Luthiery Laboratories

Went shopping for luthiery supplies yesterday, here is some of the loot. At the marina store, I got 100 Fender pickguard screws, otherwise known as SS #4 1/2" oval head, six cents each. ( 50 cents each at StewMac. Seriously !!! )

The best source for oddball fasteners (SS truss-head!) is BoltDepot.com. Stainless steel is a good replacement for nickel, looks almost the same and lasts a lot longer. You can also find a lot of standard SS fasteners at marine supplies stores.

For odd lengths like 1-5/8", get 1-3/4" and file the point off; it is not needed since the hole is pre-drilled. Old fasteners and metal parts may be rejuvenated with oven cleaner. Works very well on blackened nickel. Do not get oven cleaner on anything else! Soaking in white vinegar will remove minor corrosion.

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M3 Threads

M3 stands for metric 3mm, a standard machine thread that is extremely common on everything but American-made guitars. For example, on an import Fender-style bridge, all of the saddle adjusting screws are M3.

I was strolling through the Luthiery section at Home Depot and noticed that they had a wide assortment of M3 hardware in both bright stainless Philips head and black oxide hex head. A good thing to remember. Too bad they don’t have headless ones, but you can find them online.

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Danelectro Originals (Silvertone 1457)

	Length	Size	Thread	Head
neck screws	1-5/8”	#10	sheet metal	truss philips **
pickup screws	7/8”	#6	sheet metal	truss philips **
pickguard screws (large)	3/8”	#4	sheet metal	truss philips **
tuner screws	7/8”	#4	sheet metal	round philips
bridge height screws	1-1/2”	#10	wood	flat philips
bridge fixing screw	1-1/2”	#10	sheet metal	oval philips
nut screw	3/8”	#4	wood	round philips
saddle screw	1/4”	#4	sheet metal	truss philips **
neck tilt screw	3/4”	#8	32	none / hex
skatekey screws	7/8”	#4	wood	pan

** BoltDepot.com

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Danelectro Reissues

	Length	Size	Thread	Head
neck screws	1-5/8”	#8	sheet metal	truss philips
pickup screws	1”	#4	48 **	truss philips
pickguard screws (large)	3/8”	#4	sheet metal	truss philips
pickguard screws (small)	1/4”	#2?	sheet metal	truss philips
jack screw	9/16”	#4	sheet metal	truss philips
tuner screws	3/8”	#2	sheet metal	round philips
bridge height screws	1-1/4”	#8	wood	flat philips
bridge fixing screw	1-1/8”	#8	sheet metal	oval philips
nut screw	1/4”	#2	wood	oval philips
saddle screw	1/4”	#4	sheet metal	truss philips
control cover screws	5/16”	#4	48 **	truss philips

** impossible to find, substitute #6 wood screw, force it in

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Miscellaneous Parts

	Length	Size	Thread	Head
Fender neck	1-5/8”	#10	wood	oval philips
Fender pickguard	1/2"	#4	wood	oval philips
Fender bridge	1"	#8	wood	oval philips
USA Strat tremolo			10-32
Mexico Strat tremolo			M5
Japan Strat tremolo			M5
Squier Strat tremolo			M5 / M6 / 10-32
Gibson pickguard	1/2"	#3	wood	oval philips
truss rod cover	1/4”	#2	sheet metal	oval philips

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Standard Fastener Dimensions - diameter, inches

	#2	#4	#6	#8	#10
thread - wood / sheet metal	0.086	0.112	0.138	0.164	0.190
thread - machine	0.086	0.112	0.138	0.164	0.190
head (truss)	na	0.257	0.321	0.384	0.448
head (pan)	0.167	0.219	0.270	0.322	0.373
head (round)	0.162	0.211	0.260	0.309	0.359
head (flat)	0.162	0.212	0.262	0.312	0.362
head (oval)	0.162	0.212	0.262	0.312	0.362
machine screw hole	3/32	1/8	5/32	3/16	7/32
wood screw hole (hardwood)	3/32	7/64	9/64	11/64	13/64
thread pitch - machine **	56 / 64	40 / 48	32	32	20 / 32

** threads per inch, coarse / fine