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Post subject: Low E Action on new Strat
Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 3:22 am
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Recently purchased a new USA made Strat in a music store here in the UK. The only thing that bugs me a little me about it is that the action on the low E string is noticeably lower than all the other strings and has a tendency to buzz.

So, my question, is it likely to have been factory setup like this or has someone been messing with it in the store before I bought it? Is it normal for string heights to be set differently?

Apologies if this is a dumb question but I'm a newbie to this!


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Post subject: Re: Low E Action on new Strat
Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 3:38 am
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All strings must be at same height . Just adjust the saddle height if it is only one string is too low .

Why ONLY one string is wrong ? All answer might be good :lol:

Many guitars from the store need a complete set up most of the time because not same climate from the Fender plant


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Post subject: Re: Low E Action on new Strat
Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 3:47 am
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Welcome to the forums kendolondon.

No, that's a valid question, but unless the trip is too difficult, it should be asked at the store you purchased the guitar from. Since it's only one string I'm going to assume the neck is straight.

Either the Nut is cut (or worn) low in that slot and/or the Saddle is set too low.

If the string buzzes while fretted, it's the saddle. Buzzing when played open, it's the Nut.

Do you know how to raise the saddle?

There is temporary Nut slot fix using baking powder and super glue, but that's tricky and might be frowned on when it's returned.

Get it back to the shop and tell them I sent you! :lol:

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Post subject: Re: Low E Action on new Strat
Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 4:36 am
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Thanks for the replies. The store I bought it from is a bit of a trek but we do have an excellent guitar tech here in Glasgow so I'll put it into him for a setup job - just wanted to check I wasn't about to make an idiot of myself!


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Post subject: Re: Low E Action on new Strat
Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 6:00 am
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kendolondon wrote:
just wanted to check I wasn't about to make an idiot of myself!



Sure not , trust your feeling and explain to the tech want you want . Fender guitar with proper set up do not buzz .


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Post subject: Re: Low E Action on new Strat
Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 11:39 am
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When my MIM Strat came to me from factory, the setup was pretty good except that G string was too low. So I raised the saddle, and all was good (including nut and the intonation afterward). Just FYI ...

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Post subject: Re: Low E Action on new Strat
Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 2:43 pm
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stratele52 wrote:
All strings must be at same height .

Um, no, they must not. It's fairly common to have higher action on the bass side than the treble side, simply because the bass strings vibrate a longer distance. Indeed, Fender recommends this too. Check the Stratocaster Setup Guide


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Post subject: Re: Low E Action on new Strat
Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 4:16 pm
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arth1 wrote:
stratele52 wrote:
All strings must be at same height .

Um, no, they must not. It's fairly common to have higher action on the bass side than the treble side, simply because the bass strings vibrate a longer distance. Indeed, Fender recommends this too. Check the Stratocaster Setup Guide


Might want to read the setup guide a little closer. For a fingerboard radius of 9.5" to 12", Fender recommends 4/64" for both bass and treble sides. Notice that it is only a recommendation. I run both my Strat and Tele at 5/64" all the way across. My Les Paul and Les Paul Jr run at 6/64" to 3/64" from bass to treble.

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Post subject: Re: Low E Action on new Strat
Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 6:29 pm
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bluesky636 wrote:
arth1 wrote:
stratele52 wrote:
All strings must be at same height .

Um, no, they must not. It's fairly common to have higher action on the bass side than the treble side, simply because the bass strings vibrate a longer distance. Indeed, Fender recommends this too. Check the Stratocaster Setup Guide


Might want to read the setup guide a little closer. For a fingerboard radius of 9.5" to 12", Fender recommends 4/64" for both bass and treble sides.

That's a rounding/precision issue, because they measure only in whole /64" units, not because the 9.5" to 12" radius range is any different from tighter and wider radii. With three integer steps from 3/64" to 4/64", without increasing the precision, you must have two identical values.
If Fender had actually calculated the higher precision tenth of a millmeter clearance instead of just converting each low precision 64th" imperial measurement, I'm pretty sure it would have said 1.8 mm bass side and 1.4 mm treble side, which is a noticeable difference.

But in any case, the 7.25" and 16+" radii recommendations are enough to refute the claim that you made that "all strings must be at the same height". It's dead wrong.


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Post subject: Re: Low E Action on new Strat
Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 6:46 pm
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arth1 wrote:
That's a rounding/precision issue, because they measure only in whole /64" units, not because the 9.5" to 12" radius range is any different from tighter and wider radii. With three integer steps from 3/64" to 4/64", without increasing the precision, you must have two identical values.
If Fender had actually calculated the higher precision tenth of a millmeter clearance instead of just converting each low precision 64th" imperial measurement, I'm pretty sure it would have said 1.8 mm bass side and 1.4 mm treble side, which is a noticeable difference.

But in any case, the 7.25" and 16+" radii recommendations are enough to refute the claim that you made that "all strings must be at the same height". It's dead wrong.


Your post makes absolutely no sense. If Fender recommended something other than 4/64" all the way across for 9.5 to 12" radius, they would have said so just like the other two fret board radii. In any case, once again, it is only a recommendation, so you can rationalize and be as precise as you want. As I previously stated, I run 5/64" across on all of my Fenders and 6/64" to 3/64" on my Les Pauls. Why? Because that's my preference.

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Post subject: Re: Low E Action on new Strat
Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 8:13 pm
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bluesky636 wrote:
Your post makes absolutely no sense. If Fender recommended something other than 4/64" all the way across for 9.5 to 12" radius, they would have said so just like the other two fret board radii.

When using sixty-fourths of an inch as the base precision, and you list three groups going from 4/64" to 5/64", two of them have to list the same number.
Same with going from 3/64" to 4/64". That's why you end up with what appears to be the same for the 9.5"-12" range. It's a lack of precision.

If Fender had increased the precision, I am quite convinced we would have seen something like 7/128" to 17/256". But guitar players aren't always good at maths, nor do they tend to have precision calipers or feeler blades. Using /64" is a sensible enough choice for the metric-challenged.
(Just approximating the imperial units in tenths of mm, like they obviously did, is not sensible, given that tenths of millimeters is a much higher precision, comparable to /256")

But again, that doesn't matter - the recommendation for 7.25" on its own is enough to refute your claim that they must match. They must not. That was the point of my post, and which Fender's web page backs up. As the recommendation is that the action doesn't match for a 7.25" radius, then it's obvious that they must not match. It only takes a single example to refute a theory.


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Post subject: Re: Low E Action on new Strat
Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 10:52 pm
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arth1 wrote:
bluesky636 wrote:
Your post makes absolutely no sense. If Fender recommended something other than 4/64" all the way across for 9.5 to 12" radius, they would have said so just like the other two fret board radii.

When using sixty-fourths of an inch as the base precision, and you list three groups going from 4/64" to 5/64", two of them have to list the same number.
Same with going from 3/64" to 4/64". That's why you end up with what appears to be the same for the 9.5"-12" range. It's a lack of precision.

If Fender had increased the precision, I am quite convinced we would have seen something like 7/128" to 17/256". But guitar players aren't always good at maths, nor do they tend to have precision calipers or feeler blades. Using /64" is a sensible enough choice for the metric-challenged.
(Just approximating the imperial units in tenths of mm, like they obviously did, is not sensible, given that tenths of millimeters is a much higher precision, comparable to /256")

But again, that doesn't matter - the recommendation for 7.25" on its own is enough to refute your claim that they must match. They must not. That was the point of my post, and which Fender's web page backs up. As the recommendation is that the action doesn't match for a 7.25" radius, then it's obvious that they must not match. It only takes a single example to refute a theory.


Boy, and I thought I was anal about my setups. :roll:

rec·om·men·da·tion
ˌrekəmənˈdāSHən,-ˌmen-/
noun
noun: recommendation; plural noun: recommendations

a suggestion or proposal as to the best course of action, especially one put forward by an authoritative body.
"the committee put forward forty recommendations for change"
synonyms: advice, counsel, guidance, direction, suggestion, proposal More
"the advisory group's recommendations"
the action of recommending something or someone.
"he selected his staff by personal recommendation"
synonyms: commendation, endorsement, good word, favorable mention, testimonial;

Don't see any words like "must", "shall", "will", etc. in that definition.

My AVRI 52 Tele with 7.25" radius is set at 5/64" all the way across and it plays perfectly. So much for the "must not" match. Oh, and I'm not the one that said they "must match". That was stratele52. English is not his first language so some subtleties can be lost, but I understood exactly what he was meaning in reference to the original post.

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Post subject: Re: Low E Action on new Strat
Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 11:16 pm
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bluesky636 wrote:
Boy, and I thought I was anal about my setups. :roll:

rec·om·men·da·tion
ˌrekəmənˈdāSHən,-ˌmen-/
noun
noun: recommendation; plural noun: recommendations

a suggestion or proposal as to the best course of action, especially one put forward by an authoritative body.
"the committee put forward forty recommendations for change"
synonyms: advice, counsel, guidance, direction, suggestion, proposal More
"the advisory group's recommendations"
the action of recommending something or someone.
"he selected his staff by personal recommendation"
synonyms: commendation, endorsement, good word, favorable mention, testimonial;

Don't see any words like "must", "shall", "will", etc. in that definition.


stratele52 wrote:
All strings must be at same height .


Do you spot the word must? That's what I objected to (and quoted, so there would be no misunderstandings of what I replied to), not the dictionary definition of "recommendation" which has as little to do with stratele52's post as the price of tea in China.


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Post subject: Re: Low E Action on new Strat
Posted: Sun May 04, 2014 1:39 am
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I was always under the impression that the nut slots should increase in height towards the bass side of the neck.
This sort of reinforces that impression.


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Post subject: Re: Low E Action on new Strat
Posted: Sun May 04, 2014 1:52 am
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arth1 wrote:
stratele52 wrote:
All strings must be at same height .


Do you spot the word must? That's what I objected to (and quoted, so there would be no misunderstandings of what I replied to), not the dictionary definition of "recommendation" which has as little to do with stratele52's post as the price of tea in China.


The OP seems to have understood what stratele52 was talking about, so if you want to make a federal case out of this, be my guest. Meanwhile, I will leave all my Fender guitars actions set to be equal height across the fret board ignoring you and Fender's "recommendations".

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