Strings height and neck relief of strat?

Question

I know these measurements are going to seem crazy but this is the only way I get no buzz or rattle. The action is very high. Here are the measurements.
LOW E 7/64
A 8/64
D 9/64
G 9/64
B 8/64
E 7/64
Relief at 10 th fret 0.15.,Can someone tell me why it has to be like this in order to be no rattle or buzz? Would adjusting the relief help? The bridge isn't floating. The nut action at first fret is 2/64 or low and high E.

Answer 1

You know, I've begun to wonder....



Assuming you are serious about all the problems that suddenly you manage to fix, it seems to me that you've taken a perfectly okay Squier Strat and proceeded to wreck it. I seem to remember you saying that you liked the feel of the guitar before you started these "upgrades" - why mess with it then?



The BEST advice anyone can give you is to leave it alone and take it to a competent person to have any faults put right.



But, here goes...



The measurements don't sound crazy to me because in over forty years of playing I've never actually measured action or relief, except just by eye and feel.



The measurements you give don't suggest a particularly high action to me. I checked a couple of electrics and the low E strings were only very slightly lower than yours (assuming you are measuring action correctly). I've never heard of anyone actually measuring the action on each string - I just adjust them until thef feel right. I can't understand why the action would be higher on the inside strings when only the high E buzzes. Why not lower the other strings if you find the action too high?



Relief should be measured at the 8th fret, not the 10th fret. It's a bit late to ask about adjusting the relief since you've already messed with the truss rod. The only time to do that is if you KNOW that the relief needs adjusting. Remember that it can take a couple of days for any truss rod adjustments to take full effect.



As Torbjorn correctly says, without actually seeing the guitar (and maybe knowing what you've actually done to it) it is impossible to say what is causing the problem(s). A competent person needs to look at it and make any adjustments that are needed.



But, you are wasting your time doing anything like this if you intend changing string gauge!



Fitting strings of the gauge you intend using is the first step. After the guitar has been tuned and things are allowed to settle in is the time to set up the guitar. The relief needs to be checked and ONLY adjusted if there is a problem. Then any adjustments to the nut and the action need to be made. Then the intonation needs to be set. These adjustments can be interactive - adjusting the intonation may require slight re-adjustments to be made to the action and so on. If the guitar has a vibrato unit (so called "trem" then this neede to be considered and set up too.



You still seem keen to have the neck re-fretted. If the problems you have are caused by frets that are faulty in some way, then a re-fret should remedy them. Those problems should have been obvious though before you "upgraded" the guitar. A good quality re-fret is likely to cost more than the guitar is worth. A cheeper option would be a replacement neck. I really sdn't think you should have wasted time and money on a guitar with poor-quality frets - are they not just the standard frets as fitted to all Squiers? What's wrong with the frets? All my guitars have stock frets.



Good luck.

Answer 2

Strat Neck Relief

Answer 3

Can someone tell me why it has to be like this? Simple answer. Because someone who does not know what he is doing is screwing up the guitar.



Would adjusting the relief help? No. You have a high action. The action is set at the saddle. The truss rod adjusts the neck relief. The effect of the truss rod beyond the 12th fret is little or none.



If I mess with the neck and turn the truss road to the right, it makes the action lower? Tinkering with a truss rod when you do not know what you are doing is a fast way to trash a neck. Although you probably think you know, it is absolutely clear you do not know what you are doing.



On second thought. Go ahead and play with the truss rod. Then you can finish destroying this guitar. You have it so messed up already, you may as well finish destroying it.



Later,

Norm

Answer 4

The action is already around twice as high as it should be on a good quality strat.

Either the neck is warped or the frets are out of alignment and uneven. (Or both).



This page gives the correct clearances for a Stratocaster:

(4/64 on the high E at the 17th fret, same or fractionally higher on the low E and 0.008 to 0.012 neck relief)



http://www2.fender.com/support/articles/fender-guitar-setup-guide/





If it's still got fret buzz with around a quarter inch clearance and the neck like a banana, as you describe, you need to take it to a good guitar shop and get it properly set up.



There is no point at all trying any other adjustments as it is, you can only make it worse and quite possibly do serious damage.

Answer 5

I'm afraid you're asking something that no one can answer without checking and testing your guitar in person. There can be many reasons for rattling noises and more than a couple when it comes buzzing noises. Buzzing can be caused by faulty strings, low action, improper neck relief, plus uneven or raised frets. I have even had people who could more or less get any guitar to buzz no matter how the guitar was set up - guitars that every other player found to be no problem at all.



It is first and foremost vital to find out if you have string buzz on every string or only certain strings. Also, does it occur all over the fretboard or only certain frets? Open strings or only fretted ones?



Rattling noises can come from pickups, bridge, tuners, loose truss rod and more.



You will need to have an experienced individual check out the guitar for you. It is really quite rare that it takes a lot of tweaking to get a guitar up and running ... for someone who knows what they're doing. It is usually a matter of a few minor adjustments.



Edit:



You are asking about a refret. This is seldom done unless you really love a certain guitar and the frets are all very worn. Same goes for a partial refretting. Be aware that this s very expensive and requires specialized tools and LOTS of experience.



Before any changing of frets is even considered, a guitar tech will look at the frets i detail. Typically, it is common to make sure the frets are properly seated first, then a leveling, crowning and polishing of the frets will be carried out. On many guitars, you can have the frets filed (leveled) a couple of times before the guitar needs refretting. This all depends on type of frets, playing style and personal preferences.



The problem with a string touching a fret when you bend it up is called to fret out, or choke. It is some times down to individual frets being uneven/worn. Low action and improper neck relief may contribute to the issue. It is happening far more often on guitars with a smaller fretboard radius, like older style Fender necks. Flatter necks (wider radius) or compound necks rarely have this issue.



It is also possible to have a note on the higher strings fretting out if the bridge is adjusted wrong. Some sets the lower strings with lower action than the high ones. the string action should get gradually higher from the high to the low E. If you get this wrong, the high strings may choke out on bending notes - again more often with narrower radius fretboard.



Again: You need to let an experienced individual look at the guitar - we are only guessing here, And please, PLEASE, leave the truss rod alone until you know exactly what you are doing.



Reading all the questions you are posting about your guitar "upgrades", it is painfully clear you have no clue what so ever what you're doing.



It is fine of course to experiment with a lower grade guitar in order to learn about this stuff. Just don't expect anyone here to help you out with things that can only be dealt with hands on. It is impossible to guide you with written explanations!

Answer 6

Only the high E string still rattles or makes contact with the higher frets anywhere from 5th fret on, mainly with hammer ons, single fretted notes are not bad. The rest are fine. Open 6 strings make no buzz or rattle. What's happening with the high E is when I bend it touches the frets. And when I hammer on or slide past 5th fret, the strong is just very close to frets. Would a refret help? The frets on the guitar are cheap. Stock frets.