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Other Stuff => Guitars => Topic started by: WimWalther on March 20, 2024, 11:50:41 pm

Title: What type & size of thread for a tremolo lever aka whammy bar
Post by: WimWalther on March 20, 2024, 11:50:41 pm

Howdy folks,

I'm dealing with a Washburn / Lyon Strat copy (Chinese) that's missing the tremolo bar, but I can't determine the correct thread for a new bar. Here's what I do know..

M5x0.8 slides through the hole, as do #10-24 & #10-32. An M6x1.0 goes in exactly 3.5 turns and locks up hard.

Being Chinese, I'm initially assuming it's metric.. but what options are left? A rare extra-fine M6?

Photo of the body w/ bridge is attached.

Title: Re: What type & size of thread for a tremolo lever aka whammy bar
Post by: EL34 on March 21, 2024, 07:41:43 am

I had a cheap Chinese Trem bar in a bin I measured
My metric thread pitch gauge shows it to be 1.0 pitch
Calipers measure x 5.76mm so, I assume 6mm x 1.0

Title: Re: What type & size of thread for a tremolo lever aka whammy bar
Post by: WimWalther on March 21, 2024, 07:22:43 pm

Quote from: EL34 on March 21, 2024, 07:41:43 am

I had a cheap Chinese Trem bar in a bin I measured
My metric thread pitch gauge shows it to be 1.0 pitch
Calipers measure x 5.76mm so, I assume 6mm x 1.0

Right. M6x1 & M5x0.8 are the two most common metric trem bar threads. M6x1 are widely available for just a few dollars each.

What I'd really like to confirm is whether this particular git should be M6x1. I suspect that I could just run a tap through it and be done.. but I guess that seems a bit hackish to me.

Might be a factory defect, too.. partially tapped hole. Who knows?

ETA: Are these holes normally tapped all the way through? I ask, as this one doesn't seem to be.   Or at least it's not tapped M6 through. If you access it from rear, via the trem housing, the hole is about 5mm dia.

Title: Re: What type & size of thread for a tremolo lever aka whammy bar
Post by: EL34 on March 22, 2024, 07:11:59 am

you can buy cheap strat trems cheap on Amazon for under $20.I would not even mess with it
You have labor and parts which is more than the cost of new parts.
Just an example for $18https://a.co/d/gXljO4S

Title: Re: What type & size of thread for a tremolo lever aka whammy bar
Post by: WimWalther on March 22, 2024, 07:04:09 pm

Heh, that may well be the same trem bridge that's on this git.. looks identical. Had no idea the stuff could be that cheap.. crazy!

Well this pretty much settles it. I'll take the hack's route - run an M6 tap through it and call it done. I have a new lever on the way, under $2 from AliEx.

Thanks for the clarity.

Title: Re: What type & size of thread for a tremolo lever aka whammy bar
Post by: EL34 on March 23, 2024, 08:03:36 am

I bought one of those cheap trem kits and put it on a old strat parts guitar.
It was not a real Fender strat
The block way smaller than on a good fenders, but it worked fine
On a nice guitar that I built, I bought the really nice Fender custom hardware

Title: Re: What type & size of thread for a tremolo lever aka whammy bar
Post by: Latole on April 25, 2024, 02:33:43 pm

Did you find the bar ?

Title: Re: What type & size of thread for a tremolo lever aka whammy bar
Post by: EL34 on April 25, 2024, 02:39:02 pm

There are trem bars all over amazon
The Chinese ones are 6mm x 1.0 pitch

Here's an example
https://a.co/d/8RYlcBF