Pete's Guitar Setup Guide

[Stratotone]

Posted this in Amps, thought it might be appropriate here. If not, then moderators please wipe it out.

 

I am pretty good at setting up guitars - worked at a music store and picked up a few tips from the luthiers there, and of course, messing with guitars for a few decades helps too.

 

Anyways, here's how I set up my guitars. Don't blame me for any misadventures you have with your gear if you follow my advice - I know some people can burn ice cubes or can't install a pickup without gashing the front of the instrument with a screwdriver. So as long as that's clear, here we go.

 

Set the truss rod. Most people prefer a neck to be as straight as possible. There has to be a tiny bit of relief so the strings vibration isn't stopped. One thing I hate about necks with too much relief is that the middle feels 'soggy' or higher than the ends. Ugh. Fret the Low E string on the first fret and the last body fret. This gives you a 'straight edge' to measure the neck with. Look around the 7th to 9th frets or so, and you should see the most gap here. We are concerned with the space between the top of the fret and the bottom of the string - it should be around .010 or so. I go for the thickness of a high E string. If you have much more than that, it's no big deal, and you may prefer how it feels - I like necks as straight as possible. To adjust the truss rod, take off the cover, and as the rod is turned towards you as you hold the guitar in playing position, that's TIGHTENING the rod. Away from you is LOOSENING. If you want the gap to get bigger (more relief) you LOOSEN the rod, less relief TIGHTEN it. Make sure your tool fits properly, no sense in stripping out a truss rod nut. if it won't move, it may have been 'glued' with finish or during the manufacturing process. or it may just be really tight, or it may be damaged. DO NOT FORCE IT. It shouldn't be really easy to turn, but you shouldn't have to brace yourself either. If you are in doubt, don't do it.

 

*NOTE* the adjustment above is for truss rods that are on the end of the headstock. It's reversed when it's on the heel of the neck - like some fenders, VH Wolfgangs, etc. If you're in doubt, remember 'righty tighty, lefty loosey' as you face the adjustment nut.

 

Once the neck is where you want it, you'll need to adjust your action. if the neck was bowed and you took some of the bow out (straightened it) then it will lower the action. See how you like it before you start messing with the string height - you may like it as is! If you had the strings really low before, you may need to raise them a little bit.

 

One way to tell your neck is too flat also is if you start fretting out or getting buzz at the first five frets. If this happens, add a little more relief. Some guitars can have a straighter neck without this happening than others. It just depends on how straight the neck was when it was fretted at the factory.

 

Once your neck is straight (or set how you like it) and the height is set, double check your intonation, it will probably have changed a small amount. Most people tune each string to a harmonic, then compare that 12th fret harmonic with the fretted 12th fret note. If the fretted note is sharp, then adjust your saddle away from the neck a bit. Try it again. If the fretted note is flat, then adjust towards the neck. A properly intonated guitar just feels better - chords ring more in tune also. The better your guitar tuner is, the more accurately your intonation can be set. You can get kinda close with a pedal tuner - I'd recommend a strobe or a peterson strobostomp if you want it to be really good.

 

Hope that helps someone. most music stores will charge you $30 or more to do the above to your guitar - learn to do it yourself and save a bundle. I check all the above every time I change my strings on my main players.

 

Pete

[FWAxeIbanez]

now to look up how to bias... I have to drive an hour to the closest guy who will do it and he charges 50 bucks, thats gonna be almost 80 bucks considering gas is almost 3.50 a gallon...