Putting a strat together (help needed)!!

[Tobaccorich]

Hi there
This is my first post.
I m putting together a strat from parts that i ve bought and my problems are these.
When i bolt on the tremolo into the existing six holes on the body it doesnt line up properly.
Does this mean i have to drill six more holes for it to line up or is there some way to adjust ?
I m only talking a few millimetres but the top e string is just off the neck as it is.
Also there is no nut in the neck i bought and the nut i have wont fit.
Do i file down the neck or do i reduce the nut??
Thanks for reading this post
Any help greatly appreciated.
Rich

[photoweborama]

Well first off, the bridge may be a Mexican standard sized bridge. The spacing is narrower than the American style bridge. It sounds like your body is setup for US and your bridge is a Mexican /Ping size.

Don't drill more holes. Those holes hold the bridge on and if you do that, it may strip the holes, ruining your body. I'm sure you don't want to do that.

I'd get a bridge with the correct spacing. That should fix your problem.

And yes file the Nut, not the neck. You can throw the nut away and get a new one if you make a mistake. You can't do that with a neck.

Also, Mexican necks are narrower and the nut is narrower just by a little. If you get a US spaced bridge, you still may have a problem with everything lining up correctly.

I'm not an expert on putting together guitars, but I take them apart all the time.

Chime in here guys and give him some help.

[Cogs]

First, find a bridge that fits the holes that are there. Then, make the nut fit the slot, not the other way around. If you mess up it's cheaper to buy another nut blank than it is to buy another neck.

[Tobaccorich]

Ok thanks for replies...
Theres more i should tell you .
The body and bridge are from a squier and the neck i want to use
is a mexican neck.
The bridge does fit into the existing holes its just that they dont properly line up with the neck if you know what i mean.
Maybe it isnt possible to put this combination of parts together.
I thought they d all just fit y know.
Cheers
Rich

[BillG]

Are you sure that the neck isn't going on crooked? Maybe you need to shim it on one side.

[Tele-Bob]

Tobaccorich, I respectfully suggest that you find someone to help you who has built a guitar before. Please don't take offense. Putting a guitar physically together is really easy. The hundred or so finer points and adjustments are where the difficulty lies. We can attempt to talk you through it here but this is a very abstract way of going about this process. If you can find someone to help you where you live, you will learn volumes of information right before your eyes in 3 hours or less. I'm not trying to discourage you. There will be other guitars in the future. But for your first one, you do risk the possibility of reducing your parts to an unusable collection of fine firewood if you're not careful. Building guitars is a blast. Take it from someone who has had a well stoked fireplace on a few occasions.

[Cogs]

Originally posted by Tele-Bob
...you do risk the possibility of reducing your parts to an unusable collection of fine firewood if you're not careful.

Not as long as they make this stuff:

[Tele-Bob]

LOL! They do use that stuff at the factory. It doesn't shrink.

[Tobaccorich]

Point taken tele bob.
I wrongly assumed that any part would just fit with any other part and just bolt together.
I ll not be butchering anything, i think i ll leave it someone who knows what they re doing.
Just as long as it can be done.
Many thanks.

[BillG]

Where do you live? If you're close here in SoCal I could take a look at it for you.

[Tele-Bob]

Tobaccorich, if you copuld hang out with someone like BillG or a friend that has done this before, you can learn a lot. It's a real nice feeling to play a guitar that you put together yourself from a bunch of parts. Be careful. You'll get hooked. Next thing ya know you'll be ordering so much stuff you'll be on a first name basis with everyone over at Warmoth! Have fun. Let us know how it all turns out!

[Franklin]

Everyone speaks the truth! You'll be hooked!

[BLUELOU]

IM HOOKED
IT IS ADDICTING
BUT I BEEN THRU SHIT LIKE YOURE GOIN THRU FOR FRIENDS ON BUDGETS ETC AND THE ANSWER TO MY POSTS IS YES EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE WITH A LIL PATIENCE AND THINKING

ITS JUST THE PARTS WERE MADE IN OTHER PLACES AND SOME SQUIERS ARE SORTA METRIC I THINK THEIR TOOLIN TEMPLATES ARE OFF MORE THAN THE BRIDGES ITS NOT REALLY A METRIC PROBLEM PROBABLY BAD PRODUCTION TEMPLATES THESE SQUIERS ARE CHEAP GUITARS TO BEGIN WITH

YOU CAN ALYWAYS BUY ANOTHER NUTCHEAPLY TO FILE

BUT NEVER CUT INTO THE NUT SLOT ESPECIALLY ON THE FRETBOARD SIDE
THEN YOURE IN DEEP POO LIKE 71818 AND TELE-BOB AND PHOTWEBORAWMA SAID THESE DUDES ASSEMBLE TWEAK THEIR GUITARS AND 71818 ACTUALLY MAKES HIS OWN BEAUTIFUL BODIES
I THINK THE TOOLIN IS OFF A LITTLE AT SQUIRE FACTORY ASSEMBLY PLANT THE BRIDGES ARENT THE BEST OR THE WORST BUT THEY BOLT UP ON SOME FINE AND OTHERS SLOPPY OR TIGHTLY OR NECK POCKETS ON SQUIERS MIGHT HAVE A GAP ON A SIDE AND NEED TLC

BUT TO US ITS FUN WORKIN ON GUITARS


ASSEMBLIN YOUR OWN GUITAR IS FUN ITS REWARDING IN MY BOOK IT JUST TAKES PATIENCE /TIME AND TWEAKIN TO GET THEM SINGIN
GOOD LUCK
SINCERELY
BLUELOU
GODBLESS

[Tobaccorich]

Thanks for the offer BillG
But i think i m a few miles away from most of you folks in Oxford England.
Have already been on the phone to a guitar set up geezer who s going to take it from me and hopefully set it up.
I m slightly wiser these days than when i got my first strat copy (at age 14) but wanted a telecaster , so took a saw to it, and chopped of the top horn.
I ll let you know when i get it back .
Thanks again.