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Post subject: American Deluxe problems
Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 7:31 am
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Hello everyone.

I have an American Deluxe Stratocaster that does not want to play properly. I need help.

The problem is this: I can't get the strings down anywhere near factory specs. I have to have the strings around 3mm at the 17th fret to get rid of any fret buzz or else every time I play a note below 12 the string does a little kamikaze and kills itself on the next fret.

It has a dual action truss rod, my guitar, and I have tried totally flattening the neck to making it go the other way so that there is almost 1mm (!) of neck relief and nothing seems to work.

The best that I can get it is around 2.75mm at the 17 fret with around .012 or 0.30mm of neck relief (I do have a set of feeler gauges, and no, I don't find it terribly difficult to make use of them). When I set it up like this it seems to play ok at the extreme higher and lower frets but the middle frets, 7-12, are just clunk, buzz and clang city.

The thing is though, I've had a problem similar to this with my Mexican strat, except that one had problems higher up on the neck ie. they would just clang out and not play. Is this a common Fender thing? I hope not.

I play with a medium celluloid pick and I don't think I have an abnormally hard attack. I use 10 gauge strings which I think is the norm, and yes, I can live with high action... just not as high as my current guitar will allow.

The only way for it to play at all, and I have mentioned this earlier, is to have the strings sky high (really, 3mm) at the 17th fret and a totally straight neck or else... bzz!

Maybe I got a lemon? Maybe I'll just stop playing Fenders altogether, I mean come on, top of the line strat, I expect it to play properly! Maybe I'll bite the bullet and get a new neck off Ebay? I have acquired a Gibson j-45 recently, and it has to be the sweetest most toneful set of strings stretched over a piece of wood on Earth... maybe I'll go over to that dark side?

My cousin used to have a Chinese imitation telecaster (I think it was chinese) with a very pronounced fretboard radius and that thing absolutely sang with 9 gauge strings and low action. My Pacifica, which has a much much flatter fretboard, also sings... my Fenders? I have two of them and they're both lemons.

The reissue necks on Ebay look very tempting. But if I could, I would rather keep my deluxe... it is an incredibly beautiful thing, very very soft on the hands, gorgeous wood grain...


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 7:34 am
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Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 7:02 am
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Location: Vacaville, CA USA
Sounds like it needs a neck shim. Have it checked out by a Tech.

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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 7:37 am
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Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2008 10:08 am
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Location: Louisiana
CAFeathers wrote:
Sounds like it needs a neck shim. Have it checked out by a Tech.

Is it brand new? If so send it back to dealer or FENDER.


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Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 7:39 am
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Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2007 5:07 am
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Whats up Bro,I also had a problem with a brand new american deluxe strat.Bad problem,there was something wrong with the neck,I dont know what it was.Right know I am having a little problem with my 62 reissue hot rod strat and am looking for a luthier that could be of help.I do know when you get them set up right they are unbelievable.I also have an american deluxe with lindy fralin blues specials that is a total blues animal.And maybe i want my other trat to be as great as that one.I feel your pain dude.


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