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Post subject: Fender Stratacoustic tuning problems
Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 11:29 am
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I bought a used black Stratacoustic, not deluxe, pretty much sight unseen (I know, I know...) and it looked to be in pretty good condition but I cannot get the thing to tune correctly. I put on new strings and have tuned it using harmonics or 4th/5th fret and it comes out... well, just off. I can't see any obvious defects with the neck but I don't really know what I'm doing. Does anyone have any ideas before I bite the bullet and take this thing to a tech? I just hate to spend any more on it than I have to. It seems to mainly be a problem with the G, B and high E strings although they're all just a tad off. The most obvious problem is when I tune the B string using G at the 4th fret and then play open G and an octave above on the B, yikes. The high G is totally sharp. Thanks in advance for your help, Ray


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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 1:22 pm
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Could be a lot of stuff. It could be you just need to stretch the strings. It could also be a warped neck or the intonation is set incorrectly. It could even be the string hanging in the nut. You could try a little graphite in the slots. You said it wasn't the deluxe, so I don't think it could be string pull from a pickup being set too close to the strings. Could you tune it before you put new strings on it?


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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 3:00 pm
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I'm thinking that it's a neck issue. It's not that I can't get it to tune. It's just out of tune with itself. The thing will tune up, for instance I'll the B string in tune using the G string pressed at the 4th fret or Ill use the harmonic from the low E string but when I press the B string down at the 8th fret, should be a G right? But it's totally out of tune, way sharp.


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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:15 pm
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Looking at the photos of it you can't adjust the bridge anyway. I'd try to see if the neck has a bow in it. either that or it might be the nut. Is the saddle straight or compensated? If it's compensated, someone may have had it out and put it in backwards or not seated properly.


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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:20 pm
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Check out this site http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/saddles.htm It might help.


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Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 8:00 am
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A Stratacoustic is very difficult to tune by ear if the truss rod isn't set right. Every time you crank on one of those bridge cables, it can affect the rest of the guitar. That's where I'd start. That said, when I got mine, it took quite a while trying to tune it before it dawned on me that I had stretched the strings out pretty good but hadn't checked the neck again. Truss rod fixed it.

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