Vintage VS recent ABR-1 posts size ?

[electricsky]

I have a 68 ES-335 on which the abr-1 posts are slightly bent , so as i had bought some spare abr-1 posts and thumbwheels from Crazyparts in Germany, i thought i would simply replace them but i had the bad surprise to see that the vintage ones are slightly larger and the recent Crazyparts ones are swimming in the holes (it doesn ´t fit snuggly ) )!!!
I compared the vintage ones to some i had got in a wired abr-1 pack with thumbwheels and posts i had bought from Gibson a few years ago ( post 2010 ) and the posts are slightly smaller as well ( same size as the Crazyparts ones ) !!!
Shit - what are they doing ,can't they make some simple repro parts like that, the same as original vintage ones !
i measured them with a digital caliper , they are all supposed to be 6-32 thread i believe but the vintage ones are really 0,138 inch , whereas the recent Crazyparts and Gibson ones i have are 0,133 !
i can't believe i am loosing time with such bullshit ! lol

Does anybody know where i can get some that are the same size as the vintage ones , i mean really exactly the same abr-1 posts and thumbwheels thread size ?

 

[Cream Fan]

I just measured a set of vintage posts and a pair made by Pigtail. Both were .134 and their attendant thumbwheels were interchangeable, as well. I can't imagine what the problem is unless the posts and bridge were changed in the past by a previous owner to a metric version.

 

[electricsky]

Double post
Example: #6-32 UNC 2B (major diameter: 0.1380 inch, pitch: 32 tpidouble

 

[electricsky]

Ah !
thanks for your answer !
The bridge is an original wired ABR-1 from that era i believe , with nylon saddles, although i put a more recent one non wired with metal saddles but i will verify the original one again !

i'm surprised of what you say cause when i read about Unified Thred Standards on Wikipedia , i find it is 0,138 inch for 6-32 , unless there is something i missed in what they wrote , maybe someone can shed some light , here is what i saw on Wiki :
Example: #6-32 UNC 2B (major diameter: 0.1380 inch, pitch: 32 tpi

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Thread_Standard#Basic_profile

i will measure on some of my other vintage guitars but the table is pretty clear on wiki and says 0,1380 inch /3,5052 mm for 6-32 !
Example: #6-32 UNC 2B (major diameter: 0.1380 inch, pitch: 32 tpi

 

[electricsky]

I measured on some other guitars i have , on my 64 SG it is 0,135 whereas on my 69 SG it is 0,138 as well !
i bought the 69 SG directly from USA , so i don't think they would have put some metric posts !
My 68 ES-335 is nearly mint and totaly stock , it is a sparkling burgundy which has not faded at all and the only wear is a little mark at the back of the neck !
Both the posts on my 69 SG and 68 ES -335 seem to be old and stock , so my guess is that they might have used some slightly larger posts in that 68-69 era at least !
incannot measure the ones on my 66/67 ES-335 as it is at my luthier to be refretted , so i don't have others from this era to compare with but seeing the ones on my 69 SG are the same inwould tend to think their post were slightly larger .
both guitars are totaly stock from what i know .

 

[FirstFlight]

following

 

[Evol]

I think there could be several reasons why you're having trouble. First of all, I recommend measuring the posts with a caliper from both ends. There are probably small differences in the way the posts are machined (they're slightly conical, so one side is thicker than the other, but I'm talking very little). This is the correct reference if you have a friend with a good mechanic's shop and want to check the dimensions of your posts: W3.5 UNC No. 6 32TPI.
Another thing that makes me think of a red flag is the fact that you say the original ones are bent: the original ones from the '60s are made of soft brass, which might break but not bend.
I would exclude the metric size (M4) because it's much larger. For example, the Faber ABR-1 in inches has a 3.65 mm hole, while the metric bridges has a 4.2 mm hole.

 

[Xpensive Wino]

I think there could be several reasons why you're having trouble. First of all, I recommend measuring the posts with a caliper from both ends. There are probably small differences in the way the posts are machined (they're slightly conical, so one side is thicker than the other, but I'm talking very little). This is the correct reference if you have a friend with a good mechanic's shop and want to check the dimensions of your posts: W3.5 UNC No. 6 32TPI.
Another thing that makes me think of a red flag is the fact that you say the original ones are bent: the original ones from the '60s are made of soft brass, which might break but not bend.
I would exclude the metric size (M4) because it's much larger. For example, the Faber ABR-1 in inches has a 3.65 mm hole, while the metric bridges has a 4.2 mm hole.

OP was in 2016.