Drill proper clearance holes of fender bodies

guitarman1984

I find this "issue" on many Fenders, basically the neck screws are NOT supposed to "bite" the wood in the body. This is preventing a tight fit between body and neck. Who else drill those holes?
Discuss!

ICBM

That's correct. I can also see you're turning the screws backwards at first to find the correct thread in the neck - this is extremely important, and a lot of people don't do this, especially if they're using a power screwdriver... it's the easiest way to strip the threads. I never use one for this sort of job.

SteveRobinson

Every time. I have a stock of 4.5mm bits just for that purpose.

dchwhite

How funny - I was about to ask this exact question as I have a Tele project I'm trying to complete, and can't get the neck and body together without leaving about a 1-2mm gap between them. Thank you - I don't even have to ask what size bit to use!

guitarman1984

ICBM said:

That's correct. I can also see you're turning the screws backwards at first to find the correct thread in the neck - this is extremely important, and a lot of people don't do this, especially if they're using a power screwdriver... it's the easiest way to strip the threads. I never use one for this sort of job.

You are right, that's a little detail but I like to do it every time. I also prefer to take my time and do it manually so that I can feel how loose/tight the screws are.

guitarman1984

dchwhite said:

How funny - I was about to ask this exact question as I have a Tele project I'm trying to complete, and can't get the neck and body together without leaving about a 1-2mm gap between them. Thank you - I don't even have to ask what size bit to use!

That's exactly the risk, not being able to tight neck and body together, especially if they come from different guitars. Drill the body holes and it will be fine!