Old, warped, distorted, broken neck plates . . . solution found...

[RR05xx]

Not sure how many of you have had this problem, but I am sure some of you guys are aware of the issue with old original SD neck plates, particularly the first few years. The metal is soft and wears/warps over time, sometimes to the point where the holes elongate and the plate no longer performs its job becuase the screws essentially force the metal apart. This starts the cycle of tightening, which, eventually leads to failure of the plate, which must then normally be replaced with a new one. Could be screw counting, but few things suck as much as an old SD which cant even wear its own serialized neck plate anymore IMHO.

Anyway, here is the deal. I did a dumb thing and over-tightened the neckplate screws on one of my guitars and accelerated the failure. I know people have complained of this problem in the past, so when it hit me squarly and became my problem, I decided to do something about it. Brainstorming ocurred and I came up with several theorectical options. Then it came time for practical application. So I contacted my friend, Dave ("Budman" -fretsonthenet.com) and we started talking. The prototype was tested the end of last summer. Prototype worked and Dave made me a "production model" in brushed brass (just like his heavy brass plates). The production model has been installed and functioning without incident for since the beginning of September (and this has been my go to guitar for jamming, band practice and screwing around at home etc. - just not gigging).

Best part is that it works with the original screws, origanal plate - just no rubber pad - which was not used on the early guitars where the warping issue is a problem anyway so that should not matter (although this particular guitar was apart and put back together enough times over the years to require the two of the screw holes professionally drilled out and plugged).

I call it the "PlateSaver"




If anyone has an old charvel (I want to say pre-'84 or so), I would highly recommend getting a couple and putting them away even if you dont need them right now. If you are interested, Contact Dave at Fretsonthenet.com and he will take care of you. Because of the potential for a screw hole failure/repair issue, I would recomend a pro install also.

Definately a limited market product, but I want to say that a few of you might appreciate the product, so I thought I would share.

[rjohnstone]

Very cool idea indeed.
Dave comes through again!

[straycat]

In the past on some SD Charvies I've had using a thin import neck plate under the Charvel plate I think the thin plates were off some Made in Japan vey low end 80's guitars just don't remember which.
Dave's the man!!

[GuerillaPete]

So it's a plate for your plate. Cool! Budman is tha Man!....Sorry, so is RO5xx.

[Bert]

Dave rules. Where's that bastard been anyway?

[slo100]

Interesting!

This is a good idea and may work for some plates. However, my practice has always been to use a spare. I have bought a number of blank brass plates from Dave for just this purpose.

By using the original plates (even with the PlateSaver) there is still pressure being applied by the screws and the thin metal will still continue to contort over time. In fact, with some plates using the second plate will accelerate the damage as the screws put pressure on a hard steel/brass surface instead of the softer surface of the guitar. I have seen a number of guitars where the plates have actually made imprints on the clear coat and the plate conformed to the impressions. I have also seen examples where the clear simply chipped off. Adding the PlateSaver may, in some instances, create unexpected results. Just be careful!

The other thing I would watch for is guitars with loose screwholes. Due to the addition of the plate the screws penetration into the wood is reduced and may, in some conditions, impact how well the neck is affixed to the body. We've all had those guitars with stripped holes and loose necks.

Unfortunately I have a few of the soft plates that have exhibited this.

I think this is a great idea and may work in some instances but it users should probably exercise caution.

Bret

[RR05xx]

First off, yes, Dave is the man and a good friend to boot.

Anyway, hey Bret, good to see you here, hope all is well.

You have some good points, but keep in mind that the type of force being applied by my idea is different than the force that is applied by the screws directly on the plate itself. With the original plate and its recessed screw holes, the force of the beveled screw/hole on the soft metal over time is the real killer as everytime that you tighten, you elongate the holes a little tiny bit and this is what the causes the failure. The metal cant take what I will call the "spreading" action. However, while not a strong metal, its still metal and while it does not have the same compression resistance as say concrete, it is still compression resistant if the force is properly distributed. What this does is instead of the force of the screws just being applied inside the beveled holes where the metal is thin to begin with and the machanical action is working against you (because of the recess/bevel), with the gizmo installed, the force of the screw pressure is being distribued more uniformly on the entire corner and on the sides of the plate (the brass used for the gizmo is NOT soft!). For what it is worth, I am an engineer and did put some time into this ;-).

Also, you are correct about the neck screw issue and as I mentioned, a pro install is recommnded.

I consider this to be a last resort and I have only had to do this with one out of several old guitars that I own. The guitar I did this with already had screw hole failure issues that you are referring to (neck was loose) because it had been apart one too many times way before I got it (probably goes back to the 80s for that matter ). I had my tech drill out and plug the holes and then install this (only required this for 2 of 4 holes, 2 were just fine). Guitar has been rock solid since the install and beleive me when I say that it was far from it before hand.

Oh, and because you are screwing into a more stable base, there is no need to over-tighten to get a good result (the over-tightening can definately produce the inprints and finish damage and that is something this is also designed to prevent). I do agree that anytime to screw down an old charvel neckplate, care must be taken to not overdo it (thats what got me into trouble in the first place - what can I say, I have also cranked newer floyd saddles).