Although the title of this post would be a great name for a new PF lick, this post is actually is about a freely-turning screw I found under the C6 changer of my '94 Franklin D10.
While snugging up screws underneath, I found that a #8 flat head just spun freely. The threads on the screw show no signs of strippage. The hole was deeper than the screw length, but a longer #8 still didn't grab any threads. Either the screw is the wrong size or type, or there was a nut that fell off the other end. I tried a 10-32, but its too big to fit in the hole. Does anybody know?
Below are pics, E9 and C6. The screw (hole) I'm talking about is underneath the C6 1st string, marked with red (second pic).
Franklin D10 8&5, Excel D10 8&5, homemade buffer/overdrive, Moyo pedal, GT-001 effects, 2x BAM200 for stereo. 2x GW8003 8" driver in homemade closed-box. Also NV400 etc. etc...
What does the ghost screw, Screw into up in the guitar. From the pictures it looks like those 2 screws 1 left and 1 right , Screw into the bar with threaded holes which is the Split Tuning Screw bar.
When working with screws of size 10, There is 2 sizes, There is 10-24 and also 10-32. If the screw goes in and then locks when it hits the threaded hole it goes in, You need to try the other size thread.
Good Luck getting this problem figure out and solved.
I found some other pictures of Franklin steels on the internet. Some on the bars across the back of the changer are solid metal, Some are drilled for Split Tuning hex screws, Can't see on your guitar which it has.
Thanks: No solution yet.
The Franklin Mystery Screw is an 8-32. Below is a picture of it next to a 10-32 I bought at the hardware store. My caliper measures the thread diameters of them at 0.1565 and 0.1820 respectively, which is about right for a #8 and #10.
The #10 screw diameter is too big to even to fit through the hole from which the mystery screw came.
I have no splits. The screw layout is different on the C6 and E9. Here are some more pics:
Franklin D10 8&5, Excel D10 8&5, homemade buffer/overdrive, Moyo pedal, GT-001 effects, 2x BAM200 for stereo. 2x GW8003 8" driver in homemade closed-box. Also NV400 etc. etc...
I looked at what pictures I have of my 82 Franklin and don't see those screws. But there was a change in neck design between mine and yours. Mine is "original" design cut tail like Emmons. Later design the neck was a pseudo wraparound and that mystery screw could be related to securing the neck behind the changer.
My guess.
GFI Ultra Keyless S-10 with pad (Black of course) TB202 amp, Hilton VP, Steelers Choice sidekick seat, SIT Strings (all for sale as package)
Cakewalk by Bandlab and Studio One V4.6 pro DAWs, MOTU Ultralite MK5 recording interface unit
I'm hoping that Paul Jr. will see this and respond. I'm sure that Paul Sr. had a few other secrets that found their way into his wonderful instruments.
Thanks everybody for your thought and comments. I’m saving the mystery screw until we figure out what it does. Guitar still plays great, but a 747 flies fine with three engines too. Hopefully someone has taken a Franklin apart and can tell me. I do not want to remove any other of the flat heads to investigate because if they screw into a floating nut I’m in big trouble - I don’t know if a 747 will fly with two engines. Thanks, Glenn
Franklin D10 8&5, Excel D10 8&5, homemade buffer/overdrive, Moyo pedal, GT-001 effects, 2x BAM200 for stereo. 2x GW8003 8" driver in homemade closed-box. Also NV400 etc. etc...
I keep checking this post to see if this problem has been solved.
Have you tried a longer 8-32 screw to check for threads deeper in the hole?
If you measure through the Changer Window to the screw hole, And from back of the guitar to the screw hole. What is at the point where the 2 measurements forms an L where they meet?
Does the guitar have a bar behind the Changer fingers?
Does it have threaded holes for Split Tuning screws to mount through?
Could you post a picture of the Changer from the back and
and side of the guitar would help.
Thanks. I’ll send more pics, and some drawings with measurements. An 8-32 almost 1/2” longer hits the bottom of the hole without hitting threads first. Seems to me either the imaginary threaded hole was drilled too big for an 8-32, or there was a nut in there that fell off. There is no sign of stripping or metal flakes on the removed Franklin screw.
Franklin D10 8&5, Excel D10 8&5, homemade buffer/overdrive, Moyo pedal, GT-001 effects, 2x BAM200 for stereo. 2x GW8003 8" driver in homemade closed-box. Also NV400 etc. etc...
My guess is still the pseudo wraparound neck and it was screwed in to that.
My 82 Franklin was a different design and didn't have that screw. I disassembled the E9th neck and changer for cleaning.
GFI Ultra Keyless S-10 with pad (Black of course) TB202 amp, Hilton VP, Steelers Choice sidekick seat, SIT Strings (all for sale as package)
Cakewalk by Bandlab and Studio One V4.6 pro DAWs, MOTU Ultralite MK5 recording interface unit
