Mark V - how to re-attach a bolt-on neck?

[BiggyFarDust]

Hi all

I just purchased a late 60's Mark V Mosrite guitar - I think its a '67 based on the serial number and the info provided elsewhere on the forum.

Unfortunately the bolt-on neck had to be taken off the body for shipping purposes from the US to Australia.

When I tried to attach it today I noted that the upper bass side of the neck sits out of the neck pocket a few more mm than the lower treble side? Is this normal for Mosrite bolt-ons?

Anyway that is as far as I got as I then noticed that the little plastic? or wooden? shim thing which sits under the neck in the pocket was missing - I could clearly see its imprint but it appears to be missing. When I went back into the seller's site and looked at the photos of the guitar I bought I could clearly see the shim sitting there in the neck pocket so I have contacted them about sending the original or a replacement if possible?

I assume you need this but is it actually essential to set the neck properly? Can you get them anywhere in Australia or make one yourself - if so what material should I make it out of and what depth?

I have taken the neck back off the body and will wait until further advice before I set it up

If I could work out how to attach some photos to this message I would !!

thanks for your help

[ludobag]

the shim is needed for angled the neck in case of action to high
then look at without if necessary then if you think it it needed just cut a small card in plastic ,paper ect.... (exemple credit card )

[oipunkguy]

the shims are generally not on mosrites. they can be, but you shouldn't assume it's suppose to be there. you are not going to know what you have to work with until you put the neck on and string it up. so just make sure the neck is sitting into the pocket flush, and go with that. check and see how many neck screws you have. it is common for mosrite to have one or two neck screws running the opposite direction under the neck pickup. (meaning a total of 5-6 neck screws) if you don't see holes for these screws or don't have additional screws don't worry about it. the set of screws you have (at least four) the shorter screws (there should be at least two) go into the neck pocket area under the neck pickup (going in from the back of the guitar). these screws are shorter so they don't go into the actual neck pickup and damage it.

when you put the neck on, hold it on firmly and begin to drive all the screws in at the same time to insure proper placement, making sure you do not over tighten. you may have to remove the screws again in case you need to shim the guitar. string it up and let us know how it goes. if it was shimmed, generally it will mean the action at the higher end of the neck will be extra high. once in a while (very rarely) I've had to shim the neck at the other end of the pocket to make the neck tilt in the opposite direction.

when you get the neck on, and if the action seems fine to you, you can then go ahead and give an extra turn on the neck screws, but very careful not to let the screwdriver slip and smack the finish on the guitar! It's happens. good luck!

[101Volts]

How many neck screws does it have and does it have a neck plate like my Early 1966 Ventures II?



My Ventures II did not come with a shim although I am currently using a pick as a shim for it. I think I'll remove it, Though.

Austin

[BiggyFarDust]

Hi
yes it has 4 screws and the plate looks exactly the same as your photo.

I put the neck on yesterday and then strung it up. Action is good, no buzzing, intonation needs a bit of work though and it is struggling to stay in tune - this could be because of the old Kluson tuners which appear original and are a bit battered and stiff ! Also I think the tremolo bar doesn't help either

But it is a joy to play and a lot different from my Jap Strat and LP clone - which I suppose is the magic of these guitars.

Do you think it worth getting some new Klusons or should I try and refurbish the originals ?

thanks for everyone's helpful suggestions

cheers

Garon

[olrocknroller]

I have some real cheap strings I use for setups...if I break one it's just a nuisance. With bolt-on necks, I put the guitar together with the neck (truss rod) set absolutely straight, and put a ruler spanning from the bridge to the nut. This shows me if the neck angle is in the ballpark. If this is within the usable adjustment range of the bridge, I then string it up, tune it up, and play it a while, noting any buzzing or intonation issues. I don't spend any time correcting these things at this stage, I just note them, and try to find the real source of the problem.

If at all possible, I avoid using shims, opting for re-shaping the heel of the neck to suit. My logic for this is that a shim reduces the contact area between the body and neck significantly, IMHO reducing the integrity of the guitar, and it's resonance. This is precise work though, so if you're at all hesitant, take it to a luthier.

If the neck is angled correctly for the bridge, and the high and low E strings are spaced evenly from the sides of the neck, I move on to set-up of the guitar in detail, including neck relief with strings at pitch, intonation, and action. Getting this right is kind of a dance really, since they interact, but with a little practice, you'll pick up the knack.

When I have played the guitar for a number of days, to make sure everything has settled in, I replace the "setup" strings with my "spendy" strings of the same gauge.

Hope that helps!

[panther]

Instead of attaching real string to a guitar when setting up the neck angle etc, I will use regular kite string, in the High and Low e grooves and either the D or G grove, that way it is much easier to remove without the hassles of real string tension, and is much quicker to adjust..

Dan

[oipunkguy]

my mosrite klusons were the same way. my guess is it's just because the guitar was not played for an extended amount of time and the original oil dried up and/or dust settled into the tuner. if you look at the back of the tuner there should be a small hole on the tuner where you can add a few drops of three in one oil. without the strings on, add a few drops and use a sting winder to work the gear inside to loose it all up, turning it several times. try your best not to get the oil on the finish. its not good for lacquer, but wont harm anything if you wipe it up.
if the tuners don't loosen up let it set for a day and try again the next day adding oil again. if you STILL don't have any luck i recommend that you remove the tuners and place them in a small container and soak them in mineral spirits for a day or so. you may want to add three in one oil in with the minerial spirits as well. wd-40, lemon oil, or a similar machine oil should do the same thing. if you soak the metal in pure lemon oil for an extended amount of time if could discolor the metal slightly, but at any rate if you have to go this far with it, just check the tuners regularly until they loosen up.
when they are ready to come out just dry off as much oil as possible before putting them back on the guitar. if you have any questions on this process just let me know. hope this helps.

[BiggyFarDust]

cheers for that advice on loosening up Klusons - I will give that a go - thanks

[oipunkguy]

good luck, hope it helps.