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The saga of my Classic 50 continues. The first E string was far too close to the edge of the neck so I changed the bridge assembly to a 'highway' model which has the 2 7/32nd screw spacing and narrow 2 1/16 string spacing. Don't know why Fender produce the guitar like that or did I just get a Fri aft model... The trem arm on the Highway bridge is actually a MIM thread and not a US thread and yet I thought the Highway Strat was a cheap US production.
Anyone else have problems with the Classic 50?

I think that you may just have been unlucky, Martyn.
I've got three Mexican Strats, a Classic 50's like yours, a 50th Anniversary & a Hendrix 'Limited Special Run' model. Although they all feel & sound 'different' and are dissimilar in weight, they've all arrived as virtually perfect as you can expect a mid-range guitar to be. I've been impressed with these Mexican guitars since I bought the 50th Anniversary one back in 2004. Previously, I've had both American Standard and Strat Plus guitars from the 1990's which weren't as good in several areas as the Mexican product. My only slight niggle is with the feel of the tremolo on the Hendrix guitar, fiddle around as I might, I just can't get it to feel as good as the other two, as it's a tad stiffer. Perhaps this is due to the reverse headstock & stringing.......I don't know.
Regarding your problem with the top E string being too close to the fingerboard edge, although I can't accurately comment without sight of the guitar, could it have been just a badly spaced/cut nut? I had this on a Gibson Les Paul Studio where the top E was noticeably too far from the B string and close to the edge of the 'board, so I filled in the slot with superglue & baking powder and then filed a new slot farther in from the edge. If this was similar to your scenario, it may have been a cheaper option than an alternative bridge.
Stephen.

stephen wrote:I think that you may just have been unlucky, Martyn.
I've got three Mexican Strats, a Classic 50's like yours, a 50th Anniversary & a Hendrix 'Limited Special Run' model. Although they all feel & sound 'different' and are dissimilar in weight, they've all arrived as virtually perfect as you can expect a mid-range guitar to be. I've been impressed with these Mexican guitars since I bought the 50th Anniversary one back in 2004. Previously, I've had both American Standard and Strat Plus guitars from the 1990's which weren't as good in several areas as the Mexican product. My only slight niggle is with the feel of the tremolo on the Hendrix guitar, fiddle around as I might, I just can't get it to feel as good as the other two, as it's a tad stiffer. Perhaps this is due to the reverse headstock & stringing.......I don't know.
Regarding your problem with the top E string being too close to the fingerboard edge, although I can't accurately comment without sight of the guitar, could it have been just a badly spaced/cut nut? I had this on a Gibson Les Paul Studio where the top E was noticeably too far from the B string and close to the edge of the 'board, so I filled in the slot with superglue & baking powder and then filed a new slot farther in from the edge. If this was similar to your scenario, it may have been a cheaper option than an alternative bridge.
Stephen.

Actually it's a known problem and Callaham make the 'narrow' string spacing bridge especially for the condition although why Fender can't supply a correct set of fittings in the first place I don't know. The nut was cut ok. The Standard MIM neck is much wider, but I like the vintage style 'V' neck as I can get my hand around it better than the alternatives. I didn't buy the Callaham bridge at £159.00 but a Fender Highway set at about £37.00- has a steel block and seems fine. I also like the MIM Standard Strats and would not buy the US model any more. I think I did get a duff Classic 50s...however I almost always customise my guitars so it doesn't matter that much. I suppose I should go to a showroom more instead of mail order but I've never had trouble with mail order over the years. I guess standards are dropping.

Have you checked if the neck is attached to the guitar correctly, causing the string to be too close to the neck edge. There are videos on utube showing how to slacken off the four neck bolts and readjust the neck. This a rare problem with guitars.

Fiesta red wrote:Have you checked if the neck is attached to the guitar correctly, causing the string to be too close to the neck edge. There are videos on utube showing how to slacken off the four neck bolts and readjust the neck. This a rare problem with guitars.

I thought about adjusting neck, but it seemed ok. Changing the bridge to a narrow string width version has done the trick!