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Pre-drilled holes for neck in body are wonky!


cameltoe
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Hi,

Picked up a J body, in basswood. It's actually fairly decent, but they've completely lashed up drilling the neck holes in the body, to the point where it won't even accept a neck plate with all 4 screws (without trying to fit neck, just trying to get all 4 screws through the body!)

Needless to say, it doesn't line up with the neck I'm planning to use. In fact none of the holes individually line up with any of the holes in the neck. Now, if the holes in the body had been fairly square, but they just didn't line up with the neck holes, I'd have filled the neck holes and re drilled the neck, but in this instance I'm going to have to redrill the body holes.

I'm planning to dowel, glue and fill the holes before redrilling but my question is- will I need to also redrill the neck holes, or is there a way I can measure where the body holes need to be, so I can avoid this? The neck is genuine fender and all 4 holes are straight and true, but I can't figure out how to work out where the new holes in the body would need to be positioned to line up with them. Am I just going to have to do the neck as well?

Thanks in advance

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[quote name='cameltoe' timestamp='1444460798' post='2883362']
Hi,

Picked up a J body, in basswood. It's actually fairly decent, but they've completely lashed up drilling the neck holes in the body, to the point where it won't even accept a neck plate with all 4 screws (without trying to fit neck, just trying to get all 4 screws through the body!)

Needless to say, it doesn't line up with the neck I'm planning to use. In fact none of the holes individually line up with any of the holes in the neck. Now, if the holes in the body had been fairly square, but they just didn't line up with the neck holes, I'd have filled the neck holes and re drilled the neck, but in this instance I'm going to have to redrill the body holes.

I'm planning to dowel, glue and fill the holes before redrilling but my question is- will I need to also redrill the neck holes, or is there a way I can measure where the body holes need to be, so I can avoid this? The neck is genuine fender and all 4 holes are straight and true, but I can't figure out how to work out where the new holes in the body would need to be positioned to line up with them. Am I just going to have to do the neck as well?

Thanks in advance
[/quote]

Do you have a real Fender body that you can get the exact measurements from? You only need to know how far, in mm, the neck plate should be from the sides of the neck pocket. The back plate will act as template for the holes.

On my Jazz bass the neck plate is situated 5mm in from the bottom side of the neck plate (the lower horn side) and 7mm from the neck side (the side the neck joins the body from). Hope this helps.

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As you have already identified one error in the neck pocket construction;

- You could fit the neck in the pocket and check for correct alignment with strings fitted (but not tight !).

- Also, you may wish to check the scale length is correct with the neck fully home in the pocket

- just to ensure all will go as expected, you could also check that the screws enter the neck vertically. Any error here will have implications for holes in the body

Then,
Once neck is at the desired position in the neck pocket, mark the end of the body on the rear of the neck (a piece of tape carefully applied will give a nice line). Note if there's any discrepancy between the side of the neck and the side of the body, you will have to allow for this later if there is a difference

Using tracing paper (or greaseproof paper does just as well), trace the back of the neck using your tape mark as a reference point. Ensure you mark all sides of the neck as well as the screw holes

Apply decorator's masking tape to the rear side of the body over the neck pocket area. Place the paper to account for any discrepancy found between the side of the neck and body. Then use light pressure to transfer your tracing marks to the masking tape (make sure you don't turn it over !)

Double check everything. Think twice, cut once

Good luck with the project :)

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I did this once. Sounds daft but I couldn't work out how to do it so I snipped the tips of some cheap felt tip pens, put them in the holes in the neck and set the neck on the body. The marks left were where I drilled. There must be a more scientific way mind!

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All great advice, thanks! Think I'll try for the pins/felt tip approach. I will have a look at measuring against a genuine F body with neck plate location, but if the neck pocket in my replica body is slightly deeper then presumably this will cock that all up!

Re: scale length, the bridge holes aren't drilled. That's another job I'll have to do once I've mounted the neck. Expect to see a separate thread on that!

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