'78 Gibson Grabber bridge problems

[Ampig]

Since I'm at a loss at the moment, I'm asking all you Gibson guru's for some help.
I'm looking for some replacement parts for my '78 Grabber G1 bridge. Mainly all the saddle screws or complete new saddles.  I've been looking for a complete new bridge for a while, but a drop in replacement doesn't seem to exist.

The sizes of the screws and saddles don't seem to be standard sizes, which makes it even more difficult to find some replacements.

I'm not a big fan of drilling new holes in the bass (because I'm not sure of my own "skills"), so another bridge is not really an option.

Thanks!

[Rob]

Any idea what size they actually are?   There is a great surplus store here in Orlando with all sorts of goodies (think NASA surplus).  I found bridge screws for Hagstrom's here etc.

[dadagoboi]

4-48 thread.  Obsolete.  Not a lot of them around, much less the ones Gibson used.

Try these:
http://www.fastenal.com/web/products/details/0174020;jsessionid=1FWVTLhLcQnQjZLRdTxJ67CzYnlj9Gl5kncyytns2Pf29nSs2q6z!379136172!403118208?isPunchout=false

You're going to have to cut them to length and figure out how to slot them- or just reduce the size of the head, it will save some shredding of your fingers.

Thread the screw into the saddle, cut off the excess and back the screw out.  That will clean up the threads

[Ampig]

Thanks! Do you have any Idea what size of saddle screws were used?  I'm not really familiar with the imperial measurement system, but it seems I'll have to order outside of Europe.

[dadagoboi]

Thanks! Do you have any Idea what size of saddle screws were used?  I'm not really familiar with the imperial measurement system, but it seems I'll have to order outside of Europe.

4-48, that is #4 screw with 48 threads to the inch. I think the length is around .5 inches, 12mm LENGTH IS .75 inch. I can't get to my Grabber at the moment.

Might be cheaper to have the holes in the saddles drilled and tapped to accept metric thread allen screws.

[VeloDog]

4-48 screws may be obsolete in the guitar world but they are still widely used in industrial applications.  I occasionally use them myself.

They're available; you'll just have to order them on-line and you may have to order a quantity a bit greater than what you actually need.

What length screw (threaded length) do you need and what type head do you want on it?  I'll see if I can set you up with a link.

-Bob

[dadagoboi]

4-48 screws may be obsolete in the guitar world but they are still widely used in industrial applications.  I occasionally use them myself.

They're available; you'll just have to order them on-line and you may have to order a quantity a bit greater than what you actually need.

What length screw (threaded length) do you need and what type head do you want on it?  I'll see if I can set you up with a link.

-Bob

.75 inch long threaded rod with a slot for a screwdriver blade cut into the top.

[uwe]

Yeah, I'd bei interested in those too! Do they exist with allen heads too? That might be preferable in stability to the slotted alternative. IMHO the "metal" that Gibson used on these screws in the early days was horrible in quality. Come the 80ies and the last batches of Grabbers and G-3s, the quality of those screws improved.

[dadagoboi]

Yeah, I'd bei interested in those too! Do they exist with allen heads too? That might be preferable in stability to the slotted alternative. IMHO the "metal" that Gibson used on these screws in the early days was horrible in quality. Come the 80ies and the last batches of Grabbers and G-3s, the quality of those screws improved.

First '75 Grabber I bought the saddle screws were mostly rusted/broken so I sent the bass back.  On my current one, which came with bridge cover in place,  they're all unbroken and no rust, they work fine.  I always loosen strings before adjusting to relieve pressure on them.

If I WAS replacing them I'd go with these:

http://www.fastenal.com/web/products/details/0174020;jsessionid=1FWVTLhLcQnQjZLRdTxJ67CzYnlj9Gl5kncyytns2Pf29nSs2q6z!379136172!403118208?isPunchout=false
Stainless steel, slotted pan heads small enough not to be a problem, and just slightly longer (+6mm) than originals.

[uwe]

Is that more than a dollar for one of these  or do they come in a pack?

[dadagoboi]

Is that more than a dollar for one of these  or do they come in a pack?

Yes, more than a dollar each.  About $11 for eight plus shipping. Maybe Velodog can find an alternative.

The closest retail store is in Longwood, Florida.  It's 125 miles from me.

[uwe]

One single screw for more than a dollar?!!!!  You can get two of them for that type of money right across from us in the red light district. What are they made of, unobtainium?

[OldManC]

I don't mean to make fun but it seems funny to hear guys complaining about spending $11 to make their bass fully functional considering the hundreds to thousands we spent buying them.

[Highlander]

Buy American and accept that spares will be "exotic" - the logic would be a stainless steel UNF machine screw but the only (UK) ones I've found have been pan-head and they are not fully threaded ...
There are bound to be European suppliers, but ...

[uwe]

I don't mean to make fun but it seems funny to hear guys complaining about spending $11 to make their bass fully functional considering the hundreds to thousands we spent buying them.

George, fun eeze a always ok-a here! Of course you're right, but that a single screw could cost that much or that it is even sold as a single screw and not in a batch of a dozen or so for, say, $ 3,99 is totally alien to these European tool shop/hardware store eyes!!!  I honestly thought I was misunderstanding something.