How to I raise the individual bridge saddles on my strat? It's a mexican standard with the rounded saddles and 6 pt trem. Is it a hex wrench or a screwdriver or do I just take pliers and twist the bottom of the screw? They seem to be upside down with the bottom coming up through the saddle. Thanks

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[08 MIM Standard Arctic White] > [Danelectro Fish n Chips EQ > Radial Texas Bones OD > Tonerider British Distortion > Electroharmonix Russian Big Muff Pi > Vox V847 Wah] > FM65R

You use an allen key. Specifically a 1.5mm, at least that's what I use for my strats.
You can pick up a set of allen keys(or hex wrenches like you called them) for not much money at any hardware store. If a 1.5mm doesn't work, just try them all out and see what works. A bonus is that it will also come with the size you use to adjust the truss rod.

Happy playing!

sweet thanks! so it just goes in the top of the saddle screw?

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[08 MIM Standard Arctic White] > [Danelectro Fish n Chips EQ > Radial Texas Bones OD > Tonerider British Distortion > Electroharmonix Russian Big Muff Pi > Vox V847 Wah] > FM65R

Yup!
Just put it right the hole on the top. Clock-wise to raise and counter clock-wise to lower.
Things you have to remember:
Keeping the saddles level. So what you do to one screw, you do to the other.

AND

Check your intonation after you adjust the saddle height. Just a thing to keep it sounding it's best!

Working on the intonation now - but I'm running into the same problem i've always found when intonating. My unfretted string is a perfect Eb (I tune 1/2 step down). My 12th fret harmonic is the same. 12th fretted note is slightly sharper, so I lengthen the string by moving the saddle back. When my 12th fretted note is a perfect Eb, my open string is slightly flat, so I tune up. Now my 12th fretted note is exactly as sharp as it was before adjusting the saddle position. It just seems to keep going back and forth and I don't know what to do. Any help?

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[08 MIM Standard Arctic White] > [Danelectro Fish n Chips EQ > Radial Texas Bones OD > Tonerider British Distortion > Electroharmonix Russian Big Muff Pi > Vox V847 Wah] > FM65R

Brian Strat

Check your trem screws to see if they have binded the trem plate. Try to keep the 6 screws evenly as possible and don't overtighten them. If you have the 2 point trem disregard.

+1

Binded trem screws will definitely affect intonation and tuning.

ALSO, check the intonation adjustment screw to see if it hasn't binded in the hole it goes through on the trem.

Other things that can affect intonation is old strings, as well as the peak of the frets not being centered.
How old is the guitar? and when was the last time you, if ever, had the frets re-dressed and leveled?

It's no older than 08, possibly 09. I don't remember exactly which. It's a 6 point trem. I had a tech intonate it a while ago and it was perfect, but I can't seem to do it myself. I can see the saddle visibly moving when I twist the screw so I know it's not that. I'll loosen the trem plate screws to see if that helps. Haven't had the frets dressed but like I said the intonation was perfect until I raised the bridge saddles so I don't think the frets are the issue

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[08 MIM Standard Arctic White] > [Danelectro Fish n Chips EQ > Radial Texas Bones OD > Tonerider British Distortion > Electroharmonix Russian Big Muff Pi > Vox V847 Wah] > FM65R

Hmmm.

How high have you raised the saddles?
It might be that, they're so high, that as you press down to fret the note, the string is being pulled enough that it's going sharp.

Don't do any of it with your strings tight. Make adjustments tune then check and repeat until you have it right.

Please read through this before working on your strat for first time,
http://www.fender.com/support/articles/ ... etup-guide

Also, check your neck relief (bow). Too much relief and you have to push the string farther to fret it, making it sharp AND with way too much bow, you are shortening your scale length so much that the intonation adjustment may not have enough travel to intonate properly!

It is a Tempered system, meaning it is not possible to have exact notes at all frets exactly on pitch. That is the trade off of a guitar. Some luthiers have actually angled the frets on the fretboard to compensate for that discrepancy but it will never be perfect.

(1) That being said using a digital tuner, you need to match all strings EADGBE as an open and at the 12th fret. this requires moving the saddles string contact point forward towards the neck, or backwards toward the rear of the bridge. You will need to loosen the string to move it, bring it back up to pitch, check intonation and repeat the process if needed.
(2) Your nut string slots must be rounded at the bottom where the strings rest on the nut.
the string must be snug but not so tight it binds.
(3) The bottom of the nut slots must correspond to the curvature of the fretboard between the 1st fret and the nut. Height adjustment of bottom of string to top of 1st fret is up to your preference, but a general ruule is an .035 measured with a feeler gauge.
(4) Equally, the saddles in their height setting must also match the curvature of your fretboard at the 19-20th fret. String height again is up to preference.

Judging from your initial question, take your guitar to a tech, in the meantime I would highly recommend getting a hold of Paul Balmer's book " The Fender Stratocaster Book " it is about setting up, maintaining, troubleshooting and modifying Strats.
It's a great educative book but I would not do anything until a good tech can walk you thru the DIY regular maintenance and adjustments periodically needed on a guitar.

P.S. When setting intonation you must tune back up to E, not be at a flatted Eb. your intonation will not work at that frequency.

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He should not attempt to adjust the truss-rod, from the OP this guitar needs to see a tech.
I can envision irreparable damage at this point as he does not know what to look for as of yet, or how to correctly adjust.

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Yeah I'm not going to touch the truss rod. I think I'm gonna end up taking it to a tech next week anyway, I'll see if there's some way I can sit in on it.



Eb is the tuning I want this guitar in. Last time I took it to the tech he asked specifically for the tuning I wanted to keep it in and set it up for.

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[08 MIM Standard Arctic White] > [Danelectro Fish n Chips EQ > Radial Texas Bones OD > Tonerider British Distortion > Electroharmonix Russian Big Muff Pi > Vox V847 Wah] > FM65R

Eb is the tuning you return to after setting up the intonation. your intonation is set up according to the scale of your guitar and the distance is from nut to saddles.
For proper intonation, at the 12th fret your tuner must read the same frequency.
You would have to redesign the guitar if you wanted to tune to different tunings
If you tune to drop D or to Open G or to DADGAD, the formula does not change. you tune to whatever tuning you wish after the intonation is set correctly.
Your tech is mistaken... if your intonation is off from the scale it was designed for , you will never be able to have your guitar in tempered tuning...period..

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