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Height adjustment screws on Ibanez bass?

G

guyfierisghost

Guest
May 7, 2018
2
0
#1
hello! i have an ibanez SD GR and have had it for about a year. lately the height adjustment screws keep coming loose, the E + A strings keep getting lower and lower, and one of the screws has fallen out to the point that i lost it. now the E string is so low that i'm getting some major buzzing / rattling. i play in a D standard tuning so it is especially noticeable with a looser E string.

can i get a replacement at the hardware store? what size? unfortunately i'm recording friday and am in a bit of a crunch.
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#2
Don't know about individual replacement screws, but I know for a fact that Ibanez sells sets of replacement saddles that you should be able to get your local Ibanez dealer to order home, would solve your problem with loose screws too.

Also putting some nail polish on the threads of the screws and then adjusting them while the nail polish is still wet might solve the problem with loose screws.
 
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#3
Yes, you can probably get replacements at the hardware store. I think they’re 3mm or 4mm. Just take one of the others out and take it with you to match up. You might have better luck at one of the smaller hardware stores or an industrial hardware place then Lowes or Home Depot.

Some clear nail polish or a drop of blue (not red) Loctite on the threads will help keep the screws from loosening up in the future.
 
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#4
If it's the same as my Jet King it will be an M3X.5. Can't remember the length, but take one with you to be sure or get one long enough to cut down it needed.
Your local ACE or Home Labyrinth should have what you need.or something that will serve until you can get a matching piece.
 
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#5
see this one a fair amount over the years. among other things, some sort of thread locker can help. as stated above blue loctite is a good choice.

fwiw, one of the things that i've noticed is that i see these screws wiggle out more often when players and techs set the saddles in an arc attempting to match fretboard radii. setting the saddles parallel to the baseplate and always making sure that the final height is set when rotating the screws cw, seems to cure this issue at least ime. the saddle slots are round the majority of the time so setting them in an arc puts uneven loading upon the screws and over time the saddles get lower and the set screws fall out.

someone needs to make M3X.5 x 10 or 12 nylon patch set screws.
 
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#6
Arie X said:
...someone needs to make M3X.5 x 10 or 12 nylon patch set screws...
Click to expand...

Here you go. you will need to follow the link from this page to the size and length you want. Not sure what head style you want/need, but you can get them in pretty much whatever style you want. Just go back to the home page and select the fastener you want and look for the link to the ones with a nylon patch
McMaster-Carr
 
#7
You can probably find a replacement at a good hardware store. Take one with you to be sure of a match. This is a pretty common problem and is easily solved with a drop of blue loc-tite or a dab of fingernail polish. I have done all my basses and most of my guitars this way. Don't use red loc-tite. It sets up much harder than the blue making future adjustments difficult.
 
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#8
thanks all for the good advice. i will get a replacement saddle in the near future. i picked up some loctite too - it's setting right now.

one more question - beyond the saddles being set in an arc, any idea why this may be happening to me so frequently? i switch between E/D standard tunings for 2 bands, and play pretty hard with a pick, so wondering if that has something to do with it. the bass was recently set up with the two tunings in mind.
 
#9
A lot of it has to do with the fit of the fastener to the threads in the saddle. Stock bridge saddles in MIM Fender basses are all over the map in this regard. But when you have a stamped and formed plate and four machined saddles to include 3 drilled and tapped holes per piece and includes five mounting screws, four intonation acrews and springs, and eight saddle screws all for around twenty bucks retail, it’s hard to expect a lot of quality control. That they work at all for that price is a testament to modern manufacturing.
 
#10
fhm555 said:
Here you go. you will need to follow the link from this page to the size and length you want. Not sure what head style you want/need, but you can get them in pretty much whatever style you want. Just go back to the home page and select the fastener you want and look for the link to the ones with a nylon patch
McMaster-Carr
Click to expand...

the only M3 X.5 nylon patch set screws MCM has are either 3 or 4mm in length.
 

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