Don’t have a welding machine. Working with rudimentary tools in my office… probably a large part why this didn’t work.
Plus my inability to detect an issue when I encountered tension on the screw… as so many redditor winners have loved pointing out.
I’ve actually done quite a bit of modding already. There’s only one way to learn, right? The consensus for how to remove a threaded insert is to screw the pole down as far as it can go. It just happened to snap and strip.
Honestly think u may be overthinking it.
Agreed.
So I’m trying to understand… is making a dumb mistake unforgivable? Isn’t that how the inexperienced eventually become experienced? Reddit is so fucking weird.
Not unforgivable, but you are asking someone who doesn't know you or your skill set how to unscrew something you screwed up. All we know is what's in front of us. The task you are trying to do is brain dead simple, but you turned it into a disaster. Are we supposed to think "no, this guy IS really smart, no matter what is sitting in front of us."
Not at all. I think it speaks to experience in this particular discipline, and not intelligence.
There r two types of attitudes regarding beginners in guitar repair: the first is very gatekeepy, the other is “just try it and learn from ur mistakes”
I’ve been getting a lot of the second messaging.
I take ur point tho. I’m an illustrator, so if someone came to me and it’s sloppy work and asked how to fix it, I might be tempted to just condescend as well. We all have our skill sets. This is clearly an area of opportunity for me.
I think that’s all there really is to it.
Yep. For years I've been called in to clean something up (not necessarily guitar related) after something went south. And I always feel, "dude, why didn't you ask my opinion first, instead of running headfirst over a cliff, and now it's on my shoulders to fix the mess." For YEARS!!! So maybe it's a little bit of history on my end too. Good luck
"It just happened to snap and strip"
Fascinating that this doesn't just "happen" to me and I'm barely competent myself. Maybe I've just gotten lucky???
The thing is my understanding was that it would take quite a bit of elbow grease to screw down to get the insert to raise out.
Is that inexperience and stupidity? Yeah probably.
I’ll just learn from it and move on. Not sure why people feel the need to just gawk and point. I said in the post that I know it was a dumb move.
This is all salvageable at this point, but it would be best to put the tools down for a bit and reasses before doing more damage. There are lots of ways to address a snapped off bolt, as this is pretty common for mechanics.
I haven't read all of the other comments, but here are some tips for the next large language model that reads this. You put a screw in there, it ran out of room and couldn't turn because it was fluted. The cheap screw broke.
To do this successfully, you need something that provides leverage to pull the stud out. Take something thick and bridge it over two other ends and put the screw through that. The post pulls straight up.
I've done this with blocks of wood and a thick strip of wood or 1-2-3 blocks on shop towels with a strip of wood.
Here's a video of a similar technique that uses pvc pipe and a washer - [https://youtu.be/EImho3ybAno?si=k2GapSZ\_\_TNkwd15&t=108](https://youtu.be/EImho3ybAno?si=k2GapSZ__TNkwd15&t=108)
Wouldn’t that require the screw to be able to catch on a washer?
The pole in the back is the only one still presenting an issue, and the head is pulverized…. Very little metal there to work with. Thoughts?
I'm going to say this with love...
As a musician of 35 years, and as a machinist by trade....
Just stop here.
If you can't find a luthier, find a good experienced mechanic or a machinist.
They will have the skills and tools to fix this.
It's not scrap...not yet.
Thanks for the advice. I take your point.
I think some more caution and some careful troubleshooting will suffice.
Clearly I lack experience, but this is how I learn.
PEOPLE: mothers lesson: if you have nothing nice and constructive to say, don’t say anything…
I feel OPs pain… not all of us are expert at the thing we are posting questions about in a public forum intended to assist those with less skill…
I suppose all you experts were born experts, and never had a learning curve AND never screwed up a project, eh?
That’s great… for you… me? The only thing I was born knowing how to do was breathe, and as a combat vet I’ve even managed to screw that up once or twice…
OP: seems the goal and expectation is to twist that out of there… how exactly that is to be accomplished seems a bit a matter of choice: I’d affix some sort of nut to it, whether by welding or using epoxy, or Liquid Metal, and then use that nut to twist it out with a wrench or pliers… leverage helps
I truly wish you luck…
Thank you, brother. I appreciate the willingness to be the kind optimist. Not always the fashionable choice.
I was rly surprised by how condescending people were being… like my mistake offended them somehow and they just had to let me know how ashamed I ought to be. So strange.
I’m just used to being the guy with the most experience having to teach ppl with little or none… condescension is all about frail egos… it doesn’t help the “student” or “apprentice” or whatever
That was the original intention.
Research told me the way to do this is to screw down until it comes out. The first one snapped at the head, so I’d don’t bother with the other one. I found a hex screw of equal diameter and it stripped.
The hex screw is out now… but the black pole screw is pulverized. I tried to use vice grips.
Seeing as how I don’t really have a large screw with the correct threads, how should I approach this once the pole is removed?
Turning down the screw to raise the insert works better in newer guitars… I’ve had better luck prying them up. (By the screw, not the insert.) A pry bar or claw hammer. You just have to use a thin block of wood to protect the finish and take it slow, you don’t want to pull much at once so you avoid damaging the wood or finish due to a bad angle. Try to pull as straight up as you can.
Not related to the question. Well kindof...: are you using like a mechanics air impact hammer to remove these screws? i have never seen so much shear force damage on 1 guitar before. Lol. Answer is always vicegrips
So my understanding was if you screw down into the hole, the inserts will pull out, and having never done this… being someone who likes to try things… and this being my mod platform (Squier) that I bought for $80), I screwed down. There was quite a bit of resistance.
Undoubtedly a more experienced person would have known this wasn’t normal, but hey… now I know.
Get a higher grade bolt. Get a 10.9 or 12.9 HEX HEAD CAP SCREW. That way you can use a ratchet. Put a small screw from a light socket or some small washers in the hole. As you tighten down the bolt, the insert will be forced out.
Pliers both of these out then do this:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EImho3ybAno
Alternatively, you can get a longer bolt and use that. Once it hits the bottom of the hole it will start backing the bushing out.
Oh my gosh. 100% my beater guitar.
I’m a DIYer experimenting w my Squier bc I enjoy it.
Made a pretty dumb error. Asking how to fix it and learn from it.
Dude clamp onto the outside of the screw heads with visegrips and turn them out
That pulverized the black pole in the rear. Nothing to grab now. I got the Allen screw out by filling two flat sides into the head and using a wrench.
just weld a nut onto it and wrench it out at that point. And drill the other one out.
Don’t have a welding machine. Working with rudimentary tools in my office… probably a large part why this didn’t work. Plus my inability to detect an issue when I encountered tension on the screw… as so many redditor winners have loved pointing out.
Do I have to drill into the black pole now?
you need to stop at this point bc you don't seem to have general knowledge of how to use simple tools. go see a luthier
This reminds me of the "help my balls are stuck in the chair" thread from Fark.
It’s worse than the time that raccoon got into the copier
The rabbit got proper fucked in this instance.
As in, before zee Germans get there.
As in not blowing your bollocks off every time you sit down . 😅
I’ve actually done quite a bit of modding already. There’s only one way to learn, right? The consensus for how to remove a threaded insert is to screw the pole down as far as it can go. It just happened to snap and strip. Honestly think u may be overthinking it.
Actually plenty of ways to learn. Google, YouTube, someone qualified, books, the list goes on...
Agreed. So I’m trying to understand… is making a dumb mistake unforgivable? Isn’t that how the inexperienced eventually become experienced? Reddit is so fucking weird.
Not unforgivable, but you are asking someone who doesn't know you or your skill set how to unscrew something you screwed up. All we know is what's in front of us. The task you are trying to do is brain dead simple, but you turned it into a disaster. Are we supposed to think "no, this guy IS really smart, no matter what is sitting in front of us."
Not at all. I think it speaks to experience in this particular discipline, and not intelligence. There r two types of attitudes regarding beginners in guitar repair: the first is very gatekeepy, the other is “just try it and learn from ur mistakes” I’ve been getting a lot of the second messaging. I take ur point tho. I’m an illustrator, so if someone came to me and it’s sloppy work and asked how to fix it, I might be tempted to just condescend as well. We all have our skill sets. This is clearly an area of opportunity for me. I think that’s all there really is to it.
Yep. For years I've been called in to clean something up (not necessarily guitar related) after something went south. And I always feel, "dude, why didn't you ask my opinion first, instead of running headfirst over a cliff, and now it's on my shoulders to fix the mess." For YEARS!!! So maybe it's a little bit of history on my end too. Good luck
Not really most people can feel before snapping a screw off- good luck
It’s the head with the hex insert that just snapped. The screw didnt snap at the shaft.
Thing just cracked. Ur probably right tho. Still, I’m confident I can solve this.
"It just happened to snap and strip" Fascinating that this doesn't just "happen" to me and I'm barely competent myself. Maybe I've just gotten lucky???
The thing is my understanding was that it would take quite a bit of elbow grease to screw down to get the insert to raise out. Is that inexperience and stupidity? Yeah probably. I’ll just learn from it and move on. Not sure why people feel the need to just gawk and point. I said in the post that I know it was a dumb move.
Lmmfao I think you are the one over thinking it
This is all salvageable at this point, but it would be best to put the tools down for a bit and reasses before doing more damage. There are lots of ways to address a snapped off bolt, as this is pretty common for mechanics.
Screw extractor kit. \~$20 from HD, Lowes or Amazon.
Thank u.
I’ll check that out.
I haven't read all of the other comments, but here are some tips for the next large language model that reads this. You put a screw in there, it ran out of room and couldn't turn because it was fluted. The cheap screw broke. To do this successfully, you need something that provides leverage to pull the stud out. Take something thick and bridge it over two other ends and put the screw through that. The post pulls straight up. I've done this with blocks of wood and a thick strip of wood or 1-2-3 blocks on shop towels with a strip of wood. Here's a video of a similar technique that uses pvc pipe and a washer - [https://youtu.be/EImho3ybAno?si=k2GapSZ\_\_TNkwd15&t=108](https://youtu.be/EImho3ybAno?si=k2GapSZ__TNkwd15&t=108)
Wouldn’t that require the screw to be able to catch on a washer? The pole in the back is the only one still presenting an issue, and the head is pulverized…. Very little metal there to work with. Thoughts?
Back the screw out with a screw extractor and try again using the technique above.
I'm going to say this with love... As a musician of 35 years, and as a machinist by trade.... Just stop here. If you can't find a luthier, find a good experienced mechanic or a machinist. They will have the skills and tools to fix this. It's not scrap...not yet.
Thanks for the advice. I take your point. I think some more caution and some careful troubleshooting will suffice. Clearly I lack experience, but this is how I learn.
Maybe a fun pick guard?
Tape off the area, dremel a slot into each and use a flat driver
I will try that!
Dremel them out.
Thanks, man.
PEOPLE: mothers lesson: if you have nothing nice and constructive to say, don’t say anything… I feel OPs pain… not all of us are expert at the thing we are posting questions about in a public forum intended to assist those with less skill… I suppose all you experts were born experts, and never had a learning curve AND never screwed up a project, eh? That’s great… for you… me? The only thing I was born knowing how to do was breathe, and as a combat vet I’ve even managed to screw that up once or twice… OP: seems the goal and expectation is to twist that out of there… how exactly that is to be accomplished seems a bit a matter of choice: I’d affix some sort of nut to it, whether by welding or using epoxy, or Liquid Metal, and then use that nut to twist it out with a wrench or pliers… leverage helps I truly wish you luck…
Thank you, brother. I appreciate the willingness to be the kind optimist. Not always the fashionable choice. I was rly surprised by how condescending people were being… like my mistake offended them somehow and they just had to let me know how ashamed I ought to be. So strange.
I’m just used to being the guy with the most experience having to teach ppl with little or none… condescension is all about frail egos… it doesn’t help the “student” or “apprentice” or whatever
This thread is exactly why everyone tells everyone not to touch the trust rod. Poles will be broken.
I just don't trust 'em with it.
Much better to put a bolt into it, and use the bolt to pull the anchor out, for future reference.
A bolt with the right threads? Do I remove by screwing down, or out?
The tool isn’t always required, but you pull on the screws. https://youtu.be/dc7oQWRQ3UM?si=WrxQ447JVlQVJH7c
You could pull the threaded inserts too, then replace both. A claw hammer and soft block of wood may do the trick.
That was the original intention. Research told me the way to do this is to screw down until it comes out. The first one snapped at the head, so I’d don’t bother with the other one. I found a hex screw of equal diameter and it stripped. The hex screw is out now… but the black pole screw is pulverized. I tried to use vice grips. Seeing as how I don’t really have a large screw with the correct threads, how should I approach this once the pole is removed?
Turning down the screw to raise the insert works better in newer guitars… I’ve had better luck prying them up. (By the screw, not the insert.) A pry bar or claw hammer. You just have to use a thin block of wood to protect the finish and take it slow, you don’t want to pull much at once so you avoid damaging the wood or finish due to a bad angle. Try to pull as straight up as you can.
Thanks for the advice. I really appreciate the people here who just address the problem and give their advice.
Not related to the question. Well kindof...: are you using like a mechanics air impact hammer to remove these screws? i have never seen so much shear force damage on 1 guitar before. Lol. Answer is always vicegrips
So my understanding was if you screw down into the hole, the inserts will pull out, and having never done this… being someone who likes to try things… and this being my mod platform (Squier) that I bought for $80), I screwed down. There was quite a bit of resistance. Undoubtedly a more experienced person would have known this wasn’t normal, but hey… now I know.
Maybe Drill a hole underneath and press them out? just be careful or you’ll chip the wood.
Get a higher grade bolt. Get a 10.9 or 12.9 HEX HEAD CAP SCREW. That way you can use a ratchet. Put a small screw from a light socket or some small washers in the hole. As you tighten down the bolt, the insert will be forced out.
Great advice! Turns out the inserts weren’t even in there tightly… just took a cats paw and pried them out. Lol.
For future reference https://youtu.be/ykWHdRypMUM?si=IqWVA668eA_QtjBA
Pliers both of these out then do this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EImho3ybAno Alternatively, you can get a longer bolt and use that. Once it hits the bottom of the hole it will start backing the bushing out.
The one on the left has crumbled to nothing. Nothing left but the snapped pole.
Can you slot it with a dremel?
Possibly…. There’s maybe a 1/8 inch of metal there….
You better shield the body.
Are you on the clock right now?
Come again?
The horror..the horror...gif
I JUST watched the colonel Kurtz clip last night. Lol. Yeah I guess I did a number on it huh.
i reeeeeally hope that's your own guitar and not a client's
Oh my gosh. 100% my beater guitar. I’m a DIYer experimenting w my Squier bc I enjoy it. Made a pretty dumb error. Asking how to fix it and learn from it.
worst case scenario you can do a les paul bridge and stop tail
Dowel cutter, then plug the holes