I have a 2010 MIM strat with the normal tremolo on it. When I play, I normally, or on some occasions, place my hand on the bridge to use as a rest. Anyway, with the standard tremolo the saddle has some sharp edges, which can become a real discomfort at times. A while back I played my friends MIM tele which had a hardtail, which was so smooth and my hand felt relief. Is there a way I could replace the saddle With those hardtail saddle pieces [img](http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Nuts,_saddl ... es#details)
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or should buy a new hardtail bridge? I know i could raise the action so the strings weren't exposed, but then again I would be risking the nice-playing action.
Thanks

Hi dafuq,

Whatdafuq?

You might be feeling the Allen screws that are sticking up because they are too long. Replace them with shorter ones and I believe your problem will be solved. I have replaced many myself, shorter screws are available at most guitar shops and hardware stores. On most Strats, the screws for the two "E" strings can typically be even shorter than the others. The feel is much better with the shorter screws.

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---> "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.

Hi dafuq, welcome to the Forum.

Replacing a tremolo bridge with a hardball is all kinds of carpentry hassle which I'm sure you don't want to get into. And it is not necessary because I am sure your problem is neither the bridge nor the saddles but the height adjustment screws sticking out the tops of your saddles and scratching your hand. Don't worry, it is a well known issue and there are two good solutions to it.

The easiest is just to by a set of replacement screws of a shorter height that are not long enough to come out the top of the saddles. You will find some on this page, or from many similar sources just a Google away:

http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/screws_bridge.htm

The second possibility is to examine each offending screw in turn to see how far it sticks out the top of the saddle. Then remove it, put it in a vice, hacksaw off a section of that length from the bottom, file a new smooth, round tip onto it and then refit it. Twelve screws later you have a set of height screws perfectly custom matched to your own setup. It is less work than it sounds - but it is definitely the more hands on way to go about it.

I expect you'll just buy the replacement set.

Good luck - C

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Be aware that the the saddle screws for the MIM Strat are most likely metric so that you get the correct ones.

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Bill

Thanks for everything you guys! I'll have to go check out these screws.

You know the les paul doesnt have this problem. I know what you mean though.My strats do the same thing ,alot of us just live with it, but there are shorter screws like everyone said.