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WORKSHOP
4 5
1 It’s pretty clear that the
bushings here are loose
2 Thin wood veneer, the
kind use to line the forward-
facing edge of shelves, can
provide a helpful solution
6 7
3 If the veneer is backed
with adhesive, you’ll have to
scrape it off before you begin
– hot water helps
4 Soaking the veneer in
steaming-hot water will
make it more malleable
5 Trim the veneer to the
correct length after you’ve
softened it
6 By looping the veneer
around your finger, you
can make it assume the
correct shape
7 & 8 Test-fitting the veneer
9 With the looped veneer in
place, use a sharp blade to
8 9 trim off any overhang
In January 2020, I was able to cash in a Bushings are those little surrounds that But they didn’t. This was getting
few favours with my dear friends at Fender act as a barrier between the tuner shaft rather frustrating.
to score a new replacement neck from the and the bare wood, which are meant to In the interim between ordering and
American Original range. The radius is protect the wood from wear while keeping receiving the new bushings, I’d heard about
slightly flatter (9.5 inches to the American the shaft upright against the tension of the another common issue. It seemed that loose
Vintage’s 7.25) and it has a round-lam board strings. An unsung hero of tuning stability, factory fittings had been a problem as of
but at least we gained the look of ‘clay’ dots. these demure doughnuts are simple yet late. It looked like I might have to search for
After using his backup bass for so long, crucial components. another solution.
it looked as if Roberto would soon have his Our new American Original neck By the time I found all of this out, the
number-one back. But another issue soon had wider holes than Roberto’s American COVID-19 pandemic was in its earliest stages
reared its ugly head, keeping the long- Vintage’s but that’s no big deal – it’s easy in the US, and we were all wondering how
suffering lovers apart a while longer. enough to order the right bushings online, it would pan out. I knew that ordering parts
When manufacturers refresh a range or which I did. I checked the specs, looked up would be tricky with the slowed shipping
introduce new model, specifications can the current part number and ordered the of non-essential items, plus I’d been burned
change somewhat unpredictably for the correct parts. They arrived – and they didn’t twice already and wasn’t eager to be singed
end user, with small parts that you’d rarely fit either. Okay, fine. I double-checked, took again. At any other time, I’d have gone over
give a second thought to all of a sudden not some more measurements and ordered to the workshop of one of my builder friends,
fitting. With this neck, the issue came down another set. These ones, this time, were plugged the holes and re-drilled, but that was
to tuner bushings. going to match. no longer an option. What to do then?
GUITAR MAGAZINE 135
