fender bridge ouch!

[popoahi]

put a strip of aircraft aluminum speed tape over the screws........so U can save your original screws in case you might???
it's a really thick aluminum foil like tape so I don't think the screws would poke through for a long time...
and I lined my pickup boxes with it and it gave me more sustain ..
good for 600mph....
try sportys aircraft, or aircraft spruce, or if you know a aircraft mechanic is best as it's quite expensive.... it's used to patch small holes on jets so they can fly back to home base...
it's quite good for all kinds of stuff... the best sticky side I've ever come across...
someone told me about lining the pickup holes with it to improve stuff like sustain and ? maybe like static sounds or sounds you pick up from nearby electrical sources...
way better than plastic-dip and U can try lining your pickup holes and see how U like the sound??? I didn't believe till I tried it..

aloha, popoahi

aloha, popoahi

[dmartn149]

Get shorter screws. That way your saddles will be close to the bridge plate. If you shim the neck your saddles will be jacked up higher off the bridge plate. This gives the strings more leverage over the position of the bridge. You'll compensate by tightening the springs, but then when you bend notes that extra leverage from the saddles being higher will cause the bridge to pull forward more than it would with the saddles low. It's a small thing, but why not do it right? IMHO the lowest saddles (E) should be just slightly off the plate.

[Paleo Pete]

Shorter screws would be the first option, if you just want to smooth these off a little carefully use a jewelers file and some fine sandpaper. Be careful and don't trash the heads, as you already noted you may need to readjust at some point. Check around at hardware stores, and if you have a Fastenal close they would probably have them. Bring one to match it to.

Shimming the neck might also work, I didn't think of that till it was mentioned, use something solid and be really careful you don't over tighten it. But it will have to be a nice flat shim, you don't want to introduce an angle. I've seen it done with folded paper on a cheap off brand guitar but I wouldn't like that too much. Something like brass shim stock or some sort of plastic might be workable.

[soundguruman]

Just get shorter screws, at the hardware store.
Allen head set screws are available all over. They come in all different lengths.

[JoeM]

Have you considered shimming the neck?

[deth502]

i like a nice low action, so when i set up a guitar with a fender style tremelo, often times the screws are sticking up out of the saddles. then when i play, these small somewhat sharp screw heads get to bother the heel of the palm after a while of playing.

is there any secret/trick/remedy that ppl use for this? i dont want to file them down and ruin the hex head in case i ever need to adjust it again. i suppose finding shorter screws/grinding down long screws would be an option, but a hell of a lot of work and would require a lot of taking off, putting back on and adjusting, taking off again trial and error. ive thought of painting some plasti-dip over them, but not sure how long that would last, if at all. i cant be the only one with this problem, what have others done??