Before you start to adjust yor neck do a couple of simple checks first, it might save you some grief.
Put a finger on the first ffret and on the 12th. in between at the centre you should have a slight clearance, this is a matter of choice from practically none to .031". This is fairly important as your strings vibrate in an ellipse. If you have a gap in that tolerance, repeat the exercise this time on the last fret, it wont be the same, but it should still have a gap.
You say you have a strat type guitar, if the bridge is the traditional "Fender type" you will have to raise the saddles, do this turning the allen screws one flat at a time, remember to adjust the tension in the string as you will be raising the pitch and have a risk of breakage.
Remember to keep the profile of the fretboard.
If you have done this and it is still buzzing, check that the portion from the 12th. fret to the end is not raising, this is called a rising tongue, normally there is a 5 to 10 degree fall from the 12th fret, called a falling tongue.
With bolt on guitars it is normal to shim the neck, as this dramatically alters the alignment of the neck, if you do decide to do this use a brass shim rather than plastic, as the plastic to my ear seems to affect sustain and the brass is far more stable, try a small shim to start with, say .010", on some guitars you will have an allen screw that does the same, don't over do it. But before you touch anything are your frets worn? in the area you play the most.
Humidity or lack of it is a real bastard on necks, I live in the North West desert area of Australia and I have had guitars come into me so dried out that the frets protrude where the neck material has shrunk and a bow in a maple fretboard Strat that was totally unplayable, I steamed it and got it straight, but before attacking it check it. I make about 50% of my repair money from people who have had a go themselves first and got it wrong.
Good luck
Clive Hugh
