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i everybody, i got a fender usa fat strat, now it sounded thick, full, and clean,one of the best guitars i ever heard, i recently brought it in to the local guitar shop to get the action set lower because it was to high, and i changed the strings.........i got it back and to my suprise it now sounds like ****...it sounds thin, with bearly no lows or mids ...how is that possible, it sounded so good before?????help

well... the strings were moved closer to the pickups, maybe try lowering 'em a little bit...

Adjusting the action shouldn't have changed the sound that much though... sorry to hear it.

Good Luck Bro

Did you keep with the same string gauge? Like Kac said, lower the pickups a bit.

take it back and say

OI!!!! you made my guitar sound crap, what did you do to it?

and await a reply.

Good suggestion to lower the pickups a bit. The strings may be so close to the pickups that the magnets in the pickups are preventing them from vibrating properly.

Lowering the action is the only thing that was changed on the guitar?

dirtier, older strings sound meatier and less plinky

slade

Ask the tech if he shimmed the neck or even shifted it. Changing the neck angle can have a significant impact on a guitar's tone, yet a surprising number of guitar techs don't seem to know this...

if the action was set lower, this usually results in a thinner and less resonant tone. Its generally accepted that the higher the action is, the better the tone, within reason of course.

I usually find that setting action on guitars usually ends up being a trade-off between playability and tone. There is a sweet spot / compromise between the two that you'll have to find.

First of all, I agree with those posts above ... this should be a simple fix.

the idea of doing a set up is to get the action set where you like it, then set the intonation, then set the pickup height ... on a strat, I like the pickups 4/32quot; on the bass side, 3/32quot; on the treble side, measured from the bottom of the string to the top of the magnet with the string fretted on the last fret

it could be that you also just don't like the strings he used too

most people on this forum should learn to do a basic set up .. especially on a strat
except for the truss rod adjustment, most of the set up is simple

I used to get stuff back from techs, then be mad because the guitar didn't play how I liked. Now I realize that everyone is different, and likes different set up and action, string gauge, etc .. it's just personal preference.

Some people also like to set up different guitars with different action, such as for slide, etc

my point is that learning the basics will help you dial in your guitar the best, and you'll learn how all the adjustments interact

the best place to start is on the quot;Mr. Gearheadquot; part of Fender's site. You'll need a couple simple tools, like a 6quot; General brand machined ruler, and a good set of feeler gauges. These will pay for themselves the first time you use them.

as far as the truss rod, read through the set up routines till you get the principle, and only make small adjustments at one time - say 1/8 of a turn.

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let me just add this:
the height of the action has to be adjusted with the neck relief ...
those who like low action have to set the neck straighter so the traverse of the string doesn't hit the frets and buzz out

yes, some players like the tone better with higher action and more relief (especially blues players), and they don't mind working a little harder to get their tone

finding that point where the saddle height and neck relief suit you is the key to good playability for you