Seeking advice - New used archtop purchased

[Fierygambit]

Hello folks! New to the forums and honestly new to Jazz guitar.

I have just acquired a 2007 Peerless New York archtop hollow body guitar. Supposedly had only 1 owner, came with original case, sounds great, looks beautiful, except for one red flag I only noticed when I got home.

A couple of mounting screws for the tail piece appear to be protruding, not screwed in all the way. I'm not if this could happen naturally or if this means it's been tampered with and could spell trouble in the future... I'm considering taking in to a luthier to perform a full inspection before I go ahead and turn the screws in myself.

Any thoughts? Am I right to be concerned? Maybe this happens after 17 years?

I appreciate any advice and insight, thanks in advance!

[Jimmy blue note]

Do they go in easily with a few gentle turns of a screw driver? It doesn't look too suspicious except maybe a hasty assembly at some point. Try setting the screws yourself. They are screwed into a substantial end block. If they won't go in easily, you can pilot hole the screw holes to the diameter of the inner shaft core of the screws and just give it that tiny smidge of a touch. That ought to put things right.
If that doesn't work, we can proceed further with diagnostics at that point, otherwise, it seems simple enough as a first (and only) step needed.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Maybe it’s an illusion because of the many edges and reflections in the pics. But the bass side screw appears to me to be off axis. It looks like it’s not perpendicular to the tailpiece. If it’s crooked, it may have been cross threaded or forced in at a slight angle to the original hole.

It’s not common or normal for tailpiece screws to back out that far on their own - I’ve never seen it happen in 66 years of playing many dozens of guitars. I think they were removed for some reason, and they were not properly replaced. The focus and lighting are off a bit in the pics, so it’s impossible to tell if those are the original screws (or exact replacements) or if those are a different size and pitch from the originals.

As JBN said, these should go in with reasonable force - not too tight and not too loose. First, I’d back them out. If they’re tight coming out, something’s wrong - screws too big, false passage next to the hole, etc. If they back out easily, reinsert them perfectly perpendicular to the plate. If they get stuck at the depths in the picture, they’re probably the wrong screws &/or were forced in at the wrong angle.

If they go in with normal force, they’ll probably be OK. But if there is a false passage, it enlarges part of the original hole and weakens common threads between it and the original hole. So the screw(s) may not tighten enough or may loosen over time from the vibration of playing. So you’d need to check them every few months. If they don’t stay tight, the holes should be filled and the screws reinstalled after drilling new pilot holes.

[skiboyny]

I wonder if the strings are properly lined up. There is no pix of the guitar so I wouldn't know. It's not uncommon to have a tail piece that was installed slightly off center, or manufactured in such a way that dead center throws the strings off a touch. Perhaps someone moved it??

[Fierygambit]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I feel confident in examining and screwing in the screws myself. Will certainly proceed cautiously and note the tension and force needed.

The original owner says he took it into a luthier for a good cleaning, he thinks the luthier hastily put it together, forgot to turn these screws all the way.

Regarding the one screw that might be going in crooked, I don't think that is the case but I will take a closer look after work.

Regarding strings possibly being misaligned, it seems to be installed correctly, but then again, I'm a newbie archtop guitar purchaser. I'll post better photos later today.

Thank you all for the help!!

[Fierygambit]

[Jimmy blue note]

From what I can see of the bridge placement, the strings on the fingerboard and the string angle to the E strings seems good. It seems that the bridge is resting evenly on the edge of the guitar.
To me, it looks good. Good advice all 'round here and it looks like a pretty guitar.
Have fun getting your music out of it!

[Cunamara]

Just screw them in. There is going to be little load on those screws, given their location (the strings are pulling the bracket into the body, so those screws just help prevent it from sliding upwards). The main force against the screws from the tailpiece- i.e., pulling away from the body- will be on the large screw holding the strap button and the other small screw at the far end of the tailpiece.

[dconeill]

Just be careful on screwing them in. It's easy to burr a Phillips-head screw, taking the edge off the screw slot, and then you're faced with removing a screw that can't be turned with a screwdriver. If they're properly set in appropriately-sized holes there shouldn't be a lot of resistance.

If there's a lot of resistance when you try to turn the screw in either direction, that might be time to take it to a skilled guitar repair tech.

[GuyBoden]

Unscrew them, put candle wax on the screw threads, then tighten them.

[RJVB]

Ditto all the above, but I'd pull on them gently to see if they're actually gripping any healthy wood and then be attentive to if and how they lock up when screwed in all the way.

Those lines in the side wood, to the right of the tailpiece, are those a reflection or are they actually in the wood? They remind me of burrower traces (tunnels). Which could be a perfectly innocent personality trait if they were already there when the guitar was built.

[garybaldy]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I feel confident in examining and screwing in the screws myself. Will certainly proceed cautiously and note the tension and force needed.

The original owner says he took it into a luthier for a good cleaning, he thinks the luthier hastily put it together, forgot to turn these screws all the way.

Regarding the one screw that might be going in crooked, I don't think that is the case but I will take a closer look after work.

Regarding strings possibly being misaligned, it seems to be installed correctly, but then again, I'm a newbie archtop guitar purchaser. I'll post better photos later today.

Thank you all for the help!!

How did it go?

[BBGuitar]

Unscrew them, put candle wax on the screw threads, then tighten them.

I would add remove 1 at a time drill a proper sized pilot hole then replace the screw.

I keep a lump of beeswax handy at all times, no screw goes in wood without it.

[Fierygambit]

Hello folks! Back for an update after winding down from a busy summer.

So I undid the screws one at a time to check the alignment, and yeah, one of them is slightly off which is why it does not sit fully flush. I screwed it in all the way until it stopped and gave it a tiny turn after that to make sure it was snug. Has not moved at all after these few months and plays fine.

It really gave me some anxiety for a new guitar purchase, but after owning it for several months and finally being able to play it plugged into a good amp, I can say that I honestly made a mountain out of a mole hill! This Peerless is FANTASTIC! Sounds loud and clear unplugged, feels great moving around on the fret board, and has that blonde and gold hardware D'angelico look that I fell in love with; for a third of the price! I will admit that it is quite basic with only 1 pick up and a volume knob.

I had the chance to test out a Roland JC120 and a VOX AC30CC2 today and both owners couldn't stop complimenting the guitar for it's look and sound. Ultimately decided on the VOX AC30CC2, but man, that Roland JC120 was C L E A N... I think it was a better match for the Peerless, but I just couldn't resist the allure of owning my first tube amp.

Curious, what is everyone's thoughts on the VOX AC30CC2 for jazz playing? It took me a while to find that heavy bass/mid, mellow, warm, and not so chimey sound that comes to my mind when I think of jazz guitar.

Thank you all for your input and advice regarding the screws for my new guitar, much appreciated.

Cheers!

[pingu]

Glad you got the Tailpiece screws
thing sorted ….
——————
on amps generally ….
whilst an AC30 is a very good amp
it is not used much (i can’t think of anyone actually) by jazz players

but of course if you dig it and it has a sound you like , go for it