my strat... setup help / knocking noise

[neastguy]

Originally Posted by Accio Recto

Did you ever get the knocking noise worked out? How's it playing now?

yes, but I'm still having tuning issues, or staying in tune issues... I'll post some pics shortly of the transformation ... I still need to lube the nut.. and restring... I intonated it fine ...

[Fredrocks]

Just make sure you're using new strings when you set the intonation. Dan Erlewine has a great book on taking care of EVERYTHING on a guitar. It is called "Guitar Player Repair Guide" on Backbeat Books.

You do need to loosen the two screws on the claw, so that the bridge is floating. Then retune the guitar and adjust the screws and retune ... until you get the bridge where you want it.

Your action will have changed, so you'll need to adjust each saddle to get your desired action. Then intonate, tune and check your string height, intonate, tune check string height....

You don't need to loosen the strings when you adjust the claw screws: that is going to happen anyway when you adjust the screws, i.e. when you turn the screws out it slackens the strings. Just be aware it is a time consuming process especially if you aren't used to setting up guitars(Strat type guitars take the longest to setup too.)

[testing1two]

Originally Posted by neastguy

I'm thinking maybe if I loosen the one spring a tad so it not touching.. thanks for the suggestionso far.. the playability is setup good, it just the dam nocking... its when I tap on the body of the guitar

The 2 point trem is really designed to "float" about 1/8" off of the body (notice how your bridged is slammed flush). Bringing back the float solves 2 problems: first, the trem block won't be resting against the body precariously (probably the source of your knocking noise) and second, when you use the trem bar you wont have to deal with the sound of the bridge hitting the body.

However, floating the bridge changes the overall setup of the guitar, so if you're not familiar with all the aspects of setups, it would be best to have a tech do it (I believe in using the best tech you can afford. The best techs charge more, but they have the experience to really unlock the potential of your instrument so treat it like an investment). Since you've changed string guages, the intonation should be touched up and it's critically important that the nut is slotted & filed properly for the new string guage to avoid tuning stability issues.

If you can't live with the idea of having your bridge floating (some folks who palm mute alot with their right hand struggle with it...some just dont like it), then you'll need to keep the trem block from resting against the body by adjusting the spring claw screws and adding springs if necessary until you find the "balance" point where the bridge is still low but the trem block is not touching the body. A piece of felt or leather on the inside of the trem cavity will minimize the noise of the trem block hitting the body as you use the trem, but if the block continues to rest against the body, the felt/leather will wear out very quickly.

I hope all that makes sense.

[Bob V]

Hard to say from the picture, but it looks like your saddles are bottomed out against the bridge plate and the entire bridge plate is raised up to bring up the action. Those saddles should be a little higher and the bridge plate a little lower, and at the same time you need to preserve the curvature at the saddles so it conforms to the fretboard radius. You don't want some saddles flat on the bridge plate and the rest of them sitting up on the screws, they'll sound different from each other. Seems like there's a lot that would benefit from a pro setup.

And is it my imagination or is the bass corner of your bridge plate bent downwards?