yosoybay Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Ok, I'm sure this is a noob question, but I'll ask it anyway. (It's also not an Epi question, but I thought I'd tap into the minds here anyway.) I have a crappy strat copy (I've mentioned it before) that I've sort of turned into a project guitar. One thing about it still bothers me, though - when I push on one of the wound strings, small changes in pressure give me very different notes, to where I can easily perform vibrato by just pushing down on a string rather than actually bending it. Now I know this always happens to an extent (it happens slightly on my Epi LP if I really bear down hard), but with this guitar it is really exaggerated and requires me to focus really hard on how much I push down on my wound strings when I play it. This is not an intonation issue, as I have triple-checked the intonation on this thing. The frets look to be the same height as my Epi, so I don't think it's that. Do you think it is an issue with my bridge? Thanks in advance... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lerxst1281733995 Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Could be the action at the nut is too high... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rap Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 I asked almost the same question here last Friday and got 13 great replies. You might want to look back four or five pages and check them out. The title of the trhread was Beginner Question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vomer Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Obvious question, but are you using very light strings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yosoybay Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 Obvious question, but are you using very light strings? 10's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyelcrrt1281733995 Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Does the guitar have extra jumbo fret wire? If the fret wire on this guitar is larger than what you've become accustomed to, your finger may be searching for the fretboard, making your touch harder than you think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RotcanX Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Is this Strat a hardtail or does it have a vibrato, and if so, how many springs do you have installed on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yosoybay Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 Does the guitar have extra jumbo fret wire? If the fret wire on this guitar is larger than what you've become accustomed to' date=' your finger may be searching for the fretboard, making your touch harder than you think. [/quote'] I'm actually not sure as to the size of the fret wire. It appears to be the same height as a normal strat, but definitely thinner fret wire. Is this Strat a hardtail or does it have a vibrato' date=' and if so, how many springs do you have installed on it?[/quote'] It is a very cheap-looking bridge (w/ vibrato) with three springs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RotcanX Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Okay, is the vibrato hard against the body or does it 'float'? These things can be very sensitive. I have to constantly check that I'm not resting my hand on them as I'm tuning... Anyway if the vibrato is floating you might want to either add more springs (I like to have five on mine) or else tighten the 'claw' screws somewhat and see if that resolves the issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yosoybay Posted April 8, 2008 Author Share Posted April 8, 2008 I just wanted to say I appreciate everyone's help. I now have some new things to look for in the future when this happens. I checked everything that was suggested, and ended up replacing my strings (EB Slinky 10's) with Ernie Ball Skinny Top/Heavy Bottom. This guitar is really only being kept around for lower tunings anyway, so this works out perfectly. It didn't completely solve the issue, but the larger wound strings made it much more bearable. While I was at it, I replaced my pickguard and installed a killswitch, so this guitar is much more fun now! (Talk about polishing a turd... :- ) Thanks again... P.S. To RotcanX, to answer your question, the vibrato does not appear to be "floating," so I don't think it was that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RotcanX Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Talk about polishing a turd... Let's... not. :- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 You mentioned that the guitar is usually played detuned. You need to go to heavier strings if you do that. Otherwise, the reduced tension will allow you to change the pitch with pressure. Go get a set of 11's or 12's and see if that doesn't fix the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yosoybay Posted April 9, 2008 Author Share Posted April 9, 2008 You mentioned that the guitar is usually played detuned. You need to go to heavier strings if you do that. Otherwise' date=' the reduced tension will allow you to change the pitch with pressure. Go get a set of 11's or 12's and see if that doesn't fix the problem.[/quote'] (From my previous post) "...ended up replacing my strings (EB Slinky 10's) with Ernie Ball Skinny Top/Heavy Bottom..." They actually work really well, I'd recommend them! The lowest string is a 52 (!!) that required me to widen my nut slot a bit - other than that, I am really enjoying these strings. The highest three are the same (great for bending), while the lowest three are perfect for power chords and chunky rock riffs (which I often play). I'm pleased. If you're interested, these go as follows: 52-42-30-17-13-10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesstringer Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 I play all sorts of strat regularly and like to keep 5 springs in the unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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