i got the Fender Stratocaster Lonestar about 2 weeks ago and i love it until last night half way through playing my first gig with this guitar the bridge dropped and snapped a string and pulled the whole guitar a step and a half higher.
When i first got the guitar i did think the bridge was rather high but as this is my first Fender i didnt think about it as it played fine but now the bridge seems to run flush with the body of the guitar and it sill plays fine and stays in tune but i'm just a bit worried why this happend after having it from new only 2 weeks ago.
any ideas?
thanks guys

Hi hughzie55,

Sounds to me like it was the string breaking that caused the bridge to drop, not the other way around. With a typical floating bridge on a Strat, the loss of tension from a broken string will allow the trem springs in the back of the guitar to pull the bridge down, causing higher pitch on the other strings, this is normal. Replacing the broken string and re-tuning should bring the bridge back close to where it was before. There may be a small difference in bridge height depending on which new string is used.

Changing string gauges, or alternate tunings, will also cause the bridge height to change. You might consider having the setup checked if you change anything.

_________________
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thanks for that,
but honestly i dont think this should happen i thought that maybe the guitar wasnt set up when i got it and now the bridge has dropped into the place it should be...
when it dropped the claw screws holding the bridge were extremely loose!
im really confused and quite worried

This is normal, as I explained, string breaks and bridge drops, don't worry. You should definitely have your guitar checked out, and professionally set up. Maybe you can watch and learn about how the trem works on a Strat while they do it. Do you use the trem bar? And are you using the same gauge strings that came on it?

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

i dont use the trem bar at all and im using the strings that came on it ive not done anything to the guitar since i got it... i will phone some shops tommorrow to see if any of them have time to have a look at it thanks for replying!

Just a suggestion, but since you don't use the bar, you can have the set up with the bridge flush to the body, and trem claw screws tightened down, maybe even add more springs, so that the bridge doesn't move, even when bending strings. This way when you break a string, the other strings will still be in tune. Just ask the person doing the set up about doing this.

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

i will ask whoever i go and see about it tommorow!
thanks alot for your help!
also do you know much about the Fender Fm100 amp???
i have the head and cab of the Fm 100 series and im finding it quite difficult to find a good tone apart form when i use the humbucker and mid pickups together thtough my amp!
any ideas?

No, sorry. I would suspect that it's just the nature of the amp combined with that guitar, and both pups just sound best with that amp and guitar combination. I usually favor one selector switch position on a guitar, and some other positions might sound better on another amp. I say that less is more when it comes to the gain and tone settings on an amp to get the best tone. Often I find people want everything to 11 (especially the gain ) on the settings and the tone is awful. Maybe start with most amp knobs set very low, and only increase each one a little bit at a time if needed. For example, if you want more bass, try decreasing the treble and mid a bit first, before increasing the bass. Keep the gain and tone knobs down, and use more of the volume.

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

you seem to know your stuff appriciate the replies, there really helpful thank you

Just so you know, I'm not a professional musician. There are a lot of pro players here, and it is usually a good idea to get some input from other members, as usually the team effort works well around here. Yeah, I sometimes get it right, but there are lot's of tastes out there, and here.

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

I agree with shimmilou on 2 points. First, have your guitar set up by a pro at your local music shop. Second, if you dont use use the tremelo, set the bridge all the way down on the body. In my opinion, you can get a better set up with lower bridge and saddles.