Anybody found/designed an less bulbous alternative for the tremolo hinge plate mounting screws?

[Guppy]

You know, the mounting screws with that big head on that one spot on a Jazzmaster/jaguar where a big head will be a pain.
Anybody tried some normal countersunk screws that work?
I know mounting the screws upside down works but maybe there is a more elegant solution?

[IceBlueBoogaloo]

I searched around for this exact thread to see if there were any responses to it. I thought I had read about the use of low profile screws somewhere on here but no dice.

The closest thing I found was something like this. I'm not positive of the thread size or length of the plate screw though. You can't use countersunk because the plate isn't machined for it like the way the Mastery Vibrato is.

[Guppy]

I searched around for this exact thread to see if there were any responses to it. I thought I had read about the use of low profile screws somewhere on here but no dice.

The closest thing I found was something like this. I'm not positive of the thread size or length of the plate screw though. You can't use countersunk because the plate isn't machined for it like the way the Mastery Vibrato is.

Yeah, the traffic here was disappointing. Seems like a decades old issue specific to the guitars this forum is dedicated to.
I was thinking something like those bolts to. But I was hoping someone has tried and found something that works.

[JackFawkes]

I also wonder from time to time if anyone ever found a good source for flat-topped screws of the correct length, diameter, and thread pitch to replace the ones on Jazz/Jag plates...

Jack

[Thom_bjork]

I searched around for this exact thread to see if there were any responses to it. I thought I had read about the use of low profile screws somewhere on here but no dice.

The closest thing I found was something like this. I'm not positive of the thread size or length of the plate screw though. You can't use countersunk because the plate isn't machined for it like the way the Mastery Vibrato is.

Yeah, the traffic here was disappointing. Seems like a decades old issue specific to the guitars this forum is dedicated to.
I was thinking something like those bolts to. But I was hoping someone has tried and found something that works.

Not sure if this is an option for you, but Faction Guitars makes vibrato plates that are exactly like the AVRI, including the lock button slot, except they're made from stainless and everything is countersunk. He offers 4(?) finishes. I recently got a brushed stainless one to match my aluminum guard. Quality is very high. With a countersunk plate, you can just get appropriately sized flat top screws and it'll all be flush. I'm doing that with every screw on the plate and guard.

[Guppy]

I searched around for this exact thread to see if there were any responses to it. I thought I had read about the use of low profile screws somewhere on here but no dice.

The closest thing I found was something like this. I'm not positive of the thread size or length of the plate screw though. You can't use countersunk because the plate isn't machined for it like the way the Mastery Vibrato is.

Yeah, the traffic here was disappointing. Seems like a decades old issue specific to the guitars this forum is dedicated to.
I was thinking something like those bolts to. But I was hoping someone has tried and found something that works.

Not sure if this is an option for you, but Faction Guitars makes vibrato plates that are exactly like the AVRI, including the lock button slot, except they're made from stainless and everything is countersunk. He offers 4(?) finishes. I recently got a brushed stainless one to match my aluminum guard. Quality is very high. With a countersunk plate, you can just get appropriately sized flat top screws and it'll all be flush. I'm doing that with every screw on the plate and guard.

That looks pretty nice but a bit overkill for a problem that can probably be fixed with €0,50 of the correct bolts.
I would experiment myself but being in Europe, and the bolts being imperial sized, in need to order different ones.

[timtam]

The 3 plate screws on AVRI trems are #8-32 x 1/4" ...
SCREW M 8-32 X 1/4 THP NI 0015891049
https://www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/Orig ... 6-2017.pdf

Ebay shows some flat head 8-32 options:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=%2 ... screw+flat

If you need to countersink the plate holes that may require a decent metal-suitable countersink bit and drill press ?

Whether any of the non-flat screws are 'less bulbous' is uncertain. You might be able to file the tops a little flatter ?

[andy_tchp]

Yeah, the traffic here was disappointing. Seems like a decades old issue specific to the guitars this forum is dedicated to.
I was thinking something like those bolts to. But I was hoping someone has tried and found something that works.

It's not an issue on all (or even 'most') offset guitars though.

As timtam alluded to those top plate holes aren't countersunk. I'd wager the plate itself really isn't thick enough to cut the countersink hole effectively with the taper required for most countersunk #8-32 fasteners.

Filing the top of the existing screws can get them close to a profile that's similar to the vintage screws and can increase the string/screw clearance.

[uncle_jonk]

+1 for filing them down. Looks like another person listed the correct size. I’ve bought several from a local hardware store and used a bastard file to clear the high e string. No more breaks

[Horsefeather]

Hey dudes, it is possible to countersink the plate and use tapered flathead screws. It works but just barely.

The issue, as has been pointed out, is that the countersink required to fully seat the screw flush is deeper than the thickness of the plate. The fulcrum piece attached to the plate inside is made of hardened metal and will not allow a typical bit to bite into it. So you get some countersink but not enough. It does allow the screws to sit lower and, in my case, clear the strings but it is also less than fully satisfying.

[Horsefeather]

Tangentially, it's my theory that many high E string breaks are due to the orientation of the string ball end as it sits against the tailpiece.

I think that when it's rotated such that the loop is perpendicular to the face of the guitar body, there is extra tension put on the lower half of the loop that can exceed its limit.

My fix, which has thus far held up, was to bend a nail into a wide U shape and use it to keep the high E and its neighbor oriented the way I want them.

I don't know that they can even rotate once you get them positioned and tuned up but it's a minimal-effort fix so why not?

[GreenKnee]

For a second there I thought you'd banged a bent nail in to the body of the guitar itself

I think if you were to solder the winds on the ball end of the plain strings then you wouldn't need the bent screw anymore. Across all of my offsets I have to solder the winds of the strings because if I don't they always unwind and snap there after a couple of hours of playing. Maybe I'm too hard with the vibrato but the soldered ends hold up indefinitely.



Back to the bolts:
In my line of work I use what are known as "joint connector" bolts which sit flat, have a thin profile and have a flat top. I've not encountered any in imperial sizes as everything I work on is metric but it would be worth a look if you're having ongoing issues.

[ThePearDream]

For countersinking flat head screws, I recommend looking for screws with an undercut head design, to prevent them from sitting too high above the surface. The height of the head is shorter and they should sit flush with the plate.

[HarktheUmpire]

I suspect part of the reason this thread didn't get much attention is because finding different screws or adjusting them seems like an overcomplicated solution when there's a far simpler, cheaper and effective way to solve this problem, which is to just flip the screws over. Solved my string breakage problem.

Like so:



I don't like their price gouging on Reverb, but sometimes they're good for something

[GreenKnee]

Is the top plate itself threaded for the screws to hold on to? I remember doing this years ago and I seem to remember the screws aren't actually screwed in to the top plate and so the only screw actually holding the thing together is the middle one. I may well be wrong though, my memory is very hazy from back then.