Cheap Guitar Question...

[Flimber]

Picked up a Squier Strat t'other day for £50. It's in really nice condition and I just thought it needed setting up a bit to correct a string buzz. But when I looked at it last night I noticed that the fretboard is unusually flexible in relation to the body. I can basically use the fretboard as a tremolo arm. Not good. Is this a 'feature' of cheap guitars or can I correct this somehow. Help...?

Cheers,
Mike.

[DeadYankee]

Fretboard or neck? I can't imagine how a fretboard could make a trem effect?

If there are issues with it then I recommend you get someone experienced to set it up properly for you. If the neck is loose then it'd need fully adjusting and setting up to the tension of whatever guage strings you plan on using.

If, as you say, the fretboard is loose on the neck then maybe you need a new neck from all parts?

[Flimber]

Yes, I meant the neck, DY. The neck feels 'rubbery' with respect to the body into which it's bolted. I can play a chord and flex the neck until the strings touch the frets and stop the string vibrations (!). What I'm wondering is it that kind of workmanship/quality is common to cheap strats or if I can tighten a few bolts under the hood and sort it out.

Thanks,
Mike.

[DeadYankee]

If it is a squier strat then the quality should be functional (ie not rubbery), assuming it is the original neck on there. If you are going to play with the truss rod yourself then make sure you work in very small, incremental turns

This is the official fender set-up guide

http://www.fender.com/support/setup/stratsetup.php

[Flimber]

Thanks, DY. I only gave £50 for the thing and the shop would probably take it back so it's not the end of the world whatever happens. I'd lie to keep it though as it's mint and due for a present.

[DeadYankee]

The shop should be setting it up for you really

[Flimber]

It wasn't that kind of shop :) More like one of those 'Cash Converter' type places. I bought this on impulse just based on it's immaculateness without really checking it out, tbh. Still appears to be a bargain....er, I think.

[TheoGB]

I'm really surprised the neck can bend that much at all. Can you check to see if the truss rod is still in place? I guess if the action's really low it's not that much of a surprise but low action and Fenders isn't that common.

I'd definitely take it to be serviced. I know of a couple of places in London but I'm not sure where you are based.

[Flimber]

West Yorkshire. There'll be places in Leeds. I right fancy a tinker myself though. Sorry, I'm incurable :)

[Jon]

West Yorkshire. There'll be places in Leeds. I right fancy a tinker myself though. Sorry, I'm incurable :)
Quite right too! ;) Adjusting trussrods & doing setups isn't quite the black art some people think - and unless you tighten the rod until it snaps, or start randomly filing frets down, there's not much you can do wrong that you can't put right just as easily.

The only thing I can think of that might be connected with your flexi-neck issue would be an overly-slack rod - but it doesn't seem too likely. Are you sure it's not a loose neck/body joint? Could just be a matter of tightening the neck bolts.

Just out of curiosity, do you know how old your Squier is, and where it was made? Fender have been issuing guitars under the Squier brand since the early 80s, some are better than others - and, obviously, some are quite collectable now.