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Post subject: Re: Fans of Strat Plus and Strat Ultra
Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 5:31 pm
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I had a big long reply typed up, but Xhefri posted while I was typing. If he can't help you, nobody can!

BTW, I agree that it is best to press the string down at the LAST fret and measure at the top of the 8th fret as per Fender's how-to guide.


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Post subject: Re: Fans of Strat Plus and Strat Ultra
Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 5:46 pm
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wrvond wrote:
I had a big long reply typed up, but Xhefri posted while I was typing.

Come'on! I wana see!!!! :D :D

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Post subject: Re: Fans of Strat Plus and Strat Ultra
Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 6:52 pm
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Xhefri thanks for clearing that up. I have always been a little confused about this because the manual that came with my 1989 strat plus said to place a capo at the first fret and then press the 6th string at the fret where the neck joins the body of the guitar. Since that seemed to happen at the 17th fret that is where I started doing it. Since I don't know any where as much as you do about this stuff I'll start doing it at the last fret.


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Post subject: Re: Fans of Strat Plus and Strat Ultra
Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 7:07 pm
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I'm probably not one to talk since I'm having trouble with mine but I doubt there is much difference between the 17th fret and the 21st. It's probably worth doing it at the furthest point but I bet it's ultimately close to negligible.


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Post subject: Re: Fans of Strat Plus and Strat Ultra
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 1:00 am
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Hey guys.
I collect strat plus' from 87-89. I have numerous colours and all in mint - near mint condition. My favourite is a bahama green with maple neck and razzberry with rosewood neck. Ill try to add some pictures later in the week,


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Post subject: Re: Fans of Strat Plus and Strat Ultra
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 3:54 pm
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wait a second... I don't think that's right, HRMMMpppfFF


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Post subject: Re: Fans of Strat Plus and Strat Ultra
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 4:03 pm
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colla01 wrote:
Hey guys.
I collect strat plus' from 87-89. I have numerous colours and all in mint - near mint condition. My favourite is a bahama green with maple neck and razzberry with rosewood neck. Ill try to add some pictures later in the week,

We will be looking forward too it. Are you in Oz by chance???

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Post subject: Re: Fans of Strat Plus and Strat Ultra
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 8:55 pm
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Just bought my Plus Deluxe (!) off of e-bay. It's a 95. FLS Blue, Silver, & Red. Floyd II trem. Mystic Black. I thought it was just black until I took it outside into the sunlight where I saw green metal flakes! It's beautiful and sounds great. Love it. I need to take some pics.


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Post subject: Re: Fans of Strat Plus and Strat Ultra
Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 1:49 pm
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Okay guys a bit of update on my neck/tross rod issue I was having. I picked up my Les Paul today from my tech and showed him my newly acquired Ultra. I told him that I wasn't able to get any relief in the neck at all and that the truss rod was started to get a bit too tough to turn for my comfort.

He looked at it and said that the truss rod was almost completely loosened and that loosening it anymore could result in the nut or end bolt to come undone (not sure what the tech name for it is). He said that having a neck that was too straight even with the Truss Rod completely loosened was actually a better problem to have then not being able to get it straightened with the truss rod maxed out in the tighten mode.

His suggestion was to tighten down the floating bridge and put 10s on the guitar and even tune it up 1/2 a step to let the strings really start pulling on the neck. He thought within a week or so the neck should start to develop some relief with that much string tension and eventually I might even have to add some tightness back into the TR. He also said that the quality of those necks with the Ebony fret boards can make it really difficult for the string tension to have much of an effect since they are tougher and more sturdy than other typical maple and rosewood necks.

So for the next few days I'm going to just let the strings do their magic and see how it progresses. It's funny with all the research I've been doing about this, I have yet to find a real post about this problem and how to fix it....almost 99% of the posts are about taking a neck from backbow to straight. Hopefully someone else can learn from my situation if they find their neck has no relief at all.


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Post subject: Re: Fans of Strat Plus and Strat Ultra
Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 3:32 pm
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bluesdeluxe82 wrote:
Okay guys a bit of update on my neck/tross rod issue I was having. I picked up my Les Paul today from my tech and showed him my newly acquired Ultra. I told him that I wasn't able to get any relief in the neck at all and that the truss rod was started to get a bit too tough to turn for my comfort.

He looked at it and said that the truss rod was almost completely loosened and that loosening it anymore could result in the nut or end bolt to come undone (not sure what the tech name for it is). He said that having a neck that was too straight even with the Truss Rod completely loosened was actually a better problem to have then not being able to get it straightened with the truss rod maxed out in the tighten mode.

His suggestion was to tighten down the floating bridge and put 10s on the guitar and even tune it up 1/2 a step to let the strings really start pulling on the neck. He thought within a week or so the neck should start to develop some relief with that much string tension and eventually I might even have to add some tightness back into the TR. He also said that the quality of those necks with the Ebony fret boards can make it really difficult for the string tension to have much of an effect since they are tougher and more sturdy than other typical maple and rosewood necks.

So for the next few days I'm going to just let the strings do their magic and see how it progresses. It's funny with all the research I've been doing about this, I have yet to find a real post about this problem and how to fix it....almost 99% of the posts are about taking a neck from backbow to straight. Hopefully someone else can learn from my situation if they find their neck has no relief at all.

Well I just learned something. I had read all these years about the Plus and Ultra guitars having a biflex truss rod, thinking it could bow the neck either direction because of it's design. But looking back at the Fender's advertising (see the 1998 Sale brochure below) the truth is Fender is saying it bows the concave shape of the neck in two places. Thus bi-flex. This is more controlled and accurate to get the relieve at the 8th fret. And here all this time I was thinking it would bow the neck either direction!!!!! ummmmm! Hope the strings pull the neck back where it should be!

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Post subject: Re: Fans of Strat Plus and Strat Ultra
Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:31 am
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I think you were right the first time, Jeff.
From Fender's knowledge base:

The Bi-Flex Truss Rod (used on most American and American Deluxe Series instruments) was designed by Fender in the early 1980's. Unlike most truss rods, which allow only convex neck adjustments (back bow), the Bi-Flex allows you to adjust for either a concave or convex bow. If you tighten the truss rod nut it bows the neck backwards. As you loosen the nut you will find the neck's neutral position (the truss rod is not in use). If you continue to loosen the nut you will feel a renewed tightening as the rod pushes against the walnut dowel causing the neck to bow forward.

Here's the link:
http://www.fender.com/support/articles/bi-flex-truss-rod

You know the advertising department never gets things quite right! :roll:


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Post subject: Re: Fans of Strat Plus and Strat Ultra
Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:39 am
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@bluesdeluxe82-
I have heard of another case similar to yours, though I'm not too sure how appropriate the sloution employed was.
Anyway, a friend of a friend's step-son's ex-mother-in-law's boyfriend had this problem. Solution was to loosen the truss rod to neutral, place the neck in a vise (this was done by a luthier, btw) bend the neck to the proper position, then snug up the truss rod to hold the neck in the proper position.
So, if the less abrupt method of using string tension to pull the neck into shape doesn't work, this may be something to consider. Just make sure it is done by somebody qualified with insurance. Not in a garage with a bench vise.


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Post subject: Re: Fans of Strat Plus and Strat Ultra
Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 7:31 am
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wrvond wrote:
I think you were right the first time, Jeff.
From Fender's knowledge base:

The Bi-Flex Truss Rod (used on most American and American Deluxe Series instruments) was designed by Fender in the early 1980's. Unlike most truss rods, which allow only convex neck adjustments (back bow), the Bi-Flex allows you to adjust for either a concave or convex bow. If you tighten the truss rod nut it bows the neck backwards. As you loosen the nut you will find the neck's neutral position (the truss rod is not in use). If you continue to loosen the nut you will feel a renewed tightening as the rod pushes against the walnut dowel causing the neck to bow forward.

Here's the link:
http://www.fender.com/support/articles/bi-flex-truss-rod

You know the advertising department never gets things quite right! :roll:

Well, if I was right all these years, bluesdeluxe82 should be able to do what I was suggesting, and that was to turn the truss rod counterclockwise till the biflex rod puts a curve into the neck enough to give him some relief (no pun intended!). I have always thought this was how they worked but never really had to bend the neck the other way to get it to work properly.

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Post subject: Re: Fans of Strat Plus and Strat Ultra
Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 11:08 am
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Well for whatever reason the truss rod is not changing the relief in the neck at all when loosened. If my tech says he thinks it's close to the end of the range then I'm not going to risk it. The only other person I would trust would be Jeff since you've worked on so many Plus and Ultras and are pretty much the in all be all :)

In the mean time, I've tuned the guitar up about a step and used this method...might make some heads cringe but it seems like this should eventually work. Don't worry I'm monitoring it and giving it a break every 4 hours or so.

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Post subject: Re: Fans of Strat Plus and Strat Ultra
Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 11:29 am
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bluesdeluxe82 wrote:
Well for whatever reason the truss rod is not changing the relief in the neck at all when loosened. If my tech says he thinks it's close to the end of the range then I'm not going to risk it. The only other person I would trust would be Jeff since you've worked on so many Plus and Ultras and are pretty much the in all be all :)

In the mean time, I've tuned the guitar up about a step and used this method...might make some heads cringe but it seems like this should eventually work. Don't worry I'm monitoring it and giving it a break every 4 hours or so.

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Question...Have you tired sitting on it???? also is 2 springs enough to pull the bridge flush to the body while you have the string tension pulled up?

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