Hey Guys!!

I got my Am Std Strat in January and obviously it came with 9's which I immediately didnt get along with (like playing on rubber bands) so I changed them for 10's Ive adjusted the truss rod and attempted to set action and all that but my guitar still buzzes like $@!&, Just FYI I put 2 extra springs in the back plus screwed the claw down so that the bridge dont float, It still changed tune if you push it hard enough but it takes a bit..... but yeah

So.....

1. Can anybody help me with this,

and

2. What will I need to do if I was to place 11's on it

Thanks, Jack.

No magic answer to this problem. You guitar just needs a basic, proper setup.

I'm not sure your truss rod is properly adjusted, probably to tight = neck too straight= no ay strings can move without touching metal frets.
siamese is right ; a basic set up and i must say a well done basic set up

if you want to put 0.011 , each nut slot for each sting need some file. Nut slot for the standard 0.009 string is good for 0.010 but need work for 0.011 string. After that , a basic set up; truss rod , tremolo spring ........

I know Fender recomends 4/64" for action height on the Am. Stan. but its too much buzz for me. I use 10's on mine and set action at 5/64" first string and 6/64" on sixth string. This gives me buzz free playing. You say you are using 5 springs with claw screwed down and can still change tuning by pushing hard on the bridge? This should not be if done properly. Do you have some relief around 7th and 8th fret, should be about ten thousandth.

I can have 1/64 less than fender spec without no buzz . I have a lot of experience and proper tool to do set up. MY neck relief is 11th thousandth a 8 thh fret.

My set-up problem is similar to Jack's - string buzz at the fifth fret area - trying to change from 9's to 11's - but now I'm trying 10's - but still getting the buzz.

Sort of basic question - are all of the adjustments on the Strat (mine is a Strat Ultra 1993) done with normal allen wrenches? The one for adjusting the height of the saddles seems to be quite small, if I have it I can't find it, and probably will need to get another. String buzz problem is actually the same on Squier Tele I'm working on as well.

Any hints for a novice on doing Fender set-ups - I've always preferred taking mine to a pro, now I'm stuck overseas with no tech in sight (unless anyone knows one in jakarta).

Fender guitar use standard /normal allen wrench . Be carefull to use agood quality allen . Some are cheap and are loose on allen screw and can dammage it.
thechas7 there are few good books how to do a good set up on guitar. Buy one studdy it and enjoy your guitar with a good set up.

I agree with the above.

Good luck to ya. I'm sure after a proper set-up that you're guitar will sound great. Fender makes quality products!

But personally, I leave my guitars with the string guages they come with from the factory. But even then they need to be set-up properly.

9's are great. I read that Jimi Hendrix played 9's and sometimes lighter. Jimmy Page I think played 8's. Yes, my 9's feel light compared to 10's on my Schecter PT (Tele Copy) and not as heavy sounding as the PT...but for blues, 9's are great! I have my strings set low and I'm able to bend effortlessly and its a pleasure to play. 10's are harder to bend on but I can play really hard on them since my strings are also set higher.

Its all about how you play and the sound you're after. But personally, I don't like 11's...too thick for blues/rock IMHO but great for down-tuning- Metal.

Thanks, that actually helped quite a bit - just to figure out that the string height adjusted with a normal (but REALLY small) allen got me started. There are a few Youtube videos on basic setup and now I have the Ultra playing like it used to. Seems like I have just a little bit higher fifth fret action than I did when it was new, but taking it lower adds buzz. Might be because I'm using 10's now rather than 9's.

Big strings put more tension at the tremolo springs raising the bridge and also could bow the neck and action became higher . If you only set action with saddles it will buzz like you see. You need a tremolo spring adjustment and probably truss rod adjustment .

Make sure you have about .006 - .008 relief - about the thickness of a business card measured at the 8th fret with a capo on the first fret and last fret. Adjust bridge saddles for Action of around 5 or 6/64th's on the thick strings, 1/64th less for the high strings. Measure height at the 12th fret with a capo on the first fret.

Pickups may also need to be lowered. Use the Bill Lawrence method - stack 2 nickles on the base pole piece lower pickup until the bottom of the string just touches the top of the nickle. Treble side - just use one nickle adjust the same way.

Set intonation last.

Do not touch the micro-tilt if you have one at this time. You really need to know what your doing to adjust it properly.

If all else fails pay to have a pro set it up. It will be the best money you will ever spend on a guitar.

It has been said here hundreds of times before, "Setting up a guitar is not Rocket Science." Well, the same can be said about a lot of things. Notwithstanding, it seems you need a complete setup. Now if you take it to a genuine professional (vs. some hack), you'll not only be elated with the results but the prolonged enjoyment from your guitar will be infinitely better than if you tried to do it yourself and that's the plain truth.

As always, this is merely IMO where YMMV.

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+1 Martian