That MIM strat is killing my picking hand

[75lespaul]

My MIM strat has some REALLY jagged string height allen set screws. What do you guys do to smooth these things out? These things are ripping apart the heel of my picking hand.

Also the G string is giving me double notes on the tenth thru about the 14th fret. Anyone know what causes that and how to fix it? :saeek: :saeek: :saeek:

Got some time and I wanna get this guitar right!

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: That MIM strat is killing my picking hand

My MIM strat has some REALLY jagged string height allen set screws. What do you guys do to smooth these things out? These things are ripping apart the heel of my picking hand.

Also the G string is giving me double notes on the tenth thru about the 14th fret. Anyone know what causes that and how to fix it? :saeek: :saeek: :saeek:

Got some time and I wanna get this guitar right!

take a dremel tool and gring some length of the BOTTOM of the height screws...I've had to do the same thing several times!

 

[FretFire]

Re: That MIM strat is killing my picking hand

Also the G string is giving me double notes on the tenth thru about the 14th fret. Anyone know what causes that and how to fix it? :saeek: :saeek: :saeek:

Maybe the pickup is too close to the strings? That's a common problem with strats, and I think its from the magnets on the neck pickup tugging on the strings when you fret the higher up.

 

[Hellion]

Re: That MIM strat is killing my picking hand

Not sure about the double note thing, but I switched out the saddles to GraphTechs as soon as I could. I hate those stamped metal things that Fender uses on their Strats.

 

[Rich_T]

Re: That MIM strat is killing my picking hand

I had both these problems with mine when I bought it. The ghost notes were easily fixed by lowering the offending pickup, I think it was the neck one on mine.

I just left the bridge saddles to cut me, I thought it was rock and roll. They have worn down now, so I dont have that problem any more.

 

[Artie]

Re: That MIM strat is killing my picking hand

Interesting new terminology.

Whats a double-note?

 

[Imp]

Re: That MIM strat is killing my picking hand

i think theyre talking about 'wolf notes', a.k.a stratitis hehe

basically, pickup height is too high = this horrid, unmusical overtone on the note..

 

[TheProphet]

Re: That MIM strat is killing my picking hand

Not sure about the double note thing, but I switched out the saddles to GraphTechs as soon as I could. I hate those stamped metal things that Fender uses on their Strats.

BINGO +Infinity

Those vintage style stamped saddles chew the F***ing S*** out of my picking hand - it was a bloody mess

Got the graphtechs and it wasn't a problem anymore

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: That MIM strat is killing my picking hand

changing saddles will fix the problem BUT IMO, stamped saddles are key to a good Strat tone!

 

[Curly]

Re: That MIM strat is killing my picking hand

I'm sure you can find different height allen screws - my Barden tele bridge came with a bunch ... and I needed them.

 

[75lespaul]

Re: That MIM strat is killing my picking hand

Oh man, I was so tired last night when I posted I didn't even think of just using an emery board or something just to smooth out the set screws. They're fine now.

I just got this guitar last week (off eBAY) and the pickups are VERY close to the strings. Great call guys. I was going to adjust the height this afternoon anyway while putting it through an amp.

You like that terminology, huh? Double notes? It's rock n roll man, like Double neck! Yeah it's getting horrible undertones and "ghost notes" but only on the G string. After playing it while better rested this morning I found they are starting at the 4th fret and go all the way to the end. The pole piece on the G is REALLY high. Are these adjustable?

Hey Curly--it looks just like the one in your avatar exept my knobs and pickups are white. It's even got the Pearl pickguard. Was that stock?

Cheers!
:beerchug: :beerchug: :beerchug:

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: That MIM strat is killing my picking hand

Oh man, I was so tired last night when I posted I didn't even think of just using an emery board or something just to smooth out the set screws. They're fine now.

I just got this guitar last week (off eBAY) and the pickups are VERY close to the strings. Great call guys. I was going to adjust the height this afternoon anyway while putting it through an amp.

You like that terminology, huh? Double notes? It's rock n roll man, like Double neck! Yeah it's getting horrible undertones and "ghost notes" but only on the G string. After playing it while better rested this morning I found they are starting at the 4th fret and go all the way to the end. The pole piece on the G is REALLY high. Are these adjustable?

Hey Curly--it looks just like the one in your avatar exept my knobs and pickups are white. It's even got the Pearl pickguard. Was that stock?

Cheers!
:beerchug: :beerchug: :beerchug:

The G pole on Fender singles is way too high as it is, so adjusting the pickups too high causes the "double notes"! Lower those pups!!! Adn call me in the morning :smack: :laugh2:

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: That MIM strat is killing my picking hand

BTW...if those pickups have magnet poles you can very carefully push them down to make that G pole a bit lower...if it has a ceramic bar under the poles your stuck with the G pole being too high...

 

[75lespaul]

Re: That MIM strat is killing my picking hand

Well I lowered the pickups and the ghost notes got better but they're still there. It has to be the magnets cuz when you BEND the string, it goes away but when it's right over the magnet they're there. The D string magnet is just as high but I guess because it's nickel wound and thicker the magnet has no affect on it. I'm going to try and push the magnet down a little like you suggested. Then I'll see what it sounds like through the amp! Oh the pain and pleasure of guitars, huh? :smack:

:burnout:

 

[75lespaul]

Re: That MIM strat is killing my picking hand

Fire, you were right on the money. I pushed the pole piece down and the ghost notes are GONE. I had to push them down on all three pickups and they had to go down even with the B & E string poles, which are even with the cover, but that's what I had to do. Don't really care TOO much about the sound cuz these pickups will be history but the knowledge gained is seriously appreciated.

:yourock: :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha:

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: That MIM strat is killing my picking hand

Fire, you were right on the money. I pushed the pole piece down and the ghost notes are GONE. I had to push them down on all three pickups and they had to go down even with the B & E string poles, which are even with the cover, but that's what I had to do. Don't really care TOO much about the sound cuz these pickups will be history but the knowledge gained is seriously appreciated.

:yourock: :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha:

Glad I could help...keep that little trick in mind lots of Fender style pickups can use some "pole piece adjusting"!

 

[75lespaul]

Re: That MIM strat is killing my picking hand

Man, just spent an hour playing this guitar through the new hand built 59 Bassman I got yesterday and man does it sound dead! My daughter's 66 Duo Sonic sounded real good but this one :gurmpy:.

And the ghost notes are still there through the amp!

Making progress though. Could anything else besides pickups cause these undertones?

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: That MIM strat is killing my picking hand

Man, just spent an hour playing this guitar through the new hand built 59 Bassman I got yesterday and man does it sound dead! My daughter's 66 Duo Sonic sounded real good but this one :gurmpy:.

And the ghost notes are still there through the amp!

Making progress though. Could anything else besides pickups cause these undertones?

ALL Strats will have those overtones, and there is little to nothing to do about it, Alnico II magnets will help quite a bit, but it will still be there.

As for the dead tone...that is pretty common with the stock MIM pups.

 

[75lespaul]

Re: That MIM strat is killing my picking hand

These are pickups from an American strat--that's what the auction said--but I've heard they're horrible also. I guess this kind of proves it. My other strat which is a hybrid 76 Washburn body and 91 strat neck doesn't have the ghosts and sounds great through the Bassman even though it has high output active EMGs. I've got a feeling as soon as my pickups get changed, this will go away because the lower the pole pieces got, the better it sounded.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: That MIM strat is killing my picking hand

These are pickups from an American strat--that's what the auction said--but I've heard they're horrible also. I guess this kind of proves it. My other strat which is a hybrid 76 Washburn body and 91 strat neck doesn't have the ghosts and sounds great through the Bassman even though it has high output active EMGs. I've got a feeling as soon as my pickups get changed, this will go away because the lower the pole pieces got, the better it sounded.

That explains why you were able to lower one pole...MIM Singles have a ceramic bar under dead slugs and you can't push them down...IMO AS singles are hit or mis...I have heard some that were good and some that were bad...never any that were great thought! Get a set of Duncans and say hello to a new guitar!