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What are the first things you do to a new guitar to make it more playable/better?

Fatso Forgottso

By Fatso Forgottso
in Electric Guitars

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twotimingpete Newbie

twotimingpete

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the action almost always needs lowered. then I eyeball the neck relief and make sure it's in the ballpark.

 

oh, and usually a change of strings after the initial {censored} around.

 

if the intonation needs set I'll figure that out pretty quickly just by playing. Sometimes it's pretty close from the factory, though.

 

how much that needs done depends on luck of the draw and often the price of the instrument. better quality instruments frequently have at least "in the ballpark" setups out of the box.

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robbdeman Newbie

robbdeman

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as of lately my "new guitars" are anything but new, I find im getting a much better deal when I buy a guitar that is used, and even sometimes missing parts (as long as the body and neck are good) I end up replacing the nut, the pickups and most the pots. I have pretty much have my own standard as far wiring my guitars go, I don't use 3 ways or 5 way switches and just wire each pick up with it's own on/off switch. But that is me, To each their own. :)

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twotimingpete Newbie

twotimingpete

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I always put new strings on in my fave gauge. Set the action if needed, intonate etc. On Fenders I prefer 10's, Gibbys get 11's. I put 11 D'addario's on me Gretsch's. Oil the board up too if dry. Hope this helps out.

 

 

reminder if the OP is new to this stuff, don't oil your maple fingerboards. I'm not sure what the reason for this is, but that's what I always hear.

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normh Newbie

normh

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1. Set relief;
2. Lower nut action;
3. check and or lower bridge action;
4. make sure of no fret buzzes;
5. if buzz, level frets or otherwise address (press and glue frets,etc.);
6. set pup height;
7. if needed, correct sharp frets;
8. if tremolo system, set it up;
9. check and adjust intonation.

Not necessarily in the order listed.

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tweak'd Newbie

tweak'd

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I buy mine from ebay used so I take the strings off and clean off
the last dudes solidified stale sweat
. The strange thing is I've grown to really
enjoy
it
.

 

 

The enjoyment of some other dude's solidified sweat is probably not something you should admit to...

 

:poke:

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docjeffrey Newbie

docjeffrey

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Sarcasm aside, you ask a really good question. I have maybe four or five guitars out of the 30 that I own that were decent right out of the box. Every single one of the rest needed work, even those purchased from dealers who set up their guitars for the customers.

 

It takes quite a bit of playing before I can determine exactly what needs to be done. Also, new guitars need to settle in before I will tweak things. A week of playing 2 or 3 hours a night will typically do the trick. This gives me time to decide what I like about the guitar in terms of tone and playability.

 

With the original strings removed, I polish the frets using a product by Planet Waves. Then I dress the ends if they need it with a file and some 300 grit wet and dry. I roll the edges with a flat file and some 600 grit wet and dry if it's needed.

 

Next up is the fretboard conditioner for rosewood or ebony boards. A fresh set of strings is the next step.

 

Then I check the truss rod. I like my necks almost completely flat--just a tiny bit of relief. I measure it by putting a capo on the first fret, holding down the string on the last fret, and then tapping on the 7th and 8th frets. I go by feel. 90% of the time, the truss needs tightening. I've gotten really good at feeling just how much resistance the truss rod nut should have on Gibsons, Fenders, and Rickenbackers.

 

I measure the clearance between the nut and the first fret. Nuts on most new guitars are close to spec, but I always burnish them gently with 600 wet and dry to clear out any burrs and ensure that the strings aren't catching on anything. I do the same thing to the bridge saddles. I rarely have to deepen nut slots, but occasionally it's an issue. I have a set of Stew Mac nut files for that kind of work.

 

Then I check the string height at the 12th fret. I like my Gibsons right at spec (5/64" bass, 4/64" treble). I'm pretty aggressive with the pick, so slinky low action does not work for me.

 

Next up is intonation.

 

Then I adjust pickup height by ear.

 

Finally I make final tweaks.

 

If I have a new guitar that has a bad neck, high frets or a poorly cut nut, it goes back to the retailer and I either request a refund or a new guitar.

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benzem Newbie

benzem

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Sarcasm aside, you ask a really good question. I have maybe four or five guitars out of the 30 that I own that were decent right out of the box. Every single one of the rest needed work, even those purchased from dealers who set up their guitars for the customers.


It takes quite a bit of playing before I can determine exactly what needs to be done. Also, new guitars need to settle in before I will tweak things. A week of playing 2 or 3 hours a night will typically do the trick. This gives me time to decide what I like about the guitar in terms of tone and playability.


With the original strings removed, I polish the frets using a product by Planet Waves. Then I dress the ends if they need it with a file and some 300 grit wet and dry. I roll the edges with a flat file and some 600 grit wet and dry if it's needed.


Next up is the fretboard conditioner for rosewood or ebony boards. A fresh set of strings is the next step.


Then I check the truss rod. I like my necks almost completely flat--just a tiny bit of relief. I measure it by putting a capo on the first fret, holding down the string on the last fret, and then tapping on the 7th and 8th frets. I go by feel. 90% of the time, the truss needs tightening. I've gotten really good at feeling just how much resistance the truss rod nut should have on Gibsons, Fenders, and Rickenbackers.


I measure the clearance between the nut and the first fret. Nuts on most new guitars are close to spec, but I always burnish them gently with 600 wet and dry to clear out any burrs and ensure that the strings aren't catching on anything. I do the same thing to the bridge saddles. I rarely have to deepen nut slots, but occasionally it's an issue. I have a set of Stew Mac nut files for that kind of work.


Then I check the string height at the 12th fret. I like my Gibsons right at spec (5/64" bass, 4/64" treble). I'm pretty aggressive with the pick, so slinky low action does not work for me.


Next up is intonation.


Then I adjust pickup height by ear.


Finally I make final tweaks.


If I have a new guitar that has a bad neck, high frets or a poorly cut nut, it goes back to the retailer and I either request a refund or a new guitar.

 

 

Then, how do you proceed to dial in a good metal tone?

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docjeffrey Newbie

docjeffrey

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Then, how do you proceed to dial in a good metal tone?

 

 

That made me LOL. I'm reading everyone's suggestions on that thread!

 

The truth is that there are a lot of metal players with what I would consider crappy metal tone. Too buzzy, too much distortion so it gets lost in the mix, spikey highs that remove fillings, etc.

 

Then you hear someone like Adam Jones and, yeah, a lot of it is his technique, but he fine tunes it with a unique setup.

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