Repairing busted pivot holes

[D.i.n.o]

Those who have seen, or worse ... have experienced busted pivot holes know it's not a pretty sight.

By the looks of things, this guitar had already been plugged a couple times and the wood is cracked in several places.



Just thought I'd post some pics showing one way how to make a repair.
First, I plugged the holes with dowels. Not as a repair, but to provide a solid base for what lies beneath.



Then I routed past the damaged wood and created a flat, level surface with a router. The pattern was just done "freehand" because I knew it would all eventually be concealed.



I then fabricated the new section of wood.
Using glue and two 1-1/2" countersunk screws, I secured the new piece of wood.
The screws not only served to secure the new piece, but it also eliminated the need for any bulky clamps. You'll also notice that I purposely left a good portion of the existing wood as not to jeopardize the integrity of the repair.



This guitar was also in need of some attention to the neck pocket area.
This was actually to my advantage, as routing down further in the neck pocket enabled me to position the new pivot holes safely away from any cavity walls and still maintain the proper distance.
("Before" pics on left / "After" pics on right)

BTW, I don't make a habit out of painting neck pockets, but that's how I recieved the guitar and I didn't want to return the guitar with signs of any obvious repairs. And in this case, the additional paint shouldn't have any effect.



Here's what the repair looks like so far ...
I skimmed the surface with Dolphin glaze to help fill cracks and to also help fill the grain of the wood. When it dries and is sanded, it should also serve as a good primer for when I do the touch-ups.



Though I will take the time to do touchups and make this repair as un-noticable as possible, it will all be covered by the pickgaurd and totally undetectable.



Thanks for looking.

[cokekolev]

Nice work

[El_jalepeno]

Excellent information

[VHF]

Excellent job...just goes to show that a real POS can still be salvaged.

[MBreinin]

Originally Posted by VHF

Excellent job...just goes to show that a real POS can still be salvaged.

Hey, that POS is mine bubba!!!!!

Mike

[Edaholic]

Dino does it again. Nice work bro.
Man, thats a funky painjob on that axe. Dont really recognize it.

[D.i.n.o]

Originally Posted by MBreinin

Hey, that POS is mine bubba!!!!!

Mike

Don't take offense Mike, that's what many call Eddie's Frankenstrat too.

[pfslik]

nice work ..man..i wish i had tools...and a garage/work shed to actually use the tools

[youcancallmebetty]

wow man, very well done.

[WCG]

Good work, Dino. I have a few friends who will find this information very pleasing.

[D.i.n.o]

Thanks guys.

Here's a pic of the finished repair.



Thanks again for looking.
Hope it helps.

[Raven]

Awesome tutorial, Dino! Man, had I only seen this about a week ago. Only recently , I bought a 1986 Kramer Pacer (with a floyd Rose). After getting the guitar home to clean it up and get new strings on it, I noticed that the pivot screws were completly leaning forward. Upon removing the pickguard assmbly, I discovered that both pivot holes were completly busted out, as you have illustrated in your first photo. I immediately put everything back together and promptlty returned the guitar for a refund - which, fortunately, I did get. Had I seen this tutorial, I may have attempted to repair the guitar...the only bad thing is that I found out that the guitar body was plywood, instead of a solid wood like alder or poplar. I'm not sure if the plywood would have the same integrity as a solid wood body. But I wasn't too thrilled that it wasn't of better quality. In any case, this is a great instructional piece. I really appreciate it. Thanks, bro!

[D.i.n.o]

Thanks for the kind words Raven.

You're right ... a plywood body probably wouldn't have been worth repairing IMO. Besides, you shouldn't have had to repair a guitar that was already damaged when you purchased it.

Glad to hear you at least got your money back.

[WasteGas]

Wow great work! The whammy yanking can again commence!