HWY1 Strat String alignment and fret lift questions…

[giogolf]

Hey All,

Picked up this MIA HWY1 Strat 2002 for a great deal and going through my normal setup and a few things are really bothering me.. Pointers needed

1. High e and low e seem pretty close to the end of the fretboard. (It appears to be a saddle alignment) the nut looks good and the neck alignment is spot on.. But you can see from the pics the saddles seem off a bit from the string exit holes.. You can see the high e doesnt align well with the bridge PU pole

2. I fret out a bit bending around 14-16.. looks like 15-18 frets are lifted on the high side.. can I bang them in with a rubber mallet?

3. Also I cant seem to get the action lower than 1.2mm with a neck relief of .25mm on the 8th fret capod 3rd and pressing on the 22nd

Any advice would be appreciated.. Its frustrating as my Indo Affinity Strat blows this thing out of the water after set it up ( its lightning fast and so smooth)

Oh and both Strats are decked with 5 springs FYI

TIA

 

[highwaycat]

That bridge looks like one that has
2 1/8” string spacing, sometimes they is a gap between the sides of the saddles.
Measure the mounting spacing and string spacing and see if you can upgrade the bridge.
The 2006 and later highway ones have higher quality bridges, they’re also 2 7/32” mounting and 2 1/16” string spacing, so the E strings have more room.
You can also double check the alignment, E strings to the bevel of the frets, and also loosening the neck mounting holes and fine tuning the alignment.

“can I bang them in with a rubber mallet?“
I do something similar but only during a full inspection and fret job. The frets should be re-glued afterwards for best results though.
Check for humps and problems with the neck.

You might have more relief than you think if you’re capoing at 3rd fret. I pay close attention to how much relief is at the top of the neck.

Also I find the best way to get rid of fretting out is a normal fret level, you don’t have to do a fall away or compound radius.

 

[Tuxedo Poly]

The original Hwy1 bridge was vintage string spacing 2 7/32"
The upgraded versions, American Specials and Performers use one with 2 1/16" string spacing
Fender part 0072290000, block stamped PW-36

 

[giogolf]

The original Hwy1 bridge was vintage string spacing 2 7/32"
The upgraded versions, American Specials and Performers use one with 2 1/16" string spacing
Fender part 0072290000, block stamped PW-36

This correct.. Fender also makes the same bridge for this which uses the same spaced mounting points with modern 2 1/6", I almost bought it, but decided to sell the guitar instead of fitting it to my needs.

 

[FortyEight]

AFAIK, strats (from fender) only come in 2-1/16" string spacing and 2-7/32. my squier tele is 2-1/8".

theres not much u can do about strings being close to the edge on a vintage spaced bridge. if one side is closer some say u can whack the neck to adjust. i tried that tip on mine and ot didnt do anything. my 6th string is closer to the edge than my 1st string.

vintage spec bridges are notorious for this issue.

u can buy bridges that have 2-7/32 mounting holes but 2-1/16" sprung spacing. i think wilkinson makes a bridge with 2-1/8" string spacing. not sure about the mounting width on that one.