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Post subject: My string problem.
Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 4:46 pm
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I have heard that Squier guitars are cheap and are poorly made. I refuse to believe that because I have had Squier Stratocaster for about 6 years now and I have had no problems with it except for my high E-String. Everytime I play on the 13+ fret to a solo or something (Eric Clapton- the beginning solo in Layla for an example) I get a high pitch vibrating noise instead of a high pitch solid one. Is it the string or my amp? I don't have a tube amp like most people, I have an older Fender Frontman 15G amp. Is that the problem? Please help me, I would like to know what is causing that unusual noise. It has been bugging me for a long time.


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Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 5:01 pm
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People who don't like Squiers are either uninfomed, misinformed, gear snobs, or just haven't tried a Squier lately because my Squiers are just as good, if not better, than anything the Mexican Fender factory produces. The thing with Squiers is that they usually require a thorough set up in order to get the most out of them. So yeah, a Squier fresh out of its box may not compare to a (MIM) Fender thats fresh out of its box, but get the thing set up right, and you'll hardly know the difference.

As far as your string problem, it sounds as if the saddle for the high E string got lowered a bit, perhaps during a string change as those little screws move easilu when there is no string tension to hold them against the bridge. Your guitar may have come with allen wrenches, if not, find one that is the correct size to adjust the tiny screws that elevate the string saddles. Try raising the string with just a fraction of a turn on the screws and that may solve your weird ring/vibration issue. If not, did you change string gauges? Most of the Squiers come stock with 9-42s, so if you went to a different size gauge recently, the truss rod may need a slight adjustment, however, I do not recommend you do this adjustment yourself if you haven't done it before. Its not difficult, but can be confusing if you've never done it before, but there are a number of resources out there about truss rod adjustments if you wish to do it yourself.

Hope this helps...

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Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 7:15 pm
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bowlfreshener wrote:
People who don't like Squiers are either uninfomed, misinformed, gear snobs, or just haven't tried a Squier lately because my Squiers are just as good, if not better, than anything the Mexican Fender factory produces. The thing with Squiers is that they usually require a thorough set up in order to get the most out of them. So yeah, a Squier fresh out of its box may not compare to a (MIM) Fender thats fresh out of its box, but get the thing set up right, and you'll hardly know the difference.

As far as your string problem, it sounds as if the saddle for the high E string got lowered a bit, perhaps during a string change as those little screws move easilu when there is no string tension to hold them against the bridge. Your guitar may have come with allen wrenches, if not, find one that is the correct size to adjust the tiny screws that elevate the string saddles. Try raising the string with just a fraction of a turn on the screws and that may solve your weird ring/vibration issue. If not, did you change string gauges? Most of the Squiers come stock with 9-42s, so if you went to a different size gauge recently, the truss rod may need a slight adjustment, however, I do not recommend you do this adjustment yourself if you haven't done it before. Its not difficult, but can be confusing if you've never done it before, but there are a number of resources out there about truss rod adjustments if you wish to do it yourself.

Hope this helps...



Thank you! Problem is I don't know how to do the adjustments. Could you possibly give me some instructions? I have about 3 screws on my bridge and I don't know which one to adjust, and I don't want to mess anything up, you know? I am also not very familiar with adjustments, believe it or not. But could you help me out? It would be much appreciated. Thanks for the information you provided me with about my problem!

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Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 8:04 pm
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No problem. I think I pretty much messed up one guitar when I was a kid and learning how to do this stuff...learning might be too strong of a term, I was trying and erroring how to do stuff :wink: Anyways....I do not have a strat....crap, I guess I could have used my Jagmaster to show you as that has a strat trem/bridge on it, but these pics of my Telecasters bridge should be helpful (I hope).

To adjust the action, as I mentioned, you do so by adjusting the tiny screws I am pointing at:
Image

You just use an approriately sized Allen wrench as seen here:
Image
You don't have to turn it much, but you turn one way, it'll raise the string, the other way lowers the string. I say try raising it up a bit, just a fraction of a turn. Before doing this though, I would get a ruler that either has inches divided into 64th's and 32nd's and centimeters, millimeters, and 1/2 millimeters (or at least milliliters) and measure the distance from the top of the 17th fret (I am not sure why the 17th, but Fenders setup tips say 17th fret) to the bottom of whichever string you are adjusting the action on. Write this number down, and that way if you don't like your adjustment, you can always bring it back to where you started. Plus this will help you in knowing if you are raising or lowering the action. Actually, for your issue, I would measure the B strings height, since that doesn't buzz, then try to match that height with the high E and see if that makes any difference. Re-tune your guitar after adjusting action, as the string will go sharp or flat when you adjust the action.

I hope this is helpful, and I hope that solves your problem, because while I feel comfortable doing my own truss rod adjustments, I don't feel comfortable enough explaining to someone else how to do it because you can alter your guitar adversely if done incorrectly.

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Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 8:30 pm
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bowlfreshener wrote:
No problem. I think I pretty much messed up one guitar when I was a kid and learning how to do this stuff...learning might be too strong of a term, I was trying and erroring how to do stuff :wink: Anyways....I do not have a strat....crap, I guess I could have used my Jagmaster to show you as that has a strat trem/bridge on it, but these pics of my Telecasters bridge should be helpful (I hope).

To adjust the action, as I mentioned, you do so by adjusting the tiny screws I am pointing at:
Image

You just use an approriately sized Allen wrench as seen here:
Image
You don't have to turn it much, but you turn one way, it'll raise the string, the other way lowers the string. I say try raising it up a bit, just a fraction of a turn. Before doing this though, I would get a ruler that either has inches divided into 64th's and 32nd's and centimeters, millimeters, and 1/2 millimeters (or at least milliliters) and measure the distance from the top of the 17th fret (I am not sure why the 17th, but Fenders setup tips say 17th fret) to the bottom of whichever string you are adjusting the action on. Write this number down, and that way if you don't like your adjustment, you can always bring it back to where you started. Plus this will help you in knowing if you are raising or lowering the action. Actually, for your issue, I would measure the B strings height, since that doesn't buzz, then try to match that height with the high E and see if that makes any difference. Re-tune your guitar after adjusting action, as the string will go sharp or flat when you adjust the action.



I hope this is helpful, and I hope that solves your problem, because while I feel comfortable doing my own truss rod adjustments, I don't feel comfortable enough explaining to someone else how to do it because you can alter your guitar adversely if done incorrectly.



One more question...wait 2 more. Sorry but you are really helpful.
My guitar came with 2 allen wrenches and also a "spring" like item. What is that for?

And also...do you know which way raises the string and which way lowers it?

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Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 8:51 pm
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The spring is an extra spring for the tremolo cavity, as if you go to a larger string gauge or like a stiffer tremolo, you can add a spring to the tremolo and tremolo claw located under the rectangular back plate on your Strat. A bigger string gauge will put more tension on the bridge and raise it off the body. Sometimes people like a stiffer tremolo feel. Tremolos should either be flush or parallel to the guitars body, and should not be jacked up one end at an angle off the body.

Clockwise- up.

Counter clockwise- down.

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 9:10 pm
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bowlfreshener wrote:
The spring is an extra spring for the tremolo cavity, as if you go to a larger string gauge or like a stiffer tremolo, you can add a spring to the tremolo and tremolo claw located under the rectangular back plate on your Strat. A bigger string gauge will put more tension on the bridge and raise it off the body. Sometimes people like a stiffer tremolo feel. Tremolos should either be flush or parallel to the guitars body, and should not be jacked up one end at an angle off the body.

Clockwise- up.

Counter clockwise- down.


Thank you VERY much dude! That helped me ALOT!

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Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 2:03 pm
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I'm not directly involved in this thread, but you are most generous for all you help (photos and all) Bowl! Great stuff!


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Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 2:59 pm
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Stigall wrote:
I'm not directly involved in this thread, but you are most generous for all you help (photos and all) Bowl! Great stuff!


Thanks Stigall! :D

I just try to help out when I can. I love Squiers, and I'll try to help someone get their Squier playing well so they can just focus on playing and having fun, and not being distracted by "What the heck is up with my guitar?" :lol:

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Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 4:41 pm
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bowlfreshener wrote:
Stigall wrote:
I'm not directly involved in this thread, but you are most generous for all you help (photos and all) Bowl! Great stuff!


Thanks Stigall! :D

I just try to help out when I can. I love Squiers, and I'll try to help someone get their Squier playing well so they can just focus on playing and having fun, and not being distracted by "What the heck is up with my guitar?" :lol:


Hey bowl! Thanks for the info...it fixed it...almost. I turned it and raised the string, and I turned just a bit more and it seemed to get worse. I guess the problem is also due to the fact that my amp is old and could have a blown speaker or something. I guess I will try to save some money for a new amp eh?

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Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 5:11 pm
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tarheelboi wrote:
bowlfreshener wrote:
Stigall wrote:
I'm not directly involved in this thread, but you are most generous for all you help (photos and all) Bowl! Great stuff!


Thanks Stigall! :D

I just try to help out when I can. I love Squiers, and I'll try to help someone get their Squier playing well so they can just focus on playing and having fun, and not being distracted by "What the heck is up with my guitar?" :lol:


Hey bowl! Thanks for the info...it fixed it...almost. I turned it and raised the string, and I turned just a bit more and it seemed to get worse. I guess the problem is also due to the fact that my amp is old and could have a blown speaker or something. I guess I will try to save some money for a new amp eh?


Try going the other direction and see what it does....Seriously, just try that and see what it'll do, I am curious. Does the guitar do this when its not plugged into the amp? If it does it when not plugged into an amp, its the guitar. If it does it only when its plugged into the amp, its either the amp or the guitars electronics. Do you know anyone else who plays guitar locally? Because you could try your guitar through their amp, and their guitar through your amp to see if maybe its the amp or guitar.

ONE THING I JUST THOUGHT OF THAT I DIDN'T MENTION YESTERDAY....Did you adjust both the screws on the saddles or just one? I should have mentioned somet thing about that because the screws don't have to hold the saddle evenly or parallel to the bridge, but one can't be jacked up way high while the other one isn't adjusted cause that might make things sound weird too.

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Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 12:28 pm
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bowlfreshener wrote:
tarheelboi wrote:
bowlfreshener wrote:
Stigall wrote:
I'm not directly involved in this thread, but you are most generous for all you help (photos and all) Bowl! Great stuff!


Thanks Stigall! :D

I just try to help out when I can. I love Squiers, and I'll try to help someone get their Squier playing well so they can just focus on playing and having fun, and not being distracted by "What the heck is up with my guitar?" :lol:


Hey bowl! Thanks for the info...it fixed it...almost. I turned it and raised the string, and I turned just a bit more and it seemed to get worse. I guess the problem is also due to the fact that my amp is old and could have a blown speaker or something. I guess I will try to save some money for a new amp eh?


Try going the other direction and see what it does....Seriously, just try that and see what it'll do, I am curious. Does the guitar do this when its not plugged into the amp? If it does it when not plugged into an amp, its the guitar. If it does it only when its plugged into the amp, its either the amp or the guitars electronics. Do you know anyone else who plays guitar locally? Because you could try your guitar through their amp, and their guitar through your amp to see if maybe its the amp or guitar.

ONE THING I JUST THOUGHT OF THAT I DIDN'T MENTION YESTERDAY....Did you adjust both the screws on the saddles or just one? I should have mentioned somet thing about that because the screws don't have to hold the saddle evenly or parallel to the bridge, but one can't be jacked up way high while the other one isn't adjusted cause that might make things sound weird too.


No, it dosen't do it when it is NOT plugged in, only when it is plugged into the amp. Yea, my neighbor plays but he is on a business trip in Texas and I can't do anything with it. I can try to call the local music store to see if they know anything about it. If it is the electronics in the guitar, could I fix it at my house? Or would I have to take it to a repair man?

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Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 3:33 pm
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I'd either take my amp and/or guitar to a local store, and then try your guitar through one of their amps, or try your amp with one of their guitars. This hopefully would help you figure out which of the 2 has issues. Of course ask them if this is cool before you show up with your guitar and/or amp, but I would think they'd be willing to do it cause they should see you as a potential customer for a guitar, amp, and/or repairs...

You need to figure out if its the guitar or amp. You may be able to fix it yourself if its the guitar, but if its the amp, unless you are familiar with electronics and electrical repairs, I would let an expert take care of that because some lethal voltages can be stored up in amps, even if its only a 5 watt amp for example...

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Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 4:30 pm
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bowlfreshener wrote:
I'd either take my amp and/or guitar to a local store, and then try your guitar through one of their amps, or try your amp with one of their guitars. This hopefully would help you figure out which of the 2 has issues. Of course ask them if this is cool before you show up with your guitar and/or amp, but I would think they'd be willing to do it cause they should see you as a potential customer for a guitar, amp, and/or repairs...

You need to figure out if its the guitar or amp. You may be able to fix it yourself if its the guitar, but if its the amp, unless you are familiar with electronics and electrical repairs, I would let an expert take care of that because some lethal voltages can be stored up in amps, even if its only a 5 watt amp for example...


If it's the electronics in the guitar, what is most likely wrong with it?

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Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:22 pm
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tarheelboi wrote:
bowlfreshener wrote:
I'd either take my amp and/or guitar to a local store, and then try your guitar through one of their amps, or try your amp with one of their guitars. This hopefully would help you figure out which of the 2 has issues. Of course ask them if this is cool before you show up with your guitar and/or amp, but I would think they'd be willing to do it cause they should see you as a potential customer for a guitar, amp, and/or repairs...

You need to figure out if its the guitar or amp. You may be able to fix it yourself if its the guitar, but if its the amp, unless you are familiar with electronics and electrical repairs, I would let an expert take care of that because some lethal voltages can be stored up in amps, even if its only a 5 watt amp for example...


If it's the electronics in the guitar, what is most likely wrong with it?


Maybe the pickups, however, if it were the pickups, I would think it would happen on all the strings, instead of just one string around a particular fret, so I am almost running out of ideas of what it could be, but yet you say it doesn't happen when unplugged. But then if it was the amp, I would alsp think it would happen all the time instead of on just one string around a certain fret. I think if the local store does set-ups and guitar maintenance you may need to get them to do one on your guitar, and maybe see if they can check the wiring. I would just bring it in though, because there is only so much I can do over the net, and I think your best option would be to let someone local hear what its doing and then go from there. That being said, I would definitely try your guitar through other amps to totally eliminate if its your amp, because if it still does the same thing through different amps, then the problem is somewhere on the guitar, but if your guitar sounds fine through the amp, then its your amp...

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