i'm getting my squier vm strat set up for the first time and i'm gonna do the usual to it (what i do on my mim)...

i set my strats action pretty low to give me some speed and i put the trem in a floating position cause i use the trem a lot and since i only play standard and drop d i'm putting ernie ball slinky 0.09 strings on my strat

do you guys think this setup is reliable? how do you setup your strats?

I've been setting mine up for over 30 years,I set the strings close to the recommended heighth from the frets,and I set the bridge flush to the body keeping all 5 springs hooked up...just personal preference.
I adjust the pickups balancing the sound to what sounds the best.I have always been satisfied with these results,but I had a fret lowering and recrown job performed by a great guitar tech here in the Nashville area and when he put the neck back on and set everything up he got the guitar playing perfectly....the best I've ever had....the guy has the touch!

darn i wish i had a tech like that... i got my mim setup a few months ago by a tech here in portugal but i wasn't satisfied with anything but the slinkys (i was using d'addarios until then) the action was too high and the tremolo was floating but it was so noisy i might need to give it another setup soon cause i'm not satisfied with it darn i tried out a guitar setup by a tech in toronto (i went there last year) it played perfectly and the neck was real comfortable (this just happens to be the squier vm strat i have now) i wish i didn't have to cross an ocean to setup a guitar

Hmm. Sounds like a case for the Flying Fret Doktor. I wonder where in Portugal you live, Ralf, and whether it is somewhere interesting the Doktor would like to visit? What's the weather like with you right now?

'Course, the Doktor is mighty expensive. A guy can always learn to do this stuff for himself. It ain't black magic, just a few logical adjustments...

Cheers - C

_________________

hey ceri long time no see good to know some things didn't change in a month i live close to coimbra i guess i could solve this myself but come by anytime ... i don't mind fixing up intonation and string height and stuff but the tremolo and neck tension are harder for me to do i guess i could learn more on setups... by the way, what should i do if i get fret buzz on the first fret of the 5th string?

Hmm: looks nice. And a Google image search finds other interesting looking things in that town too. Mr & Mrs C have been known to take city-breaks in Portugal and no doubt will again sometime. We do love that white port wine! Let's add Coimbra to the to-do list.

Meantime:

First thing is to check the nut, and the unscientific way to do it is this. Fret the string at the first fret and study the gap between the top of the third fret and the underside of the string. Now fret the string at the third fret and study the gap between the top of the first fret and the underside of the string. If those gaps are more or less the same then the nut is probably cut just about right. If the second gap is significantly bigger than the first it means the nut slot is too high and needs further cutting. If the second gap is smaller than the first, or there is no gap at all, it means the slot is already too low and you need a new nut. If you are getting buzzing at the first fret this may well be the cause.

There are more accurate ways of doing it, but this method is a rough and ready first way of seeing if there might be a problem. Do that check and let us know how you get on.

Cheers - C

_________________

great... i'll give it a shot if you're ever in the neighbourhood don't be a stranger leave a message

Will do.

Cheers - C

_________________

.011s with a wound 3rd
flats for surf/lounge
rounds for "general use"
Fairly low action
vibrato a half step for jazz/lounge, full step for surf/exotica
pro setups by Third Coast Guitars in Chicago

i set them up by putting the tremolo down against the body so when i break a string the rest stay in tune

I do not use the tremolo, so I usually loosen the tremolo on the guitar top and tighten down the tremolo claw on the back and add another spring. I get the action lower than what Fender recommends to keep the action low with the tremolo being flush against the body.

_________________
"Epitaph on a blues musician’s tombstone: “I didn’t wake up this morning”" Davy Knowles


facebook.com/313DBC

From the back:
5 springs....bridge flush to body. I don't use the whammy much....no Dive Bombing for me!!! Just little chordal affectations like the SRV song 'Lenny".
Relatively heavy strings....bass side anyway....E.B. Skinny Top/Heavy Bottom .010-.052.
Never took a proper measurement....but I have HIGH action......enough to get my link sausage-like fingers underneath the string to shake the heck out of it!! I just mess with the Allen key until it feels right!

I have this sort of setup on ALL 11 Fender Stratocasters except for 1....# 12....my 2002 American Deluxe Fat Strat....I run a standard set of .010-.047 strings on her because the .052 "E" string will not fit into my roller nut properly......

_________________
I refuse to have a battle of the wits with an unarmed man!