daveinspain Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 Hadn't pulled out my Strat in a long time so I decided to give it a play... While sitting in it's case and changing from one season to the next, it didn't play anything like the last time I picked it up. The action was way off and need some adjustments... The truss rod needed a tweak but I couldn't seem to get it back to the way it was... This is a different animal. I have no fear in tweaking my Gibbies but I must admit I am kinda lost with a strat... What do I tweak, the truss rod, saddle hights, neck angel or a combination of all those. ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZenKen Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 Lots of good stuff on the interwebz Dave. It really isn't that different than setting up a Gibson. The trickiest part (and it really isn't that tricky) is to make sure you adjust your bridge saddles to conform to the radius of your neck, not something you have to do on a tune-o-matic. I would also recommend you take a look at Carl Verheyen's trem set-up video on You Tube. Some find this kinda controversial but I think it works great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 Gee Dave. Usually Strats say put. The maple or Maple/rosewood are pretty darned stable. I am guessing it is the one in your sig? Anyway, the same "sorta" rules apply as they would Gibby's. Except, usually with a radius fingerboard of 9.5" or 7" vs 12", you can't get as low. One thing to check: if the trem is floating, it will change the hieght of the action depending on WHERE it is sitting. As up press the bar down, it raises the saddles up off the body. So, the guitar must be tuned to the same tention each time to have the bridge "flaoting" in the same spot each time. Also, I have noticed that with Fenders, you have to crank the rod more than Gibby's to get the same effect. If and when I have to adjust the rod on a Fender, I usually have to do at least 1/4 turn if not a half turn. I would never do that on Gibby without checking it as I go. But, I can't remember the last time I did it on a Fender with the truss rod adjustment on the head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted November 27, 2012 Author Share Posted November 27, 2012 Been playing around with it and got it playing better... I still need to do a good web search for setup instructions though... I don't think the tremolo system is a factor cause I don't have the tremolo arm in the slot so the tension is not changing there at all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voxman59 Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 Been a Strat guy for over 30 years. And had them sit for a long time but never for a full year. But just a tune seems to be all I have ever needed with my Strats... I would restring and check saddles before anything. I should add that I block the bridge on all my strats, makeing them like a hard tail. This is just how I like them and think it helps keep them in-tune, Also keeps every thing nice and tight... Keep trying the tweaks and go back and forth till you get her back. One more thing even if you dont use the tremlo it can make things jump alot..If you dont use it think about blocking it off..... Then when you get her back remember to take her out and give her a good play.....GOOD LUCK[thumbup] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 Been playing around with it and got it playing better... I still need to do a good web search for setup instructions though... I don't think the tremolo system is a factor cause I don't have the tremolo arm in the slot so the tension is not changing there at all... Sorry bro, the "tremolo system" is the only and biggest factor when setting up a strat. It takes a few times to get used to it and get around it, but they can be a pain in the neck if you haven't done many. Get the bridge the way you like it, that is, down only, up and down, or the way I prefer, blocked both ways! So before I block the bridge, I set it to down only, front screws pretty close to the guitar, that way if I unblock it I can at least use it for a set if I had to. After you get the bridge the way you like it, get the neck right. After the neck is right, get the saddles right. A bit of drama when compared to the trusty Tele or the Gobsin tunamatics and all, but worth it. Usually. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted November 27, 2012 Author Share Posted November 27, 2012 This is the guitar in question... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voxman59 Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 YES!!! I also block mine with the bridge down... more sustain!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 I find Stratocasters very difficult to set up, to get them perfectly right. I really would not equate them to setting up a standard Gibson. But at the same time the setup seems to hold for a long time. Floating tremolo, individual bridge saddles, neck shimming (on bolt-on necks), string trees...definitely not the same as a Gibson. Dave it looks like you have the bridge all the way down, that should eliminate a lot of the headache. To set the correct radius for your Strat go to Pickguardian.com and at the bottom of the main page they have a couple of printable raduis guides, cheapest way to make sure the radius is correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 Mahogany and humbucker Dave? is that a Gibson in disguise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voxman59 Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 Yes your bridge is very low for it not being blocked. It should be up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 From what I can see, the action looks pretty low. Looks like the radius is 7 1/4 too. That's a STRAT neck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 Nah, that is a 9.5 radius, I do not see Fender using a vintage spec 7.25 on a non-traditional Stratocaster, it would not sell well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser Bill Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 I had the tail piece blocked on my 2000 Strat for 12 years. Two weeks ago I threw caution to the wind and bought the tremolo arm that had always been missing. WOW!!! It took a few minutes longer than normal to get it tuned after slapping on a new set of wires. Nice guitar with or without the "whammy bar". Neither of my Strats have ever given me a moments trouble, and I retired for 4 years...never touched a guitar. The first time out the '59 was like I remembered it. Later I bought a second Strat. I hope you get your problem solved soon. Best of luck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad1 Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 I have a 1996 MIM Traditional Strat. It's made of poplar. The bridge is full floating, and it stays in tune better than any of my other 8 guitars. I love it. I guess I just got lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swampash Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 If your Strat is equipped with a micro-tilt adjustment hole on the neck plate, use this first. The bridge looks like it's sitting flush with the Guitar's body so I don't think it that. Adjust the micro-tilt with an Allen wrench and you will see you action as low as it's ever been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treedroppings Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 I have a 1996 MIM Traditional Strat. It's made of popular. Looks like you should go play it on stage and get 'popular' with the girlies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad1 Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 Looks like you should go play it on stage and get 'popular' with the girlies Hee... :) hee... I didn't notice that. Thanks for pointing it out. I fixed it. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted November 28, 2012 Author Share Posted November 28, 2012 Strats startin' to feel real good now... :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookieman15061 Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 Strats startin' to feel real good now... :-) So tell us what you did Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted November 28, 2012 Author Share Posted November 28, 2012 So tell us what you did Dave. I did everything imaginable and then back stepped... First I tried adjusting the truss rod. Got rid of fret buzz and dead sound but the action was way high... Then I tried the little hole in the neck plate to raise the neck some. Ended up with the strings laying flat on the neck where the neck meets the body. Raised the bridge. Lowered back the neck a bit. Started to feel and sound much better but the action was still too high. Readjusted the truss rod. Took the slight bow out of it to make it practically straight. Started to play and sound better. Tweaked the high e saddle hight, lowered the bridge a bit more... Nailed it.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZenKen Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 Guess I'll be seeing you over at the Fender Forum Dave. B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voxman59 Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 SWEET!!! ROCK&ROLL!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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