Hey everyone,

Yesterday, I received a brand new American Standard Strat from Musician's Friend, so this is the real deal -- not second hand or off the rack, straight from the factory, sealed.

Physically, I love it; it looks great, build quality is great, and I'm very happy with my purchase.

However, there seems to be a problem with Fender's factory setup; the G String (and other strings at times) feels (it isn't picked up through an amp) "tremolo-y." That is the best way for me to describe it; think of the way a tremolo pedal sounds. It has a sort of oscillating, pulsing feel and doesn't ring out correctly. I can't really figure out what the problem is or where to begin; is this a serious problem or does it just need to be professionally set up? Is it worth returning over?

Thanks,

Craig

Hi Craig: I have no idea of your playing experience, so don't be offended if I'm shooting at the wrong target here.

But could it be that you rest your picking hand quite hard on the bridge and are wobbling the intonation without realising it? That often happens with people who are new to a floating vibrato - perhaps you've come from a fixed bridge guitar, or a Strat with its trem set flush to the body so it doesn't wobble when you put your hand on it?

First possibility, anyhow.

Cheers - C

Hi Ceri!

Thanks a lot for the response. I forgot to mention in my post that this is only evident to me when I play with my fingers. As for my playing experience, I had a Standard Strat for 4 years and just sold my American Deluxe Tele so this is definitely not a beginner mistake.

You're right about the fixed bridge; I'm definitely used to it. But this proves it: when I hold my hand completely off of the guitar and simply pick that one string, that's when I can feel it. And by tremolo-y I don't mean a slow fluxuation, it's more like excessive vibration. It's extremely fast, but doesn't feel right.

Fairly common occurance. Try a small pickup height ajustment.(Down a little on the treble side) Hope this helps. Mike PS. Counterclockwise lowers!

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Hey Mike,

The thing is, the amp doesn't pick up the vibrations, but I feel them.

Craig

+ 1 , sounds like the magnets are pulling the strings because they are too close.

If it's not picked up by the amp I would'nt worry about it. Just my opinion you understand. Mike

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Hi again Craig: the thing I was talking about doesn't have to be a beginner issue - for example, it often happens with experienced Les Paul players who move over to the Strat and don't realise that you can't rest your hand so hard on a floating bridge.

But anyway, from what you say it clearly ain't that, so...

The suggestion about pickup magnets is a good one, though you'd probably also be hearing wolf notes when plugged in if that was it.

I can think of other options, but what's confusing me is you say you can't hear it through the amp. Can you hear this thing unplugged, or only feel it?

If it's purely a feel issue then, at a guess, I wonder if there's something somewhere on the body that just happens to be resonating sympathetically with that particular note? Does it go away when you fret the string a fifth or seventh up the neck? What happens if you retune the whole guitar down a semitone?

Or maybe it's a sympathetic resonance in a trem spring. You could try re-arranging them from this shape, /l\, to this, lll, (or vice versa) which may be just enough to change their vibration and rid you of the issue. (Obviously you need to retune after and check your intonation at the 12th fret.)

On a similar theme, tightening or loosening the trussrod an eighth turn won't interfere with your setup but can be just enough to make the neck vibrate differently if that's where the issue is.

Other things to look for are wobbles in the saddles - sometimes only one of the height adjustment screws is actually touching the trem plate so the saddle can pivot slightly and introduce a wobble. And you've checked that your neck bolts are nice and tight I presume? (But don't over tighten them.)

But then I'd expect to hear those and many other such possibilities through the amp. That's the tricky bit.

Strange thing: I feel I've heard of someone else with this issue here on the Forum once before. Don't recall whether we discovered the answer, though...

Any more you can tell us can only help. We love these kinds of mysteries!

Cheers - C

Hey Ceri,

Thanks so much for your help.

You're absolutely right. I can't hear it when plugged in; this is definitely not a pickup issue. When I play the guitar with no amp, I can clearly hear AND feel it. I can feel it when playing with an amp as well, but not hear it.

Sorry for all of the lame analogies, but here's another one; It sort of sounds like when someone's sick and their nose is stuffed and throat hurts and when they talk, their voice has a certain weird break/vibration to it than normal. That's exactly what this sounds like. It's not a clearly sustained note, but a weird harmonic vibration.

Everything is tight on the guitar, and at first I thought it was a tremolo issue -- but why would it happen more pronounced on the G string?

I'm starting to wonder if just blocking the tremolo and flattening it is the answer. This is my first time with a floating tremolo and you're right, I'm not used to it, although I couldn't imagine that this would be normal.

It happens no matter what tuning the guitar is in. And anywhere on the neck.

Craig

Ha! Then it's the string. They do odd things when they get old and tired.

Change the string and see if that sorts it.

If not - then I'm at a loss to explain something you can hear unplugged but not through the amp. That's very weird...

Cheers - C

Had this problem myself on one of my Strats. The tip regarding repositioning the trem springs was a great idea, just what I thought the problem might be, I'll give it a try.
I noticed on mine that the warbling resonance happened most often on a single pitch, G, any octave, with all strings damped and hands off the trem bridge. I could almost hear the trem springs resonating. Try damping ALL strings and knocking on the body (gently!). I heard the trem springs resonating at an out-of-tune G pitch. Now the question is how to eliminate that resonance.
I'm very familiar with the pickup height issue, being an example of what one poster described: Les Paul player who bought his first Strat after several years of LP playing. It seems that the middle pickup on Strats is usually the prime offender. Lowering that pickup cures much of the warble, and less output from that pickup helps the combination (neck-middle, bridge-middle) tones. That pickup is close to a node (harmonic position) of the G string so any magnetic pull it exerts screws up the overtone series for the affected string. Over the (many) years I've learned that lowering Les Paul pickups often helps to get a "vintage" LP sound without losing too much output.

I've noticed this on at least three strats, only on the g string, open of at any fret position including right at the top of the neck: though it might be vibrations from the trem springs, thing is, it even happens with the bridge flat to the body with the trem springs really tight!

Any ideas people? I've been wondering about this for ages. Does on happen on any hardtail guitar I've played!

i brought my american deluxe to my setup guy who is a factory warranty shop for fender and the custom shop.i was having similar issues and the first thing he asked was if i was plugged in and i said no.he told me almost all strats have these issues and he also told me that it wasnt an issue unless heard through the amp.anyway just what he said hes been building guitars and doing setups for 30 years. i think your guitar is probably fine.

Once you've replaced the strings, place the guitar flat on your lap. With both hands side by side, gently and evenly push down on all 6 strings until the strings are gently and simultaneously touching all three pickups' magnets for their respective string. Now, gently and ever so slowly and evenly, start relieving the hands pressure until the strings have been restored to their natural position.

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The G string on 25.5" length guitars does sound funny at the best of times anyway, almost as if the waveform is squared off. If you strike the open B, listen to the way it rings, then compare the G its vastly different. Theres no zing to it. I'm absolutely certain this is down to scale length, the couple of 24.75" guitars I have dont do it. Its certainly not due to nut slot issues, I've exhausted at least two cow legs cutting and re-cutting slots.

The only solution I found for fender length G's is to either go .018 wound and above or a .014" G.

Thats an aside though, it doesnt affect fretted notes along that string. Also in normal playing circumstances you never notice it.

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