In the past few years, I’ve known a lot of guys that are upgrading their less expensive ‘import’ Strat/Tele-style guitars with what is generally accepted as “better” or “upgraded” parts. Such as replacing the pickups, or the pickup switches, or the ‘dime sized pots’, or those tiny capacitors that the imports always seem to have, etc. - with MiM or USA parts. Often changing out & upgrading the neck screws since the import screws seem to get stripped almost at the first touch of a screwdriver. Or simply just to get a shiny new neck plate with a ‘more prestigious brand name’ stamped onto it.This… brings up a problem. Potentially a SERIOUS problem.Here in the states, as a free people (😉) we typically use imperial units of measure. Seeing those metric units as ‘un-American’ I guess. Changing out the neck screws in an import Fender-styled instrument can be a BIG issue if you aren’t paying attention. A big enough issue that it can literally destroy your guitar. The majority of imported guitars we see today are built in Asia. And they typically have ‘M5 x 45mm’ neck screws.To simplify things… think of them as ‘5mm’ wide & ‘45mm’ long. And think of the MiM or USA neck screws as ‘4mm’. In truth they are not metric, but to keep it simple they’re 4mm wide. Removing a 5mm neck screw & replacing it with a 4mm neck screw MAY, oddly enough, seem as if it works initially. Often they’ll simply spin in the drilled hole as you’d expect, but just as often they’ll be in holes that weren’t drilled perfectly straight to begin with. This is a common thing with today’s imported instruments. So the 4mm screw can find just ‘enough’ purchase to make you think they’re tight. But once you’ve installed the neck, and strings, and then tuned to pitch… you have a surprise in store for when you least expect it. Vibration will loosen that little bit of purchase that the screw has, and the neck vs neck pocket (joint) will fail. When these let go, it CAN cause serious damage to the heel of the neck & can also wreak havoc in the neck pocket. I’ve seen this type of failure destroy both the neck & the body. From a tiny “1mm” difference in size.See?… Metric units are evil. For as long as world wide aviation, for example, utilizes imperial units of measure - I shall as well.(With half his face painted blue, he exclaims “FREEDOM!!!”) 😉Upgrading parts is something I HIGHLY recommend. Especially critical parts like neck screws. The neck - body joint of a guitar is especially critical. The neck is your ‘interface’ with the guitar. 90%+ of your input into the guitar goes into the neck, and 90%+ of what you get in return depends on the connection of the neck & the body. Wood on wood contact. Usually wood anyways. If you are replacing import neck screws, do your best and seek out quality parts. But make CERTAIN that you’re getting screws that are the SAME size. If you can’t be certain - please ask for help.A ‘tip’ (I hope) that perhaps can help you as well. Before installing your new (properly sized) upgraded neck screws, if you CAN, drill out the holes in the body to be a tiny bit wider than that of the screws themselves. When you install the screws they obviously go through the neck plate, through the holes in the guitar body, and into the neck. It’s best if the THREADS of the screw do NOT contact the body, but rather ‘pass through’ the enlarged diameter of the holes, and then engage the wood of the guitar neck. Sometimes if the threads engage the wood of the body & then the wood of the neck, and the threads aren’t in perfect synch, they can cause a gap to form between the neck and body. Sometimes this can even cause chipping. Drilling the holes in the body a little bit wider allows you to ONLY engage the NECK. It allows you to draw the neck plate and the neck tightly and evenly together. Sandwiching the neck pocket, and the body of the guitar, in between the two. The goal is to have as much contact, direct wood on wood contact, as you possibly can. And to have that contact as tight as you can safely make it. ANY gaps or spaces left between the two is detrimental to the free transfer of resonant energy. In other words - gaps can & do KILL your sustain.You don’t have to enlarge the diameter of the drilled holes in the body by a LOT. Just a ‘bit’ larger than the widest part of the screw’s threads. If you think about it… this is the reason that many of the higher quality screws that are manufactured for guitars that have bolt-on necks, have threads cut only along about 2/3 of their total length. They don’t have threads that are cut all the way up to the screw head for this very purpose.Not 100% related to this ‘review’, but in all honesty it’s likely 98% related. In my experience THESE are TOP quality neck screws. I’ve used these in several guitars, and just bought this most recent set yesterday. But I have yet to have any issues with these. Make CERTAIN that you’re getting the appropriate SIZE that you need, and if these ARE the right size that you need...
