How to repair a Tele control plate screw hole?

Johnnyseven

So the screwhole for the control plate screw closest to the pickguard of my early 2000s US Tele has disintergrated so you can no longer screw a screw into it. There's now a hole from the screwhole into the wall of the control cavity. Any idea how it can be fixed? I tried a bit of woodglue in the screwhole, hoping it would hold it all together enough to screw a screw into the hole, but that failed.

FelineGuitars

It sounds like a job for drilling out the hole larger, and putting in a dowel or wood plug, then re-drilling for the screw hole.

And you are in Croydon - so it could be easy to pop in and have us do it, as we have all the tools, dowels and experience in doing it

ICBM

That's trickier than the usual toothpick/wood glue solution if it's broken through the cavity wall. As FelineGuitars said, you may have to cut some of the wood away so you can glue in a piece which extends slightly further into the cavity.

A bodge that usually works is to get a longer screw, and purposely drill the pilot hole at a slight angle so it runs away from the cavity as it goes in deeper - the angle of the screw head isn't noticeable unless you overdo it.

I would let Feline Guitars have a look at it though.

Johnnyseven

Thanks @FelineGuitars and @ICBM I was thinking it might be time for a visit to Feline but I thought i'd ask here first. The guitar could probably do with a set up too ;-)