MIJ Fender strat setup

gkelm · #1 02-26-2003, 10:49 AM

I should probably find a Fender forum for this, but I'd rather seek help in "the family."

My 62 MIJ strat is suffering from high action...the neck relief seems fine. Lowering the bridge saddles creates buzzing. I've heard that "all MIJ bolt neck guitars need to be shimmed." I've shimmed Ibanez necks, but anyone know if this is a typical need for strats too? Thought I'd check before removing the neck (OK, I'm a little lazy).
Greg

Gresh · #2 02-26-2003, 03:54 PM

Hey Greg,

My 50's strat has the same problem, part of mine has to do with the nut slots...they need to be deeper. My action is way way way too high over the first fret and that screws the entire set up. However, I do think that my neck needs a shim to angle the headstock slightly towards the back of the guitar (like a les paul) My Ibanez necks all are slightly tilted in this direction too. This will help give you a more consistent action the length of the fret board. Angling it too far will create buzzing in the upper register which cannot be corrected with truss rod adjustments.

The frets on my strat are really really small so the action should be very good when I get it fixed. Dealing with the nut is something I am not comfortable with so I may leave this up to a pro and just let him sort the whole thing out for me. Don't know if this helped at all....

vaijem777 · #3 02-26-2003, 06:19 PM

Every Japanese Strat that I've had the neck off of has had a fairly thick shim, so I've definitely give shimming a shot and see how it works out.

gkelm · #4 02-26-2003, 10:23 PM

Thanks guys. I had not thought of the nut. Mine looks like it may need some groove filing on the low E & maybe the A & D. I'm a bit reluctant to mess with the nut too...although I replaced a nut once on an MIJ LP copy and it turned out fine. I'll probably try shimming and see what happens.
Greg

dcord · #5 02-27-2003, 08:29 PM

Greg,

Put a capo on the first fret, and find a feeler guage that will fit between the string and the fretboard just after the first fret. Put that guage up against the nut and file down to it, that'll give you near perfect open string action.

Next, adjust your string height at the saddles, checking for buzz between frets 12-20. Be sure to bend your strings to make sure they don't choke out, which is common on Strats due to the smaller radiused fretboard.

Once that's done, adjust neck relief with the truss rod to lower your 2-11 fret action.

You'll have a perfect setup. Neck shimming is only necessary (and helpful, for that matter) if you bottom out your saddle height screws on the bridge, and need the action lower.

Good luck! A properly setup Strat will outplay most other guitars - most people just don't know how to tweak 'em!

~d~

gkelm · #6 03-01-2003, 01:07 AM

Thanks dcord...should I remove the nut and file the bottom, or file the grooves? If I have to remove the nut it looks like I'll need to chip away a bit of the clear coat along the edges.
Greg

dcord · #7 03-02-2003, 12:38 PM

No, don't remove the nut. You need a thin file to file the nut slots. You use the feeler guage to determine the height of the first fret. You want your nut slots to be that exact height off the fretboard so the nut acts like a "zero-fret."

I've tried several ways, and the feeler guage method is the easiest way to get perfect nut height without open string buzz. I use the same technique on my Floyd equipped gutars to adjust nut height, except with those I only have to remove or add shims...

gkelm · #8 03-02-2003, 04:57 PM

Thanks bro...already have a feeler guage set...just need to acquire the right file(s).

dcord · #9 03-03-2003, 10:26 PM

You're quite welcome! Let me know how it turns out. If you get afraid to do the work, ship it to me and I'll do the work and return it to you - I love making Strats play great! :-)

I also just realized today that I've been spelling gauge wrong. LOL

~d~

sniperfrommars1 · #10 03-03-2003, 10:28 PM

One of the things about a strat that alot of people overlook is the radius of the fretboard, The right angle is really crucual for a good setup on a strat without frett out

dcord · #11 03-04-2003, 09:33 PM

sniper - you really think so? I've never had to adjust neck angle to avoid fret choke, I don't think neck angle really affects action, other than what I said before - set the angle to allow you a full range of action adjustment with the bridge screws (e.g. when I've got the bridge screws out as far as they'll go and I still can't get the action where I need it).

:shrug:

~d~

gkelm · #12 03-09-2003, 12:14 PM

dcord...thanks for the help and generous offer. May take me a while to get around to this, but I will!
Greg

gkelm · #13 03-11-2003, 11:07 PM

dcord-
Which file(s) do I need?

http://www.stewmac.com/cgi-bin/hazel...Files&sku=0821

Or can I pick something up at Home Depot? Thanks.
Greg

dcord · #14 03-12-2003, 10:50 PM

I just have a little file about the size and shape of a knife. Dunno where I got it, but it works perfectly. I rock the file back and forth to round out the bottom of the slot.

If you want a professional set, you should buy a file for each slot, one for each sting gauge.

~d~

gkelm · #15 03-13-2003, 01:24 PM

Thanks, bro...I'll try to find a "knife-like" file.

Greg