two of the Fender strat bridge sections (saddles) stripped out on me tonight. the little height/space screws that is.

just bought this 2010 fsr mim hh strat 2 months ago. typical i guess for this price range.

guess i'll go to GC tomorrow and get a replacement set. i ordered a gotoh bridge replacement last week. more glad i did now.

the bridge just never did feel quite "solid" to me, but thats just me.

a bit of a rant i guess. no big deal, i'll patch her up tomorrow...

Hi mo4FFU,

Sounds like maybe someone didn't loosen the strings before adjusting the saddle height. You are correct, most MIMs could use a better bridge, but the screws are stripped out many times not because they are defective or cheap, but because of adjusting them while the strings are tight, and/or using the wrong size Allen wrench.

P.S.
Check to see if this is covered by your warranty while you are at GC. Maybe? Couldn't hurt to ask.

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

Back in 2001 I ordered a US Strat new.....and it came from the factory with stripped out grub screws LOL. I was mad at first, but these are cheap, and the rest of the guitar was FLAWLESS, so wasn't gonna send her back! It is correct like Shimmilou said, you really need to detune your strings before adjusting the saddles, but really only if you are raising them higher. The string tension helps when you wanna go lower It is a pain though, to have to remove the saddles and turn the screws out through the bottom of the saddle. TRY THIS : Use a 1.5 mm flat head screwdriver......ever since I found this fits in the allen slot of the screws, I have never used the allen wrench again! It may even make your stripped headed screws adjustable

that someone is me as i've done this. i've played around with various size strings to find what i like and what action i prefer for my current ability.

guess, i was wrong in adjusting the height with the strings tight. so how does one get the correct string height without the strings 'tuned'?

she's a really good guitar, especially for what i got around 499.00. i didn't realize about the detuning, so i'll take the blame for this. guess i gotta re-read that part in the stewmac book. i can see the error in me ways. lol. i got one of those 1.5mm flats. i'll try that this time. thanks!

We've all done it mo4FFU, no biggie, live and learn. If you do your own setups, it is usually best to de-tune/loosen the strings before making many adjustments, then re-tune after. For the saddle heights, or intonation adjustments, etc, the tight string pushes the set screws down onto the bridge plate making them harder to turn/move, thus easier to strip. If you adjust the height or intonation with the strings tight, you can also scratch grooves or divots into the plate. You only need loosen the affected string or strings. Also, make sure that your Allen wrench is the correct size, as the ones that come with the guitar are sometimes loose fitting.

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

I'm always stripping the damn things - and I know better than to not loosen the strings first. It's just a real faff to loosen, tighten, loosen, tighten, and 90% of the time you get away with it. So having acquired a small jar of replacement screws I guess I'll keep doing it..

My Tech has a a tapered allen key mounted in a screwdriver handle. Doesn't matter how stripped the screw is with that gadget. Wish I could find one - he found his in the back of some old amp someone gave him..

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Fender Highway & Classic 60s Strats, Fender Toronado, Telecaster, Gretsch Projet, Charvel 3, PRS SE Soapbar II & Custom 24, Burns Batwing and many others!

hi, it wasn't the tiny bolt or it's hex space that was stripped. it was the hole in the saddle itself that the tiny bolt threads through. it wouldn't bite so the saddle buckled on that bolt.

thanks for the tip. i have the correct allen wrench, it works fine. i ended up stripping the set screw hole in the saddle so it had way too much play. LOL

LOL