Jump to content

Who here Sets Up their own Guitars???


Naterel

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 71
  • Created
  • Last Reply
  • Members
Did it ever occur to you, that Ive already done that and perhaps I want something tried and true.


Something that someone who knows the deal uses as a reference all the time?


:snax:




:mad:


It honestly isn't that hard depending on how extensive of a set up you are doing... I mean, are you smoothing out fret edges?

What kind of guitar? Does it have a floyd? What kind of bridge? :wave:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

When I learned to do my own set ups I bought that book from Amazon everyone raves about. When I got it my attention span dropped to zero so I started Youtubing and there are loads of videos on how to work on your guitar. Hell, there's a video on how to change your pickups that even a dummy can learn from. The information is out there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I do all my own setup out of necessity. I am to OCD and tweak {censored} too much to pay somone to do it.

Like everyone else I don't do refret kinda stuff. I basically I adjust everything that you can adjust using an allen wrench, socket wrench, plyers, screw driver, and soldering iron.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I'm a complete idiot about setting up, cleaning, etc. My few excursions into maintenance have turned out horribly. First time I cleaned my guitar when I was 16, I used water, stupid stupid move. Recently, I went to replace the strings on my Gibson and the tailpiece thing came off cause I used to just snip all the strings at once and the two little wheel pieces that adjust the bridge heights went spinning all over the place. I had no idea what height to put them back to. I don't consider myself a stupid human being, but seriously, I'm not doing maintenance on my guitars til someone actually sits down and shows me what to do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I'm a complete idiot about setting up, cleaning, etc. My few excursions into maintenance have turned out horribly. First time I cleaned my guitar when I was 16, I used water, stupid stupid move. Recently, I went to replace the strings on my Gibson and the tailpiece thing came off cause I used to just snip all the strings at once and the two little wheel pieces that adjust the bridge heights went spinning all over the place. I had no idea what height to put them back to. I don't consider myself a stupid human being, but seriously, I'm not doing maintenance on my guitars til someone actually sits down and shows me what to do.

 

 

when restringing your guitars, only remove and replace one string at a time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Paul Reed Smith set up my Gibson ES 330 when I first bought it used. He also did a little neck refinishing work on it. That was like 27 yrs ago (when he was virtually unknown except for local musicians in Annapolis, Md). I have never had to touch the thing after 2000 gigs with it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Yep, i set my babies up. I also do friends' axes, as well as any guitar that needs work done here at the studio. Short of fretwork outside of polishing and light leveling, setups just involve common sense.

Pick up a copy of "Guitar Player repair guide" - by Stewart MacDonald, IIRC, and all myths are debunked in that book. Maybe there are a few measurements (the Fender/Gibson stock action measurements, i.e.) that arent the best, but hey, you be the judge of the feel, and use the knowledge in that book to get there.

On my Talman, there is this cool retro looking tremolo system. It has almost a lipstick type tube on the back of it, and I love the way it looks... The only problem is, the string holes on it are super small, and the saddles completely cover the holes. The string forms a sideways U shape coming out of the hole, and back around the saddle and up around. Whenever I want to restring it, I have to disassemble the tremolo, and set it up again. It's a pain.



Theres a Talman at the local shop that I am determined to buy. It's stickered @ $359... how much are these REALLY worth, cuz i aint paying that much for an instrument made out of particleboard. Its a TC630 or something, and its a great lookin guitar. It's also been @ the shop for as long as i can remember, and i bought my first guitar there when i was 12. lol I'm 23 now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I've done intonation and action, never needed to touch the truss rod.

 

I will say there's been a few times where I've taken it to a good tech and it's usually come back just "feeling" better. Could never pinpoint why, it just felt more comfortable in my hands and easier to play.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

In 16 years of playing I've never had someone else set up any of my guitars.

Even when I got my first jaguar (a pretty big learning curve to set up) I just {censored}ed with it till I got it. Mustangs are another with a learning curve, as simple as they are, people cant set them up right.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...