Official Luthiers Forum!

After my SG kit I bought last year turned out okay I decided to get myself a Strat kit too, but am a bit stuck (the instructions are in German lol). The headstock has two holes where you put these things in for the strings to go through, and one is higher than the other (due to a cylinder shaped bit of metal that goes underneath them). Was just wondering which one is supposed to be the highest one..? The one nearest the thickest E string or the one nearest the thinnest E string..?

I don't have a Scooby Doo what I'm doing lol

Many thanks in advance for any help!

The tallest one will be closest to the nut will hold down the D & G strings.
The shorter one farther from the nut holds down the B & E strings.

Have fun, and ask more questions if you get stuck.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Brilliant, thanks for that. Got it all sorted now, ta!

Hey Harv,
Unless I missed seing it, I'm still waiting for a picture of your SG kit.
Regards from across the pond,
Dan

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Yup, you must have missed them, I attached pics to my original post here.

Got another question for you all about my Strat kit. Was messing around with the action and trem and doing so managed to break a string so decided to replace them all. After I'd removed the strings I inadvertantly put a fair bit of pressure on the trem and the bridge, which was screwed in, popped out! This has basically made the holes too big so they don't screw in too securely. Since I bunged the new strings on I've made the bridge more 'floaty' so that I can use the trem both ways but for some reason I can't tune the strings!!!

Not sure if this is because of the screw holes attaching the bridge to the body being too loose or if there's something else I've done wrong. Every time I check the tuning of a string (the bottom E for example) it's flat. So I tune if sharper to make it an E. Then I tune the A string which is also flat and work my way up...but as I tune the other strings it makes the strings in tune flat again. So now I'm stuck with a guitar that's impossible to tune.

Should I get some wider screws, should I adjust the springs so that the bridge isn't floating or something else..?

I've got the truss rod adjusted properly, the action is exactly how I like it and no problem bending notes and no fret buzz and my brdge is floating around 3mm from the body.

If there's any more info you guys need I'll be happy to let you know, and thanks in advance (again!) for any help!

OK..... the 6 screws that held down the bridge pulled out?
Either that is some really soft wood, or the holes were drilled out too large.
There are some methods to fix this.... but let me continue.

If this a stock vibrato rig, with no string locks on the bridge or at the nut.... it will not stay in tune with the bridge floating. WILL NOT, OK? Just the nature of the beastie. You would have to adjust the springs tighter to set the bridge flat and solid when the guitar is tuned to pitch.

Tell more more, or post pix of your holes before I answer - would you please?

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Oh, I see. It's just a bog standard one, no locks or anything anywhere. So I guess I'll just have to loosen the 3 springs by loosening the two screws so that the bridge comes down then..?

Have also just realised looking at the instructions (I've attached the PDF page to this post) that I've also managed to put the springs for the trem in the wrong place lol, if you look at it and name the things that the springs go onto 12345 in the diagram it has the springs attached to 234 whereas I've attached them to 135. Ooops!

Will loosen the screws so that my bridge stops floating and see how it goes from there!

Thanks Harv, cool-looking SG!

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Cheers, I've since then replaced the chrome tailpiece and bridge with black ones. Will be painting it red in the Summer at some point.

Good old Thomann, dirt cheap aren't they. I made the strat kit.
If I ever have a problem like which way up does somethiong go after I've fiddled around I google for images. The answer is uysually there in front of you.

Yup, they're as cheap as chips but I've got minor issues with both my SG and Strat. The SG's body hasn't been cut too well, the bit where the neck goes in isn't flat so there's a little gap after I've screwed the neck in. Bit of wood filler should sort that out easy enough though. And on the Strat one of the holes for the jack socket isn't drilled in the right place so I've only got one screw holding it in until I can drill a hole in the right place lol. Plus I've got this problem with the trem.

I think the problem with the trem is the holes for those screws being slightly too big. What's the best solution to fix this..? Buy some thicker and longer screws..? Or can you get wall plugs that small..?

At some point I'll want a floating bridge too, is there some sort of bridge or nut or something you can get that stops use of the trem from detuning the guitar..?

Edit: Have attached a pic of the bridge and a pic of the claw and springs just so that you can see what the problem is.

Looks like those two extra springs did the trick!

But now I have a problem with my top E string. It sounds like a sitar lol. Would applying lead froma pencil fix this..? How would you apply it..? And what's the best type of pensil to use..? Or is there something better to solve the problem. It's sounding like a sitar only when played open.