Restrung Strat - floating bridge problem

[Epichord]

Hi all,

I decided it was time to change the strings in my strat. I'd only changed the high e previously after breaking and although I don't use the wammy bar it has always had a floating bridge (not locked down).

When I restrung the guitar I didn't think through the bridge implications.
I found when tuning I was so focussed on the pegs, stretching the strings and chasing the tuner across all the strings that I didn't notice how much the floating bridge had pulled up in the process.
Now I've done some googling and you tubing and seen various methods of doing this properly.
Blocks of wood in the back, adjusting the claw tension etc etc.
Now my concerns are these:

How to restore the tension on the bridge to a lower angle without having to chuck the strings. This will depend on how many turns I have in the pegs I'm guessing and how much backing off has to be done.

Since I never use the wammy maybe I should just lock the bridge down (though I'm half using this as an excuse to buy a tele Lol)

From watching the videos i can see that doing this setup at home is perfectly possible but looks like something that requires quite a lot of practice and maybe I don't want to waste that amount of time and sets of strings.

I'm playing daily at the moment so taking it to a store and paying for a setup is a kind of last option - but probably is what I should do I guess.

I'd be interested to hear about ideas or thoughts on this situation.

Cheers

 

[Epichord]

Ok, so the strings I bought are a heavier gauge and thus the tension on the bridge is higher making for a higher action now I have it all tuned up, albeit at the raised tremolo position.
It's playable but not comfortable. I think I chose the heavier gauge based on the thicker 1st string which I prefer but didn't count on the impact of the 16, 24, 32, 44, 56 combined.
I can't remember what my previous set were - probably based on a 10 1st which I had replaced with an 11.
This was an attempt to experiment with heavier gauge for the rhythm stuff I'm playing. But probably a poor choice.
Live and learn.

 

[Nicholasim]

hi friend,

still having issues with the strat? a change of string gauge will affect a few things. Off the top of my head 1. bridge angle, 2. neck relief and 3. intonation. Make sure to have them all set properly in order to have the best playability. About your bridge height, what you could do is to release the string tension and then tighten the screws at the back of your guitar (inside the back plate). Or you could also add more springs to increase the tension to balance the heavier string gauge.

I dont use the trem as well and so, i lock all my trems down flush to the body for my strats. A floating bridge will cause tuning issues for things like stop bends, down tuning a particular string etc.