Hi all, thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
[Short]
What is the exact length of the claw screws?
[Long]
I recently purchased a 2017 SE Custom 24 from a large online retailer (always dreamed of having a PRS and finally bought one). It was not new but listed as "level 1" condition which is supposed to mean exactly as new but technically not new.
Guitar didn't have a mark on it but there were a few things I noticed. Trem floated ok but height wasn't 1/16" off the body (was almost flush) and one of the claw screw heads was nearly stripped. My assumption is that whomever originally bought it tried to adjust the trem/claw, gave up and returned it.
Here's what's weird, the claw is nowhere near screwed flush but the screw that has the nearly stripped head definitely resists and won't screw into the body any further. The screw with the unstripped head can easily be screwed deeper into the body than the one with the nearly stripped head.
[My thoughts]
- Either the factory didn't drill one claw screw hole to the correct depth (would explain why original owner may have nearly stripped screw head by trying to tighten claw when hole wasn't drilled deep enough and why they gave up and returned the guitar)
- Possibly the original owner didn't use the original factory claw screws for some strange reason and whatever screws are in there now aren't correct.
I plan to pull both screws out today and see if they're the same length or not but regardless I need to know what the correct screw length is supposed to be from the factory. I also want to check the screw hole depth. I do NOT want to end up in a situation where I have a screw that's too long and I accidentally crack through by going too deep.
If it turns out the factory didn't drill one hole deep enough then I don't want to redrill and instead might swap in a shorter one assuming there's enough meat left in the screw hole for good stable bite.
Thanks again for any help or advice you can provide.
[UPDATE]
I think I'm probably good to go now but updating here in case someone else bumps into this kind of thing later. So I guess PRS's are supposed to come with 4 springs correct? This only has 3 so I'm assuming original owner decided to remove 1 spring and then try and crank the claw down to make up for the spring being removed and stripped one screw in the process. (Why they didn't simply leave the 4 springs and back the claw off escapes me but whatever.) I backed both claw screws out, the claw screw hole depth is exactly 1" both holes so presumably that's correctly drilled at the factory. The claw screws are both the same, they are solid shaft for 3/8" from the head and then then 1" of threads. I'm assuming they're factory original since it makes sense to have 1" of thread for 1" of hole leaving 3/8" solid exposed in the cavity for the claw which is presumably plenty enough adjustment if 4 springs actually get used like they're supposed to (sigh). Looks like i'm off to see if i can get some new springs and a new screw.
[Short]
What is the exact length of the claw screws?
[Long]
I recently purchased a 2017 SE Custom 24 from a large online retailer (always dreamed of having a PRS and finally bought one). It was not new but listed as "level 1" condition which is supposed to mean exactly as new but technically not new.
Guitar didn't have a mark on it but there were a few things I noticed. Trem floated ok but height wasn't 1/16" off the body (was almost flush) and one of the claw screw heads was nearly stripped. My assumption is that whomever originally bought it tried to adjust the trem/claw, gave up and returned it.
Here's what's weird, the claw is nowhere near screwed flush but the screw that has the nearly stripped head definitely resists and won't screw into the body any further. The screw with the unstripped head can easily be screwed deeper into the body than the one with the nearly stripped head.
[My thoughts]
- Either the factory didn't drill one claw screw hole to the correct depth (would explain why original owner may have nearly stripped screw head by trying to tighten claw when hole wasn't drilled deep enough and why they gave up and returned the guitar)
- Possibly the original owner didn't use the original factory claw screws for some strange reason and whatever screws are in there now aren't correct.
I plan to pull both screws out today and see if they're the same length or not but regardless I need to know what the correct screw length is supposed to be from the factory. I also want to check the screw hole depth. I do NOT want to end up in a situation where I have a screw that's too long and I accidentally crack through by going too deep.
If it turns out the factory didn't drill one hole deep enough then I don't want to redrill and instead might swap in a shorter one assuming there's enough meat left in the screw hole for good stable bite.
Thanks again for any help or advice you can provide.
[UPDATE]
I think I'm probably good to go now but updating here in case someone else bumps into this kind of thing later. So I guess PRS's are supposed to come with 4 springs correct? This only has 3 so I'm assuming original owner decided to remove 1 spring and then try and crank the claw down to make up for the spring being removed and stripped one screw in the process. (Why they didn't simply leave the 4 springs and back the claw off escapes me but whatever.) I backed both claw screws out, the claw screw hole depth is exactly 1" both holes so presumably that's correctly drilled at the factory. The claw screws are both the same, they are solid shaft for 3/8" from the head and then then 1" of threads. I'm assuming they're factory original since it makes sense to have 1" of thread for 1" of hole leaving 3/8" solid exposed in the cavity for the claw which is presumably plenty enough adjustment if 4 springs actually get used like they're supposed to (sigh). Looks like i'm off to see if i can get some new springs and a new screw.
Last edited:
) PRSi!!
