Bridge post bushings - loose

[darthdamo]

Hey all!

Whilst setting up my ESB4 the tension of the strings yanked out the post bushings from its pre drilled hole.
I originally had to hammer these in and it was real tight but I guess the tension on the bridge is too much for the bushings/hole. Anyone ever had this problem before? Should I glue them in? If so what's the best glue for the job?
Cheers guys,
Damo

[wokkaboy]

Hi Damo, I haven't built this kit but looking at photos there are 3 bridge mount holes, the 2 at the rear will be taking the full tension of the strings. Which of the 3 bushes is the earth wire connected to ? I presume the rear one closest the control pots.

I never like gluing bushes in case they need to be removed at some stage will be difficult.
Has any wood in the bridge block been torn out and do the bushes still feel tight when put back in ?

Might pay to wait to see if any other ESB-4 builders have had this issue before.

Are you running standard gauge strings ? Sure you didn't tune higher than E A D G ?

[darthdamo]

Hi Wokka,
Yeah the two rears are definitely taking the full tension. Your right in the earth wire being in the rear closest to the control pots.

No wood has been torn out and the bushes feel super tight. It's only under tension that they start to rise out of the holes.

Strings are currently the standard gauge that came with the kit and tuning is standard pitch.
It's weird for sure..


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[wokkaboy]

no worries Damo, I only see 2 options, to plug the bush holes and re-drill but you need a special drill bit as the bushes are tapered.
The other option is to glue the bushes in, which will be the easiest option, but if you ever have to refinish this bass they really need to be removed. There are some cool methods to extract the bushes.

Be interested to see if any other ESB-4 builders had the same problem.

you could also expose more bare wire for the earth wire and wrap it around the bush may make it tighter in the hole

[darthdamo]

Thanks woks,
Yeah the redrilling idea crossed my mind.. Sheesh never ending build! I might try the idea of wrapping the wire around the bush first and see if that helps.
Thanks for your help mate!


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[wokkaboy]

no worries Damo, it just proves how much more the string tension is on a bass compared to a guitar

[stan]

perhaps the wood inside the hole has compressed to a small degree...
i have heard of this being fixed using epoxy inside the hole, but that's pretty permanent.
what if you wrap the outside of the post with a single layer of a strip of paper, sort of like making a sleeve/gasket for the bushing, making it all tighter. Bushing should still be removable if need be

[darthdamo]

Hi stan thanks for that.. Sounds like that may work too. I've read similar feedback on a les Paul forum but wanted to see if any other PBG builders had had first hand experience before I did anything
Cheers


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[wokkaboy]

not a bad idea Stan, I thought of that but didn't suggest it. If one layer of paper doesn't work Damo try a double layer.
Best start trying the easiest fix first !

[WeirdBits]

A smear of fine sawdust and glue inside the holes may also be an option.