For my strat, I like a straight neck, measured using the Phil McKnight method: fret the string at the 1st and 17th frets, then tap the string at the 7th or 8th fret - there should not be an obvious gap to the naked eye, but the string should make a tapping sound against the fret so you know that it isn’t sitting on it (which would indicate the neck is back-bowed). I do something very similar to check the nut, fretting each string at the 3rd fret and tapping the string at the first fret - again, there shouldn’t be a noticeable gap, but the string should tap against the top of the fret. Finally, for action I aim for 1.7mm on the low E string, and 1.5mm on the high E string, increasing it as necessary if there’s buzzing. If I do find buzzing at those heights I’ll also start looking for uneven frets, it might be time for a level and crown.
@@tendingtropic7778 buzzing could happen anywhere: if your neck isn’t perfectly straight, you will typically get buzzing around the middle of the neck if it’s back-bowed, or in the upper registers if it has too much relief. You can also get buzzing if your frets aren’t entirely level with each other - my strat is due for a level & crown but the frets aren’t horrible, I can set my action to 1.7mm, but any lower (Fender says you should be able to set it to 1.6mm) and I get some buzzing in a couple spots I don’t play in as much. I’ve experimented with a few different string gauges over the years, but I like to keep that guitar in Eb, so for the last several years I’ve settled on 10-52. I’d probably use 9-46 if I was in E standard. Oh, and I have a 9.5” radius.
Really enjoyed this. For me I always compromise tone for playability. I want the action of all my guitars the lowest as possible without buzz. The "experts" say that very low action is bad specially for Strats because it reduces the room for the string to vibrate and the tone will be "muffled" and less clear. (which is actually true and they have a point.)👌 But I don't care, because what I want is an easy playing guitar, the "shredders dream" set-up is what they call it.🤭 Just like the John Petrucci setup, his strings are buzzing all over the place live (LTE, DT). But the strings are almost glued to the neck so he can easily shred on it.😆....set-up is a personal thing, But I digress., Thanks......SUBSCRIBED.🤘💯
@JacobS-q7c Haha, every guitarist I know hates high action, but it's not "wrong", there are a few players that swear by it, like Yngwie and SRV, (you can measure your guitar at the 12th fret, if it is above 2.0mm on the low E and 1.5mm at the high E - it's already high (action). You are right about the "import unplayability." I bought a few Chibsons and it always came unplayable BUT once I bring it to my trusted pro luthier for Full-Set-up, (my only instruction is the magic phrase "lowest action as possible without buzz", and It always plays like the shredders dream once it was returned to me. Another key is always replace the nut with a "bone" or "tusq" since all imports came with plastic nuts. Your "wacky action" is the key for perfect tone. But playability is sacrificed. I want the reverse. Playability over tone any day.😂 "Unfinished necks" with tung oil are some of the best and the "fastest neck", just pay for a stainless steel refret and you need to thank your family. Cheers!👌
100% agree. I have also come to the conclussion that these "experts" have FAT fingers so it takes them less energy to fret notes with a high action and it is easier for them playing with a high action. I have looong thin fingers and big hands the lower the action the easier it is because my fingers are narrow and I need the low action to help with the accuracy, high action and I sound like a beginner playing.
@@dba4292 Haha, thanks for chiming in.🙂, and for pointing out that "experts" who live by the "high or medium action" is key set up have FAT fingers.😂 Like you I have thin fingers so i prefer the low action for accuracy and it's really so much fun to play. low action FTW! Cheers.🤘
i love my stratocaster. for the longest time i could never find one that i gelled with then about 2 years ago i got one in a trade and slowly fell in love with it. my primary players had always been my 65 SG special and my tele and strats always felt a bit off especially when i set them up with low action. they felt dainty. but this particular guitar takes the low action set up quite well and its mostly what i play now! good video.
Can someone please tell me what the action measurements should be rather than wow that’s too high or that’s too low 😂 that tool is bloody awful use a feeler gage
I went with a former Strat set up that you've presented on your channel and it worked out very well. The nut dressing of course needs a little practice.... at least for me. But I finally got it right on my third nut ;_)
Completely unrelated to this video but, I was watching an old video of yours on shielding and you mentioned something about switching the pickup leads on jazz bass pickups to reduce noise and it got me thinking. I want to try my hand at winding my own strat pickups and would love to know which lead should be going to ground. The start of the coil or the end of the coil. Thanks!
I bought an American Pro ll strat a few months ago, and I love it. Vintage sunburst with a maple fretboard. Reminds me of the very first strat I ever played as a kid. The only complaint I have is that the action is actually too low. I've never bought a new guitar and thought the action was too low, until now (and I've bought a lot of new guitars! ) Easy fix, but it's kind of novel that it can be that low without any buzz.
Ive got a question. As it seems, you want the AlNiCo 5 magnets in a strat pickup to have the same amount of magnetization in Gauss. Does that also apply to the staggered Fender Pickups where each magnet has a different height, or are they magnetized with different amounts of Gauss/Tesla?
Weird, why do people hate the nut height guage ..? I bought one a month or two ago from Solo Guitars (kinda Stew Mac'ish, but in Canada where I live) and I frickin LOVE it ..!! What else do people use to measure, their forearm like it's 1762 ..?
I like my intonation to be as close to perfect as i can get it so i do it by ear. Sometimes tuning it to the 12 fret isn't the best because some of the lower notes might still be out so its a compromise.
This video convinced me the string height gauge is actually dope. Didn't realize you could use it to set the action as well even though that should have been obvious. Very cool.
Well, the nut is just a fret-hight below the first fret , the neck should be quite straight ! Frets should be leveled . IT ALL AINT ROCKET SIENCE ,BUT ITS OUR CULT !
Why do people think the nut height gauge is stupid? Is it just because feeler gauges are cheaper and will work, or something else im not seeing? I personally think it's an amazing idea for a tool and it's definitely on my list of tools to get.
Hi Dylan, Couple of other setup questions. A demo and your thoughts on setting pickup heights. How far should they be if you set a string height of 60-65? How does any of this stuff change with different fretboard radius? What about fret leveling? The other thing is truss rod settings. I know that as a general rule you set the truss rod then LEAVE IT ALONE, but over time and under strain it will need adjusting. While it isn't difficult to adjust a truss rod, it is difficult to adjust it so it is RIGHT. Again, your thoughts? Cheers from Australia.
I have watched this video for like 14 minutes. I this time I got any wiser, than I have to order from the US that special gauge, and when I have it over in the EU, I will have to find out how to use it, and what to go for.... To me this seems more a video for your self than for the international public. Happy playing mate, I have seen better videos of propper set ups.
My dude. You never do any sort of setup readings with the guitar on its back. This is ALWAYS done in the playing position. Your readings will all be off. We are dealing with micro tolerances. And gravity has a major effect. Always ALWAYS measure relief and action in the playing position.
![The Perfect Stratocaster Trem / Vibrato Setup [Floating, Flat Or Blocked?]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/PjVXWyUGpwc/mqdefault.jpg)
![The Perfect Stratocaster Trem / Vibrato Setup [Floating, Flat Or Blocked?]](/img/tr.png)
For my strat, I like a straight neck, measured using the Phil McKnight method: fret the string at the 1st and 17th frets, then tap the string at the 7th or 8th fret - there should not be an obvious gap to the naked eye, but the string should make a tapping sound against the fret so you know that it isn’t sitting on it (which would indicate the neck is back-bowed). I do something very similar to check the nut, fretting each string at the 3rd fret and tapping the string at the first fret - again, there shouldn’t be a noticeable gap, but the string should tap against the top of the fret. Finally, for action I aim for 1.7mm on the low E string, and 1.5mm on the high E string, increasing it as necessary if there’s buzzing. If I do find buzzing at those heights I’ll also start looking for uneven frets, it might be time for a level and crown.
Wow good trick. You have radius 9.5 or 7.25?
@@GrzegorzSadowski-q7n 9.5
@@GrzegorzSadowski-q7n 9.5
thanks for this, seems legit. do you have a 7.25 radius? which size strings? and where would you encounter buzzing if the action is too low?
@@tendingtropic7778 buzzing could happen anywhere: if your neck isn’t perfectly straight, you will typically get buzzing around the middle of the neck if it’s back-bowed, or in the upper registers if it has too much relief. You can also get buzzing if your frets aren’t entirely level with each other - my strat is due for a level & crown but the frets aren’t horrible, I can set my action to 1.7mm, but any lower (Fender says you should be able to set it to 1.6mm) and I get some buzzing in a couple spots I don’t play in as much.
I’ve experimented with a few different string gauges over the years, but I like to keep that guitar in Eb, so for the last several years I’ve settled on 10-52. I’d probably use 9-46 if I was in E standard.
Oh, and I have a 9.5” radius.
Really enjoyed this. For me I always compromise tone for playability. I want the action of all my guitars the lowest as possible without buzz. The "experts" say that very low action is bad specially for Strats because it reduces the room for the string to vibrate and the tone will be "muffled" and less clear. (which is actually true and they have a point.)👌 But I don't care, because what I want is an easy playing guitar, the "shredders dream" set-up is what they call it.🤭 Just like the John Petrucci setup, his strings are buzzing all over the place live (LTE, DT). But the strings are almost glued to the neck so he can easily shred on it.😆....set-up is a personal thing, But I digress., Thanks......SUBSCRIBED.🤘💯
@JacobS-q7c Haha, every guitarist I know hates high action, but it's not "wrong", there are a few players that swear by it, like Yngwie and SRV, (you can measure your guitar at the 12th fret, if it is above 2.0mm on the low E and 1.5mm at the high E - it's already high (action).
You are right about the "import unplayability." I bought a few Chibsons and it always came unplayable BUT once I bring it to my trusted pro luthier for Full-Set-up, (my only instruction is the magic phrase "lowest action as possible without buzz", and It always plays like the shredders dream once it was returned to me. Another key is always replace the nut with a "bone" or "tusq" since all imports came with plastic nuts.
Your "wacky action" is the key for perfect tone. But playability is sacrificed. I want the reverse. Playability over tone any day.😂
"Unfinished necks" with tung oil are some of the best and the "fastest neck", just pay for a stainless steel refret and you need to thank your family. Cheers!👌
100% agree. I have also come to the conclussion that these "experts" have FAT fingers so it takes them less energy to fret notes with a high action and it is easier for them playing with a high action. I have looong thin fingers and big hands the lower the action the easier it is because my fingers are narrow and I need the low action to help with the accuracy, high action and I sound like a beginner playing.
@@dba4292 Haha, thanks for chiming in.🙂, and for pointing out that "experts" who live by the "high or medium action" is key set up have FAT fingers.😂 Like you I have thin fingers so i prefer the low action for accuracy and it's really so much fun to play. low action FTW! Cheers.🤘
i love my stratocaster. for the longest time i could never find one that i gelled with then about 2 years ago i got one in a trade and slowly fell in love with it. my primary players had always been my 65 SG special and my tele and strats always felt a bit off especially when i set them up with low action. they felt dainty. but this particular guitar takes the low action set up quite well and its mostly what i play now! good video.
Can someone please tell me what the action measurements should be rather than wow that’s too high or that’s too low 😂 that tool is bloody awful use a feeler gage
I went with a former Strat set up that you've presented on your channel and it worked out very well. The nut dressing of course needs a little practice.... at least for me. But I finally got it right on my third nut ;_)
Thanks for the info. All your setup videos are great. I go to Fender and set mine up the way Fender recommends.
Great info, going to try this on my strat.
Great demo on this thank you. I will revisit my strat setup and see if it can improve, Cheers!
I've enjoyed finding your channel. I really like the relic'd guitar look. Thanks for the tips.
TRAIN
Tune
Relief
Action
Intonation
Nut
Akka-Dakka baby!!!
Doesn’t “N” stand for Noodle? 😂
Completely unrelated to this video but, I was watching an old video of yours on shielding and you mentioned something about switching the pickup leads on jazz bass pickups to reduce noise and it got me thinking. I want to try my hand at winding my own strat pickups and would love to know which lead should be going to ground. The start of the coil or the end of the coil. Thanks!
I bought an American Pro ll strat a few months ago, and I love it. Vintage sunburst with a maple fretboard. Reminds me of the very first strat I ever played as a kid. The only complaint I have is that the action is actually too low. I've never bought a new guitar and thought the action was too low, until now (and I've bought a lot of new guitars! ) Easy fix, but it's kind of novel that it can be that low without any buzz.
With as much as you paid for it you'd think you'd get it setup
Thank you for the video. Are lower strings buzzing after your setup, specially when playing clean ?
What is the name of the device that measures string action?
Ive got a question. As it seems, you want the AlNiCo 5 magnets in a strat pickup to have the same amount of magnetization in Gauss. Does that also apply to the staggered Fender Pickups where each magnet has a different height, or are they magnetized with different amounts of Gauss/Tesla?
Strats for me should be setup with a bit of relief in the neck and proper, high action. 2,25 mm on the high E at the 12th fret is my prefered action.
wow that's really high
@@vinced5741 works for me 😊
Weird, why do people hate the nut height guage ..? I bought one a month or two ago from Solo Guitars (kinda Stew Mac'ish, but in Canada where I live) and I frickin LOVE it ..!! What else do people use to measure, their forearm like it's 1762 ..?
Perfect timing as I’m getting ready to set up my McCready
What happened to your Korg Pitchblack Polyphonic tuner?
i still have it
5 thousands of an inch, isnt that a bit low for a vintage strat? fender even recomments .10 / .12/
Nope it works perfectly
How can you have string height so low without buzz.
I like my intonation to be as close to perfect as i can get it so i do it by ear. Sometimes tuning it to the 12 fret isn't the best because some of the lower notes might still be out so its a compromise.
This video convinced me the string height gauge is actually dope. Didn't realize you could use it to set the action as well even though that should have been obvious. Very cool.
Well, the nut is just a fret-hight below the first fret , the neck should be quite straight ! Frets should be leveled . IT ALL AINT ROCKET SIENCE ,BUT ITS OUR CULT !
Why do people think the nut height gauge is stupid? Is it just because feeler gauges are cheaper and will work, or something else im not seeing? I personally think it's an amazing idea for a tool and it's definitely on my list of tools to get.
Hi Dylan,
Couple of other setup questions. A demo and your thoughts on setting pickup heights. How far should they be if you set a string height of 60-65?
How does any of this stuff change with different fretboard radius? What about fret leveling?
The other thing is truss rod settings. I know that as a general rule you set the truss rod then LEAVE IT ALONE, but over time and under strain it will
need adjusting. While it isn't difficult to adjust a truss rod, it is difficult to adjust it so it is RIGHT. Again, your thoughts?
Cheers from Australia.
This video is sooooo awesome. I need these tools big time.
Absolutely love that Stew Mac screwdriver kit it lives in my gig bag so it’s always with my guitar.
That digital pocket watch is actually pretty cool. Too bad it that it doesn't also tell time though.
On the replay. Thanks for sharing 🎸 🧠🎶🎶
Hello everyone. I'm in Baltimore today. It's beautiful here.
I have watched this video for like 14 minutes. I this time I got any wiser, than I have to order from the US that special gauge, and when I have it over in the EU, I will have to find out how to use it, and what to go for.... To me this seems more a video for your self than for the international public. Happy playing mate, I have seen better videos of propper set ups.
Well… I guess I couldn’t read your mind to discern your personal needs …. I have failed humanity.
"This is the way"
Dammit. Now I want a Mike McCready model. Thanks a lot....
My dude. You never do any sort of setup readings with the guitar on its back.
This is ALWAYS done in the playing position.
Your readings will all be off. We are dealing with micro tolerances. And gravity has a major effect.
Always ALWAYS measure relief and action in the playing position.
I’m not “your dude”… and while I agree…. It’s difficult to shoot that in video.