Hey Fellas! I've got a 98 strat here and i put 13's onto it (i whack the thing)
. when i tuned it up the bridge is really sticking out at something like a 40 degree angle! i stretched the strings like always but im a bit worried about it any advice!??

All you have to do is loosen the strings some, take the plate off of the back of the guitar, and tighten the two screws that point at the neck some, and then retune the guitar. You can get the bridge to any height you want by balancing string tension with the springs in the back of the guitar.

thanks man just did it and worked a treat! im useless at lookin after guitars i may learn a bit about it!

...also, you may want to add another spring.

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-MidAtlantic Product Specialist

"6 Strings and 22 Frets are all I need"

And check the relief in the neck, it's bound to need some straightening!

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2005 American Deluxe Strat
1999 Les Paul Standard
Boogie Recto Solo 50
Boogie Recto 2x12 cab

cheers for both the above comments but ye may explain more for me im useless at repairs!

In the back of the guitar where you adjusted the screws there are some springs (probably three). When you put on heavy strings, they pull on these springs a lot. You could add more springs to compensate and take some of the strain off of the springs. Neck relief is how much the neck curves. If you look down the side of the neck, you can see that it bends slightly upwards. When you put heavy strings on the guitar, they pull on the neck and make it bend up more. This can make the strings sit very high above the fretboard (a "high" action). If the neck is too curved, you can adjust it by tightening the truss rod. Search the internet for truss rod adjustment and read about it some. It isn't too hard, but if you don't feel safe doing it, get someone who has done it before to teach you how.

thanks a million u guys are great! the neck seems fine with the strings better than ever actually! do u tink that i mite need another spring? there are only two in it? wud i be causing tha guitar damage without a 3rd spring and such heavy strings?

It shouldn't damage the guitar. The springs could stretch over time, but I doubt it will be much. If you use the tremolo a lot though your guitar might stay in tune better with a few more springs.

Putting 13's on a strat setup for 9's is a recipe for disaster. Do a complete setup and then intonate that bad boy. Here is the Fender setup guide http://www.fender.com/support/stratocaster.php

I've used heavy gauge strings on mine for years, no problems at all. One thing though, I'm constantly tuned down a half step or more, so there's not that much tension on the guitar as there would be if it were tuned to standard.

It's no big deal really and there'll be no harm done. If your gonna put heavy strings on your guitar, it is gonna throw everything off and the whole guitar will need to be setup again, intonation, your prefered neck relief, tremelo springs tightened, pickup height will need adjusting, you'll either need to reslot your nut or have a new one slotted for it to compensate for the bigger strings and if you have the small vintage style frets, those bigger strings will have them looking like teeth on a saw in no time, especially since the frets are not of a higher quality as those that are on more expensive guitars.

whenever you changed you strings to a higher gauge the tremolo will spring up you have to tighten it from the back of the guitar, don't be worried though

Only two springs? I would highly recommend at least one more spring in the back.... it will help a lot and will give you more sustain... and also check the intonation at the saddles.. because that changes a LOT when you switch to a heavy gauge