Simon B's Custom ESB-4 Build.

[fender3x]

I did a little checking and I think the problem with the insets you found first may be that they were for soft wood.

I found these that have similar specs for hard wood...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HGO5HE6...a-308613287691


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Just bought some of these...speaking of extra parts. I have a 4 point bass bridge I might use at some point...

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[Dikkybee007]

After looking at the problems faced with using standard parts but not knowing what the actual hole sizes of where you want to put the insert and after looking at what can be bought online, could you have gotten a custom insert made? I know if I was still working, depending on hole size, I could have modified a standard 316 Stainless bolt and polished what you see on top so it looked like chrome and will never rust or just made a complete new one. Just drill and tap what thread was needed in the middle of the 316 bolt as most of the time they use standard threads. Just use a bolt that has the same thread as the internal thread with a fibre washer so it doesn't mark the exposed face, a normal washer to stop the nut from marking the top surface when turned and 2 nuts to lock against each other to screw it into the body so there is no need for a slot or hex drive. Screwing the insert in is much easier than trying to hammer an insert in especially with hollow/semi hollow.

Could there be a section made in the forums where people could ask if someone could mod/make a particular part for a guitar project? Obviously materials and postage would have to be paid for by the person who wants the item but with the community we have I am sure some may be interested as they have the skills and machinery. I don't see a part of the forum that covers this, unless I am blind, and was just a thought.

[fender3x]

Just got the inserts from Amazon...



One of my failed experiments was to purchase this cool two-point Korean bridge...which was too wide for the center block in my ESB-4 kit...<ahem!>

Put the new insert on the left and the standard insert on the right. The new one is about an inch (25mm) long, and is definitely what I will use if I put this bridge on something. Came in a pack of 10 for under $7.

[Simon Barden]

It looks a bit narrower than the standard insert, so you'd probably want to drill your own bridge post holes. You want the whole of the insert to be in contact with the wood, not just the tips of the threads, otherwise they'd work loose pretty quickly. (I know that you know this, Fender3x - just elaborating for any others who might read this).

It's a shame that you don't seem to be able to get M8 (or the slightly smaller imperial post size) inserts any longer than 1"/25mm, as 1.25"/30mm would be a nice size to use in other possible pull-out situations.

It's less important for a bridge-only fitting, as almost all the force is downwards (which is why Gibson could get away with short thin posts that screwed directly into the wood on their ABR style tune-o-matic bridges). It's the stop-tails and wrap-around bridges that have all the sideways force on them.

[Simon Barden]

Dickybee007, that's certainly a good idea, though would a standard bolt (the hole size on my bass is about 10.3mm in diameter) have wide enough threads to grip the wood firmly enough? These specialist thread things have extra-wide threads to help grip the wood to give extra protection against pull-out, so it would be nice to work out a suitable test to compare the tendency of the hex inserts against a standard bolt thread to pull-out over time.

Looks are certainly an issue in some situations. My Hipshot bridge covers up the inserts as it sits right on top of them, but in other situations, they are going to be exposed. That's where the hex inserts fall down.

[Simon Barden]

The Kluson 1.25" bushings arrived today. Only 6 days since ordering from the US, which is nice.



A lot longer than the standard bushings, it measures exactly 1.25" long, as it should do. It's an imperial size bushing, so I need to use the smaller diameter bolts (1/4"?) that came with the bridge instead of the M8s that fitted the kit bushing.

Also, it's slightly wider (1/2"), so I need to drill out the post holes a bit (I needed to make the holes slightly deeper anyway). But I only have metric drills, so have now ordered a 1/2" bit. About 1.3mm difference in the overall diameter (splines included) so too much to risk to not drill wider and then possibly having the wood split (or having too much resistance to push it in fully once it was in part way).

[fender3x]

It just seems odd that no guitar parts mfg has developed a threaded insert for this purpose. You would think they'd have at least as much ingenuity as IKEA...

I think 25mm might be enough with threaded inserts, Hopefully 30mm will be enough with splines.

I can't see any better alternative, for all the reasons you say above.




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[Simon Barden]

Replacement pickups arrived today. Swearing was involved.





Not as bad as the first set, but totally unacceptable. Obviously SD have an assembly and QA problem, but I can't believe the store, Guitar Guitar, didn't check before sending these out. I have sent the obligatory email, but I also copied in Rosetti, the UK distributor.

It looks like whoever SD use to fit the covers on has long hard thumbnail and is using that to press the cover into place, moving along the pickup and damaging them in the process.

I await a response.

[WeirdBits]

Wow. Once, maybe. Twice, no.

At least they're fulfilling the consistency aspect of QA. It may not be good, but at least they're all the same.

[Simon Barden]

It's a good thing I haven't tried to rout the body for the pickups yet, for if all of them come like this, then I'm getting my money back and am going to have to rethink the pickup selection.