Stratocaster

[civilaggie06]

Piecing things together ran into a snag with the Bridge, Missing 2 Claw Screws , hopefully will get that remedied soon.

I'll need to get this one setup :blob7:

 

[timezon3]

Wild-looking build, for sure.  Deets on the body?  What's that finish?  Nice looking neck, too.

TZ

 

[civilaggie06]

Wild-looking build, for sure.  Deets on the body?  What's that finish?  Nice looking neck, too.

TZ

The Body was a Fender replacement body with the '50s cuts made of Alder coated with a Black Color, enamel color. 

I wanted to do something similar to a Holo-Flash and in the process of doing it ended up finding something that looked like a Vintage/ Oil Slick. I ended up coating the Spray Paint I was using with Danish Oil after it set and a layer of Shallac and repeated Coats.

It was tough to do work since I am working out of an Apartment using the Porch and its closet for storage and drying after spraying. LMAO

The Neck is a Warmoth:
Style: Stratocaster®
Construction: Modern Construction
Orientation: Right Handed
Neck Wood: Maple
Fingerboard Wood: Ebony (Macassar)
Nut Width: 1-11/16"
Back Shape: Standard thin
Fret Size: SS6100 (Stainless)
Tuner Ream: Gotoh/Grover (13/32" 11/32")
Radius: 10-16" Compound
Scale: 25-1/2"
Fret #: 22
Mounting Holes: Standard 4 Bolt
Scalloping: Full Scallop
Pre-Cut Installed String Nut: GraphTech White TUSQ XL - Standard Nut
Inlays: Cream Face Dots
Side Dots: White Side Dots
Finish: Black Gloss

 

[Hendrix]

the body has a kind of rat look cars style , that can be cool, but the pickguard too dazzling for that look.

 

[civilaggie06]

Just tested the Electronics they are working!  :cool01:

This is my first build.

I need to get the Claw installed for the Tremolo and do a proper setup.

Does anyone have any good tips for intonation and setups they'd recommend?

 

[Cagey]

Generally speaking, setting intonation is one of the last things you do. Several things affect it that need to be right before you get to that point, or you'll just end up doing it again. Not that it's difficult, but why work any harder than you have to?

Some things are a balancing act, and others interact, so you may have to make some adjustments more than once.

First, I like to get things "reasonable". Won't be right, but some things can be so far off that other things are pointless to adjust. So, string it up, tune it,  and have a look from the side at how the bridge is oriented. Chances are about 99.9% it'll be angled relative to the top of the guitar, with the ass end sitting a bit high or low. If it's high, the strings are pulling harder than the springs, so tighten your claw until the bridge is not quite level, then re-tune. Still off? Of course it is. Reiterate until the bridge is level. If he back of the bridge is low, then loosen the claw, re-tune, etc., etc.

Now that your bridge is level, how high are the strings? Tripping balls? Normally, one would adjust the bridge pivot post heights to get realistic, but you don't have that option. Luckily, your saddles have height adjustment. Lower those equally until the string height seems reasonable. If you can't get there from here, you may need to shim your neck mount, but that's not very common so we'll leave that for later.

Now that your strings are at a reasonable height, you can adjust your neck relief. At this point, you're going to want some sort of measuring device. Ideally, a set of feeler gauges from the local auto store (figure $5 or so) will come in real handy. Again ideally, you want an 18" straightedge to lay on the fretboard, and using your feeler gauges measure how much clearance you have at about the 7th/8th fret. If you don't have a good straightedge, then you can put a capo on the first fret and hold the string(s) down at about the 12th/15th fret and measure under those. Opinions vary, but a good starting point is usually somewhere between .012" and .018". If you're outside those numbers, then some truss rod adjustment is in order. If the number is big, tighten the truss rod 1/4 turn or so. If the number is small, loosen it 1/4 turn or so. Measure again, and repeat as necessary, with smaller adjustments to the truss rod. 

Next, you wanna get your nut slots cut to the proper depth. Since you're asking how to intonate, I'm gonna assume you're unprepared to do that, so we'll pretend they're already right (they're not).

At this point, you can start lowering your bridge saddles until the strings buzz. Lower a saddle, and play every note on the neck for that string. If it buzzes anywhere, raise the saddle until it doesn't. Do that for all six strings. Then, start all over checking for buzz by bending the string(s) at every position at least a 1 1/2 semitones, listening for buzz. Again, if it buzzes, raise that string's saddle slightly.

The guitar should now be more or less playable. Probably less than ideal, but close enough for ork 'n' orr. Now you can set intonation.

For intonation, you need a decent tuner, which nowadays is just about anything. Starting with the low E, tune it as perfect as you can get it, then fret the string at the 12th fret and see if reads sharp or flat. If it's sharp, the string's too short so you need to lengthen it by moving the saddle farther from the nut. Of course, the reverse is true - flat at the 12th means string's too long, so move the saddle closer to the nut.

Be sure to re-tune after every adjustment!

Do that for all 6 strings, and you should be intonated.

 

[civilaggie06]

Generally speaking, setting intonation is one of the last things you do. Several things affect it that need to be right before you get to that point, or you'll just end up doing it again. Not that it's difficult, but why work any harder than you have to?

Some things are a balancing act, and others interact, so you may have to make some adjustments more than once.

First, I like to get things "reasonable". Won't be right, but some things can be so far off that other things are pointless to adjust. So, string it up, tune it,  and have a look from the side at how the bridge is oriented. Chances are about 99.9% it'll be angled relative to the top of the guitar, with the ass end sitting a bit high or low. If it's high, the strings are pulling harder than the springs, so tighten your claw until the bridge is not quite level, then re-tune. Still off? Of course it is. Reiterate until the bridge is level. If he back of the bridge is low, then loosen the claw, re-tune, etc., etc.

Now that your bridge is level, how high are the strings? Tripping balls? Normally, one would adjust the bridge pivot post heights to get realistic, but you don't have that option. Luckily, your saddles have height adjustment. Lower those equally until the string height seems reasonable. If you can't get there from here, you may need to shim your neck mount, but that's not very common so we'll leave that for later.

Now that your strings are at a reasonable height, you can adjust your neck relief. At this point, you're going to want some sort of measuring device. Ideally, a set of feeler gauges from the local auto store (figure $5 or so) will come in real handy. Again ideally, you want an 18" straightedge to lay on the fretboard, and using your feeler gauges measure how much clearance you have at about the 7th/8th fret. If you don't have a good straightedge, then you can put a capo on the first fret and hold the string(s) down at about the 12th/15th fret and measure under those. Opinions vary, but a good starting point is usually somewhere between .012" and .018". If you're outside those numbers, then some truss rod adjustment is in order. If the number is big, tighten the truss rod 1/4 turn or so. If the number is small, loosen it 1/4 turn or so. Measure again, and repeat as necessary, with smaller adjustments to the truss rod. 

Next, you wanna get your nut slots cut to the proper depth. Since you're asking how to intonate, I'm gonna assume you're unprepared to do that, so we'll pretend they're already right (they're not).

At this point, you can start lowering your bridge saddles until the strings buzz. Lower a saddle, and play every note on the neck for that string. If it buzzes anywhere, raise the saddle until it doesn't. Do that for all six strings. Then, start all over checking for buzz by bending the string(s) at every position at least a 1 1/2 semitones, listening for buzz. Again, if it buzzes, raise that string's saddle slightly.

The guitar should now be more or less playable. Probably less than ideal, but close enough for ork 'n' orr. Now you can set intonation.

For intonation, you need a decent tuner, which nowadays is just about anything. Starting with the low E, tune it as perfect as you can get it, then fret the string at the 12th fret and see if reads sharp or flat. If it's sharp, the string's too short so you need to lengthen it by moving the saddle farther from the nut. Of course, the reverse is true - flat at the 12th means string's too long, so move the saddle closer to the nut.

Be sure to re-tune after every adjustment!

Do that for all 6 strings, and you should be intonated.

Thanks Cagey! I’ll keep you posted after I get the Claw screws.
  :headbang:

 

[TBurst Std]

I see you have a 6 screw bridge. To set that up:

Run the 2 outer screws in. When you see the bridge start to lift (due to the bevel on the underside), back off the screws 1/2 turn. Now install the other 4, making sure they are not as deep/tight as the outer screws. This gets you close to a 2 point fulcrum.

When you have the claw and springs installed: Stick 2 credit cards under the tail of the bridge, spacing it from the body. String it up to pitch. Loosen claw springs until the cards fall out.

 

[civilaggie06]

Got Claw Screws in, She Plays!

I need to relook at the electronics, running into either a short, or something that didn't get soldered right on the Bridge Pickup. the Neck and Middle Pick up work splendidly.

The only other issue I am noticing is super Low Volume, I believe everything is currently configured in Series.

Let me know if you have any suggestions?  :help:

 

[Cagey]

Those pickups will need to be wired in series individually in order for them to be noiseless, but in parallel as far as switching goes (treat them as if they were single coils). A low output sometimes can be due to a phasing problem. One of the pickup's polarity is reversed relative to the others. Makes for a weak, thin-sounding output as one pickup is canceling out most of what another is doing. Individually, the pickups will sound fine, but in combination with another you have a problem.

Another reason for a low output might be if the pickup got wired in such a way as to only bring out a single coil. Those pickups aren't really meant to be split; the individual coils are too small/low output on their own to be satisfying.

 

[civilaggie06]

With the information you gave me I was able to get setup.

I ended up redoing the wiring on saturday and got that straightened out. Now its coming out crystal clear  :headbanging:


Thanks for all your help!