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Post subject: 'Dead' High E on strats?
Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 10:48 am
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Hey all, I just picked up a HWY 1 fom GC on their Labor Day sale. Got it home, changed the strings, tweaked the truss rod, messed with the action, etc. I played it for a while and came to the conclusion that the high E sounded sort of dead. Kind of like it was fretting out, but the nut seems cut ok, and it does this at pretty much any fret. So, I decide to take it back. I checked out another HWY 1, an AM STD, and a Mexican 50's player, and they all had the 'dead-ish' high E. The guys at GC said you gotta use 10's, and that will correct it, but I've never had an issue with the 10 or so other guitars I've owned. Is this true? Anyway, I ended up keeping it (for the time being), and have 3 1/2 weeks to find a solution, or it goes back for good.

Sorry about the novel!


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Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 11:01 am
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That exactly why I won't buy any more guitars from Guitar Center, I want my guitars professionally set up and checked out before I buy them and I want a competent tech at the store if I have a problem. The guitar Center has minimum wage sales people unboxing the guitars and putting them on the sales floor. Anything outside of a SLIGHT truss rod adjustment is out of their league.

Ray


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Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 11:53 am
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I don't expect their guitars to be set up well at all (I can do a decent setup myself), but for the price I paid, I have no problem paying for a professional setup, or even a fret level and polish. But the 'dead' E thing rules out eveything but the bridge and the nut, and the nut looks fine, and the other guitars all had different bridges. Like I said it's 'dead' open, or at any fret. ...just seems wierd.


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Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 3:34 pm
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mccullpl wrote:
I don't expect their guitars to be set up well at all (I can do a decent setup myself), but for the price I paid, I have no problem paying for a professional setup, or even a fret level and polish. But the 'dead' E thing rules out eveything but the bridge and the nut, and the nut looks fine, and the other guitars all had different bridges. Like I said it's 'dead' open, or at any fret. ...just seems wierd.


Check your pickup height. It's a simple adjustment. A pickup thats too close to the string can actually pull down on the string and stop it from vibrating freely.

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"is that a real poncho...i mean
Is that a mexican poncho
Or is that a sears poncho?
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Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 4:21 pm
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What he sdaid, remember that PUPs are magnet based and the magnet pull will hinder the string vibration as it gets "pulled" in.

For the fretting out, check the neck alignment. Sometimes during shipping they get banged around a bit. Check the pockets line it up and tighten it if required.


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Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 4:37 pm
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Good suggestions. I'll give 'em a shot. Also, it does the same thing unplugged, if that helps at all.
Thanks,
Pat


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Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 5:28 pm
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Plugged in or not, a magnet is a magnet.


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Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 11:55 am
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I gave each neck screw an 1/8 turn (just a bit loose), and that took care of the open 'dead string' problem!

Thanks!


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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 1:17 pm
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Lots of kids at GC, but you can't beat the prices and selection of mainstream Fender guitars. After redoing the setup of the pickups and the bridge and the tremolo on my Highway One after picking up a few tips here, I'm into doing it yourself. Everything's pretty simple to adjust on the Strat. That's part of what makes it yours. My upgraded '06 Highway One's got a great smooth neck with a 9.5" radius, jumbo frets for low action with minimal or no fret buzz (depending on if you're too hard when picking) with the bridge at a little under the 1/8" factory height. You can verify your set up by measuring the distance from top of the pickup to the string with the string depressed at the last fret. You can check that distance against Fender's recommendations with a tape measure wrapped on a straight edge (like me) or a ruler (if you have one).

The tone knobs on the Highway One have a huge effect on the little e. On my old Squire, they didn't have so much impact. If you want a real fat midrange sound, you can turn down the tone knobs to about 4 and up the volume of course. It ain't active mid-range boost like on a Clapton, but it works. Then, if you want the Strat articulation on the e for a solo or to vary the sound, just make sure your on bridge/mid or bridge and crank that bridge tone know up near 10. It's a dramatic difference with huge versatility because of the three pickups, the five way switch and the way the tone knobs on the Highway One really can alter its tone.


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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 1:20 pm
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"jumbo frets for low action"

That should be "jumbo frets, low action" it's a typo. The jumbo frets don't lower the action but they do seem to make it play really smooth for vibrato and bending, even without a roller nut.


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Post subject: 'dead' E string
Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 12:32 pm
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Location: The Netherlands
Use .010''s and a 2mm action on the high E-string, 12th fret.
Neck relief .010'' and a well cut bone nut.
I use Graphtech string saver saddles with work also fine.
No more string breakage due to worn saddles.

Peter from the Netherlands/Europe.


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 11:09 am
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When I bought my 70's reissue strat from guitar center I had the same problem with the dead high E. What I did was I adjusted the truss rod, Checked the intonation and adjusted the bridge and saddles. Like everyone else said, Guitar Center does not spend a whole lot of tim in setting up the instrument. I was a little leary of making these adjustments my self at first, but after i read about how to do it, it was a piece of cake.


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