Advice on Custom Guitar Order

I’m glad I’m a bad enough player that setups don’t really affect my playing ability, and I sound the same on a $300 or a $3000 instrument.

I’m sure there are some guys for whom it really does make a difference, but I’m kind of glad I’m not one of them. Sounds stressful needing that type of setup, custom builders etc
 
I’m glad I’m a bad enough player that setups don’t really affect my playing ability, and I sound the same on a $300 or a $3000 instrument.

I’m sure there are some guys for whom it really does make a difference, but I’m kind of glad I’m not one of them. Sounds stressful needing that type of setup, custom builders etc

So hard on yourself. That’s the funny thing, a handful of years ago, I had a plain old Mexican strat that would allow me to set it however I liked. Not expensive by any means but built adequately-enough:)

Setting up a guitar isn’t a difficult task. The only time stress comes into it is if a guitar won’t facilitate adjustability—especially when it’s a newly built instrument.
 
I’m glad I’m a bad enough player that setups don’t really affect my playing ability, and I sound the same on a $300 or a $3000 instrument.

I’m sure there are some guys for whom it really does make a difference, but I’m kind of glad I’m not one of them. Sounds stressful needing that type of setup, custom builders etc
I would say that no matter what your skills are, a good set up can make all the difference & make playing a much more enjoyable experience. Why have the guitar fight you with a bad setup. Make it work with you!
 
Setting up a guitar is extremely difficult and an art.

And few are good now a days

Getting a guitar right is not easy
Especially how awful guitars are today

The skill the guy that does my work has ive never seen anyone come close

Most expensive guy in town with a 6 mo wait
 
Setting up a guitar is extremely difficult and an art.
If the frets are level and the truss rod is behaving normally, then setting up a guitar is very straightforward and can be repeated with mathematical precision. When there are irregularities in the guitar — that's when art is required.


And few are good now a days
Modern guitars — even inexpensive ones — are much more likely to be well-built and playable than in past decades. CNC mills deserve much of the credit for that.
 
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Modern guitars — even inexpensive ones — are much more likely to be well-built and playable than in past decades. CNC mills deserve much of the credit for that.

You're right- guitars today are built better than ever- but I think there's a big divide in value/price. And I think even expensive guitars out of good factories don't come well set up- having to spend $3000 on a Gibson, and know you have to pay for a set up right after- is crazy.

When I said "And few are good now a days" wasn't about guitars- it was about guitar repairmen/luthiers

And I'll put it into context- I live in Phoenix, AZ. Roberto Venn is local- probably the biggest guitar building/repair/luthier school in the country.

Every few weeks/months new people come from all over to go to the school- and they typically like it and want to stay here or try living/moving here after. AND, doing business/setting up shop here- so we have an insane amount of inexperienced techs with a few months of classes, no real repair experience and a price list of what someone that knows what their doing 'should' charge.

I've given dozens and dozens and dozens of people shots at doing work for me, but it seems- and what I see on facebook groups/ibanez guitar groups/other guitar players all over- is local repair people aren't very good. Not to mention, the people that work at guitar center.
 
I’m glad I’m a bad enough player that setups don’t really affect my playing ability, and I sound the same on a $300 or a $3000 instrument.

I’m sure there are some guys for whom it really does make a difference, but I’m kind of glad I’m not one of them. Sounds stressful needing that type of setup, custom builders etc


Nah.

Shitty guitar player? Guitar doesn't matter. Amazing guitar player? Guitar doesn't matter.

We like what we like though. I sound like shit on all of them, but prefer low action.
 
You're right- guitars today are built better than ever- but I think there's a big divide in value/price. And I think even expensive guitars out of good factories don't come well set up- having to spend $3000 on a Gibson, and know you have to pay for a set up right after- is crazy.

When I said "And few are good now a days" wasn't about guitars- it was about guitar repairmen/luthiers

And I'll put it into context- I live in Phoenix, AZ. Roberto Venn is local- probably the biggest guitar building/repair/luthier school in the country.

Every few weeks/months new people come from all over to go to the school- and they typically like it and want to stay here or try living/moving here after. AND, doing business/setting up shop here- so we have an insane amount of inexperienced techs with a few months of classes, no real repair experience and a price list of what someone that knows what their doing 'should' charge.

I've given dozens and dozens and dozens of people shots at doing work for me, but it seems- and what I see on facebook groups/ibanez guitar groups/other guitar players all over- is local repair people aren't very good. Not to mention, the people that work at guitar center.
I'm with you 100% on the spotty quality of repair shops. A lot of them aren't even honest with themselves about their abilities. They're too absorbed in being the cool guitar expert.

I'm not too surprised, though, about new guitars needing a setup. A few hours being trucked across multiple climates or in the cargo hold of an airplane at 30,000 feet can play hell with a setup.

And yes, spending big money on a name brand is no guarantee of a good guitar.
 
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You're right- guitars today are built better than ever- but I think there's a big divide in value/price. And I think even expensive guitars out of good factories don't come well set up- having to spend $3000 on a Gibson, and know you have to pay for a set up right after- is crazy.
You lost me when you said "Gibson" in this context. :tonguewink:
 
I know- no one buys a new gibson and gets it set up- beacuse they're real estate agents, doctors, and lawyers who want wall art- no one that plays them would buy one- BUT even when they made not junk- it was expected them to leave the factory set up- but need... a set up
 
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