Hi everyone, I really need help. I put on new strings and a day later I realized that the bridge was pulling up a lot. I had a friend look at it and he decided to change the bridge height. This made it go down but not enough. I then brought it in to get it fixed. The guy looked at it and said it need to be setup. But now looking back at it I'm not sure if he fixed the bridge. Is this a big problem if someone messed with the bridge/saddle screw to raise or lower the height?? Is my guitar sound messed up now forever?? Are you not supposed to mess with these screws at all?? Also, I can push the whammy bar down, but i can't pull up because the whammy bar hits the guitar when i pull up. I think it was setup this way but I'm not sure. Is this normal to have it setup this way if you aren't using it too much??
Basically, is it bad to mess with the screws to raise and lower the bridge and can it be fixed.
Thanks
P.S. I'm not sure cause i'm new to guitar but If I'm not mistaken I think I'm referring to trem posts.

Welcome to the world of the floating trem. First of all, you'll be relieved to know that there is absolutely nothing wrong with your guitar (based on what you've told us). Seems like you just need to make some adjustments to accommodate heavier strings. Was this the first time you changed the strings? What string gauges are did you replace them with?

well i put on ernie balls and then when they set up i put on fender super bullets 10's i think. but this is not the problem. the problem is the trem posts. my friend adjusted them.

You need to adjust the springs...Spring tension equals string tension..Or when you increase the string gauge, you have increased the pulling tension to the bridge top side. but if you did not add 1 or 2 springs then things are out of balance....The Fender trem system is actually based on a fulcrum system, underneath the bridge section of the 6 screws, the plate is beveled and this is your fulcrum point. This is the old/vintage design, the newer is the two point system , but both work on the same system.

There should be explanations in the support section of this site on how and where to optimally adjust your trem... If not a search should result in DIY's...

If you cannot find detailed enough info ask and some of us will look up the appropriate explanation.

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

i dont think you all understand. i dont care about the strings. i care about the adjustment of the trem posts. does this mess up ur guitar??

Take the guitar and flip it over. Remove the screws from the backplate. Take a screwdriver and give the two screws attached to the claw and body and give it half a turn each. See if the bridge lowers.

I think we need to know what guitar you have first. Is it a Stratocaster type or a Jazzmaster type?

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GUITAR: Fender USA JazzMaster.
BASS: Fender USA 58'AVRI
AMP: Fender USA SuperSonicTwin - Blonde.

After re-reading the original post a few times, I think he has a 2 point trem and after new strings were put on, the angle at the back became more pronounced due to the heavier strings and the height of the bridge saddles were then percieved to be too high
So to counteract this, his mate then screwed down the 2 pivot screws instead of slackening off the rear springs , so now, the trem sits too low at the fulcrum edge resulting in him not being able to pull up without the trem plate hitting the body at the front edge, just behind the pivot points
If that's the case, he needs to screw OUT the 2 screws to get a bit of height, (someone will know the correct height for this, I have a 6 screw trem) then tighten the springs on the back , so he has 2 way travel (and no, mate, it's not wrecked your guitar!!)

Ted

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Ted

"All right, guys, uh, listen. This is a blues riff in "B", watch me for the changes, and try and keep up, okay?"

yes thats correct ted j. i have fender american standard strat

Actually...You are misunderstanding, it doesn't matter wether it is a Two Point Trem or a Six Point (screw) Trem. It is still about string gauge to spring tension equality.
Here's a U-Tube Vid. with an explanation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7luUzgDwwcs

If you google --Stratocaster Two Point Trem Adjustment ---You will get quite a bit of info.
Info which you need to know in order to use your Strat, set it up and be able to play it without the Strat going out of tune or not working properly.

If you still don't feel comfortable doing these adjustments yourself, then take it to a Fender dealer tech and have them set it up while explaining what is going on..

I also suggest buying Paul Balmer's book " The Fender Stratocaster Handbook " 2nd edition.
There is a lot of info which you will find will save you money since a Fender Strat is basically a mechanical device as much as it is an instrument.
Leo Fender was an engineer, not a musician and therefore designed the Stratocaster to be user friendly. He understood that musicians were not well versed in repairing or setting up guitars and thus gave us a platform that allows almost everyone to adjust their own Strats with a bit of preliminary info/how to research.....

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

is it normal to have it setup so that u can't pull up? cause the guy asked me if i use the whammy bar a lot to pull up and i said no

You can set it up either way, but optimal is free floating so that you can raise or lower the pitch.
Keep in mind also that if you do not have locking tuners, an upgrade to them will be a great improvement, as well as making sure that (1) your nut is correctly slotted so that strings freely move forward or aft as you pull up or push down (2) it is either lubricated with graphite or just a tad of vaseline in the string slot...A toothpick is perfect as an application tool.
(3) the bridge saddles must be checked out to ensure that the strings are not binding since even though it is a short length from string ball end or bullet end to the saddles, the strings still expand and contract when you pull up or push down..(4) On the 2 point trem, where the bridge plate screws attach the plate, those must not bind with the plate, meaning that the slot of the plate that fits around each screw must not have any burrs which may cause a bind as the plate moves up or down.

I again suggest strongly to familiarize yourself with all the intricacies of setting up the Fender Trem, even if you have someone else set it up.There will come a time when you will need to adjust it yourself....
Last but not least make sure your intonation is correct.....At the twelth fret, the pitch of the fretted note should match the pitch of the twelfth fret harmonic.
If your intonation is off then the guitar will be even harder to play in tune and it will affect your trem's response....

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "