Stripped trem arm threads?

Grant Harding

Grant Harding

Creative fingering specialist
So I set my old Strat back to stock recently, including the bridge and noticed that the arm won't screw in.

I'm assuming this is pretty common, but I can't really tell if the thread wear is on the arm or in the bridge. Maybe a combination?

Any experience with this and advice? I want to sell it, so want it to be as stock as possible.
 
Won’t screw in at all? Or just not all the way?

The trem block is ususually the softer metal and the first to cave, but I’ve seem both get screwed up (no pun intend, but aknowledged none the less) from time to time. Sometimes it’s just a matter of pulling out the tap-and-die set and cleaning up the thread a little. But sometimes it’s just easier te replace one or the other.

IIRC, MIA Fenders use a 10-32 thread pitch and MIM/MIJ use a 5mm*0.8. You could try the proper nut to see if it is the arm. Or a bolt to check te block. But don’t force anything.
 
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Thanks - I'll have to do some more investigation with a magnifying glass! It feels like it's trying to grab the threads, but it slips out without grabbing.

It's a 1980 USA strat, so it'll definitely not be metric. Finding a 10-32 nut or bolt will be interesting. :grin:
 
You shouldn't have any trouble finding a 10-32 bolt or nut at Home Depot or any other decent hardware store. You should also be able to easily find a tap and die set of the same size. I'd be willing to bet Harbor Freight has one for cheap that will at least be stout enough for that one job.
 
I think you have received a good amount of logical answers from our helpful members, but I feel one of us should point out that this is an ideal opportunity to crank the tremolo down to make it a fixed bridge and purchase an additional stratocaster with a functioning tremolo arm. Heck, I'd get two, just to be sure.
 
Thanks everyone. This Strat is going to go up for sale, so no worries. I hardly use a trem, but my Anderson has one and that's my main player.

I think I'll just leave it and sell with full disclosure. New owner might block it anyway like I used to.
 
OGG said:
You shouldn't have any trouble finding a 10-32 bolt or nut at Home Depot or any other decent hardware store. You should also be able to easily find a tap and die set of the same size. I'd be willing to bet Harbor Freight has one for cheap that will at least be stout enough for that one job.
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I'm in New Zealand so shipping is pretty steep. :)
 
Funny you should mention this Bob. I actually thought it was lost for years because I thought this was for another old guitar. Then I found that one!
 
So the trem arm mix up -- just because trem arm A 'fit' Other Guitar B, does not mean that one was the 'right' one. FMIC has made me near crazy with the variance in their trem arms. I have about 20-25 Fenders, and at least 7 different trem arm configurations. Not just lengths (which I get) -- but diameters, depths.

FWIW, I like pipe tape, but it's a pretty fixed solution until you're ready to reverse things. Make sure you don't get the locking/permanent kind.
 
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