I can confirm this is correct as I just installed a set of the F/S locking tuners on my '09 AmStd Strat a couple of weeks ago. Yep - 3 tall and 3 short. I was a little worried about this at first because the stock tuner set breaks down to 2 tall and 4 short - thought maybe I received a mal-packaged set. But I checked a new Am Deluxe in GC, (which comes stock with the F/S locking tuners), and they're also the 3 tall/3short arrangement.

How important is it to follow Fender's recommendation for stringing the locking tuners ala' the "clock face" method with eyelets at positions 5-4-3-2-1? Would not doing so affect tuning stability? I've only installed one set of strings since installing the tuners and just ran the eyelets straight up and down (N. & S.), but tuning stability was actually better with the stock tuners (on all strings). Naturally, I'll follow their recommendation on the next string change but just wanted to get the experts' opinions.

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Then again, what do I know ... I've only been playin' for 6 months ... !

Thanks for that! Do you still have the string tree in use? By the way just to point out my strat only has the B,E, sting tree.

Just been looking at this vid, deluxe locking tuners and a string tree for the B & E:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdJbSVPk ... re=related

Well, yeah ... even Fender's website shows the SSS Am Deluxe as having the string tree. The HSS version of the Deluxe doesn't have the tree, but the HSS also has the LSR nut, whereas the SSS version doesn't. Guess Fender feels the tree isn't necessary with the LSR nut.

However ... as my sig shows, I'm rather new to this world but from what I've gathered here, nothing about a guitar is set in stone and even identical models can be individually, very different. I'm using the tree (B and high E) now, but during the next string change, I'm going to experiment with leaving it out and see if it makes an improvement.

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Then again, what do I know ... I've only been playin' for 6 months ... !

Thanks man! If anyone can tell me if the string tree is ok to be used with locking tuners they would make me very happy...i cant see a reason why not, as how does the tuner know whether your using HSS or SSS...hmmmm. It seems that string trees are there to stop resonance after the nut?...im getting confused..lol!

I have three Strats with locking tuners. One has 2 string trees. The other two have none. However the other two also have the LSR roller nut so that prolly has a lot to do with the absence of trees. Curiously, I was a little confused when I read some of these posts about there being only two heights so I went and checked and sure enough the 2 without trees only have 2 heights but the one with trees definitely has 3 heights. The set with 3 heights is not a Fender/Schaller set, it's a Schaller set and uses the screws instead of the locator pins. These were aftermarket which I bought (for a project that went sideways) about a year before I bought the guitar and the other 2 sets were OEM.

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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.

String trees are there to increase the pressure of the string to the nut. This is done by increasing the break angle. yes it is to isolate vibration behind the nut. The whole point of the staggered tuners is to accomplish the same thing. (The locking clamp is for a different purpose.) So if either the staggered tuner or the tree is doing its job, then the other should be unnecessary.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Thanks BMW so one of your strats has trees and a standard nut with lockers? and if the guitar did not have the LSR nut then a string tree would be needed?

I just replaced my tuners on my American Standard Ash with Fender locking tuners. They dropped right in. It took me all but 30 minutes to install them. I even used the same strings. Love these new tuners.

I have also found that my guitar stays in tune better with these new tuners.

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Calling an illegal alien an undocumented immigrant is like calling a drug dealer an undocumented pharmicist.

I'm not really sure what info or direction can be gleaned from my Strats other than the fact there is a such thing as staggered tuners with 3 heights. The one with trees came with standard sealed tuners and since I already had a set of lockers laying around the house which I bought for a different project that never happened, I installed them. The guitar already had trees and I left them on. It works fine. That guitar is set up with a full float (50/50) trem and I have no tuning issues with it beyond what is typical. The other two guitars both have LSR nuts and the trees were likely left off at the factory to reduce friction behind the nut. Any other Strats I have owned in the past I have not paid much attention to in those issues and none of them had lockers anyway.

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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.

Here is what I have done when I installed my Schaller/Fender Locking tuners on my Highway 1. Initially I strung up my guitar just like the owner manual states, 5, 4, 3, 3, 2, 1 clock positions. I did not use the string trees at all, but left them on the headstock. The next time I changed strings I did it the same way except I used the string trees. I did not notice a differece. On my next time, I strung them up without doing the clock positions. Still did not notice much of a difference, except having to retune just a little bit more often. Then I changed the strings from 9's to 10's. I had it professionally set-up and intonated. They used the string trees. On my last string change, I did not use the string trees and used the clock method.

IMHO I think the clock method, and not using the string trees is the best method. That is what I am doing now. Feel free to experiment and see what you like and works the best for you.

RK