Stratocaster Setup: Lost and found

When I got my Stratocaster it was perfectly set up and played wonderfully. At some point it started to buzz a bit which I wrote it off as the wood adjusting to the humidity in it’s new home. Because I was playing Rosie so much I didn’t really notice when it started. It was a subtle change, it started to “jangle” a bit with certain chords and even buzzed on a couple of frets. I debated taking it in and getting another setup done.

Then a couple of weeks ago was watching guitar lessons on YouTube and found this video showing Fender Master Builder Yuri Shishkov setting up a Stratocaster tremolo. Exactly the same way my Strat was originally setup.

That’s when I realized what had changed and how.

I screwed it all up when I restrung it with 11s. According to Fender’s Custom Shop my guitar originally came strung with size 10 Fender Bullets. My first few restrings were more 10s and everything was fine. Then on the advice of a couple of accomplished players I decided to try a larger set of 11s.  With their higher tension, they immediately pulled the tremolo so far forward it was stuck against the back of the cavity and didn’t actually work.

With no understanding how to set up a Strat properly I simply added two more springs (conveniently in a envelope in the case) that pulled the tremolo so the tail was tight against the body.  Problem solved, so I thought.

When it was set up at Fender the tail of my Strat’s tremolo was adjusted to exactly 1/8” off the body. This allows it to pitch both up and down more than two full notes. By resetting the Strat’s tremolo flat I had unknowingly lowered one end of the strings closer to the fret board, which caused the buzzing I had noticed. I spent about an hour setting it up properly – removing the two springs I added (leaving the original 3) and instead adjusted the claw screws to set the proper tension -- and its sweet buzz-free action was restored and I don't have .

Just like the Schaller locking tuners there is definitely a “right-way” to set up the tremolo on a Strat. It's actually quite simple to setup, you just have to know how.

Finishing School for Rosie

I’ve been playing Rosie the Telecaster exclusively for a couple of weeks. I’ve been sitting in regularly at a couple of local jam sessions and never know what the environment will be like so I leave my Strat at home. 

However every time I pick up that Strat I’m astonished at how smooth it feels. Everything about it is silky smooth. It feels fantastic to play. Playing it made me wonder how I could smooth Rosie’s sharp edges.

It turns out that a little 1000 grit sandpaper was all she needed.

Recent American Standard model Telecasters (Mine is a 2012) have an unusual bridge design. Just about every Fender Telecaster made from 1956 to 2007 used four screws to mount the bridge to the body of the guitar. For some reason, in 2008 Fender changed the bridge mounting on American Telecasters to three screws (actually 5, two smaller screws were added to pickup end of the bridge to compliment the three large screws at the tail). 

My Tele has a bridge with 6 individual fulcrums rather that the three barrels used in vintage Telecaster bridges. The height adjusters on these fulcrums are small threaded studs with sharp edges. I frequently rest my hand on the bridge when I play these little studs are sharp and I begun to get a callus on my the heel of my hand on that spot

I finally got the courage to take a fresh piece of 1000 grit sandpaper to them. After 5 minutes thay are much smoother. Not as smooth as the bridge on the Strat, but much better that before. Continuing the "dehorning", I removed the Volume and Tone knobs and smoothed the knurled finish a bit as well. I was surprised to find one of the knobs was plastic and one was metal. After the treatment Rosie is pretty much free of sharp edges and much more comfortable to play. No reason to do it to the Stratocaster, as it’s already perfectly smooth. The lesson here is not to be afraid to modify your guitar to make it fit you better. 

Fender Bullet® Strings

I’ve been trying different types of guitar strings with each restring to get a feel for how different brands, models and sizes sound on each guitar. I recently tried Fender “Bullet” Strings for the first time and found there are actually different than most other strings on the market.

The difference is how the end of the string is anchored. Rather than a winding the string around a small brass bobbin, Fender casts the string onto a bullet-shaped tip. Fender claims this increases the contact area between the string and the bridge resulting in improved acoustics and sustain. I just put them on Rosie and really like the sound. I’m keeping Rosie on 11a and have the Strat on 12s.

I think the Bullets added a little more twang to the Tele so I may try a set on the Strat when the 10s need replacing. I like em.

Jam Class

Last week, when I was picking up the ES-225 from its tune up, Val talked me into attending a Blues Jam Class at King Amplification. I’ve only been playing guitar a couple of months, so I wasn’t sure I was ready to play at that level.

What a cool event. I was totally lost about 75% of the time – so was the guy next to me. I’ve got lots of homework to do. I think I’ve got the 12-bar 1,4,5 progression down – I just need to play the chords. Need to listen to more Blues Shuffles – Jimmy Reed style.

I’ve been trying lots of different pics. I started with really thin pics and as my playing has improved I find I want them thicker. I picked up a couple of the tiny Dunlop Jazz IIIs and really like them. The only problem is they are so small I drop them a lot. I have read that playing with them more may reduce this. 

I'm still digging the guitar and pretty much play every day. When Kathy and Jax are gone I crank up my little tube amp and fill the house with dirty Blues. I'm not sure where the cats stand on all this. 

Strapped

After seeing the crappy selection of guitar straps at local music stores I turned to the internet. Via Etsy.com I found Couch Straps -- hand made here in CA and reasonably priced.  I scored a Racer-X and a Seatbelt strap which arrived today. They are both awesome; made from quality materials, perfectly cut and assembled with absolutely straight stitching. I installed Schaller strap-locks on them and played the Racer-X for an hour. It's totally comfortable and plenty long.

Couch Racer-X  + Stratocaster

What I learned today

Don't just pick up guitar magazines and buy them without looking carefully at the price. I dropped almost $30 on TWO guitar magazines at Frys. The total at check out seemed a little high, but I bought enough other junk that I missed em until it was too late.  Granted, they are fine magazines. But, $15.99 for a MAGAZINE? I've bought books for less -- coffee table books!

More guitar

Now that I’ve been playing guitar regularly for a couple of months I’ve started to subconsciously hear guitar in all kinds of places. I notice riffs, hooks and licks in everything -- elevator music, TV and radio commercials, kid's shows, etc. The more I play, the more I hear. Is it Neuroplasticity (R)? Who knows. 

I’ve also started to listen to more blues – between Pandora, iTunes Radio, and SiriusXM I can listen to blues all day long -- Robert Johnson, Rory Gallagher, BB, Buddy Guy, SRV, Leadbelly, and Bonamassa. I've started to play it too. I even got another guitar so I can have one in drop-d tune all the time.

So ffar I’ve been playing through an Amplug AC-30 “pocket amp” or an iRig/iPad pair using ear-buds. This works pretty good for practice – but now I want to be able play without things in my ears.

SO now that my playing isn’t a total embarrassment (most of the time) I’ve started taking my guitar to the local shops and test-driving small tube amps. They sure do sound cool.