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How do I move here without stripping the alan key slot? I have soaked her in silicone lubricant for like 1o hours. should i heat the saddle. THX Dennis

Silicone...Yikes ...Stay away from any of my guitars!

Any chance you might be able to get a vintage saddle replacement?

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Have you tried liquid wrench yet?

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Joe Breault
Merrimack, NH
Perpetual novice

Can you grab it from beneath the saddle? Have you tried grabbing the very bottom of the screw
in a small vice and then turning the saddle instead of the screw. In some situations I will
apply heat with a soldering gun or a mini butane torch (also useful for Chanuka candles, my wife
calls it the Chanuka 5000)
hope this helps,
Evan

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http://www.NewYorkGuitarRepair.com

Just curious, how vintage is this vintage Fender, and are is this a stamped or cast saddle?

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Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

Forgot to ask that, is it a newer vintage style or the old stuff?
Best, Evan

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http://www.NewYorkGuitarRepair.com

What kind of Allen Wrench are you using. More times than often, I have found that the corners of the tiny Allen wrenches used for those adjustment screws get rounded over, thus rendering them useless...and I always thought it was the screw that was getting wrecked... which it probably was - somewhat.

I have since bought the WIHA #263 type ~ .050" & haven't had any problems since. They are made of chrome vanadium...If you work on Strat Trems...they are a must! Electronics stores sometimes carry them.
http://www.wihatools.com/pro_Precision.htm

If you squirt some WD-40 in where it can soak into the threads. Use a good wrench...& give it a try, it might free up. And yes, stay away from silicone.

thanks It is a real 68 saddle Evan. I was told by StewMac to use a torch or soldering iron to heat it up. I don't use silicone on my guitars, but I did not have any liquid wrench left. Does Silicone ruin finishes? thx Dennis

Silicone doesn't ruin finishes, but it causes problems in shops that are doing finish and touchup work. It's not so much a danger to the instrument as it is a nuisance to repair shops.

If you can get to the bottom of the screw, sometimes a bit of prying and wiggling side to side can help make breaking the seized threads loose a bit easier. Just be gentle. And I'm still a strong believer in good old WD-40. Regular 3 in 1 or sewing machine oil works well too. Just pull the saddles off and let them soak in a cup for a bit. It won't always free them, but it can help. Heat is good too, but be careful not to overheat. A bit too much and you can discolor it pretty easily. And as Rich said, make sure the wrench fits well.

Rich, it's nice to see Wiha actually has a tool list online now. When I last tried to find some of their tools I had to request a catalog on CD from them. I've always liked their tools.

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Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

Are we talking Strat here? When I did repairs in the 70's, a common problem was a saddle resting on only one of its adjustment screws, with the other one buzzing. The way to fix it, of course, was to get the second screw in contact with the plate underneath. But a lot of people would go a step further and apply lock-tite. Not a big deal if they used the blue stuff, but a PITA if it was the red. I don't know if WD-40/Liquid Wrench will cut the lock-tite. Probably heat will soften it. Do take it off the guitar for whatever you do.

Also, make sure all crud is removed from the socket on the allen screw, so you get your hex wrench all the way in. Careful use of a little pointy thingie will help clean out the corners. And use a new hex wrench--no rounding.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.