Members KevinTJH Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 As recommended by some people on this forum, I purchased "Guitar Player Repair Guide" by Dan Erlewine to learn how to set up my guitar. I'm tired of paying $100 to get it set up in music stores. I've never EVER done a guitar set up in my life so I just need as many tips as I can get here. The book suggests I buy a radius gauge if I'm not bothered to make one. Are there anything else I should get before starting my set up? I'll be setting up an SG with tune-o-matic bridge and another guitar with floyd rose. Any useful advice would be really appreciated. Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members irishstu Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 You won't need a radius gauge for the SG (or most other Gibsons), but you will for the Floyd, and any Fender-type guitar for that matter. Radius gauges are GREAT. You don't really need any other specialised tools for doing setups (unless you want to start messing with the frets). All you need are allen keys, screwdrivers and maybe a socket or two for the truss rod on some guitars. Oh, maybe some feeler gauges and a nice ruler would be a good idea for checking relief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KevinTJH Posted March 31, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 You won't need a radius gauge for the SG (or most other Gibsons), but you will for the Floyd, and any Fender-type guitar for that matter.Radius gauges are GREAT.You don't really need any other specialised tools for doing setups (unless you want to start messing with the frets). All you need are allen keys, screwdrivers and maybe a socket or two for the truss rod on some guitars.Oh, maybe some feeler gauges and a nice ruler would be a good idea for checking relief. I just visited your blog. You really seem like an experienced guitar tech, so I'll definitely take your word for it! One more question, is there a radius gauge set I could get? One which has all the necessary radius gauges for setting up Gibson type, Strat type and floyd rose guitars? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bro Blue Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 A radius gauge is not needed for guitars with a tune-o-matic bridge as the strings are automatically set to the correct radius by the bridge. Gibsons (and their clones) are some of the easiest guitars to set up. A ruler and feeler gauge will come in handy at some point. The great thing about guitar setup is that most tools can easily and cheaply be bought at a hardware store. One of the most important things to remember is that adjustments will usually be made in small increments. Be sure you have the strings properly stretched before you start checking things. Always set the intonation last. Clean and polished frets will make almost any guitar play better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members smorgdonkey Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 If you use a piece of white cardboard (cereal box type) and put a mark on it then you can put that in beside each string and set the height from there. No radius guide required. You can set the string height in relation to the mark and it cost nothing. It is a great lo tech solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poolshark Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 A radius gauge isn't needed, period. This is especially relevant to older guitars, considering the fact that, after enough fret dressings, your frets might not share the same radius as the fretboard. Feeler gauges will take care of string height, radius issues, relief, pretty much anything you could need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mid Life Crisis Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 You can make a radius gauge if you really want one...just get a piece of string, tie a pencil to the end and cut the string to the length of the gauge. Hold the other end down and scribe the curve on to card, then cut it out. do the same for the different gauges you need. Voila! Instant, and cheap, radius gauges. Alternatively you can set the action for the outside strings and set the inner ones by eye, using the radius of the fretboard as a guide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members atrox Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 Never used a radius gauge in my career as a guitar repair man. They are useful though if you don't trust your eye or hands yet. That said, Both Floyd and T.O.M. are set radius (yes... a Floyd Rose is set radius). You will not need a radius gauge for either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ballhawk Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 Save the pdf from this link:http://www.pickguardian.com/pickguardian/Images/Pickguardian%20Neck%20Radius%20Gauges.pdf Print it out on thicker stock. Voila! free radius gauges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members orbm1 Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 You won't need a radius gauge for the SG (or most other Gibsons), but you will for the Floyd, and any Fender-type guitar for that matter. Radius gauges are GREAT. You don't really need any other specialised tools for doing setups (unless you want to start messing with the frets). All you need are allen keys, screwdrivers and maybe a socket or two for the truss rod on some guitars. Oh, maybe some feeler gauges and a nice ruler would be a good idea for checking relief. OK.... NOOB-in-set-ups here...I am buying the same book as the OP... I have a few tools, but I have always see that the tech I use to take my stuff uses more things... where can I get them??? (the ruler, feeler gauge, etc)Also, what do they use to clean the frets? my tech, I think he just puts a piece of plastic to protect the fretboard and he passes like a small "brillo" pad to the frets and they get nice and shiny!... What is that? I have never bother to ask, but I have also decided to learn to do the set ups my self...Thanks, and sorry about the thread hi-jack!Omar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poolshark Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 OK.... NOOB-in-set-ups here... I am buying the same book as the OP... I have a few tools, but I have always see that the tech I use to take my stuff uses more things... where can I get them??? (the ruler, feeler gauge, etc) Also, what do they use to clean the frets? my tech, I think he just puts a piece of plastic to protect the fretboard and he passes like a small "brillo" pad to the frets and they get nice and shiny!... What is that? I have never bother to ask, but I have also decided to learn to do the set ups my self... Thanks, and sorry about the thread hi-jack! Omar Feeler gauges can be had at any auto parts store, but I'm not sure I know what you'd need a ruler for. If you want the ruler to measure relief, you can (and in my opinion, should) take care of that with a capo and your feeler gauges. I'd be happy to provide more info once you get to that stage. The brillo pad you're talking about is probably scotch-brite or steel wool, which works - I prefer a dremel buffer and various grades of polish/wax, but that's probably more than you want to get into. A single-fret shield can be cut with a razor blade from pretty much any handy piece of plastic; I have a few that are made from the lids of tubes of oatmeal. If you want to protect your whole fretboard, you can do that with masking tape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bro Blue Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 OK.... NOOB-in-set-ups here... I am buying the same book as the OP... I have a few tools, but I have always see that the tech I use to take my stuff uses more things... where can I get them??? (the ruler, feeler gauge, etc) Also, what do they use to clean the frets? my tech, I think he just puts a piece of plastic to protect the fretboard and he passes like a small "brillo" pad to the frets and they get nice and shiny!... What is that? I have never bother to ask, but I have also decided to learn to do the set ups my self... Thanks, and sorry about the thread hi-jack! Omar Pretty much everything you need can be bought at a hardware store. Allen wrenches and jewelers screwdrivers are what I use most, along with regular screw drivers for things like trem claws. The best thing I have found to clean frets is Never Dull, you can get it in the automotive section at Wal-Mart. It cleans all kind of junk off frets. Don't let it sit on a maple board too long or it might stain it. Don't worry about buying Nut Sauce or other lubes. Just use chap stick or pencil lead ("draw" in the slots). Use lighter fluid to clean the body. Planet Waves makes a good fret polishing cloth that comes with a template to place over the frets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members webwarmiller Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 My advice is to understand the reasoning behind each aspect of setting up a guitar. Don't just go about saying to yourself I need X amount of relief or such. Understand why relief is added to a neck and how the amount affects the playability across the entire neck. It's all very basic if you just take the time to think about things for an extra minute or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members orbm1 Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 Thank you guys! I will check and get my tools together... Poolshark, I might pm you if I need help (as you offered), hope you do not mind! Omar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members irishstu Posted April 1, 2010 Members Share Posted April 1, 2010 yes... a Floyd Rose is set radius Oops, my mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members atrox Posted April 1, 2010 Members Share Posted April 1, 2010 Oops, my mistake.it's an easy mistake. No biggy. You would think a Floyd would be adjustable in that sense. It's one of the many reasons why i find them annoying to work on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poolshark Posted April 1, 2010 Members Share Posted April 1, 2010 it's an easy mistake. No biggy. You would think a Floyd would be adjustable in that sense. It's one of the many reasons why i find them annoying to work on. They are, aren't they? It just requires a shim under the individual saddle, or so I thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members atrox Posted April 1, 2010 Members Share Posted April 1, 2010 They are, aren't they? It just requires a shim under the individual saddle, or so I thought. well.. in that sense, I suppose they are. But the saddles themselves are radiused (different heights). You can, and I have, made little shims to create a new radius, but it's hardly an intuitive process. It's more like a band-aid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KevinTJH Posted April 1, 2010 Author Members Share Posted April 1, 2010 Hey!! What's with the thread hi-jack here! Nah just kidding.. I'm not too keen on making my own radius gauge since I'd rather pay a few extra bucks for a well-made one. Although you professionals say it is not entirely necessary, I don't mind getting one still if it can benefit me one way or another in future. Okay I think I should have enough info now to start. It's not that hard for a first-timer right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members atrox Posted April 1, 2010 Members Share Posted April 1, 2010 Hey!! What's with the thread hi-jack here! Nah just kidding.. I'm not too keen on making my own radius gauge since I'd rather pay a few extra bucks for a well-made one. Although you professionals say it is not entirely necessary, I don't mind getting one still if it can benefit me one way or another in future. Okay I think I should have enough info now to start. It's not that hard for a first-timer right? Sorry. It's still a relevant hi-jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KevinTJH Posted April 1, 2010 Author Members Share Posted April 1, 2010 Sorry. It's still a relevant hi-jack Yea that's why it didn't bother me. Hey I forgot to ask, since I'm replacing my strings anyway, should I set it up with the old strings or replace the strings first? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members atrox Posted April 1, 2010 Members Share Posted April 1, 2010 Yea that's why it didn't bother me. Hey I forgot to ask, since I'm replacing my strings anyway, should I set it up with the old strings or replace the strings first? If you can, try to do it with the old strings. It's sometimes hard to save them, but it's better than wasting a set if you gotta go back and do something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members irishstu Posted April 1, 2010 Members Share Posted April 1, 2010 People are always saying you should set up a guitar with new strings, but I'm with atrox here. Set it up first with the old strings (if you can) and then make any small adjustments once the new strings have been on for a little while and settled. This is, of course, assuming you're going to be using the same gauge of strings. Incidentally, you asked about buying a set of radius gauges. Stew Mac has plenty of them. I use ones that I made myself, but I've just put an order in for a set of these: http://www.stewmac.com/shopby/product/0353 They can be used either above or below the strings. Below is ever so slightly more accurate, but you'd need to be pretty fussy to notice the difference. One more thing that I don't think anyone has mentioned so far is that before you start setting up saddles to the correct radius, you need to know what that radius should be. You can usually find out this information from the specs for that particular guitar, but the best way is to actually remove or slacken the strings and use the radius gauges on the fretboard itself. Note that it's worth checking in several areas on the fretboard, just in case it's a compund radius (radius changes depending where you measure it), or in case the fretboard has become badly worn in places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ashtray Posted April 1, 2010 Members Share Posted April 1, 2010 Stew mac sells almost any guitar tool you could think of - however they are super expensive. I made a couple $200+ orders for tools and didn't get much at all - just some basics. Home depot sells some good stuff too - a nice 3-way measuring gauge comes in handy. My wife actually got me a star tip screwdriver with a set of different size tips - works perfect for strat saddles - Mia, mim, mij, etc. You always have one to fit. Get a string winder - a $2 one works fine and saves a lot of time. Some wire cutters and even needle nose pliers. Lemon oil, nevrdull, polish, steel wool, masking tape, screwdriver, straight edge, Allen wrenches, adjustable crescent wrench. That's what I start with for a typical guitar cleanup/setup. While you're setting everything up, don't forget about the pickup height. Set the amp to clean and adjust the pickup so it sounds right then adjust the other pickups so the volume between them is about the same. Once you get into fret work and nut slotting you start needing a bunch of expensive tools. If you only have 1 guitar best to have someone else do the work for fret leveling etc. If you have many or like to tinker then $4-500 will get you leveling and dressing tools and you can start making $99 squires play like USA strats - just takes lots of time and said tools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KevinTJH Posted April 1, 2010 Author Members Share Posted April 1, 2010 I watched a cpl of videos on youtube and realised I might not need to do all that for my SG. The main reason why I want to "set it up" is because of the horrible intonation. There is some fretbuzz as well but other than the action is great. Is this what I'm supposed to be doing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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