Author Topic: Removing the mounting inserts of a ToM and stop bar (Read 5290 times)

Joe Dorcia · « **on:** January 05, 2007, 03:11:17 PM »

Hi guys

I just got a cheapo black SG body of ebay and I'm modding it into an evil guitar just for the hell of it. It still has the current metal insterts that the stop bar and ToM screw into in the body, how can I remove these without too much damange to the finish and wood? I might re-pray anyway is all goes to pot.

Eventually i will put a strat neck on it and a strayle style hartail bridge. but anyway

ideas for removing the inserts...

Joe

Philly Q · « **Reply #1 on:** January 05, 2007, 04:26:16 PM »

StewMac make this special tool.

But if it's a real cheapo body, I'd be inclined to use a clawhammer. Carefully, of course.

Either way, you'll need some bridge/tailpiece studs to screw into the inserts and pull on. Without them, I have no idea.

Joe Dorcia · « **Reply #2 on:** January 06, 2007, 03:32:35 AM »

Cheers
I'll have a go
I will end up probably stringing it and filling the sections anyway

Joe

FELINEGUITARS · « **Reply #3 on:** January 06, 2007, 02:04:11 PM »

here's a good way

1)Take a big washer - about 1" across with a small enogh hole that the thread of the tailpiece stud just goes through

2)Take a piece of wood or mdf - flat about 12mm thick and drill a hole maybe 15mm or so through it (or just large enough that the bushing will pass through it unhindered)

3)Place the hole over the insert

4)Thread the stud through the washer, through the hole in the wood and into the bushing

5)Tighten up and gently keep tightening until the bushing starts to be pulled out of the body

The bushing will rise out of the body and can then be pulled out

Or use a second piece of wood to make it so that you can repeat the procedure and pull the bushing out with the stud

Philly Q · « **Reply #4 on:** January 06, 2007, 02:45:32 PM »

Very neat idea! :D

Joe Dorcia · « **Reply #5 on:** January 06, 2007, 06:11:19 PM »

Wow, that is an amazing idea Jon. Cheers! That sounds like my kind of dooley to make things easier!

Cheers

Joe

ToneMonkey · « **Reply #6 on:** January 08, 2007, 12:49:38 PM »

I did this on an SG copy a couple of weeks ago. I got a bolt to fit in the stud and was long enough to stick out by about 15-20mm. I then put a magazine on the guitar and put a bit of wood on it. Using a spanner as a lever and the block of wood as the fulcrum I just lifted it out. Be careful though as this movement isn't exactly linear and I pulled out a tiny bit of wood, which TBH wasn't a problem. It would be worth pulling it most of the way out like this and then just grabbing hold of the bolt and giving it a pull.

A word of advise, you may know it and I may be just saying the obvious. If you're going to be stripping the paint off, by far the easiest way, especially on the thick cheapass finishes is to use 60 grade emery cloth. Sandpaper doesn't work to well on the finish, but if you wrap some emery cloth around a big bit of wood (the footprint of what I use is about 120mm wide and 300mm long). You can then get the finish off in a few hours and leave the surface fairly flat. Emery cloth is about 20p per sheet and it took me 3 sheets to get it all off.

Good luck mate, keep us informed of how it goes.

Joe Dorcia · « **Reply #7 on:** January 10, 2007, 01:44:00 AM »

dont worry tone monkey, the SG will be going through a thickness sander and then on the disk and bobbin sanders :lol: Then finish it with some 120, then 240 on a palm sander, then lacquer. Nice and easy and quick. Sweet

Cheers for the advise.

Joe

PS I will be putting a strat neck and strat bridge on it, as well as a white pearl pickgaurd and one battered burned and beaten MQ in the bridge. It will be awesome for my stupid A#, F, A#, F, A#, F, tunings!

ToneMonkey · « **Reply #8 on:** January 10, 2007, 09:35:26 AM »

That's cheating :lol: Where's the blood, sweat and tears? I've got 2 big blisters on my thumb where I was sanding a bit over ambitiously and burnt it :oops:

Put a Japanese microsaw into the other thumb about 10 minutes before that. Blood, Sweat and Swearing, so 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

Mr Ed · « **Reply #9 on:** January 10, 2007, 09:53:16 AM »

The awesome sound of an SG without the overly fat neck? The amazing playability of a Strat?

Great idea! But may I ask, why a Strat hardtail?

Joe Dorcia · « **Reply #10 on:** January 13, 2007, 03:15:32 PM »

Well I'm, not a huge fan of tremolos anyway, I have 3 strat now and only one has a working trem, the others are bolted down and the one with a trem will have a tremsetter by hipshot. As well as that, SGs are thin enough without losing more mass to a trem unit,i still want some bass :-)

I will let you know how it all turns out.

Joe