Setup up Fender Strat for E flat tuning with 9 gauge.

[Wayne27]

How do you setup a Fender Stratocaster for E flat tuning with 9 gauge strings?

[PFDarkside]

There shouldn’t be anything special for a Strat in Eb with 9s, it should be pretty straightforward. No nut adjustments, etc. If you float you’ll probably only need 2 springs and the truss rod will probably be pretty loose.

If you know how to do each individual step (and the guitar is setup well for another gauge already) it should be as simple as:
1. Restring
2. Set relief by fretting the 1st and ~17th frets, adjust the truss Rod until you can just barely see a little daylight between the E strings and ~9th fret
3. Set the desired tremolo float (hard decked is easy, you can do decked with an easy dive, or float). Floating is a balance of retuning and adjusting thee claw. Like I mentioned floating in Eb with 9s will probably be 2 springs.
4. Set the action by raising/lowering the saddles. I assume you won’t need to shim the neck if it’s already well setup now.
5. Set intonation by comparing the 12th fret harmonic with the fretted 12 fret on each string with a tuner. Adjust the saddle forward if the fretted note is flat, rearward if the fretted note is sharp.

All of the adjustments should be done in playing position as a guitar lying flat will be slightly different than one standing up.

[Mincer]

The trickiest step is setting the tremolo to float. When I was learning how to do this, videos like this one really helped. Not everyone likes it floating, though, so this step is up to you.

[BeKindRewind]

I think fenders are factory set up for 9s, so personally I would grab the manual and do the factory setup they have in there in E standard, then tune it down to E flat and just loosen the trem springs a tiny bit till the bridge is where it was in Estandard