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| Learning To Do Your Own Set-Ups |
Chuck King
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Often when people post with a questions about guitars that are not playing well, they are advised to "get a set-up". This can be a bit confusing if you're not familiar with that concept, but a set-up basically involves adjusting the guitar so it plays well, and usually includes setting bridge/saddle height, neck relief, intonation, and maybe pickup height, and on guitars with vibrato systems there can be other parameters as well. A good set-up involves balancing a bunch of things.
Setting up a guitar is basic maintenance, probably on par with changing the oil in a car. You can certainly pay someone else to do it, but with a few tools it's not that hard to do yourself and you can save a lot of money, especially since guitars often need the set-up tweaked from time to time due to changing humidity at different times of the year. Personally, I think everyone who plays should know how to set up his or her guitar. If for no other reason, no tech or luthier will be playing the guitar with your hands, so nobody can really tell when an instrument is dialed in for your playing style better than you.
Often a set-up will involve adjusting the truss rod, and people are often warned off from doing that because if a truss rod gets stripped or broken it can mean a ruined guitar. But if you understand how the truss rod works and are careful, it's nothing to be afraid of.
If you've never had your guitar set up properly, you will probably be amazed how much better it can play than you may have suspected. Many cheapo guitars can actually be made to play very well with a proper set-up. It's one of the places factories cut corners to keep prices down. (Not that even expensive guitars always come from the builder set up well, but that's a rant for another occasion.)
If you want to learn to do your own set-ups, there are lots of great tutorials and instructional books, videos, and web sites, but (IMHO) the best place to start is with one of these books by Dan Erlewine:
How To Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great
Guitar Player Repair Guide
The Repair Guide costs a few bucks more but it includes lots of extra information (including acoustic-specific topics and more serious repairs) and it comes with a DVD showing some basic tips.
These are good reference books to have around the house, and if you read and understand them you will be well on your way to having a bunch of great-playing guitars!
More specific, in-depth books and videos, as well as just about any guitar-specific tool you might need, are available from Stewart MacDonald.
Good luck!
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My music blog: http://chucksmusicblog.blogspot.com
| Post Date: 7/3/2009 @ 10:05 am |
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RE: Learning To Do Your Own Set-Ups |
JC93230
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This forum doesnt get much use, but is the appropriate place . Insomnia struck last night, and I put my awake time to good use by giving my frankensteined telecaster some much needed TLC.
I must have been rough with it at some point, as the neck was not aligned. Fixed it. Put some graphite in the nut slots, restrung, tuned , set string heights to match the fretboard radius, intonated. It plays like my VHR52, but without any worries about anything damaging it. All done with some basic tools, feeler guages, a decent tuner, the books Chuck mentioned above, and some patience.
"I have had nothing less than a nice time with any guitar, but I cannot say the same for women." -jc93230
| Post Date: 10/2/2009 @ 4:38 pm |
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RE: Learning To Do Your Own Set-Ups |
Dave L
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Yes I agree its not that hard. Ive leveled a bolt on neck, set neck relief, lowered the action, set intonation. This one has me puzzled though on the harmonic. I would say still adjusting the truss rod is the easiest place one could ruin a guitar. You dont see the effect rigth away and some may overtighten possible stripping it. I go a 1/16 turn and let it set a day then recheck and do the same if required.
| Post Date: 10/3/2009 @ 8:35 am |
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RE: Learning To Do Your Own Set-Ups |
nickgibian
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I recently bought the book 'How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great' and here are my thoughts as someone with no setup experience whatsoever.
Most of the information is extremely valuable and well-presented, but seeing as the book is aimed at people new to doing setups, I think the information could have been put more in layman's terms, or at least had a full diagram of a guitar somewhere with all the different parts labeled clearly and so that someone as slow as me could understand it.
Also, much of the information in the book doesn't apply to normal setup situations- I wish he had included a two or three page section entitled 'Routine Setup' that only included basic cleaning, truss rod adjustment, bridge height adjustment, and setting intonation. It's hard to find the information necessary for a routine setup in his crowded book. For example, I don't need to hear, while trying learn how to adjust the height of my Les Paul style bridge, about how he fixed the crushed bridge of a customer's telecaster from 1987 or something of that nature.
Other than that, the book was extremely helpful. However, I would really only suggest it to people who already have a basic concept of how a setup should go.
| Post Date: 10/11/2009 @ 4:46 pm |
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RE: Learning To Do Your Own Set-Ups |
barryg_nyc
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Nick,
I agree completely. I bought the book about a month ago and was all ready for DIY world.
But, I've hesitated for two reasons:
First, I agree he takes what seems to be a simple task and adds complexity;
Second, I don't think that I know enough to know when it's been done correctly. In other words, I could follow his steps and still not know whether I'm doing it correctly.
What I'd love to see would be a video (preferably web-based, but DVD would work as well) of someone doing standard setups. A video companion to "How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great" would be perfect. Then, I could read, watch, click "pause" and do it myself.
Anyone know of a good video on guitar setups?
Any guitar techs out there want to drive traffic to their websites by posting one?
On a (somewhat) related note, any G-Netters know of any quality guitar techs in the Westchester, NY area? I know of a few in NYC, but while I work there, it's a pain to bring the guitar in, so would be easier to find someone in the burbs where I live.
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Barry
Gretsch G5122DC
CIJ Fender Mustang (65 reissue)
2004 Schecter C-1+
Vox AC4TV8 amp
Vox Valvetronix VT30 amp
| Post Date: 11/12/2009 @ 4:18 pm |
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RE: Learning To Do Your Own Set-Ups |
Chuck King
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Here are some set-up DVDs from Stewart MacDonald.
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My music blog: http://chucksmusicblog.blogspot.com
| Post Date: 11/13/2009 @ 11:14 am |
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RE: Learning To Do Your Own Set-Ups |
EastTexasRed
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I recently bought (off ebay) a les paul special II and I just couldn't get it to tune, so I watched loads of set up videos and used a couple of sites, restrung the guitar, checked string height, neck alignment and intonation, and my question is this: the G string is way out of intonation compared to the others and while I read that it is possible to reverse the saddle on that string to get more length on the string, why would one string be that far out compared to the others? Shouldn't the string length reduce more-or-less evenly from low E to high E? Am I missing something? Or am I overanalysing this?
| Post Date: 1/19/2010 @ 7:40 am |
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RE: Learning To Do Your Own Set-Ups |
Zug-uitar
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The part I have trouble with is neck relief. Once that's right I can adjust action and intonation.
 
this rig requires something with a little more kick... plutonium!
| Post Date: 1/19/2010 @ 9:19 am |
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RE: Learning To Do Your Own Set-Ups |
Micshady
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EastTexasRed said:
I recently bought (off ebay) a les paul special II and I just couldn't get it to tune, so I watched loads of set up videos and used a couple of sites, restrung the guitar, checked string height, neck alignment and intonation, and my question is this: the G string is way out of intonation compared to the others and while I read that it is possible to reverse the saddle on that string to get more length on the string, why would one string be that far out compared to the others? Shouldn't the string length reduce more-or-less evenly from low E to high E? Am I missing something? Or am I overanalysing this?
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This might be far fetched and i'm by no means and expert but;
Isn't there suppose to be a magnet on the head stop for the g string? Maybe its missing and causing the problem?
| Post Date: 2/5/2010 @ 11:58 am |
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RE: Learning To Do Your Own Set-Ups |
Chuck King
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The wound strings and the unwound strings have diffferent tension characteristics. So, it's common to have the strings go from longer to shorter as you go from heavier to lighter with the wound strings, but then when you get to the unwound strings, they go longer again. So yes, it's not unusual for the D string to be shorter than the G string, based on bridge saddle placement. If you had a wound G, it would (I would expect) be shorter but the B string would be longer. It doesn't ALWAYS work out that way, but if it's working out like that on your guitar, that's a possible explanation why.
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My music blog: http://chucksmusicblog.blogspot.com
| Post Date: 2/7/2010 @ 9:37 am |
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RE: Learning To Do Your Own Set-Ups |
srinivassa
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I hate the G string. It never sounds right on any of my guitars. I think part of it is that it's the major 3rd of the E chord, fretted 1. It will always sound sharp, especially if you apply too much pressure. If I can get it sounding right in G and A, I usually just try to be gentle when I fret E. That's about the best you can do. It also seems to twang a lot, partly because it is the first unwound string for me, and partly because a lot of staggered nubbie pickups have that nub the highest. I actually make the distance on this thing as short as possible to tighten up the string, get less twang/pwong out of it, and help the intonation. This is the best solution I have found, even though it goes against common wisdom. I do the same thing with my bass E string for the same reason. So I'm like bizarro saddles or something.
| Post Date: 2/24/2010 @ 10:34 am |
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RE: Learning To Do Your Own Set-Ups |
Tommy Max
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Well, I think this is still very helpful with intonations and neck though.. 
Go to LearnGuitarSongsFast.com to quit wasting time and start shredding!
| Post Date: 3/23/2010 @ 3:33 am |
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RE: Learning To Do Your Own Set-Ups |
thebird55
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EastTexasRed said:
I recently bought (off ebay) a les paul special II and I just couldn't get it to tune, so I watched loads of set up videos and used a couple of sites, restrung the guitar, checked string height, neck alignment and intonation, and my question is this: the G string is way out of intonation compared to the others and while I read that it is possible to reverse the saddle on that string to get more length on the string, why would one string be that far out compared to the others? Shouldn't the string length reduce more-or-less evenly from low E to high E? Am I missing something? Or am I overanalysing this?
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Chuck King's post is probably your answer, but I wanted to add that the only other thing that comes to my mind is the possibility that your G string isn't coming off the nut right. It may not have contact with the very edge of the nut, which would make the string, in effect, longer. Not likely, but possible.
Those who think they know everything annoy those of us who do. 
| Post Date: 4/23/2010 @ 2:41 pm |
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RE: Learning To Do Your Own Set-Ups |
oldwolf
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A good complete set-up which EVERY new guitar needs, is truly as complicated as Dan Erlewines book makes it sound, if not more so. There isn't any way to simplify it, that will get the job done correctly. That is the kind of attention to detail that you should get, if you deal with a good professional guitar tech, and it makes a huge difference. One of the early posters mentioned that because we all play differently, the guitar tech can't know what will be correct for you. It is true that there is a huge range of adjustment parameters, based on the way the player does his thing, but a good tech knows this, and must become a detective. I fill out a full page questionnaire with all new customers, and have a long chat with them. They also leave, knowing that they can bring it back free, if they feel anything needs to be changed to make the guitar fit them better. If your potential repairman doesn't ask you any questions other than string size and tuning, then you will only get a "generic" set-up, which may or may not fit you. Yes a player can learn to do some of his own set-up work, but you must have skills, tools, and patience. I highly recommend that if you are dead set on learning how, you buy a junker guitar to practice on, don't tackle your favorite machine in the beginning. It is not as easy as some of you seem to think it is. One slip with a tool can relic your brand new ax, or ruin a pickup. You cannot set intonation accurately without a strobe, and a new digital strobe costs about $200.00. You cannot accurately set the action at your nut, without a set of fret files. That's right, a good tech knows that you set action at both ends of your guitar, and you have to know how to isolate one end from the other, so you can work on just one area at a time. I know there are all kinds of home made files that people claim will work, believe me you need the real thing if you want it right These tools are good investments for someone who is serious about playing, and wants to learn how it's done. There is also a certain order that your work must be done in, or you will have to go back and do things over, again, and again. If your guitar isn't playing in tune, simply adjusting the string length at the bridge, may not solve your problem completely, as setting the intonation should always be the last, of several steps taken in the course of a good set-up. Knowing just what it takes, might make a $50.00 set-up (normally two hours work for me) sound like a better investment. It is probably the only part of your rock star idol's life style, that you CAN afford to copy.
Gene Warner
repairman
| Post Date: 5/15/2010 @ 9:45 pm |
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RE: Learning To Do Your Own Set-Ups |
mdw3332
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Micshady said:
EastTexasRed said:
I recently bought (off ebay) a les paul special II and I just couldn't get it to tune, so I watched loads of set up videos and used a couple of sites, restrung the guitar, checked string height, neck alignment and intonation, and my question is this: the G string is way out of intonation compared to the others and while I read that it is possible to reverse the saddle on that string to get more length on the string, why would one string be that far out compared to the others? Shouldn't the string length reduce more-or-less evenly from low E to high E? Am I missing something? Or am I overanalysing this?
===================================================
This might be far fetched and i'm by no means and expert but;
Isn't there suppose to be a magnet on the head stop for the g string? Maybe its missing and causing the problem?
===================================================
I have never heard of a magnet being used anywhere but in a pickup.
| Post Date: 5/15/2010 @ 10:31 pm |
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RE: Learning To Do Your Own Set-Ups |
oldwolf
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Oh Boy! What are you using other than your ears, to determine how far out that "G string" is? You really need an accurate strobe to tell you where it needs to go. IF all the rest of the guitar is correct, including the action at the nut, then it is normal for a plain (unwrapped) "G 3rd" to be one of the farthest strings from the end of the neck. Wrapped, or wound G strings, intonate correctly without being quite so far back. Just how far back it needs to be, depends on the gauge of the string, and the action. On some bridges, like the Gibson Tune-O-Matic styles, the saddles can indeed be reversed, if the strobe indicates that the string needs to go still farther back. Other bridges may not allow reversing saddles, but may have other adjustments that will allow moving the entire bridge back from the end of the fingerboard. Usually the G3rd, and the E6th strings always wind up the farthest from the end of the neck. Why it is like that, would take someone with a good deal of science and math background to explain, but the machines don't lie, that's why we use them, and trust them. There are some things that can prevent the strings from vibrating in a normal ellipse, which might cause the machines to give false readings. Bad strings can occur, even new ones right out of the package! That is something to look at, especially if the guitar played in tune with the old string set, but after restringing no longer played in tune. It's pretty easy to install a new string, and see if that helps. Pickups that are too close to the strings can cause all types of tuning problems, including overtones, and loss of sustain. It is rare to find a guitar where pretty accurate intonation cannot be achieved. Only on rare occasion in my forty years of repair work, have I found guitars where the bridge was installed in the wrong place. If all else fails, take it to a reputable guitar tech in your area. There are so many possible causes for problems, that it may be very difficult for you to figure it out yourself.
Gene Warner
repairman
| Post Date: 5/16/2010 @ 3:59 pm |
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