I am the ecstatic owner of a new American Deluxe Strat! It's been a dream of mine since I was teenager to own one. Back then there was only one to choose from and you could have any color you wanted as long as it was sunburst. Now I've finally got one and I love it! My only problem is getting it set up right. The guys at the music store have set it up for me but warned me it might need some "tweaking". Yep, it sho' do. Are there any secrets I should know about?

Welcome to the Forum. Here a link to the instruction manual:

http://www.fender.com/support/stratocaster.php

It should help you tweak it just right. I never heard of a set-up needing tweaked though.

RK

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

Depends on how much you work on guitars, but you question kind of answered that.

I'd say these are the basic things to tweak...

String Height
- most people set this as low as it can go without too much fret buzzing when you're playing.

Pickup Height
- some people tend to set this too high. Too close to the strings can get in the way of picking, make the tone too hot (depending on your style of playing) and create excessive magnetic pull on the string (causing very slight intonation issues)

Intonation
- this is major to a lot of people. You want your saddles at the right distance so that any chord you can play all over the neck will still be in tune. (http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/Elec ... nation.htm)




- intonation
- pickup height

Great Guitars, Ive had one for three years and you just know when a guitar is going to be with you for a very long time....

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Fender Strat USA deluxe
Gibson SG with Classic 57 humbuckers
Gordon Smith GS1 with P90
Orange Rocker 30
Orange Tiny Terror

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Dean, Epiphone and Fender guitars

Congratulations, Donmac! It's a great thing when you get your hands on a guitar you've always wanted!

Donnmac

You'd be better served by finding a friend who does that kind of stuff and getting them to show you in person. Theres nothing to difficult in setup but as Dgonz says its easy to overdo things. I raise my string height from fender measurements, my pickups are lower, i only set intonation my ear or strobe tuner.

Why you ask?

Cos its the way i like it, based on a few years of mucking about trying different things.

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No no and no

I would recommend getting a book on guitar setup and maintenance.There is a fella named Dan Erliwine that people rave about.I have done some inotation work on mine .Its something everyone should learn how to do IMHO.

Thanks for the great suggestions. I want this guitar to be "perfect" if there's any such thing. I waited a long LONG time to get it and I'm not going to stop haunting my music shop until it is the way I want it.
By the way, I'd just like to mention that although I picked it out, it was my wife's birthday present to me. How great is that?

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Donnmac

'09 American Deluxe Strat Sunburst Rosewood
'63 Les Paul Jr SG body
'80's Fender F 15 Acoustic
'09 Larrivee D 03RE
'09 Squier Affinity J Bass
'10 Martin D12X1AE
'66 Traynor YGM1 (tube)
'08 Traynor TRM30
'11 G-DEC 30 Blues
'09 Fender Rumble 15

The Haynes Fender Strat Manual is my bible. And yes, it is the Haynes company that did maintenance manuals for cars!

I assume your guitar has the Fender SCN noiseless pickups? What do you make of them?

Congrats - How about some pics?

Geeez - all we get in the US Amazon under Haynes is underwear. I guess a couple of extra pair could come in handy if he REALLY screws something up!

I assume your guitar has the Fender SCN noiseless pickups? What do you make of them?

I think they're great, although I don't have a lot to compare them to. They're a lot quieter than the P90 on my Jr. and without any effects they're very clean and.....they just sound really good! I like all the tonal variations I can get with that S-1 switch.

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Donnmac

'09 American Deluxe Strat Sunburst Rosewood
'63 Les Paul Jr SG body
'80's Fender F 15 Acoustic
'09 Larrivee D 03RE
'09 Squier Affinity J Bass
'10 Martin D12X1AE
'66 Traynor YGM1 (tube)
'08 Traynor TRM30
'11 G-DEC 30 Blues
'09 Fender Rumble 15

Congrats. You have a very nice guitar that will last you a lifetime. My suggestion is to set the guitar up so it feels "right" to you and forget everybody else. If you like a higher action; set it that way, etc... The settings listed in the manual are guidelines only and the guitar will still sound great and play best when it feels perfect in your hands. You can not damage your guitar with experimental adjustments, however I do advise you pick up Mr Erlewine's Guitar Player Repair Manual for the nearest source you can find. It's every player's responsibility to know how to care for their instrument; this is also a pleasure for most of us as well. Take care of it and enjoy!

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60th Anniversary AD Strat, Deluxe Nashville Tele, Player's P Bass. Mesa/Boogie Mk IV combo, Marshall JCM800, 1960A cab, Genz Benz El Diablo 60, Genz 2x12" cab, too many neat little practice amps and kit projects!

^^^^ +1 Excellent advise!