I noticed on my guitar that the bridge was up in the back and when I showed it to my instructor he said when I get it home to tighten it all the way down? Can anyone tell me why this is important?

If the bridge is improperly adjusted then your intonation will be off. The bridge adjustment is very easy to do, and worth the five minutes it'll take. It will also keep your action at the right height.

_________________
Check out my new FB music page!

https://www.facebook.com/TheDevilandMe.Music

Hold the phone ... The reason your bridge is "up" is because your guitar is set up with "float". This is normal. Setting up your guitar with "no float" means either adding springs or tightening the claw screws so that the bridge is flush with the body.

Okay, now the important part... Having a setup with "float" is the normal setup for a Strat. However, alot of people (myself definitely included) adjust to a "no float" setup for tuning stability reasons. Generally, "no float" is often preferred by those that are not severe trem users (or a Fender purist zealot ... haha). My humble suggestion is to keep your current float until you have a chance to learn a little bit more about these different setup options. Do a search on "float" and you will have plenty to read. Good luck with whatever you go with.

_________________
Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

When you get home change instructors,if this guy doesn't have enough on the ball to know what a floating bridge is he shouldn't be teaching guitar or at least stick to acoustic.He obviously doesn't know diddly-squat about bridge adjustment,because to bring the bridge level to the body you don't "tighten it down" but remove the back plate and tighten the screws holding the string claws.Before you do that you "loosen" the screws holding the bridge down-if not you could pull the screws out of the wood with the extra tension.

_________________
'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

If it's a tremolo type you have an issue with your instructor. If its a hardtail or "fixed bridge" than you have an issue with your guitar.

Either can be fixed with a screwdriver liquid or solid.