Lame special slanted heel cut

[jackson1]

Could you guys check your Jackson / Charvel bolt-on guitars with the slanted heel cut (if you have any), to see if the 4 neck screws are drilled as lame as mine are, please?

On my Charvel, the screw holes are drilled perfectly vertical, which is a silly thing to do, considering the slanted angle of the neck plate. It makes the screw heads pop out on one side, so it doesn't fit in the countersunk plate. Jesus....

[Newc]

Umm, they're like that for a reason: The bottom of the heel is slanted, but the inside of the pocket is not, and from the looks of that pic, it's the only way to get the neck to sit flat in the pocket.

The bolts in The Halford are like yours, and it's not a problem.

[jackson1]

Okay got it, Newc - but having the screw holes drilled in the same angle as the slanted plate, would still seat the neck flat in the pocket and hold it there perfectly tight.

I agree, it's not a problem, I just see it as a totally unnecessary design flaw. If I showed this to my former machinist teacher, he would laugh his ass off. I think

[Newc]

Not really, because the holes through the pocket are oversized so you don't have to calculate how many turns it takes to tighten the neck to the body.
If they were angled, it would allow slippage because the bolts would be going into the neck at an angle, as well as pull the neck slightly forward when tightening them up.

This way, they go into the heel straight, while keeping the neck in position.

They could have at least used the scalloped heel or a plate with better recesses like on the War Angel.

[jackson1]

Good point, but I don't think slippage (if any) would cause any serious problems here. In fact, the pre-drilled pocket holes in this one isn't really oversized, which also puzzles me. They really should be, to pull the neck tight. Or the screws shouldn't have threadings all the way up to the head.

Maybe the neck screws on this one are not original, making the screw heads stick out too much, I dunno. They actually have quite a fat head, but they match the plate if mounted normally (non-slanted).

I guess this is nit picking at it's best

[Newc]

Hmmm. I once tried to put an older Jackson neck on a newer Jackson body and the older bolts were very tight in the pocket holes, so that could be your case here. Can't be a Model series neck on a Journeyman-type body - 22 vs 24 frets.

[jackson1]

It's a San Dimas Standard from 1995 all original. Or should be... the neck pocket serial + the plate serial match, but the neck serial is another number.

I wonder if that's normal on these guitars... close but not matching neck vs plate serials?

[dg]

Henrik, those numbers almost never match. It's probably coincidence more than anything that the body & plate #s match. I also agree w/ Newc that the holes should be perpendicular to the pocket / neck surfaces rather than the slant. It would've been nice if the plate was countersunk to account for the angle, so the screw heads wouldn't project like that.

[jackson1]

Henrik, those numbers almost never match.

Is this the case for this particular San Dimas Series or is it seen on other J/C bolt-on's too? My only J/C bolt-on is this one, so I don't have much experience with them.

[dg]

I was mainly thinking of the original San Dimas Charvels. Work order #s & plate #s were different. Just guessing here, but since they probably started fresh in '95 with this series, the numbers might be extremely close, and maybe even match occasionally, especially on the earliest ones.

[mm2002]

I have 72 guitars with that same heel Henrick. I just checked them all and they all fit a lot better than yours. You just must have got a bad one.

[RobRR]

Yeah, none of my bolts are like that either.

[wilkinsi]

i backed out of replacing the MG neck on my WRMG with a DK2 neck because i thought what with the neck plate being slanted, that the screws were also slanted. however, when newc replaced the neck on his WRXT with the neck of a DK2M, my faith was restored. just a shame i will have to buy a whole DK2 to get the neck i want (can't find them on evilbay). naturally, i have no faith in my own ability or the tools to put it together, so i'd be inclined to take the 2 guitars to a shop to have their necks swapped.

[z1n]

You might be able to change the screws out with some that have a slightly smaller head or that will sit in the plate better? Just a thought.

[wilkinsi]

it's the £380 i need to get the dk2 that stands in the way