Whammy Disaster!!! =(

[HIMYNAMEISARTHUR]

i never thought this day would come...
but i popped in my new lefty trem arm in to my righty strat..
at first i found it weird why it is so hard to screw in..then i started playing and whammying my guitar,den pop! the bar broke...


anyone of you have a cheap/easy diy method of removing the broken threaded part thats left in the sustain block?

i heard usong a screw extractor might help, anyone of you have it or know where to buy it? cos homefix sucks and dont have it..

 

[mus]

I think my friend, hutkahn, will be able to help you with this.

 

[hutkahn]

ehheh..bro can't help, sorry! To date the broken-off whammy bar is still stuck in the bridge. My dad even took a drill to it but to no avail, =/ Best bet is to get a new bridge..or if you're lucky and its still quite shallow might be able to screw it out (if the break is even) but if like you said it was hard to screw in chances are that its stuck pretty tight alr haha

 

[HIMYNAMEISARTHUR]

i read some forums and they did get theirs out using a screw extractor
which is something like a drill with its threads reversed..so counter clockwise is tighten and clock wise is loosen..den as u tighten the extractor the trem bar's remains shloud come out..lol but i stil lcant find this amazing tool...

 

[lightice]

You might want to try this

http://www.mcfeelys.com/product/SRX-3719/X-Outreg-Removes-Undrivable-Screws

First by drilling a pilot hole into the trem arm. then using that tool.

Alternatively you can get a new trem block that uses a pop in arm,instead of a screw in one.

 

[HIMYNAMEISARTHUR]

hmm just a question,
does my mim 60th anni strat's sustain block have the same spacing as the US ones or the import ones?

 

[hutkahn]

shouldn't the trem arm hole be a standard size? :S alternatively, you can take a ruler or caliper and try to get the diameter of the hole?

 

[lightice]

it should be 2-1/16" string spacing.

Hutkahn, he meant string spacing, not hole space.

The US standard is 2-1/16 , vintage reissues are 2-7/32
jap ones are usually 2-7/32.

Mex standard/classic player are usually 2-1/16(except MIM classic 50,60,70s, they use 2-7/32), HW1 are 2-1/16 (before 2005 it was 2-7/32")

These are the more common ones.

 

[HIMYNAMEISARTHUR]

hey thanks man...

i tried using a visual estimation of my bridge plate and block, and i realised mine is the import sized ones not the us sized one..and im wondering if mine would fit the GFS ones...any suggestions?

 

[hutkahn]

Ah my bad sorry..after a week of common tests everything looks different.. =/

@Arthur, you might want to take a look at some of SV's offerings?

http://standardvalue.com.sg/store/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=80

 

[HIMYNAMEISARTHUR]

haha i was just thinking of replacing the block..cos the saddles and all are still working fine...and maybe replace my new project's block cos its somehow cut halfway..

 

[hutkahn]

Hmm I have no idea how easy/difficult it would be to source for a standalone block though haha you're probably better off buying a new bridge and selling your current one to someone who wants to use it as a hardtail :S

edit: oops just saw the blocks on GFS's website haha although $19+shipping of US$13..haha let me know if you're going ahead with it, since I was eying some parts as well maybe can combine order to split the tax

 

[HIMYNAMEISARTHUR]

http://store.guitarfetish.com/tremelos.html

 

[lightice]

arthur,

what guitar is it exactly?

Model?

If its the 60th Anniversary MIM in blizzard pearl, maple neck and the tex mex pickups.

Your trem string spacing will be 2-1/16.
All MIM's except those i noted, the classic 50s, 60s and 70s strats have 2-1/16 string spacing.

 

[HIMYNAMEISARTHUR]

yea dats mine..so the us ones wont fit right?

 

[lightice]

I wouldn't use those, get ones for the mexican standards.
Those are a sure fit as the mounting screw holes are different from the american standards.

The 3 screw holes should be 2-1/16 spaced apart from left to right extreme holes.

The string spacing must be 2-1/16

 

[HIMYNAMEISARTHUR]

i was thinking of getting the gfs imported ver of the block...but im not sure if it fits..cos i tried mounting a old block from my crappy first guitar and the trem hole is off...

 

[lightice]

This should fit:

http://store.guitarfetish.com/sosttrblfima.html

But if you want to be sure, take a pic of your block and e-mail the GFS guy.

The USA spaced on the GFS site is definitely not for your trem, its for vintage styled US made strats. i.e AVRIs.

If you really want to be safe, buy the whole trem kit from him. This will be a direct drop in: http://store.guitarfetish.com/minmeimstupt.html

 

[HIMYNAMEISARTHUR]

yea i was thinking of getting that too...i wonder if they sell it lefty..i might wana replace my srv project's block too..

 

[hifi_killer]

the exact same thing happened to my 62 reissue strat. If the 62 reissue strat is similar to ur 60th ann strat, chances are its impossible to drill it out. I brought my guitar to g77.. they're unable to do that. So, instead they replaced the block for me which cost around $40 and gave me a tremolo bar.