Advise on learning to setup my own guitars?

boltrecords

Fractal Fanatic
As my guitar collection continues to grow I think it may be time to start learning how to properly setup them on my own. It's getting too expensive to keep bringing them in to a tech.

Can anyone recommend a good place to start? I was looking at the "basic setup kit" from stew Mac. I think it's about $95. I'm not sure if that comes with any setup guides as well.

I've been trying to look at YouTube videos but most of them skip a lot of steps.
I'd like to make sure I learn all the steps, intonation, truss rod adjustment, action height, and pickup height. And in the correct order.

Also, I'd like to learn for different bridge types. lp style, fender and Floyd's.

Any info would be great. Thanks guys.

FYI. I saw this. Kind of made me laugh. I love this guy. Lol.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iKTXTWbI4FU
 
First thing you need to know is that by looking at the neck you won't be able to properly tell if the neck is strait.!!! this is a common mistake we all do when starting up on doing our own setups, i did this at first and even pretend that i was good at it telling by eye, but the truth is that i was not and only by doing it the right way i was able to improve my setups.

Ok, lets talk about action, your string only has 2 points of support, the nut and the bridge, between those 2 points the strings forms and perfectly strait line. Frets make further pressure points that shortens that line as you move along the fretboard, but it is always an honest no bullshit strait line.

If you want to set up your guitars properly you need to understand a few things. The gauge of the strings make a huge difference not only in sound but in the way your guitar feels, most guitars come prepared for 10-46 gauges, if you plan to go with thicker strings then you most likely will need to do some kind of modification to the nut. Locking nuts do not need this, most of the time.

The nut's and low action's best friend is the 1st fret, they both are a team and they both need to work perfectly together as the first step to a good string action. Most well made and set up nuts will give each string the perfect height between the top of the fret and the bottom of the string. Badly set up nuts will have that string height very far away from the first fret affecting the string action, tuning and intonation setups.

Re-Slotting frets is one of the most common jobs i do here when setting up guitars, even expensive guitars sometimes don't have proper nut slotting.

Once you have this sorted out we can go move to the next step and look at the neck relief. This is done, or the way i like to do it, is pressing the G string on the first fret and the last fret, with this two pressure points you now have to look at frets 9 to 14 and look just how far the string is from touching this frets, if you see that the bottom of the string is not touching or almost touching the fret's top then you have a bow neck, you have to tighten up the trussroad and recheck with each turn until the string is almost touching the 9 to 14 frets.

Now, if the string is touching those frets when using two pressure points test, then the neck is pulling back and the trussroad need to be loosen.

IMPORTANT: This has to be done with the tuning you will be using the guitar at, normal 440 pitch or if you will be going down half of a full step to do any kind of strange tuning, tune the guitar up to that first!

After this you can do a fret level inspection, we are looking here at all the frets and strings and how do they touch each other. Some time a fret, in any given point with in its length, can present a deformation. This requires a very close inspection, i like to press each string in the 1st fret and the 5th fret, we are looking for the string separation from the frets top is equal. I move every 5 frets like this inspecting each string. Some times you will see that one of this 5 frets seems to have a bigger space from the string meaning this fret is either worn out or not perfectly levelled with the other frets, and some time is the oposite, it sticks up.

Most of the times with good quality guitars you will not find problems with fret levels.

Next you have to understand the fingerboard radius and how this affects the action and bending of the strings..... more on this later, got to go do somethings, will be back soon with more.
 
Stew-Mac has lots of setup videos that are very helpful. You can buy DVD's from them for all kinds of different things.

Through them I learned how to properly do fret jobs, cut a nut, paint a guitar with lacquer, etc.
 
Stew mac set up kit is a good place to start.
I have a love/hate with Stew Mac. They have the best products, but they're all expensive.

I've been working on my set up and build skills over the past year+.
Built a few strats and I really like them all.

One thing that helped me was that I paid a local luthier his hourly rate to work with me on a guitar.
Giving me all the tips/tricks/advice along the way.

Some guys may not be willing to do this....but my guy knows I'm not looking to steal his business and that it's just a hobby for me.
My next task to learn is a fret leveling.
 
What I would really recommend is the guitar setup and repair guide, it's got all kinds of info
STEWMAC.COM : Pictures of Guitar Player Repair Guide

and you can do almost everything with just basic tools and some patience, and as with everything, take it slow and
don't do more than one adjustment at the time so you can properly detect and redo anything that didn't work out as intended.

take some 10 minutes to see what the book says about the topic before starting and you will be alright.

(I'm not affiliated with stewmac in any way)


if you need setup tools later down the line, check ebay there are several sellers there targeting that segment.
And lastly, if you run into trouble, don't be afraid to ask :)

good luck
 
Is there anywhere else to get set up tools that aren't as expensive as Stew Mac?

You can try ebay or some of the other luthier supplies but imo, StuMac tool prices are about on for the quality they are and you really do get what you pay for. You may be able to save a few bucks on some things from other places but in the end the quality of your tools will be reflected in the quality of your work.
 
Just sharing my experience. I used to take my guitar to be setup by a local guitar shop. They would keep your guitar for a month and often more, when you finally got your guitar back you were just too happy to pay ransom to get it back.
I was told my original Gibson LP tune-o-matic bridge couldn't be intonated so I took advice and bought a Schecter replacement, their flunky guitar tech totally cut the saddles all over the place ruining the string spacing and causing string breakage. (I put the old one back on after a long period of torture)

After a few really bad experiences I decided I needed to teach myself how to get my guitars working. (pre internet, YouTube days) All by trial and error.

The basics: Stay with the same string gauge if you can.
String intonation: Picture a piano harp. Low strings are long high strings are shorter.
Play a 12fth fret harmonic then compare it to the 12fth fretted note, if they are the same you're intonated.
If the fretted 12fth note is higher than the harmonic you need to move the saddle away from the neck, the reverse applies to when the fretted 12fth note is lower.

Truss rod adjustments. you want a little bow in the neck with the strings normal tension, too straight equals fret buzz, too much bow equals higher action. Small 1/4 turns and apply a little pressure on the neck with each turn to set the neck.

Fret level/crown, I'm a hack in this dept.

Electronics, I self taught myself soldering, made a lot of mistakes! Eventually became good understanding a good solder joint vs. a cold solder joint.

Finishing, I spent years as a spray painter, again mostly self taught by trial and error.

Pickup microphonic squeal feedback, remove pickup and dip in hot melted wax until no bubbles (using a double burner) Luckily this is less an issue with digital modelling.
 
Well, I work as a guitar tech at a local guitar shop downtown. I'm amazed that people don't learn themselves to service their instruments. It's really easy! :)
The only concerns are the tools. Adjusting a guitar doesn't require much, but fully servicing a guitar or replacing parts does require a lot of expensive tools.
But you do not need to buy all the tools right away. Buy a few and save up for the next batch. Make it into a fun and learning experience.
I can vouch for stew mac. I love the stuff they post online and the tools are all high quality. I use them daily.

Some good advice is don't pay too much attention to what people are telling you. Online you can find five different ways to adjust a guitar, most of them are what I consider bad ways to adjust a guitar. Actually, don't even take me too serious.
But you will find a lot of people who think they know how to service a guitar, and most of it is rubbish.
Try the different ways, find out what works best for you and stick to that. If it works, it works.
Trust your gut, your ears, be careful and you should be fine.
 
Let me start with this question.

What's the proper order of a setup as far as truss rod, intonation, and action/string height. Is that the correct order?
 
I always do intonation last because those other things can effect the string length. Actually I find that when I am doing a setup I end up going back and forth a few times because it's all kind of interactive to some degree.

And the Dan Erlewine book is great. It covers everything and explains it very well. The videos are outstanding as well, but he does talk an awful lot and some of the things that he does go beyond simple setup and require specialized or more expensive tools.
 
Let me start with this question.

What's the proper order of a setup as far as truss rod, intonation, and action/string height. Is that the correct order?

Though I am still a novice at setting up guitars I keep intonation last too, mostly because the other things affect it so I'd have to redo it at the end anyway.

Jens
 
I got started with doing my own set-ups using Dan Erlewine's book.

I recommend "How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great". (I think that his Repair Guide focuses more on repairs than setups, but you should confirm that.) It even tells you which steps to go through, in order, to do a complete setup. Well worth the cost of the book with lots of good advice about all kinds of guitars and setups.

I've got the first edition. Looks like the 2nd edition is out now:

How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great - Second Edition: Dan Erlewine: 9780879309985: Amazon.com: Books

Regarding tools, I don't think I've bought any special tools, just the normal stuff you'd get at Home Depot. I wouldn't go spending money until you find you need something. I'm no guitar tech, but I've learned to do basic setups and adjustments. I have not done any fret- or nut- work, but I'm actually going to try to fix the nut on one of my guitars today. I referred to the Erlewine book this morning on how to do it.
 
First thing you need to know is that by looking at the neck you won't be able to properly tell if the neck is strait.!!! this is a common mistake we all do when starting up on doing our own setups, i did this at first and even pretend that i was good at it telling by eye, but the truth is that i was not and only by doing it the right way i was able to improve my setups.

Ok, lets talk about action, your string only has 2 points of support, the nut and the bridge, between those 2 points the strings forms and perfectly strait line. Frets make further pressure points that shortens that line as you move along the fretboard, but it is always an honest no bullshit strait line.

If you want to set up your guitars properly you need to understand a few things. The gauge of the strings make a huge difference not only in sound but in the way your guitar feels, most guitars come prepared for 10-46 gauges, if you plan to go with thicker strings then you most likely will need to do some kind of modification to the nut. Locking nuts do not need this, most of the time.

The nut's and low action's best friend is the 1st fret, they both are a team and they both need to work perfectly together as the first step to a good string action. Most well made and set up nuts will give each string the perfect height between the top of the fret and the bottom of the string. Badly set up nuts will have that string height very far away from the first fret affecting the string action, tuning and intonation setups.

Re-Slotting frets is one of the most common jobs i do here when setting up guitars, even expensive guitars sometimes don't have proper nut slotting.

Once you have this sorted out we can go move to the next step and look at the neck relief. This is done, or the way i like to do it, is pressing the G string on the first fret and the last fret, with this two pressure points you now have to look at frets 9 to 14 and look just how far the string is from touching this frets, if you see that the bottom of the string is not touching or almost touching the fret's top then you have a bow neck, you have to tighten up the trussroad and recheck with each turn until the string is almost touching the 9 to 14 frets.

Now, if the string is touching those frets when using two pressure points test, then the neck is pulling back and the trussroad need to be loosen.

IMPORTANT: This has to be done with the tuning you will be using the guitar at, normal 440 pitch or if you will be going down half of a full step to do any kind of strange tuning, tune the guitar up to that first!

After this you can do a fret level inspection, we are looking here at all the frets and strings and how do they touch each other. Some time a fret, in any given point with in its length, can present a deformation. This requires a very close inspection, i like to press each string in the 1st fret and the 5th fret, we are looking for the string separation from the frets top is equal. I move every 5 frets like this inspecting each string. Some times you will see that one of this 5 frets seems to have a bigger space from the string meaning this fret is either worn out or not perfectly levelled with the other frets, and some time is the oposite, it sticks up.

Most of the times with good quality guitars you will not find problems with fret levels.

Next you have to understand the fingerboard radius and how this affects the action and bending of the strings..... more on this later, got to go do somethings, will be back soon with more.

Nice Nick. More on the Nut-First Fret and for Floyds please. :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Let me start with this question.

What's the proper order of a setup as far as truss rod, intonation, and action/string height. Is that the correct order?

I do truss rod first, then action, then intonation :)
If the nut is too high, I might to that one first.
 
For basic setups, you need 2 tools: a 6" steel rule and a Phillips head screwdriver.

Basic stuff is actually pretty easy. Don't be scared to adjust things, but err on the side of caution when moving your truss rod.

First off: Put some new strings on your guitar and stretch them properly.
How To Stretch Guitar Strings - Billy Penn 300guitars.com - YouTube

Next up is the neck. Fret a string (I use the low E) on the 2nd fret with your left hand, and then the 12th fret with your right pinky. That gives you a straight line to compare the neck against. Tap on the string between those points with your thumb (7th fret-ish) and the gap should be no more than the thickness of a business card on a high end guitar, thus indicating a very straight neck. If there's too much gap, tighten the truss rod very slightly. 1/4 turns translate to big movement. If it seems stuck, don't force it; take it to a shop. Tune between every adjustment.

Floating Bridge tension: If you have a floating bridge, it should be parallel with the body. If you're using the same gauge strings and the same tuning as your last setup, chances are your bridge is good to go. If you decided to go down a 1/2 step, your bridge is likely sagging into the body. Floating bridges are a balance between string tension and spring tension. If your bridge is sagging, loosen the springs in the back, retune and check it again. If it's way up in the air, tighten the springs, retune and check it again. This can take awhile if the bridge is way out of whack.

String Height: This is also known as action and is always always always adjusted at the bridge. Depending on your guitar, you'll either have a 1 piece (tune-o-matic style) or individual adjustable saddles. The tune-o-matics are dead simple. Use your steel rule to measure the top of the 12th fret to the bottom of the low E string. The factory specs for your guitar are likely published on the manufacturers websites. My guitars are approx 1-2mm off the top of my head. Use the thumb wheels to adjust each side up or down. Tune between every adjustment.

If your guitar has individual saddles, you'll need to not only set your height, but make sure you measure each string string so that the radius of the saddles matches the radius of the fretboard. Stew-mac makes an "understring radius guide" for this, which is pretty helpful, but not necessary.

Setting relief: It's back to the neck looking for buzz. Play your guitar. If you have buzz from open strings to frets the 5th fret, but nothing after that, you need more bow in the neck. If you buzz from the 5th fret to the 12th fret, you have too much bow in the neck. After each adjustment, tune and check your string height.

Intonation: This should be the final step as almost every other adjustment can affect it. Your 12th fret is exactly the midpoint between your nut and bridge, which is why the harmonic is an octave of the open string. Tune to your 12th fret harmonic. Now, fret the 12th fret and see if it's in tune. If the fretted note is flat, that means the length from the 12th fret to the bridge is longer than the length between the open string and the 12th fret. So, you need to shorten that length. If the fretted note is sharp, you need to lengthen the string. Your bridge has screws that move the saddles back and forth, use these to adjust this length.

You're done! That's a basic setup.
 
Read up on it as much as you can until it all makes sense, get some basic tools, oh and practice. Have a nice safe place to set up guitars. I set guitars up on my bed (and in playing position). I have a small piece of MDF that I stapled some fabric on. On top of that is a foam pad and stand kit that I got from stewmac. If the guitar needs major work I'll take it to a shop.

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