How many people are playing on guitars that aren't setup properly?

[PFDarkside]

I was just thinking about this... Until I learned how to do a setup, I just played the guitar as it came from the store or previous owner. I quickly taught myself how to "roughly" setup a guitar when I changed strings, and over the past few years I've acquired enough guitars to keep each one setup with a consistent string gauge/tuning, playing awesome for me.

Over the course of the past week, I pulled out my Jazz Bass and realized it needs a major setup, and my friend got a killer deal on a Martin because it's nearly "unplayable" but just needs a setup to play like butter.

I wonder how many guitars are floating around out there with high action, poor intonation, rough bridges (leading to broken strings), and sticky tuners/nuts (leading to guitars that won't stay in tune)?

Is that how you Craigslist guys do it? "Oh man, this guitar is unplayable! I give you $150."

I'm sure most here have guitars that are tweaked, but how many friends have guitars that are anything but optimized?

 

[Progbusters]

Re: How many people are playing on guitars that aren't setup properly?

most people. As they say in fishing, 1% of the people catch 99% of the fish. The same probably applies to guitarists in the know.

 

[blueman335]

Re: How many people are playing on guitars that aren't setup properly?

I set up all my guitars (short of fret leveling). I like high actions and light strings, and can't play a guitar with thick strings and/or low actions. I think every guitar I've ever bought needed the intonation adjusted. Afterwards, I'll play the guitar and tweak it for the next few days. I'd much rather dial it in myself than pay someone to do it and have it not be quite right. I know what feels right and sounds right for me. For me to buy a guitar and not touch the set up is unthinkable.

 

[blueman335]

Re: How many people are playing on guitars that aren't setup properly?

most people. As they say in fishing, 1% of the people catch 99% of the fish. The same probably applies to guitarists in the know.

I don't understand people who buy a new guitar and claim it wasn't set up right from the manufacturer. Geez. How can they know what string gauge and action the final buyer will want?

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: How many people are playing on guitars that aren't setup properly?

Take a wooden musical instrument, with a perfect set-up (for the environment of the music store) into an environment that is prone to wide variations of temperature and/or humidity and it will need setting up all over again.

Earlier this year, I swapped a Fender MIM Stratocaster for a friend's a MIM Telecaster. On first viewing, the Tele appeared to require some attention. Knowing that the vendor had kept the guitar in his conservatory, I decide to wait for two weeks and allow the guitar to acclimatise to my home environment. The Telecaster recovered, arriving at an action that could embarrass some American Fender guitars.

 

[Scott_F]

Re: How many people are playing on guitars that aren't setup properly?

You don't know what you don't know. That's been a nice blessing of hanging out here over the years. You pick up on all the tricks.

 

[80's_Metal]

Re: How many people are playing on guitars that aren't setup properly?

How do we distinguish "Properly" from how I like them set up?

 

[Scott_F]

Re: How many people are playing on guitars that aren't setup properly?

Your way is the right way.

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: How many people are playing on guitars that aren't setup properly?

I use to think certain brands were just bad because they didn't play well. I still remember when I got the first guitar setup properly–was an "aha!" moment.

 

[Mr. B]

Re: How many people are playing on guitars that aren't setup properly?

Everyone but me, apparently because every guitar I pick up needs a set-up... and new strings.

Its one of my favorite things to do. I take my high school student's guitars home and do a complete set-up, intonation, and restring for free. They are always amazed how much better they play when properly set up. I remember when I fist began doing set-ups on student guitars, several of them complained because I charged 3 dollars to cover the cost of the new D'Addario strings. One of them came back in with a new guitar after he graduated and told me he had taken it to a local store and they wanted 60 dollars to do the same set-up I did for 3 dollars. He was happy to hand me 3 dollars that time, and I taught him how to restring it himself.

 

[Lampy H]

Re: How many people are playing on guitars that aren't setup properly?

My guitars play the way I want them to.

 

[blueman335]

Re: How many people are playing on guitars that aren't setup properly?

Everyone but me, apparently because every guitar I pick up needs... new strings.

Absolutely. I get most of my guitars used. First thing I do is take off the existing strings (god only knows what dirt, sweat, & bacteria is embedded in them), clean the wood surfaces, and condition the fretboard.

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: How many people are playing on guitars that aren't setup properly?

How do we distinguish "Properly" from how I like them set up?

Pickup height and trussrod bow are a matter of preference. However intonation isn't and a lot of people don't have a guitar which plays in tune at any fret. This is one reason why it's hard to play some peoples music. They have a crappy idiosyncratic setup and their playing style has accommodated that poor setup. You can't play with them because they aren't remotely in tune.

 

[kramersteen]

Re: How many people are playing on guitars that aren't setup properly?

I have a friend who has been playing for maybe 20 years. Has heaps of guitar. When i was telling him about intonation he was clueless.

I would dare say that a good portion of guitarist would just play and not even care.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: How many people are playing on guitars that aren't setup properly?

How do we distinguish "Properly" from how I like them set up?

Your way is the right way.

My guitars play the way I want them to.

Yes. Like I said, I'm sure most of us here have them dialed in to our preferences.

I have a friend, every time I visit I just bring an extra set of Slinkys to do a restring and quick setup, I'm like "how do you play on this?"

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: How many people are playing on guitars that aren't setup properly?

I set mine up. On rare occasion, I've had a guitar the played out of tune in various spots on the neck or certain frets or strings and I let it go because it just had a magic for particular songs and just sounded like a famous record when recorded. Later, when I needed to use it for something else, I'd set up and sort out the issues as best as possible.

 

[AlexR]

Re: How many people are playing on guitars that aren't setup properly?

I have a friend who has been playing for maybe 20 years. Has heaps of guitar. When i was telling him about intonation he was clueless.

I would dare say that a good portion of guitarist would just play and not even care.

Intonation didn't use to worry me......or I should say I couldn't hear subtle beats of the notes. Now after learning how to listen better it bugs me when its out......or mostly out for the chords I usually play.

 

[Jackson Distortion]

Re: How many people are playing on guitars that aren't setup properly?

Most are. I envy them.

 

[Archer250]

Re: How many people are playing on guitars that aren't setup properly?

I'm not skilled enough to do frets, nuts or de-bur bridges lol, but everything else, I can do. Every guitar that comes into my hand gets set up my way: a near dead-straight neck and medium action, strung with 10-52s.

 

[B2D]

Re: How many people are playing on guitars that aren't setup properly?

I wonder how many guitars are floating around out there with high action, poor intonation, rough bridges (leading to broken strings), and sticky tuners/nuts (leading to guitars that won't stay in tune)?

Is that how you Craigslist guys do it? "Oh man, this guitar is unplayable! I give you $150."

I'm sure most here have guitars that are tweaked, but how many friends have guitars that are anything but optimized?

If my students are any indication, most of them.

I don't fault them for it. A lot of them (regardless of age) are beginners that simply don't know that the guitar CAN be adjusted the way they want. I'll tell them that the guitar's playability can be improved, and typically I'll get a response like "oh it doesn't matter". Then It becomes an issue when something breaks, or the guitar starts fretting out, or they snap strings all the time, or if their sustain is very poor.

It is then that I direct them to a local luthier/tech that I trust so they can be shown the way, the truth, and the light of a proper setup.