Why does everyone flip screws rather than countersink?

[eternity9]

I get that it’s a mod that isn’t reversible but with amount of posts I see about rubbing why doesn’t anyone else seem to do this?

I’ve been countersinking the screws in all my Jaguars for years now and I’ve never had any issues after.

[MrSparkle]

Using a CP vibrato, once I set the neck angle I didn't need to do anything with the screws. Simple solution!

[alexpigment]

I think over the years there were a lot of people who thought the high E string was breaking because of the strings rubbing on the trem screws. At some point the consensus became that the high E was breaking due to sharpness in the holes where the ball end of the string goes through, and so people now recommend reinforced strings to prevent that (if it’s a problem for the guitar in question).

I don’t think people generally run into problems with those screws when an offset is set up correctly. I know that’s not the answer to your question, but those are my two cents.

[andy_tchp]

I don’t think people generally run into problems with those screws when an offset is set up correctly. I know that’s not the answer to your question, but those are my two cents.

It kinda is the answer though.

[Mondaysoutar]

Always been a bit of mystery to me this actually. My Jazzmaster has a 1 degree angled neck pocket so need to shim, I’ve got good leeway in setting my action and everything plays soundly. My low E rubs against the screw underneath it slightly. I read these posts from time to time and think should I change something but then I always come back to thinking how high my action would need to be to clear the screw. Don’t get me wrong, it’d be great if it didn’t rub so I could go “my Jazzmaster is set up perfectly” but it’s just not an issue. I had a Jag and another Jazzmaster, neither with angled neck pockets or shims, wee bitta rubbing, but again not an issue. Maybe I’m just lucky.

[MrSparkle]

Using a CP vibrato, once I set the neck angle I didn't need to do anything with the screws. Simple solution!

This post is spending the week freeloading on my brain-couch. Continuing to try and answer the specific question, I think for a lot of people it comes down to skill and confidence.

Swapping the screws around takes neither. To modify a plate of steel takes both, as well as relatively advanced tools. I'm neither a mechanical engineer or a machinist; so I'd struggle to countersink the holes, it would cost me a Trent vibrato's worth of new tools, and chances are I'd scratch up the plate and have to buy another one anyway.

So needless to say, I'm relieved it wasn't necessary on any of my instruments.

[Horsefeather]

I think because some people are of the misunderstanding that the screws still hold the thing in when they're flipped and it seems like the easiest option.

They do not so it isn't.

Countersinking ain't no slam dunk, either, so any way you approach the problem, it's a pain. I did the countersinking operation as best I could but while the vibrato plate countersinks like butter, the actual vibrato piece under it is hardened and does not give at all. So there's a limit to how far down the countersink can go and it isn't really enough to be a great fix. It worked for me because I switched to slightly lower profile screw heads but just barely.

The real fix is for Fender to be not such a dumbass but we're 60 years late for that.

I guess the truth is that a single screw is actually enough to hold the thing together, as the flippers have demonstrated.


p.s. It's still my contention that high E strings oftern break not because of contact with anything but because the loop around the ball is oriented vertically in the vibrato (perpendicular to the flat face of the guitar) and thus creates an excessive amount of tension on the bottom leg of the loop in bending.

[GreenKnee]

Exactly this, still surprises me when I see the screws flipped. As soon as I did it the first time it was evident those 2 screws were no longer holding anything and so were put straight back.

A slight shim and bridge raise is all that's required really.