Neck Dive Be-gone!
Gotoh Resolites I love you~
Okay, so the no-brainer approach to resolving neckdive was to switch to resolites. Many people have covered this, but my personal issue on this was what to do with the remaining tuner holes. I could fill them with a toothpick and CA glue / wood dust combo but I dislike the idea of a visible “fix” lingering there forever. Also, the back of the headstock would look really sparse, we can’t have that as well.
There were some people on talkbass who just put the old screws back in and called it a day. Also a solution but also a massive eyesore in my opinion.
Thus, I’ve settled on creating a thin plate which retains the original tuner aesthetics while accomodating the new Gotoh Resolites.
Plus point: it also serves as a positioning guide. The installation was simple as can be.
If you need more info on the TMB35 / TMB30 specifications, go to: https://www.kevinsworkbench.com/Ibanez_tmb30_specifications/index.html
Fantastic resource on TMB35 / TMB30 modding.
Total list of mods so far:
-Changing jack plate to black plated JP-CST-B plate
-Changing tuners to resolites
-Black vinyl wrap on pickups to hide/protect exposed poles
-Installing a bass ramp
Some extra info:
A 2.0mm drill bit works just right for the new tuner holes.
Don’t take my word for it though, measure the screw external diameter (thread major) and the post diameter (thread minor).
Then select a drill bit slightly larger than the post but leaving enough meat for the threads to bite into.
Just a brief message to thank you for taking the time to share this very useful mod! Cheers.
ehe, have fun~
Cool idea!
I downloaded your tuner plate adapter and tweaked the design to fit Hipshot Ultralite tuners. They look great.