Swapped Magnet & Baseplate Won’t Tighten

[Leon Of Late]

Title says it all. Loosened the 4 baseplste screws ever so slightly to give room for the magnet to wiggle free, lifted the baseplate a micro degree like i always do after I softened the wax briefly. Slid the old mag out, slid the new mag in, everything lines up but the damn screws will not tighten down, none of them, not one.

I cant lift the baseplate off, I cant even move it. I can only get the slightest and I mean the slightest movement at the end where the two conductor wire comes out and the magnet slides in. But I have to apply pressure.

I’ve never had this happen before, and of course it’s a brand new, never installed custom shop 59’ neck pickup wound by Seymour.....so I am guessing it is at least 10 years old. I bought it hear on the forum 4, 5 ish years ago and never got around to using it, so I wanted to give it a go....but I wanted an A4 in it instead of the polished A5. I don’t know what other specs make this one a custom shop order, but I want to hear it.

Is it going to be an issue like it is? My gut says yes, maybe microphonics or weird airgaps doing weird things. I remember Frank saying tiny air gaps can make a difference. I’m really at a loss here, and I’m not skilled enough to take it apart further and put it back together. Visually it looks like it should, but the last 100th of an inch of the damn screw will not tighten down.

Suggestions?

[eclecticsynergy]

I suspect there could indeed be some gap after the swap.
If the baseplate is a bit farther from the bobbins, the screws might not be getting deep enough for the threads to bite.
You might try softening the wax again, then seat everything closely and firmly together again.

IMO it's pretty important to have the bobbins screwed down.

[Lewguitar]

Are you saying the baseplate won't snug down all the way because something is jammed or preventing it from doing so?

Or that the screws are stripped so that they won't tighten the baseplate down all the way? Like the six adjustable pole piece screws maybe?

I think I'd place the pickup face down so that it won't fall apart and remove all four brass screws.

Then see if I can press the baseplate down all the way and if I can, then, while applying pressure to the baseplate so it's tight, screw the screws tight to hold it in place

If the problem is that the screws have stripped the holes in the bobbins you'll have to take it apart.

What I've done is use thick, gap filling super glue. Just a drop into the each of the four holes, from the back side.

Put some tape on the top of the bobbins first so the glue doesn't run out and mar the top surface.

Give the glue plenty of time to dry then put it all back together.

Don't overtighten those screws or you'll strip the holes in the bobbins again.

Apply pressure on the baseplate so it's tight in place before you start screwing in the four brass screws.

Phew...that was long!

[hamerfan]

Get longer brass screws, if the bobbin hole is stripped.

[Leon Of Late]

I tried taking some screws from other SD pickups. Some were shorter and some were the same length. I tried the screws from the pickup that would not tighten down in another pickup and they tighten down just fine in the other pickup. The screws that work in the other pickup don’t work in the 59’ in question. All 4 holes in the 59’ are somehow stripped. They must have already been like that, because there is no way that I stripped out all 4 holes.

Anyhow, it’s tightly together as possible in the guitar and sounds fantastic. No microphonics, even at high volumes. Thank goodness. Thanks for the suggestions.