F-100 with loose pole screws

[msintros]

Just bought my first G&L last week - a red F-100 series 2 from sometime in the 80s (not really sure - I think the sales person said it was '84 but not sure how they know this, although I think they are probably close).

So far, loving it. Plays and sounds awesome! So much personality and crispness.

Only problem I've noticed so far (aside from needing a good setup, as it's pretty buzzy) is that a few of the screw poles are slightly loose. The bottom one under the high E on the bridge pickup is loose enough that it sometimes threads out when I'm playing. If I tap on it (and a few of the others on that same pickup) I hear a little knocking sound come out of the amp. I think I counted 3 or 4 total that do this and I believe they're all on the bridge pickup. I can turn them all pretty easily with my fingernail. The rest of the screws on that and the other pickup are pretty firmly in there and I can't turn them without (presumably, I haven't tried yet) a screwdriver.

I'm not that knowledgable about pickup anatomy and my question is, what's the best way to fix this? I assume that either the screw itself or whatever it screws into is slightly stripped, or at least the threads are a bit worn. I'm not sure if they thread into another metal piece or if it's just plastic (if the latter, then I assume it's the plastic that is stripped, in which case getting a new screw pole wouldn't solve anything). Is there something I can do to at least keep the poles from turning out so easily and/or knocking if they get touched (not that this should happen often, if they are staying put anyways)? I don't know if I could use some glue or wax or something to create a bit of a lock.

Any advice would be appreciated!

[Elwood]

Welcome ,
I seem to recall reading about dipping the pole piece in beeswax to fix that.
It seats in to a metal thread. I don't think the wax would affect the magnetic flux, it'll just make it stay put.

Elwood

[Craig]

Just bought my first G&L last week - a red F-100 series 2 from sometime in the 80s (not really sure - I think the sales person said it was '84 but not sure how they know this, although I think they are probably close).

So far, loving it. Plays and sounds awesome! So much personality and crispness.

Only problem I've noticed so far (aside from needing a good setup, as it's pretty buzzy) is that a few of the screw poles are slightly loose. The bottom one under the high E on the bridge pickup is loose enough that it sometimes threads out when I'm playing. If I tap on it (and a few of the others on that same pickup) I hear a little knocking sound come out of the amp. I think I counted 3 or 4 total that do this and I believe they're all on the bridge pickup. I can turn them all pretty easily with my fingernail. The rest of the screws on that and the other pickup are pretty firmly in there and I can't turn them without (presumably, I haven't tried yet) a screwdriver.

I'm not that knowledgable about pickup anatomy and my question is, what's the best way to fix this? I assume that either the screw itself or whatever it screws into is slightly stripped, or at least the threads are a bit worn. I'm not sure if they thread into another metal piece or if it's just plastic (if the latter, then I assume it's the plastic that is stripped, in which case getting a new screw pole wouldn't solve anything). Is there something I can do to at least keep the poles from turning out so easily and/or knocking if they get touched (not that this should happen often, if they are staying put anyways)? I don't know if I could use some glue or wax or something to create a bit of a lock.

Any advice would be appreciated!

To add to Elwood and Tim's comments, See this post: My MFD went massively microphonic! Suggestions?

Hope this helps.

[msintros]

Thanks for the quick responses guys!

I read that other thread and I'm not sure exactly the context - it seems like they are talking about dipping the whole pickup in wax. Is there a procedure you'd suggest for just doing the poles individually?

I have some wax that is partially beeswax (it is used for securing accordion reed blocks to a wooden board). I'm not sure the exact mixture, it could be as much as 90% beeswax or as little as 50%. I assume the rest is paraffin but I'm not positive.

Do I really have to liquify a bunch of wax and dip each pole in that before screwing it back in or can I unscrew them, sort of rub some of the wax on the threads and re-insert? The wax I have is designed to be pretty firm but every so slightly tacky. It will become pretty sticky even from the temperature of your hand if you hold a chunk in your fingertips. In accordion blocks you don't want it to be too rigid and you don't want it to dry out - you generally re-wax the reed blocks every couple decades.

I would assume less wax is better than more for several reasons. Again I know almost nothing about pickup anatomy (especially these pickups), only that there are some poles and a magnet with wire wrapped around it. I wouldn't really want to open these myself if I can avoid it because i don't want to mess anything up.

[Elwood]

I bet what you have will work.
Dipping would be best ,but I bet if you pre warm the wax in your hand (or microwave?) you can get enough
tackiness to keep it put for a while.
...and pics are always a plus


So..you fix accordians?? Cool!

[Fumble fingers]

you can use a drop of Loc-tite too

[Craig]

you can use a drop of Loc-tite too

Yes, but make sure to use only:

LOCTITE® THREADLOCKER BLUE 242®
Designed for the locking and sealing of threaded fasteners which require normal disassembly with standard hand tools.

[msintros]

I have dabbled in accordion repair but don't do much with it anymore because it's usually pretty tedious. The accordion is one of the most complicated mechanical instruments exceeded only by the piano. I got pretty good at re-waxing reed blocks though, which is a pretty essential (and messy) skill. The nice thing is if you can do that, you can sometimes get bargain accordions that people assume are broken but just need the blocks refastened to the board.

I'll give my wax a shot and let you know how it goes! If that doesn't seem to hold them that much, I'll try the Loctite (I don't think I'll need to adjust the poles that often, so I guess it's probably not bad that they're relatively fixed).

[msintros]

Ok, so I think everything went fine. I started taking little chips of wax with my fingernails and rubbing them on the threads, although I discovered a slightly more easy solution which may be obvious but I figured I'd post it in case anyone else is checking this in the future for the same issue and doesn't want to actually melt the wax and dip it.

Basically, just take a larger chunk of wax and your screw and use the screw like a little saw on the edge of the wax chunk. The threads will pick up some wax. Rotate the screw a little and do it again. Keep doing this until the threads all have a little bit of wax in them. Then just roll the screw in your fingertips a bit to heat the wax up a bit. I don't think you need to melt it completely but just get it so it's tacky or soft. I also kinda smoothed away the excess crumbs and things and removed any that was on the very bottom of the screw. Then screw it back in.

I did this to five screws and now everything seems to fit really nice and tight but is still adjustable. I didn't notice any tone difference at all after doing this and the poles no longer make unpleasant sounds when you knock on them.

Thanks again for everyone who chimed in.

[Elwood]

Well done!