A little technical help, please

[tim walton]

Hi guys (and gals)
This is my first post here. What a great resource!
I've had a FG 330 for a few years now. I have a small collection, so the Ric only gets pulled out occasionally. And when I gig, I never take my finer guitars (like the Ric). So I haven't played it all that much.

I've had it out for the last week or so, and have been playing the 330 and admiring what a fine instrument it is. But tonight when I went to play it I noticed the little palm rest thingy that is directly over the top of the bridge was loose.

On closer inspection, I realized that this little thingy is held on by 2 small phillips bolts, and the bass side bolt was missing. I found it on the floor, but when I tried to screw it back in to the bridge assembly the hole appears to be stripped- actually, it seems like the hole is too large, but that makes no sense. The hole must have simply been enlarged somehow (or stripped) so that the bolt just fell out.

So my questions are-
Has this ever happened to anyone else?
How did you repair the problem?

It seems like the solutions might include getting a new bridge; or using a slightly larger size diameter bolt (would I be correct in assuming the bolt is stainless steel?); or finding an appropriate sized nut and bolt to affix the thingy that's loose.

Any other ideas? I'll take the guitar in to a guitar shop, but before I turn them loose on my beloved Ric I thought I'd seek the wisdom of the group here.

O yea- I've been scouring the universe for a Ric 12 string for a few weeks now, since I played a MG 360/12 a friend has. IT's like an addiction, this GAS thing. But what a way to go...

[ken_j]

Welcome to the RR forum Tim.
If it is stripped you may want to try to tap the hole to the next largest size in diameter. The finer the thread pitch the better since the material is not very thick. If you know or can find a very talented welder you could have him or her TIG weld the hole and simple redrill and tap to the original screw.

[Clint]

A lot of people, including myself, remove the bridge cover because it gets in the way of palm muting and comping. It's a personal choice, however, so you may want to try playing the guitar without it for a while before having it repaired. Just to see which way you prefer.

[beatlefreak]

Welcome to the forum, Tim. The part you are referring to is actually just a bridge cover, and not designed to be a palm rest. Using it as one could possibly be the reason the hole in the bridge assembly became stripped.

[kiramdear]

Are you sure it's not the small screw itself that is stripped?

If it's the hole that's stripped then the simplest fix is as Ken said, tap a new one to the next size up and replace the screw.

[beatlefreak]

It's most likely the hole that's stripped. It happens on the bridge bases. I stripped one of the bridge height adjust holes on my 325V59 trying to raise the bridge without loosening the tension on the strings.

[tim walton]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys.

Sounds like the easiest fix is to use a slightly larger screw. It is the hole that's stripped (I tried reversing the 2 screws that hold the bridge cover, and confirmed it's the hole, not the screw, that's stripped).

On a happier note I bought a FG 360/12 this morning on ebay. So now I have two fireglos- a 330/6 and a 360/12. Yee-haa!
I am so excited to get this guitar.

I gig with an American Standard Strat, and sometimes a Les Paul Supreme, but the beauty and tone of my Ric is so captivating I'm tempted to start gigging with it. I expect the 360/12 will be something of a closet queen. 12 strings just aren't that versatile. But I love that sound.

Merry Christmas, and thanks for the help.

[kiramdear]

Yeah, it's a pretty small problem that can be fixed with just an ever-so larger screw. And you may even find that you don't need the bridge cover anyway, like a lot of players. I do like to keep the cover on, myself, and use it as a place to rest my palm.

And congrats on your new twelver! I hope it doesn't sit home when you gig as you will attract a lot of compliments, not to mention the special sound it adds to your palette. There's really nothing like a Rick 12.

I know we'd all love to see some pictures of your twosome if you can manage it.

[jimk]

... I hope it doesn't sit home when you gig as you will attract a lot of compliments,...

(emphasis mine)
Oh yeah! That's for sure.
JimK