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Is it a good idea to put Loc-Tite or something like that on the neck bolts? The reason I ask is, the first guitar I made, after about 3 months, started sounding kind of funky. Come to find out, the neck bolts had backed out some. This being my first, I don't know whether I didn't get them tight enough for fear of cracking the neck or whether the vibrations over time caused them to loosen.

I don't use loctite on mine but I snug them pretty good using a screwdriver type hex wrench. You wouldn't want to torque them with any leverage.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

I wick in a drop of CA into the threads after Ive turned them all the way into the heel. I use the anchor style bolts that thread into the end grain. So far, after 3 years, none have loosened.

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Jimmie, are you talking about the bolt itself backing out or the threaded insert? I assumed you meant the bolt. I don't use threaded inserts, I use barrel nuts or cross dowels on my necks.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

John, I'm talking about the actual bolt itself. I wicked
CA into the insert afer it was screwed in. Actally the guitar that the bolts came loose on had the cross dowels.As I recall I think I didn't want to get them too tight for fear of cracking the neck. That may be the reason they backed out on me.

I use Bellville washers to keep tension on the bolts. Supposed to keep the bolts from loosening.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

[QUOTE=JJ Donohue] I use Bellville washers to keep tension on the bolts. Supposed to keep the bolts from loosening.[/QUOTE]

If that is what you call those conical washers, yup I use em too.

Does anyone have a source fo buying just the bellville washers? Does ACE or anyone like that carry them?

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

I got my washers through McMaster Carr. They were expensive, but worth it, Its better than the neck falling off.

I am sure you can hunt them down for less, but I order stuff from McMaster quite a bit so it was easy.

Do they also go by another Name. Over the last few years I'vre asked about them a stores and no one seems to know what I am talking about.

The also go by conical washer.

I think these might be the ones I got

Goto McMasterCarr.com

9294K59

There are many others, so that might be them, but it is a decent example.

I've used bellville washers (from MSC), but I'm not sure they are sufficient;
they are very small, and if they are bearing against wood on the inside
surface they could wear into the wood and lose their tensioning effect. I
think they need a hard washer underneath. Even with them I like to use a
drop of blue locktite. No reason you can't use both.Howard Klepper38517.1398148148

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.