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Post subject: Freustrated and need help
Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:26 pm
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I have a Deluxe Player Strat that I purchased new in May.

About 2 weeks after I got it, I was convinced that there was a fretboard issue. It had pronounced buzz in certain spots on the high E string. I contacted Fender, and I was instructed to take it to and authorized service center for "evaluation". After having it tweaked and adjusted by my dealer twice and Sweetwater Sound once, it has not gotten any better. I have contacted customer "service" a few times, but they want this to be my problem. The action is higher than any guitar I have ever owned. It still sounds absolutely terrible.

After gigging with it Saturday and Sunday, I noticed that the bridge pickup has a "metallic" sound that goes away if you roll the highs way back. Could this be fret buzz that is somehow more pronounced by the bridge pickup?

I have had a few fenders in the last 15 years, and this guitar is by far the nicest. I have had other Squiers and Fenders with 9.5" radius necks, all of which were capable of a good set-up with low action and no buzzing. This guitar's 12" radius was the reason I chose it from several similarly priced Fenders, but it won't even come close.

I have never been so disappointed in a purchase in my life. I am furious with Fender, and I think they should be eager to rectify this problem. I am not trying to cheat them out of something I don't deserve. I just want what I bought to be right. Does anyone have experience with any of these type of problems?

I have no doubt that Fender makes a great guitar. Late this afternoon, I stopped into my local dealer, and I was the first person to get my hands on a custom shop strat that had just arrived. I was stunned at the perfect set-up and amazing playability of this beautiful instrument. As I drove home, my blood began to boil at the thought of my sub-standard guitar. Some of us who live in the real world and play 80 gigs a year can't afford a $3000 guitar. I just need something playable, but I don't have it.

Can anyone reassure me that there is a solution?

-Scott


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Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:44 pm
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If there really is a problem with the neck they should do a dressing job at the fender tech center... I would tell them I am a guitar expert and I want a good neck or a new replacement guitar h ah ah ah but I dont know if thats part of the warranty ...... :) ultimately if they dont give a s**t then Id take the guitar to a tech center where they have a plekk machine so the frets would be filed to perfection BUT the most important thing is to determine what the problem is... frets... maybe a truss rod... or who knows.... :D if there is no solution at all I would sell the guitar on ebay.. and buy a new one... I'd rather lose some money but get a good guitar :D


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Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 9:07 am
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If you brought it to techs several times and they were not able to set it up correctly then they should at least tell you what is wrong with it.


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Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 9:28 am
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Is the sound a zingy kind of metallic ringing that acompanies notes played on the high E (i assume you mean highest sounding)? which end of the fingerboard do these sounds occour? is it all down the nut end, at the high end, various single frets all the way up the board, or groups of frets e.g 3,4,5 and 11,12 and 13. if so there could be several causes of this.

I had a similar problem and found the solution was to block the trem and remove the trem springs :shock: . There was a sympathetic resonance in them that i didnt like.

Give us some more info mate and we'll do our best to help you out.


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Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 9:31 am
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Also is it a buzz? Happening plugged or unplugged?


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Post subject: Thanks for the support.
Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 1:41 pm
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I just realized I spelled "frustrated" wrong.

The action is not much higher that the specs on the Fender site lists as normal - Just less than 2 mm at the 12th fret. That is quite a bit higher than any other guitar - Fender or otherwise - that I have had.

The 5th fret and 9-11 buzz. Through the amp these notes seem lifeless - no tone, no sustain. I have raised the action enough that it is tolerable...I guess. The idea about the trem springs really has me wondering if that is a a contributing factor with the metallic sound. I will keep working with it.

The people who have worked on this guitar just raise the action and tell me it's fine. [/i]


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Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 1:49 pm
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Check the neck relief. Put capo on first fret and fret the last one and check the height at the 8th, should be 0.10 roughly with a feeler gauge. Check the Fender support. Relief might need to be adjusted if action needs to be to high for comfort. Action on my guitars is always slightly higher too because even though my neck is set right I still get some buzz from time to time. Slightly higher action doesnt bother me as much as buzz, although the buzzing is part of many Strats.


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Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 2:58 pm
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atolleter wrote:
Check the neck relief. Put capo on first fret and fret the last one and check the height at the 8th, should be 0.10 roughly with a feeler gauge. Check the Fender support. Relief might need to be adjusted if action needs to be to high for comfort. Action on my guitars is always slightly higher too because even though my neck is set right I still get some buzz from time to time. Slightly higher action doesnt bother me as much as buzz, although the buzzing is part of many Strats.


Thats where i would of said a mid fretboard problem lies too. I'd also check that the ends of those frets aren't lifting. If they are take it back.


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Post subject: Re: Freustrated and need help
Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 4:54 pm
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Scott M wrote:
About 2 weeks after I got it, I was convinced that there was a fretboard issue. It had pronounced buzz in certain spots on the high E string.


A year ago, a friend of mine, whose name is "Scott N" by coincidence, had the same problem with a Deluxe. He was quite frustrated, but eventually the local Fender Dealer got it sorted out.

So good luck to you too!

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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 6:49 pm
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I had something like that on a tele neck I had on the E and B string; 3 techs checked it out and couldn't figure it out or told me it was fine...turned out there was a slight twist in the neck, so when you check the relief, make sure you check it on the top and bottom, make sure its the same.


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 8:49 pm
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Take it to an Authorized Fender Repair shop. Have them do a professional set-up on it. Sometimes it takes a second pair of eyes/ears to fix the problem. Tell them what is going on and see if they can fix it. Play it before taking it out of the shop. If there are still problems with the guitar, ask them what the problem is. Fender does have a limited life-time warrenty on their products and should repair it; or, if it does not fall under the warrenty, pay to have it fixed. Like someone else stated, if the problem cannot be fixed or is too costly, sell it and buy another.

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