How Do I Make My Strat Play Faster?

[GREENMACHINE]

Hey Guys,
I was messing around with my Strat the other day and then I went and played my Lucille. Lucille played alot faster than my strat and the action felt a fair amount lower on Lucille too. Does anyone know what I need to do to make my strat play faster?

Cheers,
Cav

[Heywood Jablomie]

Meth?

[Tig]

Lucille played alot faster than my strat and the action felt a fair amount lower on Lucille too.

Looks like you may have already answered your own question. The action must be the main difference.

What about the difference in:
fret size, fret board radius, neck width and shape, and how fast your hand slides up and down the neck's surface (gloss versus satin)?

[GREENMACHINE]

Hmm thats true. I never really thought about those differences. How would I got about lowering the action on my strat? The strings seem to start out fine but get higher the closer they get to the bridge.

[markb]

Your neck may need shimming. Does the VG strat have a micro tilt adjuster in the neck joint? Tip: look for a hole in the middle of the neck plate.

[deeaa]

There's many a thread on setting guitar action, but it's simple enough a procedure, so I'll write guidelines here too.

1. Make sure the neck curvature is correct. i.e. when the guitar is in tune and in playing position, hold down high E string at 1st fret AND simultaneously from 12th fret as well. Now pick the string _between_ those i.e. over the neck. It should just barely be able to ring, that is, there is just enough curve to the neck to allow it ring. If it doesn't there's either backbow or it's too straight. (mind you some people prefer it totally straight but on 'classic' guitar designs I find it better to have a very slight bow to it for lowest action. On the low E string side you should notice a slight gap between frets and string when you press down 1 and 12 too.

Then you make sure the saddle isn't too high; when you play open low E and then F at 1st fret, you should be able to play it without much effort at all and it should stay in tune for both notes. This is usually the biggest problem in cheapo guitars set up bad. If the F is sharp, the saddle is too high, and you need to file or carve or whatever to get the slot a little lower. On cheapos I find it's often so high all the way I rather rip off the entire saddle and sand it lower from the underside and put back. But anyhow, on open string it should just barely make it over the 1st fret withot buzz, not any extra space there or you'll never get the action and intonation good.

Once these two are done, just proceed to lower the bridge saddles properly down, so that it starts to have string rattle. Then (keep tuning the guitar all the while) just up them slowly until they rattle no more. On higher strings my test method is I need to be able to pull a 2-step bend on high E 12th fret without it 'catching' to frets. (since the classic fretboards are rather curved, this is where it first starts to have problems. Modern flat-boarded guitars allow for lower action usually, but they're *****es to chord on IMO.)

So there you have it. It's a 20-minute job if you have tools at ready.

IF after all this the action cannot be lowered enough/still high or the buzzing occurs too soon when you try lowering it, you have a problem with frets or neck, and a fret level at least is required. On a cheaper strat, you may however be able to score a good/better new neck for roughly what a refret or good leveling job costs.

[GREENMACHINE]

Hey Mark,
Yes it does have a micro tilt adjuster. The treble 3 strings seem alright for action (for me I like them as low as possible without fret buzz for all my strings), but I would like the bass strings a little lower

[GREENMACHINE]

There's many a thread on setting guitar action, but it's simple enough a procedure, so I'll write guidelines here too.

1. Make sure the neck curvature is correct. i.e. when the guitar is in tune and in playing position, hold down high E string at 1st fret AND simultaneously from 12th fret as well. Now pick the string _between_ those i.e. over the neck. It should just barely be able to ring, that is, there is just enough curve to the neck to allow it ring. If it doesn't there's either backbow or it's too straight. (mind you some people prefer it totally straight but on 'classic' guitar designs I find it better to have a very slight bow to it for lowest action. On the low E string side you should notice a slight gap between frets and string when you press down 1 and 12 too.

Then you make sure the saddle isn't too high; when you play open low E and then F at 1st fret, you should be able to play it without much effort at all and it should stay in tune for both notes. This is usually the biggest problem in cheapo guitars set up bad. If the F is sharp, the saddle is too high, and you need to file or carve or whatever to get the slot a little lower. On cheapos I find it's often so high all the way I rather rip off the entire saddle and sand it lower from the underside and put back. But anyhow, on open string it should just barely make it over the 1st fret withot buzz, not any extra space there or you'll never get the action and intonation good.

Once these two are done, just proceed to lower the bridge saddles properly down, so that it starts to have string rattle. Then (keep tuning the guitar all the while) just up them slowly until they rattle no more. On higher strings my test method is I need to be able to pull a 2-step bend on high E 12th fret without it 'catching' to frets. (since the classic fretboards are rather curved, this is where it first starts to have problems. Modern flat-boarded guitars allow for lower action usually, but they're *****es to chord on IMO.)

So there you have it. It's a 20-minute job if you have tools at ready.

IF after all this the action cannot be lowered enough/still high or the buzzing occurs too soon when you try lowering it, you have a problem with frets or neck, and a fret level at least is required. On a cheaper strat, you may however be able to score a good/better new neck for roughly what a refret or good leveling job costs.

Thanks soo much for your guidelines, I will go over my strat and check all the stuff you have posted in here and see what I can do to make it better.

Thanks again!

[markb]

If the neck is "diving" into the body you'll need to slacken off the neck bolts a little and adjust the micro tilt. It uses the larger allen key you should have got in the case. This is an imperial size, our hardware shops won't be much help (when are Mitre 10 ever much help really though?). Like a truss rod don't do more than a 1/4 turn at a time. Tighten neck bolts and check. Repeat if needed until it's right. The neck on my strat slips a bit over time. I've had it for 11 years and have had to tweak the micro tilt 2 or 3 times.

If the neck angle is OK you'll need to adjust at the bridge. You say the bass strings are high. On a 2 point trem you can adjust overall height and angle using the studs. Once you get that right use the saddle adjusters to fine tune and adjust the radius. A radius gauge helps, you can make one easily if you have compasses that will draw a 9.5" radius circle.

If you're worried about this it's the sort of job a pro can do in about 1/2 an hour.

[Tone2TheBone]

Fenders are generally "tougher" to play than Gibsons because of the angle of the neck in relation to the bridge. Fenders are pretty flat compared to the steeper angle of the neck on Gibson type guitars. Vintage spec Fenders are even tougher to play due to the radius of the neck. vs. the ever so flat body of Fenders. If you can tweak your F axes based on the good advice you've got here I'd suggest playing those guitars the most because they WILL make you a better guitar player . Got to fight it a little to get better.

[guitargirl]

There's many a thread on setting guitar action, but it's simple enough a procedure, so I'll write guidelines here too.

1. Make sure the neck curvature is correct. i.e. when the guitar is in tune and in playing position, hold down high E string at 1st fret AND simultaneously from 12th fret as well. Now pick the string _between_ those i.e. over the neck. It should just barely be able to ring, that is, there is just enough curve to the neck to allow it ring. If it doesn't there's either backbow or it's too straight. (mind you some people prefer it totally straight but on 'classic' guitar designs I find it better to have a very slight bow to it for lowest action. On the low E string side you should notice a slight gap between frets and string when you press down 1 and 12 too.

Then you make sure the saddle isn't too high; when you play open low E and then F at 1st fret, you should be able to play it without much effort at all and it should stay in tune for both notes. This is usually the biggest problem in cheapo guitars set up bad. If the F is sharp, the saddle is too high, and you need to file or carve or whatever to get the slot a little lower. On cheapos I find it's often so high all the way I rather rip off the entire saddle and sand it lower from the underside and put back. But anyhow, on open string it should just barely make it over the 1st fret withot buzz, not any extra space there or you'll never get the action and intonation good.

Once these two are done, just proceed to lower the bridge saddles properly down, so that it starts to have string rattle. Then (keep tuning the guitar all the while) just up them slowly until they rattle no more. On higher strings my test method is I need to be able to pull a 2-step bend on high E 12th fret without it 'catching' to frets. (since the classic fretboards are rather curved, this is where it first starts to have problems. Modern flat-boarded guitars allow for lower action usually, but they're *****es to chord on IMO.)

So there you have it. It's a 20-minute job if you have tools at ready.

IF after all this the action cannot be lowered enough/still high or the buzzing occurs too soon when you try lowering it, you have a problem with frets or neck, and a fret level at least is required. On a cheaper strat, you may however be able to score a good/better new neck for roughly what a refret or good leveling job costs.

It helps me a lot. Thanks so much.
guitar manufacturer--(www.guitar-china.com)

[deeaa]

Fenders are generally "tougher" to play than Gibsons because of the angle of the neck in relation to the bridge. Fenders are pretty flat compared to the steeper angle of the neck on Gibson type guitars. Vintage spec Fenders are even tougher to play due to the radius of the neck. vs. the ever so flat body of Fenders. If you can tweak your F axes based on the good advice you've got here I'd suggest playing those guitars the most because they WILL make you a better guitar player . Got to fight it a little to get better.

That's one thing I dislike about normal strats; the neck angle/no space between pickguard and strings.

I have three 'stratlike' guitars and on each I have done away with the problem: one has a tilt-neck and a gibson bridge installed so the playing angle is just like on Gibsons; one I planed almost 1/3 inch off the front surface so the neck sits higher in relation to the body and I got the strings higher off the body, and on one I simply have no pickguard whatsoever which also gives me a touch more room under the strings.

[Monkus]

This is why I enjoy this forum so much, any other place, this would have degenerated sadly, Great tips Deeaa & MarkB!

[Katastrophe]

All good stuff here!

Fender also included a manual for setting string height / intonation / truss rod adjustments with your guitar, if you still have it.

[marnold]

Fenders are generally "tougher" to play than Gibsons because of the angle of the neck in relation to the bridge.
Scale length comes into play here too. The same gauge strings will feel stiffer on a Fender than on a Gibson. Also Gibson fretboards *tend* to be flatter in radius than the typical Fender. That's a generality though--I know because I used to own a 16" radius Fender.

[otaypanky]

Fender also has set-up guides posted in the support section of their website

http://fender.com/support/stratocaster_setup_guide.php
Stratocaster® Setup Guide

STRATOCASTER® ADJUSTMENT AND CARE

The following setup procedures and specifications are for your Stratocaster as equipped with the strings that come on the instrument as standard equipment from the factory. If you plan to change string gauges, you may need to adjust the specs somewhat to compensate for the changes in string sizes. Modifications of the specs may also be made (within limited parameters) to adjust for your individual playing style or application (i.e., how hard you pick, strum or fret the guitar).

Note: These are minimum specifications that are meant as a guide; they should not be construed as hard and fast rules, as we realize that every player's subjective requirements often differ.

TOOLS NEEDED

Set of automotive feeler gauges (.002-.025) (0.05–1 mm)
6" (150 mm) ruler (with 1/32" and 1/64" increments) (0.5 mm increments)
Light machine oil (3-in-1, toy locomotive or gun oil)
Phillips screwdriver
Electronic tuner
Wire cutters
Peg winder
Polish and cloth
STRINGS

For strings to stay in tune, they should be changed regularly. Strings that have lost their integrity (worn where pressed against the fret) or have become oxidized, rusty and dirty will not return to pitch properly. To check if your strings need changing, run a finger underneath the string and feel for dirt, rust or flat spots. If you find any of these, you should change your strings.
No matter what gauge of strings you use, for the best tuning stability we recommend using Fender Bullet® strings. The patented bullet-end is specifically designed for all styles of tremolo use, from extreme dives to smooth vibrato passages. The design allows the string to travel freely in the bridge block channel during tremolo use and return afterwards to its original position, seated snugly in the bridge block. This is accomplished by eliminating the extra string wrap and the ball-end (the ball end doesn't fit properly into the string channel). The bullet end has been shaped and sized to match the design of the bridge block channel.

Make sure to stretch your strings properly. After you've installed and tuned a new set, hold the strings at the first fret and hook your fingers under each string, one at a time, and tug lightly, moving your hand from the bridge to the neck. Re-tune and repeat several times.

TUNING KEYS

How you wind the strings onto the pegs is very important, whether you're using locking, standard or vintage tuning keys. Start by loading all the strings through the bridge and then loading them onto the keys as follows:

Locking tuning keys. Picture the headcap of the neck as the face of a clock, with the top being 12:00 and the nut being 6:00. Line the six tuning machines so that the first string keyhole is set at 1:00, the second at 2:00, the third and fourth at 3:00, the fifth at 4:00, and the sixth at 5:00. Pull the strings through tautly and tighten the thumb wheel, locking the string in. Now tune to pitch.

Standard keys. To reduce string slippage at the tuning key, we recommend using a tie technique. This is done by pulling the string through the keyhole and then pulling it clockwise underneath and back over itself; creating a knot. You'll need to leave a bit of slack for the first string so you have at least two or three winds around the post. As you progress to the sixth string, you'll reduce the amount of slack and the number of winds around the keys.

Vintage keys. For these, you'll want to pre-cut the strings to achieve the proper length and desired amount of winds. Pull the sixth string (tautly, remember) to the fourth key and cut it. Pull the fifth string to the third key and cut it. Pull the fourth string between the second and first keys and cut it. Pull the third string nearly to the top of the headcap and cut it. Pull the second string about a 1/2" (13 mm) past the headcap and cut it. Finally, pull the first string 1 1/2" (38 mm) past the top of the headcap and cut it. Insert into the center hole in the tuning key, bend and crimp to a 90-degree angle, and wind neatly in a downward pattern, being carefull to prevent overlapping of the strings.

If your tuning keys have a screw on the end of the button, check the tightness of the screw. This controls the tension of the gears inside the tuning keys. Do not over-tighten these screws. They should be "finger-tight." This is very important, especially on locking tuners.

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TREMOLO

Stratocaster guitars can have four distinctive types of bridges. The most well-known bridge is the vintage-style "synchronized" tremolo. The other three are the American Series bridge, which is a modern-day two-pivot bridge; the non-tremolo hardtail bridge; and a locking tremolo, such as the American Deluxe or Floyd Rose® locking tremolos. If you have a non-tremolo "hardtail" bridge, proceed to "Intonation (Roughing it out)." If you have a locking tremolo bridge, click here.

First, remove the tremolo back cover. Check your tuning. For a vintage-style tremolo bridge, a great way to enhance its performance is to pull the bridge back flush with the body using the tremolo arm. Then loosen all six screws located at the front edge of the bridge plate, raising them so that they all measure approximately 1/16" (1.6 mm) above the top of the bridge plate. Then tighten the two outside screws back down until they're flush with the top of the bridge plate. The bridge will now pivot on the outside screws, leaving the four inside screws in place for bridge stability. For a two-pivot model such as the American Series bridge, use your tremolo arm to pull the bridge back flush with the body and adjust the two pivot screws to the point where the tremolo plate sits entirely flush at the body (not lifted at the front or back of the plate).

Allowing the bridge to float freely (no tension on the tremolo arm) using the claw screws in the tremolo cavity, adjust the bridge to your desired angle—Fender spec is a 1/8" (3.2 mm) gap at rear of bridge. You'll need to retune periodically to get the right balance between the strings and the springs. If you prefer a bridge flush to the body, adjust spring tension to equal string tension, while the bridge rests on the body (you may want to put an extra 1/2 turn to each claw screw to ensure that the bridge remains flush to the body during string bends). Caution: Do not over-tighten the springs, as this can put unnecessary tension on the arm during tremolo use. Finally, you may wish to apply a small dab of Chapstick® or Vaseline® at the pivot contact points of the bridge for very smooth operation.

INTONATION (ROUGHING IT OUT)

You can preset the basic intonation of your guitar by taking a tape measure and measuring from the inside of the nut to the center of the 12th fret (the fret wire itself; not the fingerboard). Double that measurement to find the scale length of your guitar. Adjust the first-string bridge saddle to this scale length, measuring from the inside of the nut to the center of the bridge saddle. Now adjust the distance of the second-string saddle back from the first saddle, using the gauge of the second string as a measurement. For example, If the second string is .011" (0.3 mm), you would move the second-string saddle back .011" (0.3 mm) from the first saddle. Move the third saddle back from the second saddle using the gauge of the third string as a measurement. The fourth-string saddle should be set parallel with the second-string saddle. Proceed with the fifth and sixth saddles with the same method used for strings two and three.

[otaypanky]

LUBRICATION AND STRING BREAKAGE

Lubricating all of the contact points of a string's travel may be one of the most important elements in ensuring tuning stability during tremolo use and in reducing string breakage.

The main cause of string breakage is moisture collection at the point of contact on the bridge saddle. This can be attributed to the moisture and acidity that transfers from your hands, or it can be a direct effect of humidity in the air. Another factor is metal-to-metal friction and fatigue. Metal components react to each other over time because of their differences and help break down string integrity. A stronger metal will always attack a softer metal (this is why a stainless-steel string will wear a groove or burr in a vintage-style saddle). You'll also find that different string brands break at different points of tension because of the metal makeup and string manufacturing techniques.

Since Fender manufactures its own strings, they are designed to perform well during extreme tremolo techniques.

One of the best ways to reduce string breakage is to lubricate the string/saddle contact point with a light machine oil (we prefer 3-in-1 oil because it contains anti-rust and anti-corrosive properties) every time you change strings. The oil insulates against moisture and reduces friction and metal fatigue. String trees are another point of contact and should also be lubricated; a small amount of lip balm applied with a toothpick works well.

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TRUSS ROD

There are two different styles of truss rod found on Fender instruments—"standard" and "bi-flex" truss rods.

Most Fender guitars and basses are equipped with a standard truss rod (of which there are in turn two types: one that adjusts at the neck heel and one that adjusts at the headstock; both operate on the same principle). The standard truss rod can counteract concave curvature in a neck that has too much relief, for example, by generating a force in the neck opposite to that caused by excessive string tension.

Fender also uses a unique bi-flex truss rod system on some instruments. Unlike standard truss rods, which can only correct a neck that is too concave (under-bowed), the bi-flex truss rod can compensate concave or convex (over-bowed) curvature by generating a correcting force in either direction as needed.

First, check your tuning. Affix a capo at the first fret and depress the sixth string at the last fret. With a feeler gauge, check the gap between the bottom of the string and the top of the 8th fret—see the spec chart below for the proper gap.

Adjustment at headstock (allen wrench): Sight down the edge of the fingerboard from behind the headstock, looking toward the body of the instrument. If the neck is too concave (action too high), turn the truss rod nut clockwise to remove excess relief. If the neck is too convex (strings too close to the fingerboard), turn the truss rod nut counter-clockwise to allow the string tension to pull more relief into the neck. Check your tuning, then re-check the gap with the feeler gauge and re-adjust as needed.

Adjustment at neck joint (phillips screwdriver): Sight down the edge of the fingerboard from behind the body, looking up toward the headstock of the instrument. If the neck is too concave (action too high), turn the truss rod nut clockwise to remove excess relief. If the neck is too convex (strings too close to the fingerboard), turn the truss rod nut counter-clockwise to allow the string tension to pull more relief into the neck. Check your tuning, then re-check the gap with the feeler gauge and re-adjust as needed.

Note: In either case, if you meet excessive resistance when adjusting the truss rod, if your instrument needs constant adjustment, if adjusting the truss rod has no effect on the neck, or if you're simply not comfortable making this type of adjustment yourself, take your instrument to your local Fender Authorized Dealer.

Neck Radius
7.25"
9.5" to 12"
15" to 17" Relief
.012" (0.3 mm)
.010" (0.25 mm)
.008" (0.2 mm)
ACTION

Players with a light touch can get away with lower action; others need higher action to avoid rattles. First, check tuning. Using a 6" (150 mm) ruler, measure the distance between bottom of strings and top of the 17th fret. Adjust bridge saddles to the height according to the chart, then re-tune. Experiment with the height until the desired sound and feel is achieved.

Note: For locking tremolo systems, the individual string height is preset. Use the two pivot adjustment screws to achieve the desired overall string height.

Neck Radius String Height
Bass Side Treble Side
7.25"
9.5" to 12"
15" to 17" 5/64" (2 mm)
4/64" (1.6 mm)
4/64" (1.6 mm) 4/64" (1.6 mm)
4/64" (1.6 mm)
3/64" (1.2 mm)
SHIMMING/MICRO-TILT™ ADJUSTMENT

Shimming is a procedure used to adjust the pitch of the neck in relation to the body. A shim is placed in the neck pocket, underneath the butt end of the neck. On many American series guitars, a Micro-Tilt adjustment is offered. It replaces the need for a shim by using a hex screw against a plate installed in the butt end of the neck. The need to adjust the pitch (raising the butt end of the neck in the pocket, thereby pitching the neck back) of the neck occurs in situations where the string height is high and the action adjustment is as low as the adjustment will allow.

To properly shim a neck, the neck must be removed from the neck pocket of the body. A shim approximately 1/4" (6.4 mm) wide by 1 3/4" (44.5 mm) long by .010" (0.25 mm) thick will allow you to raise the action approximately 1/32" (0.8 mm). For guitars with the Micro-Tilt adjustment, loosen the two neck screws on both sides of the adjustment access hole on the neckplate by at least four full turns. Tightening the hex adjustment screw with an 1/8" hex wrench approximately 1/4 turn will allow you to raise the action approximately 1/32". Re-tighten the neck screws when the adjustment is complete. The pitch of the neck on your guitar has been preset at the factory and in most cases will not need to be adjusted.

Note: If you feel that this adjustment needs to be made and you're not comfortable doing it yourself, take your guitar to your local Fender Authorized Dealer.

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PICKUPS

Set too high, pickups can cause myriad inexplicable phenomena. Depress all the strings at the last fret. Using a 6" (150 mm) ruler, measure the distance from the bottom of the first and sixth strings to the top of the pole piece. A good rule of thumb is that the distance should be greatest at the sixth-string neck pickup position, and closest at the first-string bridge pickup position. Follow the measurement guidelines in the chart below as starting points. The distance will vary according to the amount of magnetic pull from the pickup.

Bass Side Treble Side
Texas Specials 8/64" (3.6 mm) 6/64" (2.4 mm)
Vintage style 6/64" (2.4 mm) 5/64" (2 mm)
Noiseless™ Series 8/64" (3.6 mm) 6/64" (2.4 mm)
Standard Single-Coil 5/64" (2 mm) 4/64" (1.6 mm)
Humbuckers 4/64" (1.6 mm) 4/64" (1.6 mm)
Lace Sensors As close as desired (allowing for string vibration)
INTONATION (FINE TUNING)

Adjustments should be made after all of the above have been accomplished. Set the pickup selector switch in the middle position, and turn the volume and tone controls to their maximum settings. Check tuning. Check each string at the 12th fret, harmonic to fretted note (make sure you are depressing the string evenly to the fret, not the fingerboard). If sharp, lengthen the string by adjusting the saddle back. If flat, shorten the string by moving the saddle forward. Remember, guitars are tempered instruments! Re-tune, play and make further adjustments as needed.

ADDITIONAL HINTS

There are a few other things that you can do to optimize your tuning stability that have more to do with playing and tuning habits.

Each time you play your guitar, before you do your final tuning, play for a few minutes to allow the strings to warm up. Metal expands when warm and contracts when cool. After you've played a few riffs and done a few dive-bombs, you can then do your final tuning. Remember—with most tuning keys, it's preferable to tune up to pitch. However, with locking tuners, go past the note and tune down to pitch. Finally, wipe the strings, neck and bridge with a lint-free cloth after playing. When transporting or storing your guitar, even for short periods, avoid leaving it anyplace you wouldn't feel comfortable yourself.

[Heywood Jablomie]

When I see questions such as this one about about action, setup, etc., I often observe that the basic "problem" that exists in this area is that many people don't seem to have a good basic understanding and visualization of the different and very interrelated aspects. It isn't rocket science, but it takes some study and experimentation to better understand. A by-the-numbers approach may work a good deal of the time, but I often see players stymied by niggling problems, such as string buzz (which isn't necessarily a problem, depending on the player). Commonly, the recommendation is to take the guitar to a professional technician. While this isn't a bad idea, there is the problem of finding one who knows what they're doing, the problem that most guitars, being wood, are not stable, and lastly, knowing enough to be sure he did it correctly. Of course, there are many variables in guitar setup, but the basics are actually pretty finite. For example, bridge height, neck straightness and nut height pretty much address "action".

My thrust here is to encourage players who are interested to spend some quality time studying their guitars, expert manuals (Erlewine, etc.), and websites (Fretnot, etc.) in order to gain a solid foundational understanding of "setup", and the ability to keep your guitars in top playing condition at all times.

[marnold]

My thrust here is to encourage players who are interested to spend some quality time studying their guitars, expert manuals (Erlewine, etc.), and websites (Fretnot, etc.) in order to gain a solid foundational understanding of "setup", and the ability to keep your guitars in top playing condition at all times.
Werd. I made the mistake of letting GC switch my DK2M from 9s to 10s. I spent much longer fixing it. I highly recommend Metal Method's setup and repair DVD (http://www.metalmethod.com/guitar-repair.htm). While it is from Metal Method, it's not exclusively for metal-oriented guitars. Tracy Longo does a great job explaining what to do and showing how to do it.

The only way you can permanently hurt your guitar is if you start spinning the truss rod like a whirling dervish. A little dab'll do ya.

[Heywood Jablomie]

The only way you can permanently hurt your guitar is if you start spinning the truss rod like a whirling dervish. A little dab'll do ya.
Zackly! The rest is stuff that can easily be undone. Even if a novice completely screws that stuff up trying, the professional undoing of it (if that's the only thing he can do) won't cost any more than any other setup.

[marnold]

Well, actually, I heard of someone on another forum snapping the bridge plate on a Floyd Rose copy because the trem arm post wasn't right somehow. He yanked on it with a screwdriver until it snapped. I don't care how cheap the metal is--that pretty much redefines abuse. I didn't question if he could breathe with his mouth shut.

[Heywood Jablomie]

I think we've all overtorqued something at least once, and hopefully learned to gauge the limits of miscellaneous hardware, and gauge our own strength in the same regard. I've seen plenty of skilled pros break stuff from time to time. Stuff happens.....

[Mymindsok]

Something thats missing from this discussion, is a discussion of the general health and quality of a guitars neck.

Standard issue Strats, MIMs in particular, are built to meet a price point while turning a profit and Fender expects thqt those of us who are buying "Consumer grade" guitars to be happy with consumer grade performance. Primo materials, decent fret work and close production tolerances cost $$$ but we can stack the deck on our favor be shopping carefully. After that, a little professional help can work wonders.

If you take your guitar to a good Luthier, if he has the tools , he can put your guitar in a jig and check the neck for twisting, high spots, low spots, bends and then check the frets. There are lots of Strats that pass Fender's QC and are within production tolerances but aren't close to being "right". I've learned the hard way that whether its an acoustic or an electric, even after choosing a guitar carefully, spending $100 or $200 for some professional help is a good investment.

Two examples:

1) I bought an EJ that played OK but developed ""EJ high E string running off the board syndrome." It turned out to have a banana shaped neck and miraculously, I ended up with a new, hand picked Strat. The new one plays worlds better than the first example because someone went through a warehouse full of Fenders to find one "Good One".

2) Bought a Mint condition Brawley Attack at an auction for $130. Great guitar and it played fine but I took it to my luthier who removed the neck, straightened it to almost dead straight, re-crowned and polished the frets and put the guitar back together. Now my "Auction Find" plays just as nicely as my EJ. (Maybe better, Hard to tell!)

3) I have a MIM Strat that I never could bond with but three years later I fund a nice, used, custom-built neck at a music flee market for $150. I bought it, pulled the neck off of the MIM, bolted the heavier, wider, fatter fretted, custom neck to the MIM and spent a day setting it up myself. Now, what was a POS beater, is a killer instrument that feels, plays and resonates like a much more expensive guitar. It'll be getting new pickups shortly.

4) Two decades years ago when I was much dumber, I bought an expensive Martin OM-28. I only kept it for a few months before I resold it to the same Staten Island shop I bought it from. The shop's assistant manager looked at the guitar and complained that it needed a neck reset. After I showed him me receipt I said: "If that guitar needs a neck reset now, it needed one when you guys sold it to me!!!" (Thats where the argument started!) In the end they paid me what I wanted, took the guitar back and probably sold it as/was to some other fool.

It's all about the necks!

[deeaa]

It's all about the necks!

That is indeed where it's at. I always say that you can make any guitar good if the neck is or can be made good.
Body materials, most other things (especially in an electric)...pfff...insignificant compared to the neck.

[MAXIFUNK]

This is why I enjoy this forum so much, any other place, this would have degenerated sadly, Great tips Deeaa & MarkB!
+1

[markb]

I've never found a strat that couldn't be made to play well with some professional assistance. Maybe the early MIM I had for a few years was the exception but, on reflection I just never really liked the neck profile. It was fine otherwise.