Thanks for the ideas guys! Upon research of this type of bridge I noticed that I was doing this all wrong. I have no experience with this type of bridge and I didnt realize it was supposed to float. My f up!! If I can get the insert out, should I epoxy it back in or should I get a fender style bridge that just screws down to the body? Thanks again for the help!
So I got the nut insert out of the body. Should I try the epoxy in the hole to keep it in? What about the ground wire?
You'll still need that ground wire in the hole making contact with the bridge stud insert. I'd personally be averse to epoxying it in. I'd either fit a hardwood dowel in the existing hole and then drill it out to a more appropriate size, or try gluing some thin slivers of veneer around the edges of the hole to make it smaller. I've done this with some headstock holes to get push-in inserts to fit tightly.
A chunky Fender-style bridge would probably be my choice but you won't cover up all the existing post holes, that single forward one will be exposed as a minimum. But you need to a) make sure that any new bridge has the height required (or shallowness, depending on the required minimum string height above the bridge position) and b) make sure the string spacing is the same.
The Hipshot Supertone bass bridges are designed as drop-in replacements for the 3-point Gibson style bridge and are much better units, but they are expensive. They have a nominal overall 2.06"/52.3mm string spacing (E to G), but that can be adjusted by up to ±3mm to suit your particular needs
Fenders have a wider string spacing a standard at 2.25", enough to spread the strings out too far for the neck width. So whatever bridge you look at, you do need to get a string spacing that is very close to that 2.06"/52.3mm value (or whatever you measure the saddle spacing on the kit bridge as (the kit bridge saddles are rather loose, so your value may vary slightly). Don't go for a straight Fender replacement (unless it has plain barrels that you can notch yourself for the correct distance).
I've used epoxy OK, but I used a custom mix of boat building epoxy and special filler which makes for a more flexible cured resin than the stuff that comes in tubes. If you put the post in with the epoxy uncured I suggest you block up the end of the post with melted candlewax so that epoxy cannot possibly get on the threads. If you want to fill the hole and redrill - if one of the holes was slightly mislocated for instance - then on the whole, as Simon says, I suggest most folks will be better off filling it with wood and using a wood glue rather than epoxy. The one thing to avoid is trying to push the post into epoxy that's fully cured and hard.
Build #1, failed solid body 6 string using neck from a scrapped acoustic (45+ odd years ago as a teenager!)
Build #2, ugly parlour semi with scratch built body and ex Peavey neck
Build #3, Appalachian Dulcimer from EMS kit
Build #4, pre-owned PB ESB-4
Build #5, Lockdown Mandolin
Build #6, Sixty six body for Squier
Build #7, Mini Midi Bass
Well I got the issues worked out and I am calling this one done. Will post some glamour pics in the gallery also. Thanks for the help everyone.
That looks nice and 'birdy. Happy with the sound?
Yes it sounds good with the strings that come with it. Im sure better pickups would help it but Im happy with how it sounds.
A decent set of strings should certainly improve it. The kit strings are pretty agricultural and only really any use during basic set-up.
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