Hi all, can anyone help me? I have a 62 reissue strat from 1996 and the bass E strings intonation is always flat, I've tried adjusting the saddle and followed the exact measurements for adjusting the truss rod to give a little more neck relief, but all with no effect. I would appreciate any help at all as this has me pretty stumped.

You're experiencing a pretty common thing. I had an American Deluxe that had a low E that was always a little sharp once I got higher than the 7th fret. I adjusted the saddle as far back as I could without actually cutting the spring. I do all my own setups, mods, etc. Actually pretty much anything except cutting or routing wood(I dont have that much confidence), so I brought it to the luthier I use, who is the best in the greater Boston area. I figured he could do a real good setup and adjust it. When I brought it down, he played it for a while, took measurements, then told me that it was perfectly setup already, and that sometimes, there really isnt much you can do for the slight intonation problems. If you dont know how to do a setup (although I assume you know something since you were adjusting the truss rod), bring it for a full setup. Since the guitar's 13 years old, it may need a fret dressing to get the frets level if they're not at this point. I also have a reissue with a 62 neck, and the 11 gauge strings I use and the heavy bending I do, mostly on the G and B string, causes the frets to wear down pretty quick, especially in the fret area below those 2 strings. That could definitely affect intonation. I ended up just living with the slightly sharp pitch. It wasnt even anything I could really hear, it was just when I was checking the tuning and intonation with a strobe tuner, it said it was sharp. A decent tech/luthier should be able to tell you the problem, the question will be if it is because you need the frets dressed, is it enough of an issue to spend the $$. You dont really want to dress those vintage size frets too many times, due to the fact there isnt much meat on them to begin with. Good Luck......

It could be something as simple as "magnet pull" the pup being too close to the string can also cause that problem.I had it happen once and I was almost driven mad by it until a tech buddy of mine told me about it.

_________________
'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

That's what I'm thinking.

For myself, I prefer a more articulate bass not trying for a Fender Precision on a Strat. This amounts of course to lower (than spec) bass-side pickup heights.

This also accounts I think for what many can term "muddiness" when trying to make a Strat sound "big."

Many players these days have their guitars set up with the pups too close to the strings and it does have an impact on tuning and intonation among other things.

_________________

Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Thanks for the advice, my next port of call was going to be my local tech but thought i'd inquire online first. To be honest you could be right about the frets, as when I push down hard on the 12th it does correct the problem. I was considering having it re-fretted with dunlop 6105's, but as you say it's a bit of a pricey option. Any ways thanks for taking the time to reply.

I have a 62 reissue that was my main ax for over a decade and is probably my favorite ax I ever owned.The guitar is moded with Dimarzio fast tracks and is a classic rock tone machine. I would agree with Windwalker that you more than likely need a fret dressing as I used to have the same problem. I would also check all the frets to see how the wear is if there are any grooves or gouges. Sometimes you will notice just a slight flattening of a few frets. I eventually needed a refret in which I used medium jumbo wire like on my Beck Strat and it really worked wonders on that ax. But you are not near that situation yet .Just get them dressed and your problem will be solved.

How about the fender setup specks for pickup height???

At the very top of this page go to Support/How-To Guides and choose your guitar.

_________________

Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Yeah I have I meant I've heard 50 50 responces on fender setups been good and bad