stratocaster help...

[theboywitharabstrap]

hello softies, i recently encounter problems with my stratocaster. mine is a fender american standard strat. 1st of all, i just changed to a new set of strings, and i realised that the intonation of my 'd' string is not in tune. im not sure if intonation is the term for it. its like when i run my guitar through my tuner, the open 'd' is in tune but when i play it on the 12th fret, its no longer in tune. quite big difference i would say. how can i solve this problem?

and another thing, playing the tremolo arm is quite hard as i need to apply force to it then it will dive. not as simple as my older strat or jaguar. is there something i need to do to fix the tremolo bridge?

hope you people can help me on this.

 

[dudelove]

All your problems can be solved by yourself, but for the tremolo, I suggest bringing it to a tech to get it done.

Firstly your D string is out of intonation. A strat has individual saddles for each string and action and intonation can be adjusted by tweaking the saddle.

http://www.ehow.com/video_4396417_bridge-intonation-fender-strat-setup.html

As for the tremolo check how many springs there are at the back cavity. I have a feeling there are 5. You can remove a few springs, maybe 2, and compensate it by screwing the claw further into the wood so that your bridge doesnt float too high from the removing of the springs. Don't get it, send it to a tech. Safer that way.

 

[theboywitharabstrap]

hi dudelove, thanks for replying. yup, there's 5 springs to my guitar. as for the intonation, i actually looked up at youtube abt it and saw the exact video too. i tried loosening and tightening the screw, but it still cant get in tune. well, i better bring this guitar to a tech. i wouldn't want to destroy it further. haha. is it possible for the guitar tech to rectify the problem within a day? cause i will be busy till weekend and need to use it for a show on sat. im thinking of beez.

anyway, thanks for replying once again.

 

[dudelove]

hi dudelove, thanks for replying. yup, there's 5 springs to my guitar. as for the intonation, i actually looked up at youtube abt it and saw the exact video too. i tried loosening and tightening the screw, but it still cant get in tune. well, i better bring this guitar to a tech. i wouldn't want to destroy it further. haha. is it possible for the guitar tech to rectify the problem within a day? cause i will be busy till weekend and need to use it for a show on sat. im thinking of beez.

anyway, thanks for replying once again.

Its not a difficult thing to do, so I think if he's not busy it should be done quite quick.

 

[junkiemanxl]

there might be a few issues thats causing it.

1. saddles need to be adjusted to correct string length
2. pickups are raised too high. this will also cause intonation problems
3. fret buzzing / dead notes can cause this too

Best to not blindly attempt if not too sure. youtube is a great source for information but still some info you get may not be correct or accurate.

 

[evanger]

Useful website

http://www.garywillis.com/pages/bass/bassmanual/setupmanual.html

 

[piperjack]

Guitar Fine tuning

If your D string intonation is off, does it goes sharp or flat when you finger on the 12th fret? If it's sharp, tighten the saddle and vice versa. For your wammy, it's best to set it to 3 springs but you must tilt the bridge to be at least 3mm. Reason for this; so that your bridge can float and have a nice wammy vibrato. In fact thare's a lot more to it. If you need more help call me at 90624735 Zack. Cheers

 

[xpresso]

sorry to hijack,
just wondering...does any guitar shop sell Fender tremolo bar?

 

[Jumpin'Jellybean]

Swee Lee. My advice is if you can, better to send it to a tech. They're definitely more experienced. If you could watch him do it and learn, that'd be good too.

 

[reez_rock]

I think Guitar Connection(peninsula), Guitar Workshop(Bras basah) and Ranking(bras basah selling tremolo bar....But u must bring ur guitar there when purchasing cos might not fit...

 

[theboywitharabstrap]

thanks everyone. yeap, i took the advice and sent it to a guitar tech. beez did a great job on it for a cheap price. heh.