Official Luthiers Forum!

Anyway, it seems MccMaster-Carr has filled the bill for the next 100 guitars...

Ok, that's freaky fast. I ordered them yesterday afternoon and they're on my doorstep today before lunch. Not too shabby!

Ha ha - they do that pretty consistently. One of the reasons I get a lot of my hardware from them.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

They didn't come via Canada Post then.

Clay S. wrote:
I prefer the zinc inserts with the broken thread. I think the bite a little deeper into relatively soft hardwoods like walnut and mahogany.


I want the bolts to be a softer material than the inserts. If, in the unlikely circumstance either needs to be replaced, I want it to be the bolt, which can simply be replaced, rather than the insert, the replacement of which would be quite the chore...


With the softer zinc inserts, if they won't unscrew you can drill them out. I have used the other type also, they work, I just prefer the deeper bite and the broken thread.

Your guitars, your rules:)

So Im curious about the stressed insert choices. Could a few of you please explain why you prefer one over the other. I first used brass ones in a class I took with Charles For and have been using brass ever since. But Im very curious as to why one choices on over the other.

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The reason I like the zinc broken thread inserts is the deeper thread they have cuts into the end grain of the neck farther. They are made for softwoods and plywood type materials. The woods I use for necks - mahogany, walnut, and cedro tend to be on the lighter, softer side of "hard woods". They seem a little easier to install. You can also cut off the hex drive portion if you don't have enough depth for the entire insert. The downside is that the internal threads, being zinc, are not as strong as a steel thread, but my experience is that over tightening an insert usually causes it to pull out of the wood rather than strip the threads of the insert and that the zinc inserts are strong enough. The zinc inserts are generally a little cheaper, but that is not a big deal even for a cheapskate like me.
The steel inserts are usually a bit more compact (shorter) and have more strip resistant internal threads. If I made necks from maple, cherry, rosewood, or some of the other dense hardwoods that are sometimes used, I would be more inclined to use them. The threads tend to be shorter and more closely spaced and don't bite into the wood as deeply. Some people epoxy them in and that may not be a bad way to go.
Brass inserts seem to combine a softer internal thread with a shorter external thread. they may be more corrosion resistant, easier to unscrew in the long run.
All three types of inserts work if properly installed, so I use whatever I think will work best and is available to me (usually zinc).
Here is a seller that explains their general use:
https://www.ezlok.com/inserts-for-wood