probablypike Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 Not a very "technical" issue here, but I was hoping I could get some second opinions. The strap bolt screw at the bridge end of my body has come loose, and so the strap bolt has come clean off. This happened ages ago on my neck side bolt, and the advice from my local shop was to stuff some match sticks in and screw the screw back in. I wasn't very comfortable with this so I brought my bass in and they did it for me- it was good as new. This is a simple fix, so I was hoping I could get some reassurance about screwing the strap bolt back on myself. Thanks very much for your help. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 Matchsticks will work but you would be better off with a more durable wood. I've used cocktail sticks and also proper little timber dowels (from hardware store)/ Put some wood glue in to the hole, push in your choice of wood. Leave alone for a while to let the glue dry. Trim off any excess wood. Refit the strap button. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc S Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 (edited) Yes, I agree with gary mac above. Match sticks, dowels and cocktail sticks work well for this sort of application. Of course, if you use a good strong PVA glue as well, even better. Another alternative is to use a good quality hard wood filler, and to let that dry thoroughly. Although I think I'd still prefer to use a dowel or match.... Edited February 18, 2016 by Marc S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
probablypike Posted February 18, 2016 Author Share Posted February 18, 2016 Ok great, thanks for the advice. It just didn't feel quite right stuffing a few matches in my bass. I'm feeling much more reassured now though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oopsdabassist Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 I've done it on a couple of basses over the years, works a treat and no ill effects. I use cocktail sticks myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4stringslow Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 Another +1 for gary mac's suggestions. The wood dowel solution will be the most robust as the proper ones are 'grooved'. When used in a correctly sized hole with wood glue the result will be as strong, if not stronger, than the original wood. You can find 'dowel kits' that include the correct size drill bit in most DIY stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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