A purple Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster came in out of spec after its previous owner tried a setup at home. Saddles, intonation, tremolo springs and truss rod put back to spec, and a factory-high nut filed even, in an hour.
- Instrument
- Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster, purple metallic, maple neck
- Tech
- Dave Eastwood
- Customer complaint
- Setup to fix the previous owner's meddling
- Diagnosis
- Saddles, intonation, tremolo springs and truss rod all incorrectly adjusted; nut high on the bass strings from the factory
- Work performed
- Saddles, intonation, tremolo springs and truss rod adjusted to spec; nut filed even
- Parts
- None
- Bench time
- 1 hour
- Outcome
- Back in spec; new owner happy
What Came In
A Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster in purple metallic with a maple neck. The previous owner had attempted a setup himself and gotten the guitar out of whack; the new owner brought it in to get it back to spec.
What We Found
The saddles, intonation, tremolo springs and truss rod were all adjusted wrong. The nut was also high on the bass strings, and had been from the factory.
What We Did
Adjusted the saddles, intonation, tremolo springs and truss rod back to spec, and filed the nut to even out the string heights. About an hour on the bench.
Result
Back in spec, and the new owner was happy with it.
Why do home setups so often make a guitar worse?
Because the adjustments interact. Relief changes action, action changes intonation, spring tension changes all three, and the nut almost always gets skipped because it needs files most people do not own. Working through them in order is the job; adjusting one at a time until it feels right usually chases the problem around the guitar.
Related
- The Repair Vault
- Guitar Setups at Paul's Guitar Hideout
- When to Take Your Guitar to a Tech vs. Fix It Yourself
- What a Guitar Setup Includes and Why It Matters
- Fender Stratocaster (Black, Tortoise Guard): Buzzing All Over
Bring It In
Tried a setup and now it plays worse? It happens a lot, and one drop-off fixes it. Setups at the Hideout.
Paul's Guitar Hideout is located at The Shirt Factory in Glens Falls, NY. Use the Cooper Street entrance and take the stairs up. If stairs are difficult or you're bringing in something you don't want to carry up, call or text us and we'll arrange access.
The Shirt Factory
71 Lawrence St., Suite 201B, 2nd Floor
Glens Falls, NY 12801
Wednesday–Sunday, 12–5 PM
(518) 217-8695 · info@paulsguitarhideout.com