

I have rarely seen a neck plate completely 100% aligned with the screw holes.
If this neck was already attached and the screws are not getting to a point where they need ridiculous amounts of torque to tighten up on the last 1/2", I'd not worry about it.
As I've stated, I drill the neck holes out of alignment, though very slightly, on purpose.