Kay K2-B bass with loose neck bolts

njones89

njones89

Mar 27, 2015
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Sioux Falls
#1
I saw an ad for an EB0 copy bass for $20 and I couldn't pass it up. After doing research, I determined it's the K2-B model. It appears the original bridge/cover was replaced with Fender style bridge, and two of the neck bolts are loose. Everything else appears to be in good working condition.

The neck sits so high in the pocket, I'm not sure if the bridge saddles will go high enough. The two neck bolts that are loose fit snug without the body. That considered, what would be the most feasible way to go about repairing the neck bolts? Redrill/dowels? Toothpick/superglue hack? Sanding down some of the neck heel and fill the holes with putty? Please advise. This is a job I've never done before.

Attached is a pic of said bass before DNA pizza finger cleanup.

20748174_10155715395709866_3656880657219523040_o.jpg
 
#2
I'm not familiar with that particular instrument, but IMHO inserts (metal threads that thread into the wood, and using machine-thread bolts into those, not wood screws) is probably/usually the best repair for stripped out threads in wood. Not that people (including me) don't sometimes use one of the other mentioned approaches/kludges.
 
#3
For a quick fix I'd try toothpicks and wood glue. Lots of specific instructions in other screw hole repair threads. The threaded inserts are a good, high quality way to fix the issue but might be more effort than you want on a $20 bass.

Also, I had one of those or something similar years ago. The body was very thin and the neck sat out of the body a lot. Once the neck screws are good, mount the neck and run a straight edge along the fretboard. It should just touch the bridge saddles in their lowest to slightly up from the deck position. If not, then figure out what to do. I remember the bridge on mine being quite a bit taller than a Fender bridge but, it was a long time ago.
 
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#4
Most of the
Matt Liebenau said:
For a quick fix I'd try toothpicks and wood glue. Lots of specific instructions in other screw hole repair threads. The threaded inserts are a good, high quality way to fix the issue but might be more effort than you want on a $20 bass.

Also, I had one of those or something similar years ago. The body was very thin and the neck sat out of the body a lot. Once the neck screws are good, mount the neck and run a straight edge along the fretboard. It should just touch the bridge saddles in their lowest to slightly up from the deck position. If not, then figure out what to do. I remember the bridge on mine being quite a bit taller than a Fender bridge but, it was a long time ago.
Click to expand...

Thanks! The first bass I ever played was very similar to this one and was unmodified. Unfortunately, just from guestimating I can already tell that the bridge probably will be too low. I'm guessing my only options would be to sand the neck heel or find longer saddle screws, correct?
 
#5
How much taller do you need? You could get some scrap wood and make a "platform" to put under the existing bridge. You might need longer screws to mount the bridge to the body.

Another option would be to put a shim in the end of the neck pocket away from the body. Again, how thick of a shim depends on how much you need the strings to move.
 
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#6
So the toothpick hack worked great, and it turns out the bridge is the correct height, just need to shim it to get it perfect.

My question now is the E string - it's not as loud as the other strings. I tried adjusting pup height with no luck. I think the person who installed the new bridge was off by a couple mm. Without plugging and re-installing, is there a way I could fix this?
 
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