Tailpiece Screws for 60's T-Bird or Embassy Basses??

MARICOPAA · January 12, 2008, 08:22:06 PM

Does anyone now exactly what kind, size, thread, etc. screws are used to secure the tailpieces of 60's T-Bird and Embassy basses?

What years were nickel and what years were chrome?

Was there a period where it might have been a mixture?

PS...SOOOOOO GLAD THIS FORUM IS HERE!!! Can I call it 'Old-School'? Whatever...feels like home...thanks to Dave and Uwe!!!!!!!!!

gweimer · January 12, 2008, 10:57:28 PM

Call me crazy, but something like a screw never concerned me. You can find something that will work at the hardware store. I usually use a panhead screw for stuff like that.

MARICOPAA · January 12, 2008, 11:58:16 PM

Call me crazy but when it comes to a very cool old Embassy I'd like to get the rewal deal or as close as I can.

I like to buy instruments to play(first priority) but I also like to buy them as investments at the same time. Fact-of-life is that the more stock an instrument is the larger the market for buyers who like such things.A freind broke off two tailpiece screws while trying to extract one to evaluate for his Embassy...I'd like to find as close to the correct screws as I can. One can cluge the thing together with just about anything but i think the bass deserves better.

gweimer · January 13, 2008, 01:09:10 AM

If he only broke off two, you could remove one of the good ones (very carefully), and take it to a hardware store for comparison. If you can even get the specs of the screw, post them. I know a couple people that have assorted parts around, and they may have something.

gweimer · January 13, 2008, 03:55:17 PM

Just for curiosity's sake, I asked some of the dealers at the Ohio Guitar Show today - none of them had any, nor did they seem to know what to look for. If you give me some specs, I have a couple people that have junk like this laying around. My luthier, in particular, has a box of odd screws from over the years.

MARICOPAA · January 15, 2008, 01:25:20 AM

Fact is two broke...one did not but it isn't turning freely and i'm not going to press it. Interestingly...the bridge turns just enough out of the way in each direction to remove the offending remnants (done already). Turns out I found three nickel 1.25" screws that appear to be correct at the Marin Guitar Show this last Sunday. I don't know anything about screw sizes but someone suggested they were inch and a quarter #7 oval phillips head screws.

gweimer · January 15, 2008, 10:07:57 PM

Go for it...