Six Screws Neck to Body ?

[Waddo Soqable]

Maybe should just mention this on my little "build" thread but may be of interest to others so...

What does everyone think of Six screws on a P bass build, like they have on a MusicMan ?  The Sheehan style 45° extra screws thing was punted.. but having just lengthened the neck pocket a tad, It occurred to me that if the back pair was shunted forward a bit, there would be room for six as opposed to four. Clearly one would need to avoid the rear pair being too close to the back edge of the neck.  Obviously I'd have to make a six hole back plate, (which wouldn't be an issue for me as I do a bit of metal butchery in life!)

So what's everyone think ? ....Good plan, or not worth the bother and stick with the usual 4 ?

[Reggaebass]

It wouldn’t do any harm but If the four screws are good fixings, I don’t see much point 🙂

[Waddo Soqable]

The existing ones are prob ok, the neck hasn't been drilled at all yet so going into untouched wood. I just thought of it as there seems to be lots of room at the butt end for an extra pair of screws, and it'd be more straight forward than the 45° screws a'la Mr Sheehan !

No doubt I'll be stuffing some card from a pack of 20 Rothmans in there too !

[Reggaebass]

1 minute ago, Waddo Soqable said:

a pack of 20 Rothmans in there too

Benson & Hedges is better quality 😁

[Waddo Soqable]

Hence "special filter"...It's the superior tone and sustain from the Gold finish ....

[Killed_by_Death]

 

G&L uses 6:

 

[Waddo Soqable]

I expect there's a few makers that use more than 4..... don't Ritter have loads of allen headed things here, like 9 or something?   I've lengthened the pocket to 106 mm ( don't ask!)  and it just looks to me like it could use the screws being rearranged as the back pair are nearer to the centre now ( see pic).. That said most of the string "leverage" is I'd think taken by the 2 at the front.

Edited May 10, 2021 by Waddo Soqable

[itu]

Just go ahead. And you can put thread inserts to the neck. Put two more in the middle and you have 8...

[Waddo Soqable]

I'll probably stick with six !.... any more and I suspect it may start to weaken things a bit. I've had a measure up and will make a backing plate in the next day or two, Iuckily I'll have access to someone else's pillar drill which will help greatly in the manufacturing of this.

[Geek99]

18 minutes ago, itu said:

Just go ahead. And you can put thread inserts to the neck. Put two more in the middle and you have 8...

I’d want 10…

[Geek99]

5 hours ago, Waddo Soqable said:

Hence "special filter"...It's the superior tone and sustain from the Gold finish ....

Yes but when that cardboard was growing as a tree, if it was nearer a rosewood tree than a maple tree would make a difference to the sound produced 🍿

…. During its second life as a shim, doing more good than it was when feebly protecting cancer inducing death sticks 

[Waddo Soqable]

8 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

I’d want 10…

Or go Richie Blackmore and glue the bugger as well......

[Hellzero]

10 hours ago, Waddo Soqable said:

Or go Richie Blackmore and glue the bugger as well......

Was about to propose it. Then use 2 components glue to be sure and put some Loctite 243 on the screws ... threads. You can also use two different alloys and solder the whole, than add a few nails, just in case.

[Geek99]

I advocate spar wood also - but the tone is better if it’s scatter-nailed 🍿  in zombie movie style - leave some sticking out slightly to increase resonance - just a thin galvanic coating though, so the metal within can breathe 

[Waddo Soqable]

 I can also spot weld the bolt heads to the back plate, they're not going anywhere then...

In fact I made a prototype backplate today from some 'orrible galvanised 3mm plate cut out of a scrap joist hanger, so we really are heading in this direction.... I'll be making one of those rusty steel bodied basses next no doubt !

[Hellzero]

3 hours ago, Waddo Soqable said:

rusty steel bodied basses

James Trussart, born nearby in Longuyon, France.

[Waddo Soqable]

I have been known to do a bit of welding, and have been tempted before to have a go at something like that, tho I doubt it would approach the quality of M. Trussart

[Waddo Soqable]

I made a six screw plate, just dropped on the body for a quick look.. now bear in mind I haven't shaped the corners this is just roughed out and drilled, (as I had the crafty opportunity to use a decent drill press when no one was looking!)  the only snag being however, if I used this, the butt end of the NW Gtrs neck has an open recess at the end of the skunk stripe, and I'm not sure it'd be a great idea to put 2 screws in the neck here where it's got less solid wood...not sure.

 

Edited May 13, 2021 by Waddo Soqable

[Reggaebass]

37 minutes ago, Waddo Soqable said:

here where it's got less solid wood...not sure.

That will be fine, you are away from the rod and there’s space there, be sure to do a pilot a hole for the screw 👍

[Hellzero]

As only the two pivot point screws are important, it won't do any harm to the neck.

[Waddo Soqable]

Cheers gents, I'd certainly have done pilot holes anyway, I'll have to show the plate to the grinder to round the corners off a bit anyway, the neck screws are 3.6 mm core depth of thread 5mm o/d..... t' internet rummage suggests 3mm drill for pilot holes...?

Edited May 13, 2021 by Waddo Soqable

[Hellzero]

I would go for 2.5 mm pilot holes.

[Reggaebass]

56 minutes ago, Waddo Soqable said:

t' internet rummage suggests 3mm drill for pilot holes

Rule of thumb is 2.5mm drill bit for no6 screws and 3mm drill bit for no8 screws, as Hellzero says go with 2.5 , if it feels too tight open them up to 3mm 

[Waddo Soqable]

Good plan it's easy enough to enlarge them... not so easy to shrink 'em !  Obviously if you really bolloxed it up you can plug the holes up with wood pegs and glue and start again, but hopefully won't come to that .

[PlungerModerno]

:Looks like it's gonna be a solid joint, all going well. I think 2 screws should be enough, 4 is good, 6 is better, I think Ritter might be overdoing it though: