harp intonation screws

oscarwao

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I've scoured this and other forums in the hopes of finding the answer and I'm hopeful someone here can help. Does anyone here know definitely what screw is used for the intonation saddles on a 70s JS II bass? I brought in my guitar for a setup and the shop lost two of the screws. They're willing to replace them but they weren't sure what to replace them with. Any help is appreciated.
 

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fronobulax

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Took me a while. It is the screw that moves the slider the saddle sits upon. The post in the center right has a screwhead on my JS which confused me. Don't have an answer. I've never had one come out when intonating. Any chance you could pretend to be mad at the shop and make them measure one of the ones they did not lose?
 

mellowgerman

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Yikes, that must have been embarrassing for them! No clue if there is a readily available replacement for those.
 

Guildedagain

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There is a bridge plate on eBay right now, no saddles but possibly screws.

The bridge was made by Hagstrom Sweden, so it is a metric screw, a metric tap/die set should help verify the thread/pitch.

You only have to undo it a 1/4 turn to slide the saddle around, how that would lead to loss I don't have a clue and don't want to make a disparaging comment about professional shop work.

I was helping a guy in a car repair, and I said "undo the neg battery cable" on a 90's Subaru legacy. It's a 10mm nut, usually the procedure is to crack the nut loose, and twist the cable off the battery.

I look over to see what's taking him so long and he's laboriously unthreading the whole bolt out, inch long bolt, while the terminal is loose as a goose on the battery terminal. Why, I can't even venture a clue.

I said "Oh, you don't have to do that" and he shot me a look like I was a terrible person for making him look dumb as a rock.
 
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lungimsam

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My tech lost a couple Bisonic mounting plate screws. What replaces them?
 

Minnesota Flats

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I just happen to have a spare harp bridge and a screw checker, so was able to verify. This bridge in question is what they are putting on the NS Starfires, so I can't 100% gurantee that it's identical to what they used on the 1970s JS, but it's as close as I can come. These screws can't cost much, so it would be worth a shot.

Intonation locking screw that goes into the empty holes in the OP's PIC:

3/32"-48, chrome-plated (I assume not nickel), round slot-head. Threaded shaft is 1/8" long.
 

Minnesota Flats

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By the way: if your luthier lost the screws and, having two others to go by to determine what the replacements should be, puts figuring that out on you? I think it's time to go look for a better luthier.
 

lungimsam

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Haha! That’s true!! But he’s been so good I gave him a pass. Besides...there’s no Bisonic in me SF anymore anyway. I just thought someone knew off the top of their head.
 

Minnesota Flats

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Just happened to be in Ace Hardware this morning and checked their screw inventory for suitable intonation-lockdown replacements. The machine screws you need are, in fact, 3/32"-48 but will be designated 3-48. The shortest ones my local Ace had were round Phillips head (not round slot-head) and 1/4" long, so you'd have to cut them down to 1/8" if you want the tips to be flush (which, in practical terms, isn't really essential) under the bridge base plate when they are tightened down. If you want to shorten the length of a 1/4"-long one, put a nut on it before cutting, then unscrew/remove the nut after you cut. The reason for doing this is to clean up any thread burrs created when you cut (so you won't bugger the female threads of the intonation sliders when you try to screw in the replacement screw). Shortening shouldn't be necessary because it's doubtful that you'd ever have to set your bridge height so low that the screw tips protruding underneath would ever create interference.

If you want exact replacements, you might try Fastenal or McMaster-Carr online, but they may only ofter them in quantities which far exceed your needs.

Again, all of the above pertains to a current-production, Newark Street Starfire bridge. You'll have to double check to make sure that the same spec fasteners were used on you older, JS bridge.
 
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