Bigsby B5 arm replacement screw

jonpaul · Post by **jonpaul** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 1:26 pm

I am wanting to change out my existing factory arm attachment screw on my 325C58 Bigsby B5 with a vintage Phillips head screw. A couple of questions, is it a difficult process? I have read that there is drilling and sanding involved for replacement of certain style screws, I have also read that there are some correct screws available that do not require any drilling or sanding. Can anyone pass on any information regarding the correct installation of the screw, which is the correct screw to use and where you can purchase one of these screws? Any information and/or installation instructions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help!

jonpaul · Post by **jonpaul** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 8:11 pm

Anyone, anyone with any info?

geschwader · Post by **geschwader** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 4:23 am

Try FabGear at http://fabgear.netfirms.com/b5_kit.htm

They offer the Phillips screw, plus correct slotted mounting screws for $15.00. I actually found a correctly sized Phillips head screw at Lowe's and ground down the top to flatten it out to match the look of the original.

jonpaul · Post by **jonpaul** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 7:13 am

Thanks David, I'll check it out.
Anyone else have any additional info about the screw as well as actual installation instructions?

Again, thanks for your assistance!

geschwader · Post by **geschwader** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 7:28 am

Installation is very simple:
You'll need to loosen the strings to allow you to pull the vibrato arm up far enough to take out the large spring. Then unscrew the nut from the screw and replace with the new screw and nut. Slip the spring back in the assembly and tighten the strings back up to pitch. Make sure that you get the screw tight enough so that the arm doesn't flop around before you tune up the strings— it's almost impossible to tighten the screw without getting in to clamp the nut.

beatlefreak · Post by **beatlefreak** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 8:27 am

You should also be able to find these parts at the Rickenbacker Page or Rhoads Music.