Guitar Setup

Dirk

I would like to be able to do my own setups on my guitars, but don't have the proper knowledge. What does a whole setup include and are there a few pointers from the experts out there?

aja

Would this be on acoustic or electric?
Archtop or tremolo etc?

Also, how far do you want to go? I.E. - restring and action, or also truss rod and nut/bridge adjustment etc?

Some guitars need little in terms of a "setup", while others need fret dressing and and and...

Squonk

@ Aja Are you trying to put him off? ?

Dirk

Let's say Electric Strat type guitars? Basic action adjustment, as well as nut and bridge

Bob-Dubery

Check out www.frets.com.

But that will give you the THEORY. Until you know that you know what you're doing then caution should be your guiding principle. The only thing that I ever touch - and I won't take it far - is the truss rod.

It's important to understand that the different adjustments - nut, bridge, saddle position, truss rod - all interact. Guys who are good at set ups know how to isolate each of those adjustments and how to figure out which ones need to be adjusted. Too many people try to use the truss rod to lower the action when in fact it's the bridge that is the problem. The truss rod is for adjusting the curvature of the neck. Neck curvature does have an impact on the action, but it's quite possible for the neck to be correctly adjusted and the action to still be too high or too low.

AlanRatcliffe

I'm busy updating this series of articles for Muse mag:

http://ratcliffe.co.za/articles/setup.shtml

I'm up to nut action with the rewrites, but pickup height is a relatively new article anyway. They are pretty condensed now thanks to a 800 word limit for an article in the small format of Muse, but the pertinent info is all there. When I get a chance, I'll try slip in more pics for a more illustrated guide.

For electric, I can also highly recommend the book How To Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great! by Dan Erlewine.

EDIT: Good points Bob - as mentioned in my truss article, I've seen a lot of truss rod "action adjustment" ...some of it fatal. Generally if you do things in order though, you won't have any problem, but doing something like cutting the nut and then only lowering the bridge is a recipe for disaster.

JK

Blues, learn how, become a master at it, and then..... (drum roll please)

set up a hands-on workshops on guitar setup. Ill go on it. Charge what a setup would cost at an expensive place plus some, say R600. You can do 1 session a month with 5 people, and after a few months it pays off your next fancy toy.

(in other words, ill pay someone who knows their stuff to teach me the art of setting up a guitar like a pro. Nothing fancy, no floyd-rose pain. Normal Strat stuff)

Dirk

Thanx Alan

I found your articles most helpful. I've read two of your articles in the Muse, and have learned quite a bit.

JK wrote Blues, learn how, become a master at it, and then..... (drum roll please)

set up a hands-on workshops on guitar setup. Ill go on it. Charge what a setup would cost at an expensive place plus some, say R600. You can do 1 session a month with 5 people, and after a few months it pays off your next fancy toy.

(in other words, ill pay someone who knows their stuff to teach me the art of setting up a guitar like a pro. Nothing fancy, no floyd-rose pain. Normal Strat stuff)

Good idea Jared, I'll give it a try.. There's probably a few courses than one needs to go on. I'll dig into it.

Now I just need to decide which guitar I'm gonna use as my test-rat :-\

aubs1

bLuEs wrote
Now I just need to decide which guitar I'm gonna use as my test-rat :-\

JUST NOT YOUR BRAND NEW VR STRAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ?

aja

Squonk wrote @ Aja Are you trying to put him off? ?

hehe maaaaaayyybe ?

Spyke

I started out on my guitars, with thanks to the interwebs and Alan's articles. Practiced on a few there and now I regularly do set ups for friends and the like. I started charging a few bucks and now I'm fairly confident with the basics. I'm yet to do the more difficult jobs like a fret dress and refret but I've fitted my own saddles, nuts and the like.

Start with the small things, one at a time till you feel you know what the impact is on the feel and sound of a guitar. Little things like pickup height, intonation, action and then move onto neck relief, nut action etc.