It is currently Tue Mar 17, 2020 5:23 am

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 27 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2
Go to page Previous  1, 2
Author Message
Post subject: Re: Is No Tremelo Strat in One's Collection a Valid Choice?
Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 4:39 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2011 7:10 pm
Posts: 5057
Location: The Capital Wasteland
2011 Telecaster (parts build) and a 1979 Guild S-70. Out of the 2, the guild is by far superior, even in it's worn out, beat to hell and back, played into the ground, dug up, and played into the ground again, state.

I guess you could try to find an old Guild. The pickups are absolute gold, and the sustain is killer. The bridge makes for an easy, smooth, setup. The tailpiece is heavy enough to kill someone with.

_________________
1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: Is No Tremelo Strat in One's Collection a Valid Choice?
Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 5:34 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Tue Dec 25, 2012 9:29 am
Posts: 97
My Mexican Strat was like that, paid $35.00 for a set up and they put 5 springs on the trem claw and that decked the tremelo flat on the guitar, suddenly all tuning and string height issues were solved, best $35.00 I ever spent. I put the whammy bar in the gig bag and never looked back


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Is No Tremelo Strat in One's Collection a Valid Choice?
Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 10:21 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2010 4:21 pm
Posts: 986
Location: moon base #9
You need to set that baby up. American made Strats should have a very high build quality. I'm sure there are lemons out there, but I doubt very many. After you set it up properly, and you have checked the bridge, nut, neck joint, and tuners for any shenanigans, then it might be a truss rod issue. The truss rod should have a good amount of tension on it. If it is loose when the relief is correct then you can fall in and out of tune with just the weight of your hand. Think of it this way, the more tension from the strings pulling forward and the truss rod pulling back the less likely you or other factors will introduce change (given we are talking about normal conditions). If this were the case, you could go heavy on the strings and thus need more truss rod tension. There are other things to correct this but they are pretty advanced guitar repair, like introducing neck bow so that your truss rod is tight when correct relief is set. I had a guitar with this problem, once I was able to have the truss rod at a normal tightness tuning stability improved greatly. Give it a shake, sometimes you can hear them rattle if they are loose. I'm not convinced this is your problem. I'm just throwing it out there for information sake.

Oh, and I think a hardtail Strat is a real Strat. Wish I had one come to think of it.

_________________
My ability to spell is in direct proportion to the amount of coffee I've had.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Is No Tremelo Strat in One's Collection a Valid Choice?
Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 11:08 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2009 7:13 pm
Posts: 19026
Location: Illinois, USA
Her Wanna wrote:
I don't play like Jeff Beck and never will. I play chordy stuff and I like my hardtail guitars better, because they seem to stay set up better, with low action. I put 10s on my American Standard Strat--which is set up for 9s--and in standard tuning it yanks the action up to about a centimeter at the 12th fret, and I don't think it's the truss rod; I think it's the floating bridge that needs adjusting. So now I keep it tuned down a full step and use it only to play Nirvana stuff that's tuned way down. Not Drop D--D "standard." I guess it's not overly difficult to adjust the bridge or I could go back to 9s, but...

Who here has simply decided to be a hardtail player and does not own floating bridge strat?

Is that a legitimate choice for a guitarist, or must every collection include a standard strat?

I think I have become a Tele (or strat w/ a hardtail) man.

Should I sell my American Standard Strat?

Edit:
rant over


all of the suggestions so far are good. your first question for me would be both if you wanted. second question is always your choice thanks for including us in your thoughts about this. third question absolutely not unless it's an emergency. in the words of my favorite Martian, these answers were, of course, IMHO YMMV. :D

_________________
you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Is No Tremelo Strat in One's Collection a Valid Choice?
Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 11:33 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2012 7:29 am
Posts: 937
if you have a guitar and you dont get on with it, sell it. you will always be able to find something you find more suitable.

however, theres a difference bewteen 'not getting on with it' and "trying to play a guitar thats badly set up, then claiming its rubbish'.

get it set up, if you still dont like it, sell it and buy a tele. if you do like it, buy a tele anyway.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Is No Tremelo Strat in One's Collection a Valid Choice?
Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 5:05 am
Offline
Roadie
Roadie

Joined: Sun Jun 20, 2010 3:54 am
Posts: 268
Ceri wrote:
amx05462 wrote:
ok what ever . i do sll my own setups and all my guitars play real fine with no problems.. and i use a stew mac thraight edge withthe notches in it . for what i said. but what ever your the expert i guess. hopefully it makes you feel better. but again my strat and all others play great with very low action.. have a nice day now, :)

Hello amx05462: Her Wanna has replaced 9s with 10s which has pulled his bridge plate up at the back and thrown out the intonation and action. He needs to tighten the claw screws to bring the bridge back down and then address the action, the intonation and, as you say, possibly the relief as well. Not difficult - but instead he's decided to drop the tuning a tone, which will certainly bring the bridge back down but not help with the other issues, especially the intonation. It's not an ideal solution.

By the way, I completely agree with you that a straight edge is an easier and possibly more accurate way of measuring relief than fretting a string at first and last frets and working off that. But I wonder if that's slightly advanced stuff for the situation at the top of this thread...

Cheers - C


oh ok i see . when he mentioned hard tail strat i thought the bridge would have been either blocked or what ever . that being the case defenitly your right about tightening the claw screws. now on the hard tail strat i used to have that wasnt the case . but i should have re read his post.. so in reality its not really a hard tail after all. thanks for pointing that out to me :)


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Is No Tremelo Strat in One's Collection a Valid Choice?
Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 9:00 am
Offline
Roadie
Roadie
User avatar

Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2012 6:22 am
Posts: 231
My US standard strat has a floating US 2 point vibrato, with no tuning issues.
It is set up well.
My Japanese '88 strat has a floating Kahler 2 point vibrato, with no tuning issues.
It is set up well.
My Mexican standard strat has a floating 6 point vintage vibrato, with no tuning issues.
It is set up well.
My 57-esque partscaster strat has a floating 6 point vintage vibrato, with no tuning issues.
It is set up well.
My Korean squier strat has a floating 6 point vintage vibrato, with no tuning issues.
It is set up well.
My Ibanez Satriani has a 2 point floating Lo-TRS (Licenced Floyd), with no tuning issues.
It is set up well.

notice a trend here? :P

I do have a couple of telecasters and a blocked strat too, but for different reasons (TONE!!)

_________________
Mater tua criceta fuit, et pater tuo redoluit bacarum sambucus


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Is No Tremelo Strat in One's Collection a Valid Choice?
Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 10:00 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2012 3:08 pm
Posts: 474
Her Wanna wrote:
I don't play like Jeff Beck and never will. I play chordy stuff and I like my hardtail guitars better, because they seem to stay set up better, with low action. I put 10s on my American Standard Strat--which is set up for 9s--and in standard tuning it yanks the action up to about a centimeter at the 12th fret, and I don't think it's the truss rod; I think it's the floating bridge that needs adjusting. So now I keep it tuned down a full step and use it only to play Nirvana stuff that's tuned way down. Not Drop D--D "standard." I guess it's not overly difficult to adjust the bridge or I could go back to 9s, but...

Who here has simply decided to be a hardtail player and does not own floating bridge strat?

Is that a legitimate choice for a guitarist, or must every collection include a standard strat?

I think I have become a Tele (or strat w/ a hardtail) man.

Should I sell my American Standard Strat?

Edit: my American Standard Strat's build quality is atrocious compared to my Chinese-made $320.00 Modern Player Tele, by the way. Ditto the Japanese-made mustangs (65 reissue and pawn shop). It's like the non-lacquered neck is malleable. Action changes *a lot* day to day based on temperature and humidity outside even though I keep apartment air conditioned consistently. Yeah that has to happen, but it happens less on all my other guitars. The american strat also came with a visible and feelable chip at the top of the fretboard at fret 1. Just decided to keep it because I had already sent 3 back for similar problems and I got it for $765, no tax, free shipping from MF. Figured that must be the best the American Standard line could give me so I cut my losses and since it was only $765...--i.e., you have to expect at least one major flaw to be allowed through inspection if you're buying an american standard. Also the back of the neck on the american standards are ugly, with lots of weird random grain lines that are not nice looking and are, in fact, distracting (same with my american standard tele), as opposed to all my asian-made fenders, which have beautiful maple necks without weird lines all over the back.)

rant over



Having a non trem Stratocaster is just fine and dandy.

About the Asian quality...yes, they are put together sometimes better than the U.S. models of the same make. Their fit and finish is tops...but the U.S. stuff is made with better materials(wood, kind of finish, electronics). I'd rather shop around and find an American Fender that happens to be flawless.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Is No Tremelo Strat in One's Collection a Valid Choice?
Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 10:48 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 1:10 pm
Posts: 13467
Location: Palm Beach County FL
It's cut to the chase time again, first observing a moment's silence to recall all the thread discussions and most excellent posted photos on how to 'stop' a Fender vibrato, the chief example of which are the Clapton Stratocasters, both the current Signature series and the original Blackie. To reitterate briefly, Eric desiring the concept of a 'hardtail' but, for reasons known only to his quest for tone, hearing something contributed by having the trem system remain in the guitar with the trem claw screwed flush to the body and 5 springs installed. This is usually sufficient to draw a vintage inertia block forward against the rout wall and deck the bridge.[Blackie] If you want re-enforcement, a 2x1.5 in piece of wood about 1/4" thick should fit snuggly in the freeway space created with that system.[Signature Series]. The inertia blocks on newer guitars have different thicknesses therefore any wood 'stop' created for the freeway space will have to be fabricated accordingly.

Other than than that, the only current non-trem Stratocasters in production have already been suggested. Of course there's always Craig's List, EBay, or the ever popular "When You're Ready Club' :wink:

Either way, there is no sacriledge in pursing your dream nor will a Forum Lounge Swat Team visit you in dark of night for having done so. :wink:

_________________
"Another day in paradise!"


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Is No Tremelo Strat in One's Collection a Valid Choice?
Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 2:26 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2007 12:56 pm
Posts: 4033
Location: 16 Miles North Of The Red River
AlexeiY wrote:
Screamin' Armadillo wrote:
I prefer hardtail, just because I don't ever use the trem...

I blocked the trem in my US 62 Vintage Reissue years ago--I used a stack of quarters to do it; no intonation or tuning problems.

Due to the lack of hardtail Strats out there, it might be a better option to just block your trem and try it out that way. If you still don't like it, then you can easy reverse this "modification."

BTW, you need to get your guitar set up properly for the gauge of strings you're using; that's just the way it is.



just curious.....how many quarters? :)

However many it took to block the trem flush with the body... :wink: I honestly don't remember--I'll look the next time I change strings, but that will be a while and I probably won't remember who asked me. :?

_________________
Good Vibes To Y'all!

Image

Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Is No Tremelo Strat in One's Collection a Valid Choice?
Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 6:15 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2012 1:33 am
Posts: 1247
Yes! Sell the guitar!
That's what I always do with everything I don't know how to use.

It's much easier than learning how to handle something the right way!

That's why I sold my motorcycle!
It just wouldn't keep standing on the driveway like a car does! Whenever I got down and let go, it would fall over! Dang!!
It fell over all the time!

So I sold it (and my bicycle, too!) and bought a car. I can get out, slam the door and it doesn't fall over!

Or .... like my chainsaw!! That friggin' thing was heavy as hell but did not saw wood!
I tried really hard but in the end I sold it and bought a bow saw!

Here's why:


_________________
Kindest regards from Germany, Dee
My recordings --> http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_mu ... dID=564337
STRATS ROCK!!! but Teles and Firebirds, too!


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Is No Tremelo Strat in One's Collection a Valid Choice?
Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 3:49 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2008 11:21 am
Posts: 959
I have two 2004 American Series* hardtail strats. I love them! They hold a great tune and sound great as well. I think of them as teles with three pickups and a comfortable body.

*Special mention to Ceri who told me about the years Fender designated their instruments "American Series" instead of "American Standard".


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 27 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2
Go to page Previous  1, 2

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: