Help with setup on strat again...............sorry

[Barabus]

Help me out here, i'm a bit of a fiddler and tbh I've never been happy with the setup on my 2007 mia strat.

So I have measured the string height at the 1st fret and it seems within factory settings.
I have set the relief and have the required factory setting at the middle frets. Then when I set the string height to factory settings of 4/64 I get buzz and to get rid of the buzz I have to raise the saddles way too high. I want a low action but cant seem to find the right spot.

Am I doing something wrong, please advise as it's getting me quite frustrated, I've watched all the tutorials on setup on youtube and I have Dan Erlewines repair guide book, it seems I've done it correctly to me but with the wrong results, I am perplexed

 

[fett]

Just a thought. Back the neck plate screws a bit. Start from the high E side and the bottom screw and retighten it. Go to the Low E bottom screw and retighten it. Tighten the other two.

 

[Barabus]

Just a thought. Back the neck plate screws a bit. Start from the high E side and the bottom screw and retighten it. Go to the Low E bottom screw and retighten it. Tighten the other two.

I don't understand what this will achieve?

 

[james beam]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dEZxBykRto]Perfect Stratocaster setup: Setting strings height action - frudua.com - YouTube[/ame]

 

[AngryHatter]

You may need a shim.
On a Fender, if you can't get the action low enough without buzz, you change the angle of the neck to the body with a shim in the neck pocket - similar to a truss rod move, but not.

 

[AngryHatter]

I've used business cards etc...

 

[AngryHatter]

It's not a big deal.
Fairly common.
The Jag needed a shim and the CV strat needed one.

 

[Greg's Guitars]

You could just go to a qualified luthier.

 

[fett]

I don't understand what this will achieve?

Bolt on necks have lots of issues. It's screws that secure the neck to the body. You can't tweak a set neck guitar like a Gibby. Fret buzz on bolt on necks is fun? to figure out. Are you certain that the neck is aligned v the strings? I'm just throwing thoughts.

 

[irishstu]

If the neck relief is right, and the string height is impossible to lower to a reasonable height without buzzing, you might have a high/low fret or two.

 

[RaSTuS26]

You can use a credit card as a fret rocker to check for high frets.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt0P4U5XYx8]FretRocker - YouTube[/ame]

 

[MUSTANGCAT]

Nice video Rast! I got to get me some of those fret rockers! I've been using Erlewine methods on my guitars for years now. Dan is a true guitar Guru with a capital 'G'.

 

[RaSTuS26]

Nice video Rast! I got to get me some of those fret rockers! I've been using Erlewine methods on my guitars for years now. Dan is a true guitar Guru with a capital 'G'.

To be honest, I don't like him much, but it's the best video showing that method, as I mentioned though, you can do the same thing with a credit card rather than buying one of those.

 

[Barabus]

I've used business cards etc...

Thanks for that AH, i'll have to study which type of neck i've got from the diags and try and suss out where i'm going from there. I could of course take it to a tech but i prefer to work it out for myself.

 

[AngryHatter]

You loosen the strings, then capo them so they don't fall off.
Loosen the four screw on the neck plate. You open the cavity and "install" a shim.
A business card, whatever. (purists will howl)
Tighten the screws...you have shimmed the neck.

Now the adjustment for action will be way different. All of a sudden, where you had very little maneuvering room, you now have a ton.

Straight as an arrow is not good, you should be fretting out/buzzing up the neck in that case. But if you aren't then there is some relief.

Shims of all sizes and shapes...

How's that?

 

[AngryHatter]

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/fen...deluxe-nashville-telecaster-honey-blonde.html

 

[tzd]

Your strat may have the micro tilt adjustment screw so you can adjust the neck angle without shims. See if you have the tiny hole in the heel plate.

 

[Barabus]

Your strat may have the micro tilt adjustment screw so you can adjust the neck angle without shims. See if you have the tiny hole in the heel plate.

Yes it does have the micro tilt but that only tilts the neck heel upwards, so the neck downwards does'nt it, and as i'm already getting buzz that would be the wrong thing to do would'nt it?

 

[chasenblues]

Take another CAREFUL look at the different images of the neck that AngryHatter has posted. Which one applies to your situation? If its one that would require a shim as Hatter has suggested the Micro-Tilt would do the same thing as the shim. IF you use the Micro-Tilt don't go crazy when using the Allen wrench to adjust it a little does a lot.

 

[SGMM]

Help me out here, i'm a bit of a fiddler and tbh I've never been happy with the setup on my 2007 mia strat.

So I have measured the string height at the 1st fret and it seems within factory settings.
I have set the relief and have the required factory setting at the middle frets. Then when I set the string height to factory settings of 4/64 I get buzz and to get rid of the buzz I have to raise the saddles way too high. I want a low action but cant seem to find the right spot.

Am I doing something wrong, please advise as it's getting me quite frustrated, I've watched all the tutorials on setup on youtube and I have Dan Erlewines repair guide book, it seems I've done it correctly to me but with the wrong results, I am perplexed

Where is it buzzing....higher frets or lower frets??