Fender MIM 'Classic Player' 60s Strat set up

Here I'm setting up Adam's lovely Fender MIM strat in 'Sonic Blue' which - as the video shows - could have been called 'Eggshell Blue' due to paint flaking off half way through the set up. Actually it wasn't a paint fault in this case, more a headstock/neck pocket fit issue from the factory. This is a classic example of how destructive a slightly too-large neck heel can be. It only has to be the width of several coats of clear poly finish that does it - but once that extra bulk is pulled into the neck pocket under massive pressure from the neck screws the stress has to go somewhere. And you can see it in the closeups in this video (and in the thumbnail): such a tiny, barely-measurable excess amount of thickness can do so much damage. In this case the big chunk of finish that was already cracked came off attached to a piece of low-tack masking tape.