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The Guitar Pron Thread


Celery Man

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1 hour ago, noharleyyet said:

Switched the Deluxe Tele noiseless for the Arlos yesterday. Due to wiring the luthier installed an Emerson 4 way so the punch S1 knob is gone. 

PM me if anyone wants the noiseless tack....free to a good home. First come.....

Couldn't have kept the S1 with the 4-way? My Baja has that.

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The DougO curse is a mofoin' bitch.

Getting ready for my Tele pickup transplant, so I'm switching out the wrong-sized saddles that the previous dipshit put on it, with the correct size American Standard nickle plated bent saddles. The new saddles are the right size, but the fn' height adjustment screws are way too short for a proper setup, and they're all the same height, not staggered. Even at the tallest length the new ones are barely even with the lowest saddles that were previously installed, which has a low action, about as low as it can go without fretting out.

saddlewidth.jpg

saddleheight.jpg

 

So, I figured, "well that sucks, but it's simple enough to just switch out the screws, right?

Not so fast, my friend. The screws are two different sizes. The old screws won't even go into the holes of the newly acquired saddles, that are supposed to be for American Standard Strat or Tele from 2008 to present. Upon close inspection it appears that the new saddle screws have a narrower thread.

 

saddlescrews.jpg

I even tried vulturing the adjustment screws from a couple of my cheap Squiers, and they're just like the ones that are on the old saddle.


I had to scour the internet to find these new saddles in stock. Nobody else has them. It's hard to figure out how Fender American Standard parts from 2008 to present can be a rare thing. What the fuck, man?!?

 

 

Edited by DougO
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It seems like this shit that was common from 2008-present is somehow now extinct, and it was some kind of foreign shit that Fender was passing for American. I've looked all over to find the correct screws and they are as elusive as the bridge saddles. I have emails out to Fender and the parts guy I bought the saddles from. If I can't get these right I'll have to switch to antother kind of saddle or a whole new fn' bridge.

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You may know this, but thread spacing is defined by a number.  If you can figure out the number, you can search for compatible screws online.   Home Depot has a thing hanging up in the screw aisle to figure this out, but it may not go as small as one of those. 

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A #4 screw is 0.11" diameter (~ 7/64").  The "48" refers to the # threads per inch.  (That's a "fine" thread, by the way.  A "coarse" #4 screw would be a #4-40, with 40 threads per inch.)

You'll see UNC for "coarse" and UNF for "fine", but they'll usually also call out the thread pitch (40 or 48).

You need to also specify the length.  A 4-48 x 3/4 would be a fine pitched #4 screw that is 3/4" long.

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4 hours ago, AnotherUTFan said:

Another thought DougO, can you change the neck angle a touch so that the shorter screws you have will work? I don't know if that guitar has a micro-tilt adjustment or if it's shimmed?

I thought about that, but I don't think I can change it that much. The neck seems spot on and I really wouldn't want to try messing with it.

I talked to my friend that used to run the Heart Of Texas Music store in Temple on the phone a while ago. Turns out he has a similar Ash Tele from around 2015, he shot me some close up pics of it and it has the same saddles as mine and they look like they're at the same height as mine when it was set up. Stands to reason, he's the guy who taught me how to set up guitars and stuff.

I'll either find screws that fit, or I'll have to bail and get some different saddles. But it could be worse. The ones I ordered cost me $26 wit shipping, so it's not a catastrophic loss if they don't work out. But I do like the bent saddle types over the block saddles.

On the bright side, I believe I have my replacement pickups soldered in correctly now. Only tested by tapping, but there are no funky noises or anything. But I have to find some liquid tape because I couldn't get the heat shrink insulation to work right and I have a couple of naked spots. Probably gonna make a late night Wal Mart's run if I can't find the jar I have stashed away somewhere in my massive collection of crap.

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And my neck pickup didn't come with a spring/rubber thing, and the old pickups have theirs sort of built into the base plate. So I gotta find something for that, too, maybe in my bag o' rejected pickups.

Edited by DougO
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4 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

A #4 screw is 0.11" diameter (~ 7/64").  The "48" refers to the # threads per inch.  (That's a "fine" thread, by the way.  A "coarse" #4 screw would be a #4-40, with 40 threads per inch.)

You'll see UNC for "coarse" and UNF for "fine", but they'll usually also call out the thread pitch (40 or 48).

You need to also specify the length.  A 4-48 x 3/4 would be a fine pitched #4 screw that is 3/4" long.

The tallest screws in the old set are around 3/8", the shortest about 1/4", so I have that to work with. So hopefully that will get me in the ball park. Thanks for the tech stuff.

Dennis also has a huge box of parts stuff from his old guitar teching days and we're gonna check it out mid-week if I don't find anything before then. There's a possibility he'll have some that fit.

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Found some black ones here, and proof that I'm not a total fuckin' retard.

 

https://www.stratcat.biz/4-48-saddleheight.shtml

 

Black alloy steel bridge saddle height adjustment set screws for 2008 and newer American Standard Stratocaster® as well as the 2017 American Professional Stratocaster® that use the fine thread #4-48 saddle height adjustment set screws. Typically Fender has used the #4-40 saddle height set screws on the Strat since 1954, so before ordering make sure to determine the correct thread size on your particular guitar before ordering  Uses 0.050" adjusting hex wrench which is available here.

Size/Threading
: #4-48.
Lengths: 1/4", 5/16" or 3/8".

Most common setups are to use shorter length saddle height adjustment set screws on the little E and big E string saddles with the in-between saddles B, G, D & A using the next size larger.  Exactly which ones you use on your two outer E string saddles all depends on your particular guitar setup.  The most common quantities for a complete six saddle height adjustment set screw re-fit  usually are one of the following two combinations:

  • 4 of the 1/4" length and 8 of the 5/16" length.
  • 4 of the 5/16" length and 8 of the 3/8" length. 
Edited by DougO
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So, nobody in the known universe has extra steel screws in stock for all American Standard and Telecaster from 2008 to present, the standard bridge saddles of the flagship guitars of the Fender galaxy. Neither Fender or the Fender deal have returned my emails about it...cowards!

You can the correct size 4-48 screws in black alloy, but not the stuff that matches the actual saddle. I found a local Fastenal shop that can get them by Wednesday, so I'm doing that. There is one company that carries the same style screw in 4-48, but only in 1/4" (too short) and 1/2" (too long), and I"m not going to try monkeying around grinding them down.

The other options were get different saddles, and I don't like the style or price of any of the available options. I considered getting the stainless version of stamped saddles for the MIM that uses a more common screw and is the same size saddle, but I'll just do the black screws and keep the nice nickel saddles that were meant for an American guitar. I would have been fine with some nice Chinese made off-brand saddles on any other guitar.

I just don't understand what the fuck Fender was thinking, and how they have not addressed this in a decade.

 

 

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I was about ready to just say "fuck it' and buy a whole new bridge with the three-saddle compensated brass configuration. But the only decent option without drilling more holes in the guitar runs about $150. Fuck that shit. The drop-in replacements were limited to more Chinese cheapo variety, though it probably works great. But that's not why I bought an American guitar.

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Basically, they adapted the new ones to be the same size as the Imported stuff they use on the Mexico Standards and Squiers. But they didn't use the same size screw for some reason. I took the saddles apart from every other era of Fender I have, China, Indonesia, Mexico, Korea, and none of the screws fit. I could have swapped the whole saddle, but then it would be imported stuff on my USA Strat, and they would be the goofy cheap chrome-plated block saddles, which work fine, but look cheap.

Edited by DougO
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Paul Wesley and I struck a deal on the Epi gold top and NGD *could have* been Saturday but I’m out of town with my boys house sitting and FedEx decided to do a drive by attempt. Dammit. Delivery is scheduled for today. If it actually makes it into the house I’ll have one of my sons snap a pic and post the pr0n.

I realize it’s a zero sum gain for Surly Guitar Mafia but I think some decent pr0n and a demo when I get back should bump us to +1.

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OK, guys, get your plastic ready and get in line.

 

https://www.spin.com/2018/07/foo-fighters-chris-shiflett-guitar-auction/

Foo Fighters’ Chris Shiflett Auctioning Off 20 Guitars

 

Ezra Marcus // July 17, 2018

Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett has announced that he’ll be putting 20 of his guitars up for sale on Reverb. In an interview with the online music gear marketplace, Shiflett explained, “I have an excess of guitars that I’ve gotten over the years—I have more than I could even really play and more than I do play.”

“It would be fun to see these things find a home elsewhere, where somebody’s going to actually play them and put scratches on them,” he added. “I’m going to take these 20 guitars and turn them into two guitars. That’s kind of my plan.”

Shiflett’s sale kicks off this coming Thursday (July 19). Recently, John Travolta joined the Foos on stage—watch that here.

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7 minutes ago, DougO said:

OK, guys, get your plastic ready and get in line.

 

https://www.spin.com/2018/07/foo-fighters-chris-shiflett-guitar-auction/

Foo Fighters’ Chris Shiflett Auctioning Off 20 Guitars

 

Ezra Marcus // July 17, 2018

Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett has announced that he’ll be putting 20 of his guitars up for sale on Reverb. In an interview with the online music gear marketplace, Shiflett explained, “I have an excess of guitars that I’ve gotten over the years—I have more than I could even really play and more than I do play.”

“It would be fun to see these things find a home elsewhere, where somebody’s going to actually play them and put scratches on them,” he added. “I’m going to take these 20 guitars and turn them into two guitars. That’s kind of my plan.”

Shiflett’s sale kicks off this coming Thursday (July 19). Recently, John Travolta joined the Foos on stage—watch that here.

Yeah...can't take this guy seriously, anymore.

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On 7/14/2018 at 5:49 PM, AnotherUTFan said:

Another thought DougO, can you change the neck angle a touch so that the shorter screws you have will work? I don't know if that guitar has a micro-tilt adjustment or if it's shimmed?

You know, after I had installed my pickups and had taken everything apart anyway while I'm just sitting around waiting for screws to arrive, I decided to take the neck off and see what was going on underneath. I have the tilt-o-matic thing, so maybe it had been adjusted. But it turns out the neck was totally bottomed out against the wood, and the only way to affect the bridge height and keep the proper string angle and height, would have been to physically shim the upper part of the neck forward. The tilt thing wouldn't have been able to do any good. And it looks right the way it is. But at least I know what's under there now.

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5 minutes ago, BoomMF said:

1. To crush your enemies
2. To see them driven before you
3. To hear the lamentations of their women
4. To have more guitars than you can play

 

I'm so far gone I was almost drooling over another Squier Bullet Tele I found in a pawn shop today. This one was the dark sunburst, but looked a lot better than the MIM I passed on a while back, and it had a stock humbucker int he bridge. But it had a rosewood neck that looks a lot better than the fresh dry lumber look on my Squier Bullet Tele. Price was over a hundy, though, so I couldn't let myself get carried away.

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Fender guy finally replied to my inquiry yesterday. He directed me to a retailer that has the correct screws in stock, even two sets to choose from, a "short set" and a "long set". He said the package should include four of the 5/16" and eight 3/8" screws, which is what I want. And that was the SHORT set.

The store he referred was the same idiot store that sold me saddles with the vertically challenged set of screws. Yet on the store site he lists the same package and part number as being 9/32", which is shorter than even 5/16".

I wrote the Fender guy back and told him, and expressed my lack of confidence in that retailer, since he already fucked me over once and never replied when I emailed them about it.

Fender guy writes back, "here's another option" and shows me a link to some black screws by a third party. No other attempt to rectify the situation.

Petty damn weak.

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FINALLY got around to playing on this today (while the wife was out of the house, because I'm a pussy and still haven't told her I bought another guitar)

Even with rusty strings, it sounded SWEET! The MDF pickups are on the high-output side, but the neck position is glassy, and the bridge has bite without being ice pick-y. I like having a separate treble and bass control, and think Fenders should adopt it, because it's simply superior to a single tone knob.

The fit and finish are superb. Neck is straight with no fret buzz. The only thing I don't like is the treble push-pull pot which is really loose. Not that it's going to rotate unexpectedly, but is a lot easier to turn than the volume and bass tone pots.

I haven't played a guitar with a whammy bar in ages, so I don't remember if there are tuning stability issues. I had to tune it a few times while I was playing. Maybe it's because of the rusty strings, or it's never been really tuned before, but I'll play around with the tuners and nut, maybe put on an extra spring so it doesn't go out of tune.

45c6b2efda6571b2708493ab08d08981.jpg

47e56611b3cda980a45da6871691b6ef.heic

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3 hours ago, Grandioso said:

New anything day is still fun. I’ll fawn over your latest strap locks or guitar tuner. I DGAF.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have been thinking about replacing the string tree. I need to do weeks of research and rack my brain to see which has the best effect on tone, and then get one that doesn't fit.

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