HELP!! Old Floyd studs (UNF)

[GrappaGreen]

Hi All,

I have a beautiful old Chaparral that I acquired a little while ago. Let's just say it's been used and abused but looks all the better for it. It's a 1987 model with flame top/binding etc.. just lovely.

Sadly it came to me in a somewhat sorry state of repair and I hadn't realised the Floyd studs were locked solid in the bushes... years of sweat/grime etc. I imagine.

Long story short I tried to remove a stud with a little too much force and one of the stud heads broke away as per the photo below.

I took it to my friendly (and well trusted) luthier and he's removed the studs so all good but..

Seems like the old studs 5-16 24 i.e. 5/6 " UNF and they are just not available anymore.

Don't suppose anyone has any old black studs or know's where I could get some from? 

 

Si

[stobro]

If you were in the states I'd suggest McMaster-Carr, but I don't know if they do business internationally.

https://www.mcmaster.com/products/screws/socket-head-screws~/thread-size~5-16-24-2/

[Cboss]

https://whammyparts.com/make-model/floyd-rose-parts/results,1-0

Here you go, posts and anchors

[GrappaGreen]

Thanks for the posts but sadly the old UNF posts aren't made any more..

Si

[Jeff R]

Best long-term solution would be to pull the OEM bushings, dowel up and install modern FR bushings and studs. Studs dull over time, meaning trying to round up OEM posts could become a recurring PITA for you.

Bench Tip: If you replace the bushings, use Garolite G10 dowel rods instead of common oak or poplar dowel material. Garolite is a fiberglass/epoxy composite that's the ultimate for FR dowel-ups. It is SUPER high density and it will not compress under string tension pressure over time like wood dowels and create leaning posts. A gunsmith turned me on to G10 decades ago and it is THE BEST dowel material. And while the common color is a pale jade green, it can be sourced in a variety of colors nowadays, meaning your dowel can be picked based on your finish color in the event some material isn't covered by the bridge's baseplate.

EDITED TO ADD: This not a novice DIY job and NOT to be attempted without a drill press and proper sized, quality drill bits, so get a competent tech on the job if you're not tooled and/or don't have reps with this kind of work.

[GrappaGreen]

21 hours ago, Jeff R said:

Best long-term solution would be to pull the OEM bushings, dowel up and install modern FR bushings and studs. Studs dull over time, meaning trying to round up OEM posts could become a recurring PITA for you.

Bench Tip: If you replace the bushings, use Garolite G10 dowel rods instead of common oak or poplar dowel material. Garolite is a fiberglass/epoxy composite that's the ultimate for FR dowel-ups. It is SUPER high density and it will not compress under string tension pressure over time like wood dowels and create leaning posts. A gunsmith turned me on to G10 decades ago and it is THE BEST dowel material. And while the common color is a pale jade green, it can be sourced in a variety of colors nowadays, meaning your dowel can be picked based on your finish color in the event some material isn't covered by the bridge's baseplate.

EDITED TO ADD: This not a novice DIY job and NOT to be attempted without a drill press and proper sized, quality drill bits, so get a competent tech on the job if you're not tooled and/or don't have reps with this kind of work.

Thanks Jeff.

My luthier has the guitar and we're currently looking at two options. Option 1 is to open up the original bushings to accommodate a threaded bush insert to allow modern 7mm studs to be used. If we can't make this to work we'll just pull the bushes and do as you suggest. Problem with option 2 is more aesthetic than practical as the original bushes have a wider diameter than current and against the flame top it will kill me to look at them

Appreciate the heads up on the material.

Regards,

Si

[Cboss]

Gotoh makes some wider bushings that might work, they come stock with the GE 1996 tremolo and possibly others, they're 11.5 mm width if I remember correctly

Studs are lockable also

[scottcald]

On 10/16/2023 at 10:31 AM, Cboss said:

Gotoh makes some wider bushings that might work, they come stock with the GE 1996 tremolo and possibly others, they're 11.5 mm width if I remember correctly

Studs are lockable also

I love that feature.  

[Cboss]

47 minutes ago, scottcald said:

I love that feature.  

Me too! I swear it sounds a lot better, and stays in tune crazy good

[scottcald]

1 hour ago, Cboss said:

Me too! I swear it sounds a lot better, and stays in tune crazy good

When I had an RG550 from ‘87 ghrough the 90s, it never went out of tune at many gigs.