Solid-body Repair Question

[Jared McMahon]

A friend's solid-body guitar had its strap button pull out of the body. What's best-practices on how to fix this sort of thing in a reasonably durable way that doesn't compromise the integrity of the body any more than necessary? Initial thoughts:

- Fill the hole with epoxy, redrill a pilot for the button
- Ream the hole, glue in a dowel, cut/sand it flush, redrill

Thanks, all.

[Jack Briggs]

I usually take the dowel route. Let it dry overnight after gluing, then redrill. You can touchup the finish before attaching the button, if need be.


Cheers,

[Ryan Baker]

Another vote for the dowel route. If it is done carefully (and there isn't too much damage already), it can be hidden under the strap button and you may not have to do any finish repair at all.

[Shawn Pixley]

Dowel definately.

[John Coloccia]

Personally, I like:

1) dip toothpick in titebond
2) shove into hole
3) screw button back on while glue is wet

The titebond and toothpick mess will harden around the screw and you'll have a very strong repair. This has become a very popular repair technique. It's better/stronger than a dowel because a dowel will have you screwing into end grain.

[fred marcuson]

Personally, I like:

1) dip toothpick in titebond
2) shove into hole
3) screw button back on while glue is wet

The titebond and toothpick mess will harden around the screw and you'll have a very strong repair. This has become a very popular repair technique. It's better/stronger than a dowel because a dowel will have you screwing into end grain.

that's the way i've always done them

[John Coloccia]

that's the way i've always done them

It actually works so well that I've started drilling strap buttons and neck bolts holes out to a bit less than the thread size instead of pilot size, and just installing the screws like this from day one. In my informal testing, I've found it works far better than even a properly sized hole in virgin wood, especially in a lot of the woods you find on instruments like Alder and Mahogany. On the smaller holes,I'll just do a pilot, screw in the screw, back out the screw and harden the threads with CA, and then put the screw back in after the CA has fully cured. I haven't had anything come loose since I started doing this couple years back.

[Dustin Keys]

Personally, I like:

1) dip toothpick in titebond
2) shove into hole
3) screw button back on while glue is wet

The titebond and toothpick mess will harden around the screw and you'll have a very strong repair. This has become a very popular repair technique. It's better/stronger than a dowel because a dowel will have you screwing into end grain.

I've done it that way for years and it's always worked great for me. Now that I think of it, I can't recall a single time that a guitar I've repaired this way has failed.

D

[Shawn Pixley]

When I get a new guitar, the first thing I do is install straplocks. I use one system so that my straps can switch from guitar to guitar. The straplock screws are tyically longer than the original button screws. I have never had to glue except on a Danelectro (plywood body). The only way I can see that you wouldn't be going into endgrain is using plug cutter to fab a cross grain dowel and sinking it into the body. Even the toothpick would be endgrain. The toothpick / dowel has always worked fine for me, but I don't spin the guitar around on stage.

[Bryan Morgan]

Personally, I like:

1) dip toothpick in titebond
2) shove into hole
3) screw button back on while glue is wet

The titebond and toothpick mess will harden around the screw and you'll have a very strong repair. This has become a very popular repair technique. It's better/stronger than a dowel because a dowel will have you screwing into end grain.

Thats the way I've always done it too, for any screw hole repair on an instrument.