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Post subject: A Few Questions from a Nervous New EJ Strat Owner
Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 7:51 am
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I just bought a new EJ Strat and absolutely love it. I'm new to Fender and still really learning to play, and I have a few questions.

(1) I tried to install the whammy bar, which seemed simple enough based on what I read--screw it in. I couldn't get it to do what I think it is supposed to do, and thus did some research which got me nervous. First, I saw multiple warnings about not screwing the bar too far into the guitar. Then I read that you really only push down on the bar, don't pull up. Off course, now I'm nervous that I screwed the bar in too far, and when I was playing around with the bar I'm sure I pulled up on it a bit. In terms of screwing the bar in, I turned it until it felt snug and seemed in the correct position (kind of like turning in a screw and tightening it but not horsing it too tight). As I mentioned, I'm sure I pulled up on the thing as well, though certainly not with too much pressure. Is there any telltale way to know if I did any damage? The guitar is still in tune but now I'm hearing differences from before I installed the bar. I suspect it is just my imagination, but wanted to see what others might think re how any damage might manifest itself. (Frankly, I've given up on using the bar for now and just took it off.)

(2) I bought the guitar on-line. When I spoke to the seller they said they woulddo a setup, but I don't know if they actually did. Frankly, it looks like they simply received the box from Fender and then sent it to me. (The guitar was manufactured about 3 weeks ago). If I play the guitar without it having been set up by the retailer can I do any damage? How much should a setup cost if I take it to a guitar shop?

(3) It is fairly difficult to take the guitar chord out of the guitar (though it slides in easily enough). My other guitar is a Les Paul and a very slight tug takes the chord right out. I need to give the EJ a pretty strong tug. Is that normal?

Thanks in advance for any input you may have. Like I said I'm sure I'm just nervous because I reallly, really like the guitar!


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Post subject: Re: A Few Questions from a Nervous New EJ Strat Owner
Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 8:07 am
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Hi Kilgore Trout,

I'm not sure where you read that you're not supposed to pull up on the whammy bar except in the case of a special setup where the bridge is flush with the body, but with a normally setup floating bridge, it is supposed to be able to go up and down.

There should be a small spring that is inside the hole where the bar is inserted into the bridge, and this spring often falls out and is lost as not many people know about it. The spring allows the bar to be held in place when screwed in just right instead of swinging loosely. I doubt that you did any damage by simply screwing the bar in, as long as you didn't try to keep going once it bottomed out.

A good setup is usually not expensive, and the place of purchase will usually do it for free, but it might cost maybe $10 to $25 at most. You can check the setup guide for an idea of what is involved, and maybe even do it yourself.

http://www.fender.com/support/articles/ ... tup-guide/

And yes, having a tight output jack is a good thing, so the cord is not easily yanked out. It will loosen a bit over time.

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Post subject: Re: A Few Questions from a Nervous New EJ Strat Owner
Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 8:23 am
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Thanks shimmilou. That makes me feel better. I did actually notice the spring when I took the little piece of tape off of the guitar, and I put the spring back in when I screwed in the whammy bar.

I honestly don't know the difference between a floating and non-floating bridge. I assumed you had to do something special to make it flaoting, and I'd read that you should not pull up on the tremolo bar if it is not floating. Sounds like I had that backwards in terms of standard setup.


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Post subject: Re: A Few Questions from a Nervous New EJ Strat Owner
Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 8:32 am
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Cool! Floating is the standard setup, meaning that the whammy bar can go up and down for vibrato, whereas a "decked" bridge will be set flush with the body and either secured for no whammy movement, or left loose enough that you can push the bar down but not pull up. Sounds like you are in good shape, enjoy. :)

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Post subject: Re: A Few Questions from a Nervous New EJ Strat Owner
Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 9:59 am
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Welcome to the Forums Kilgore.

It takes some serious doings to really damage this gear. The primary design of this vibrato system, unlike some others, is to create effect by flatting the note by pressing down on the trem handle and then have the note return to pitch when releasing the pressure. The system was not intended to intentionally sharp the note, except for the Beck guitar whose vibrato is setup to do that. Many players like to have the bridge 'decked' so to speak. That places the bridge flat to the top of the guitar. With the right combination of springs and setting of the position of the trem claw you can have use of the vibrato as well. Some prefer not to and will deck the bridge and stop the action by installing all five springs and setting the trem claw flush against the body. As Shimmi notes, floating the bridge, again, with the proper combination of springs and trem claw position, allows the string pull to raise the back of the bridge up, about 3-5mm, and facilitates the vibrato action. It's all a matter of taste. Attention to setup and intonation has to be paid proportional to the amount of use you make of the vibrato system. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: A Few Questions from a Nervous New EJ Strat Owner
Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 12:31 pm
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Thanks for the responses. It seems that my real concern--that I may have somehow harmed the guitar--needn't bother me. I appreciate you easing my mind.

I frankly am still confused about the bridge. It looks to me like the bridge on my guitar is flush to the body, so it seems at least in this case it did not come from the factory as a floating bridge (unless someone at the guitar shop changed that). Best I can make of it, that combined with the five tremolo strings being installed would be why I don't get much out of the whammy bar.

As I said earlier, I think I'm going to put the whammy bar away for a while and just play the guitar . . . .


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Post subject: Re: A Few Questions from a Nervous New EJ Strat Owner
Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 2:50 pm
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I can empathize with you regarding your first encounter with this mechanical system. Mine was over 50 years ago with a '58 Stratocaster. It's not that complex once you understand it. See if you can find a competent guitar tech to float the trem for you so that it is easily managed and perhaps have you follow him through the steps as it is done.

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Last edited by ZZDoc on Wed Apr 03, 2013 3:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: A Few Questions from a Nervous New EJ Strat Owner
Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 3:16 pm
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That seems like excellent advice and it is what I'll do.


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Post subject: Re: A Few Questions from a Nervous New EJ Strat Owner
Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 6:28 pm
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That's really good advise, when I first started it all sounded like voodoo to me and I would just hand it off to a tech when things went wrong. However the mechanics of a guitar are for the most part fairly simple (the electronics are a little tricky, but not beyond the realm of your average mortal).

Setting up a guitar is where things can get tricky, but it's a nice thing to be able to do yourself. So if your tech will let you watch on, I would take him up on it.

Anyway dude, welcome to the club.


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Post subject: Re: A Few Questions from a Nervous New EJ Strat Owner
Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 11:11 pm
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Kilgore Trout wrote:
In terms of screwing the bar in, I turned it until it felt snug and seemed in the correct position (kind of like turning in a screw and tightening it but not horsing it too tight). As I mentioned, I'm sure I pulled up on the thing as well, though certainly not with too much pressure. Is there any telltale way to know if I did any damage?

(2) If I play the guitar without it having been set up by the retailer can I do any damage?

(3) It is fairly difficult to take the guitar chord out of the guitar (though it slides in easily enough). My other guitar is a Les Paul and a very slight tug takes the chord right out. I need to give the EJ a pretty strong tug. Is that normal?


1. Turn it in until it stays in place but still is easily turnable.
You can't do any harm to the trem by just screwing the arm in. You can leave it pendling loosely as well, if you prefer. No need for worries.
Tremsare made for vibrating the tone. You can dive it down or pull back on the system without any problem. That's what they are made for! It's just that with a strat tremolo you shouldn't use it too heavily because unlike a locked system (Floyd Rose for example) the guitar might go out of tune. That's just how this system works. It's built for vibrating, not for Van-Halen-dive bomb wars" :wink: .

3. A proper setup improves playability but you can't damage a guitar when playing it without a proper setup unless some parts are not tight (like screwing in the posts of the trem with just half a thread into the body or the neck screws are lose). Setups are matched to personal preferences. The worse the setup, the harder the guitar is to play. The better the setup, the more comfortable it feels when playing.

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Post subject: Re: A Few Questions from a Nervous New EJ Strat Owner
Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 5:55 am
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Thanks Battery Chicken and Smokin' Frets, I very much appreciate your thoughts.


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