Phil O'Keefe Posted March 12, 2020 Share Posted March 12, 2020 7 hours ago, Brooklyn Zeke said: You go into a store to buy a $500 - $3,000 instrument. None of them are set up properly. To be fair, there is a lot of variation in player preferences when it comes to setups. What I prefer may not be what you're looking for, so it's really impossible for a manufacturer - or even a store - to pre-setup all their instruments in a way that's going to satisfy everyone. If you don't mind me asking, what are YOU looking for in a setup? What's your ideal setup look like? Quote How in hell are you supposed to judge whether that instrument is even playable, or what it optimally sounds like, or even if it can be properly set up with the action and relief you prefer, and intonated before it is set up? I get to play a lot of instruments with factory setups, and IMHO they're a lot better overall today than they used to be twenty years ago. Things like the Plek system (which some companies do to all of their new guitars, straight from the factory) make a big difference, and even on less expensive guitars, the factory setups and intonation are generally pretty decent, although I do run into some weird stuff from time to time that I always try to point out in my gear reviews. But again, the factory setups, no matter how good, are not going to be ideal for everyone - I prefer a fairly stock action / string height, and someone who likes the action as low as possible isn't going to be as happy with the guitars that are set up in that way, and someone who likes higher action isn't going to like what I like either. Quote A buyer should make it clear that a purchase is contingent upon a no-charge, pre-sale set up to the specs you specify, without obligation to buy if, after it is set up, you do not find it suitable for your needs, or doesn't have the "feel" you expect. That is reasonable. If they refuse those terms of sale, go somewhere else. Making the setup a condition of the purchase is reasonable, but asking for every guitar you want to try out to be set up to your preferences? Sorry, but that doesn't seem reasonable to me at all. A store would have to have a full staff of techs on hand that did nothing but change the setups on guitars all day long, with no guarantee of sales. I don't know of ANY store that will set up every guitar you want to try out to your specific preferences for you prior to purchase just so you can try them and then pass on them. IMO, you're not going to find "somewhere else" to go to for those "terms of sale" because you're not even guaranteeing them a sale - you're expecting a bunch of costly work from them in exchange for nothing more than a promise to try the guitars out. It's an unreasonable and costly request. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted March 12, 2020 Moderators Share Posted March 12, 2020 8 hours ago, Brooklyn Zeke said: You go into a store to buy a $500 - $3,000 instrument. None of them are set up properly. How in hell are you supposed to judge whether that instrument is even playable, or what it optimally sounds like, or even if it can be properly set up with the action and relief you prefer, and intonated before it is set up? A buyer should make it clear that a purchase is contingent upon a no-charge, pre-sale set up to the specs you specify, without obligation to buy if, after it is set up, you do not find it suitable for your needs, or doesn't have the "feel" you expect. That is reasonable. If they refuse those terms of sale, go somewhere else. I am not aware of any shop that will perform a free set-up on an instrument in order to sell it...if you know of any, please do tell! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted March 12, 2020 Share Posted March 12, 2020 3 minutes ago, daddymack said: I am not aware of any shop that will perform a free set-up on an instrument in order to sell it... There might still be some out there who will do a setup for you for free on a guitar that you're purchasing, but prior to the sale, "without obligation to buy?" I've never heard of anyone who does that unless there is something drastically wrong with the guitar to begin with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted March 12, 2020 Members Share Posted March 12, 2020 Since a personalized setup often includes a change in string gauge I can't ever see that happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted March 12, 2020 Moderators Share Posted March 12, 2020 strings, action, neck relief, nut filing a/r, ...y'know, a set-up...I think our n0oB from my birthplace [brooklyn] is dreaming...a lovely, but impossible dream...cue 'Man of LaMancha' soundtrack... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted March 13, 2020 Share Posted March 13, 2020 11 hours ago, mrbrown49 said: Since a personalized setup often includes a change in string gauge I can't ever see that happening. New stings, and potentially a new nut, as well as the action adjustment, truss rod tweaking and intonation, pickup height adjustment, not to mention the tech’s time and salary... like I said, it would get really expensive, really fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted March 13, 2020 Members Share Posted March 13, 2020 22 hours ago, Brooklyn Zeke said: You go into a store to buy a $500 - $3,000 instrument. None of them are set up properly. How in hell are you supposed to judge whether that instrument is even playable, or what it optimally sounds like, or even if it can be properly set up with the action and relief you prefer, and intonated before it is set up? A buyer should make it clear that a purchase is contingent upon a no-charge, pre-sale set up to the specs you specify, without obligation to buy if, after it is set up, you do not find it suitable for your needs, or doesn't have the "feel" you expect. That is reasonable. If they refuse those terms of sale, go somewhere else. I think that's bullcrap. If you have been playing any length of time, you KNOW how a guitar will generally feel, despite the factory set up. And then you take it home, trash the strings, and set it yourself FOR yourself. I as a tech, wouldn't bother doing that to every guitar Johnny who wants that's 3K jem, or that 199 Squier, then hand it back going... "nah, what about the blue one?" Each guitar take a half hour, 45 minutes for a basic. And most of that time would be wasted on some tire kicker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted March 13, 2020 Share Posted March 13, 2020 9 hours ago, badpenguin said: If you have been playing any length of time, you KNOW how a guitar will generally feel, despite the factory set up. I tend to agree with you on that. My biggest concern when it comes to guitars I'm considering for my personal use is the neck dimensions and feel. While I'd rather have everything perfect right off the rack or out of the box, the stock action and intonation on an electric guitar are relatively unimportant because I know I can adjust those easily enough... but I can't change the neck profile and thickness, the fingerboard radius, or the fret size - at least not anywhere near as easily as I can tweak the truss rod, action and intonation. Since I prefer a rather average string height / action, I don't care too much about fretboard radius either (although it does make a difference in terms of how low you can put the action without risking the guitar fretting out on string bends, and it also affects the feel), but neck thickness and profile are crucial for me since I have fairly small hands - I prefer smaller, thinner necks without beefy "shoulders" on them. Regardless of the instrument's setup, I can tell how the neck feels to me in the first few seconds after I pick up the guitar. I can also get a pretty good idea of how it's going to sound too, even if the setup isn't ideal or the pickups aren't positioned optimally in terms of their distances from the strings. I also make it a point to play the guitar unplugged for a bit too - that gives me an idea of how the guitar responds acoustically, and how it resonates. I think that can tell you a lot about a guitar's potential, even if you don't care for the sound of the stock pickups... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AJ6stringsting Posted March 17, 2020 Members Share Posted March 17, 2020 Guitar Center never set up their guitars . When someone buys s new guitar the always ask the purchaser of the new guitar .... " Do you want it set by our in store guitar tech ? ". That's the main reason they never set up the guitar properly at my local GC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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