Guitar setup - be warned, dumb questions.

[Igel]

Ok, so I've messed around with guitars more off than on for the last 20 years, and finally got serious about reducing my level of suckage about a year ago. I think I'm making decent progress.

 

But what baffles me is when I keep reading posts on other forums that talk about all guitars needing to be "set up". I understand about reasonably low action with little or no string buzz being a desireable thing, and that if your neck is bowed like crazy you probably need to tighen the truss rod etc..what escapes me however, is the ability to tell whether a guitar is "set up" or not.

 

From a lot of the posts that I read, I get the feeling that any new or used guitar you purchase is expected to need set up. I've had quite an attack of G.A.S. over the last year, and I just take 'em out of the box and play 'em. Occasionally I'll find that something needs a little tweak, but I'm finding them perfectly playable.

 

So I wonder if some of you experienced players could enlighten me and probably some others as to what we should be looking for to ensure our axes are properly set up. Am I just not experienced enough to know the difference yet? Am I hurting myself by playing different guitars with different scale lengths? Different string sets? I tend to just restring using the same gauges that the manufacurer puts on any given guitar in order to keep the intonation correct (to my ear it seems like they're all pretty close to correct). Anyway, I'm just wondering what I'm missing, and I was wondering if anyone cared to fill me and hopefully others in on this aspect of playing which just never seems to come up in lessons.

 

TIA for any words of wisdom!

 

/tony

[babybatter]

In my opinion, you should be concerned with intonation if:

 

1) You try to play fast and or complex/difficult runs

 

and/or

 

2) You use the upper part of the fretboard.

 

 

If you play a lot of quick leads, you tend to be very particular about eliminating all physical resistance from being able to play the next note. These players usually look for a neck with low string action, that is being able to have the strings as close to the fretboard as possbile. I guess this is a basic economy of motion principle.

 

This becomes more of an issue when you move up past the 12th fret, as the space between the strings and the fretboard tends to increase.

 

Im not totally sure if I answered your question, though.

 

Getting a 'set up' is basically adjusting your string height from the fretboard to a level of your liking. Lots of jazz and fingerstyle players (others too) prefer higher action to prevent fret buzzing. Some feel that higher string action makes for better 'tone' too, but I dont know much about that.

[babybatter]

Oh, and good on ya for getting serious 'a little later'. I started playing 15 years ago, but I picked it up for the first time after a 5 year break about 3 years ago.

 

I keep treating it like my first time through though.....like im still a rookie. That i MUST keep learning. I really MUST find a way to make myself content with my guitar playing.

 

Its really just started to happen too. Im actually pausing once and a while and realizing that some of it is finally here.

[Igel]

It's good to know there are other out there, who like me, had "pauses" in their playing. I don't think I picked up a guitar the entire time I was married, which was a bit over 5 years Mostly my own fault 'though. I used to be so self conscious about my playing that if I so much as thought someone was within earshot, I'd totally tense up and I couldn't play "Smoke on the Water" on one string! Luckily I seem to be getting over that just by finding people to jam with and kind of trying to force myself to not care so much. Realizing that mistakes sound much worse to me in most cases and to someone listening helps too.

 

So I guess maybe as my chops develop I'll become more particular about setup.... From reading some of the posts on other forums I just got the feeling that experienced guitarists/pros would go "OMG, he just took it out of the box and played it without taking feeler gauges, micrometers and a strobe tuner to it" and point fingers, lauging.

 

regards,

 

/tony

[StratKat]

The thing about setups is this.

 

Everyone has their own idea of a perfect setup. Most guys starting off in the metal genres tend to want an extremely low action with perfection. Its generally impossible to obtain most of the time.

 

The guys who have played alot more tend to understand that any setup is a compromise of many things to get the best playing action you can for your taist.

 

Ive found that after a few years of playing guitar i had to start raising the action for leadwork. Not high mind ya, but not as low as i used to like it.

 

I also discovered that every guitar has its OWN unique personality and traits that will limit part of any setup. This actually gives each guitar even more personality. And ive seen some guys who were monsters playing on horrendous setups that i refused to play. Especially at jams.

 

String height, sptring spacing, pu loevels and alignment, nut grouves and height, saddle types, bridge and tremelo types, springs, neck pocket depth, shimming, tuners, fret types, fingerboard types, alllll contribute in a symphony of compromise.

 

In the end it all comes down to you. If your guitar gives you what you want then its a fine setup for ya.

[Igel]

Thanks, that sort of confirms to me what I was thinking. Until I notice someting out of whack, it's probably fine for me, at least for now. If the sounds that I manage to cull from a guitar/amp are pleasing to me, and hopefully others as well, then the setup is probably close enough, even though it may not be "spot on"

 

 

Thanks,

 

/tony

[NuttyGambler]

NOTE: From a complete rookie, but somethings are so basic they are never said.

 

But, isn't the most important setup item, that each string is adjusted at the bridge to be in tune at the 12th fret as well?

 

I mean, when I first started, no one told me the big deal of changing from 9s to 10s on a tele. I changed the strings, the bridge was fixed so no larger gab there. Height was still "fine" for me. Never crossed my mind that changing the strings would cause me to be out of tune up the neck. Must have played like that for months.

 

This is more for other rookies reading this, then the original poster.

[Igel]

I think they call 'em virtual strobe tuners or something like that. $199 at MF last time I looked. Does anyone have any experience with those? I was wondering if they're accurate enough to set intonation with. Been toying with the idea of getting one, so that if I do decide to change string gauges I can reset intonation myself.

 

Thanks!

 

/tony