jazzmaster maintenance

[dahlungril]

So I've had this j mascis jazz sign model for about a year now, and have finally decided it's time to get the neck just right for me. After taking the pickup screws out I've found that when the previous owner had installed the roller bridge upgrade, instead of drilling out the pickguard so that it can still be removed, they had just driven the new bridge mounts straight through the pickguard.....wtf?!?!?

 

I know I can take the neck off and make the adjustments that way....but I'd still like to be able to remove the pickguard for other maintenance and possibly changing in some p180s in the future.

 

So my question is...how do I get the bridge mounts out? Are they likely just hammered in or is it a wood screw type insertion.

 

Any insight on this matter would be greatly appreciated. I'm attempting to attach 2 photos to demonstrate the type of bridge and the issue I'm faced with.

 

Thank you,

Dave

[ATTACH=CONFIG]337984[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]337985[/ATTACH]

[mrbrown49]

Usually you can just yank them out, carefully. Find a screw you can thread into the bushings and use that to pull on with a claw hammer. Use some cloth and wood blocks to protect the guitar top and distribute the force. Set it up so that as you are pulling all the force on the screw is straight up or you risk splitting the wood or widening the hole which will then have to be filled and redrilled. And adjust your setup so the force is always up as the bushing starts to come out by using different height blocks or threading the bolt depending on how things line up.

[dahlungril]

Ah thank you! So they are just forced in then! I will do what you've suggested as it makes logical sense. I think I'll wait until I wake up as its past my bed time already.

 

I am definately going to drill out the pickguard to the appropriate size once I've managed to get them out.

 

Thanks again for the tip!!!

[mrbrown49]

 

Ah thank you! So they are just forced in then! I will do what you've suggested as it makes logical sense. I think I'll wait until I wake up as its past my bed time already. I am definately going to drill out the pickguard to the appropriate size once I've managed to get them out. Thanks again for the tip!!!

 

 

Yeah they just sorta press in. If you can't get them to budge there are more elaborate ways to get them out so don't force them. 80% of the time though they come out the easy way.

[dahlungril]

So I managed to get the bushings out. I used the correct size tap set as I couldn't find a suitable screw to yank on. As you said they came out of the wood easily enough, but remained jammed in the pickguard. Where the pickguard is made of anodized aluminum (I believe) I was able to boil a large pot of water, and immerse the bushings (still on the pickguard) into the hot water. This caused the aluminum to expand and the bushings popped right out. Hooray for the science of materials!

 

I re-drilled the pickguard to facilitate the removal process for the future. Thanks once again for the help!

[mrbrown49]

So I managed to get the bushings out. I used the correct size tap set as I couldn't find a suitable screw to yank on. As you said they came out of the wood easily enough, but remained jammed in the pickguard. Where the pickguard is made of anodized aluminum (I believe) I was able to boil a large pot of water, and immerse the bushings (still on the pickguard) into the hot water. This caused the aluminum to expand and the bushings popped right out. Hooray for the science of materials! I re-drilled the pickguard to facilitate the removal process for the future. Thanks once again for the help!

 

 

Glad it worked. And really good thinking with the boiling water trick.