First build LP1; bridge problems

[Dpdarren]

Hello everybody and Happy New Year! My wife bought me an LP1 kit for Christmas, complete with gold fittings, which I am looking forward to putting together - my first one. I have a question though; it looks like the holes for the bridge screws are slightly too large. Has anyone else come across this? I’m thinking of using some masking tape to get a snug fit. I tried to attach a photo but I keep getting an error message.

[Brendan]

Welcome along Dpdarren - photos have a limit to the number of pixels - 1500 a side from memory. If you resize the image, it should get through. There shouldn't be a size issue with the bridge posts - would be interested to see if there were.
Brendan

[Fretworn]

Welcome DPDarren

[Andy40]

Welcome to the forum.

LP1 kit? Are you sure, I didn't think PBG sold them anymore

[Dpdarren]

I’m not sure if it’s an LP1, it is a Les Paul shape. The holes definitely over drilled, but some plumbers tape has done the job!

[Dpdarren]

And yes I’ve figured out how to add photos now too.

[Andy40]

Must have been old stock.

the bushings for the stop tail piece should be tight, so tight in fact that I would finish the guitar body first before putting them in and when i put them in I put on a healthy dose of parrafin wax so its easier to pull them out.

I can't tell by the photo the size of the hole. but if the bushing for the stop tail post was not snug and flapped around in there, you could either get some veneer, steam it and wrap it around the stop tail post bushing then put it in the hole size it up and if correct, glue the veneer in place.
Alternatively you could put a piece of doweling in there and redrill.
I prefer method 1

[Simon Barden]

Plumbers tape won't keep the stop tail bushing in place, though it should be fine (if less than optimal for string vibration transfer) for the bridge as there's only really downward force on that. I used copper tape on the bushings in a friend's old LP copy I put new hardware on, and that simply pulled out of the socket under string tension. I then used strips of veneer glued to the sides of the hole, 4 small strips to start in N, S, E & W positions, holding them in place with a tape-wrapped pencil, then filled in between them with another 4 strips. easier than trying to steam and bend veneer. Ended up a bit too tight so i had to sand away at the veneer surface. Then knocked the bushings in and they certainly weren't coming out.

[Dpdarren]

Great feedback, thanks for the tips