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

[blueman335]

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

I learned about set ups from Dan Erlewine's book. It changed how I looked at my guitars.

 

[B2D]

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

I learned about set ups from Dan Erlewine's book. It changed how I looked at my guitars.

This one?

I've owned the 2nd and 3rd editions - got the first one as an Xmas gift the year I started playing. Probably one of the most valuable books I've ever read in terms of how much money it's saved me over the years.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

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

Sometimes what the owners want is not what the guitars likes to do.

 

[formula73]

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

I used to get my action as low as possible and adjust truss rods and blah blah blah.

Now I just jack the action up and bang away on it. I'll do the intonation if it's way off but for the most part, I don't care that much, anymore.

 

[blueman335]

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

This one?

I've owned the 2nd and 3rd editions - got the first one as an Xmas gift the year I started playing. Probably one of the most valuable books I've ever read in terms of how much money it's saved me over the years.

No. Mine's on set ups. I found it a few years ago in a Barnes & Noble: "How to make your electric guitar play great."

 

[JOLLY]

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

All I know is that mine play the way that I want them to.

 

[aleclee]

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

This is a big reason why I prefer stainless frets. I never have had to re-adjust the action on a guitar with SS frets. I'll twist the truss rod with the seasons but the setup stays great year after year because of the lack of fret wear.

 

[Brandenburg]

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

didn't really start taking an interest and setting mine up properly until recently.. well 2012 or so.. now all of mine are setup the way I like it.. intonated perfectly.. I find myself tweaking the action to get it so-so more.. . mine are very playable but still.. I always think it could better.. My red DK-2 was recently adjusted as I was curious how low I could get the action... WELL.. the 580lp is as low as it will go now and the action is fairly reasonable.. maby 1.75mm on the low E @ the 12th fret.. only way to get any lower is with a fret dress and a neck shim.. been meaning on picking up some FR shims or make some and experiment with them.. I also do my own wirings and in 2 guitars they are very personalized..

When I started redoing a guitar I didn't have a lot of money like 1.5 years ago, to buy a strobe tuner so I took a chance and bought this for $5.. best f*king 5 bucks I ever spent.. I prefer using this tuner over all others.. just so easy.. AND no I am not affiliated with this dude and his product.. but I will give my endorsement on any kick a$$ program or tool that has worked well for me
NOTHING and I mean nothing sounds more awesome than playing a chord with an accurate intonation.. I like this tuner.. its just very stable and doesn't get "confused" like a regular tuner.. especially on the high E and B string

 

[Boogie Bill]

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

I learned how to do basic setup work back in the '70s. I was trying to make a living playing music, and had bad experiences with a couple of luthiers who did terrible work, so I learned how to do some of the basic stuff. Saved myself a lot of money over the years.

One thing I learned from Dan Erlewine's books is that setting the radius of the bridge saddles to match the radius of the fingerboard is crucial to playability. Ninety-nine percent of Gibsons need to have some filing of the bridge saddles. Once I started doing this, I went through every one of my guitars with a radius gauge I'd bought from Stew-Mac and was totally amazed at the difference. It literally turned some guitars from so-so, to top-tier favorites. My G&Ls were setup properly from the factory, but several had either been mis-adjusted by previous owners or simply fallen out of spec. But the Gibsons benefited the most from just a little bit of filing the saddles.

And filing the nut properly is huge. It can making tuning so much easier if the slots are cut smoothly. And you need the proper string height if you want to avoid buzzes and still have your guitar intonate correctly with first position chords.

So, you have to understand your playing style and learn how your guitar should be set up for your technique. And with a few basic skills, a dead-accurate tuner and some simple tools you can have your guitars playing "like buttah." Knowledge is a powerful thing.

Bill

 

[Diego]

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

My guitars aren't perfectly setup, but they're in a decent ballpark. Since I keep changing tunings there's no way I can get a perfect setup.
Plus I don't really need super-low action; my action is medium, close to medium-high and all I want is good intonation and a straight-ish neck so that between the 5th and 12th frets it's not that difficult to play.

 

[Archer250]

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

My guitars aren't perfectly setup, but they're in a decent ballpark. Since I keep changing tunings there's no way I can get a perfect setup.
Plus I don't really need super-low action; my action is medium, close to medium-high and all I want is good intonation and a straight-ish neck so that between the 5th and 12th frets it's not that difficult to play.

If I recall the numbers you divulged, it's definitely on the "very high" side.

 

[BloodRose]

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

I had an eye opener the other day.. I was at my storage place and as I usually try to do when Im there, I gave each of the guitars alittle play love. I got out my white Squier Strat, which is A) the first guitar I got after not having one for many years after I got married and B) the guitar I learned to work on and C) the guitar I really started learning to play on. Anyhow, I got her out and OMG.. She is way out of whack.. Needs some serious adjusting as far as string height and such.

 

[Mr. B]

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

"Set-ups" that I've seen beginners do:
Pickups set a nanometer away from the string because it makes them "Hotter"
Restrings with only half a wind around the post
Truss rods threads stripped so the neck is "perfectly straight"
Lock screws on locking trems stripped out and then adjusted by taking a pair of plyers and chewing the outside of the screw to shreds
Tremolos "locked down" so hard it dents the paint under their tails.
Nuts slots "lowered" so the string action is better
Bridge saddles set way too low so its easier to play... with my old 11 gauge string still on it...
Acoustic strings installed on an electric
and to top it off... I tuned it myself with no electronic or auditory reference to go by

Anyone want to add a few more you've seen?

 

[Diego]

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

If I recall the numbers you divulged, it's definitely on the "very high" side.

Good memory man. It used to be real high but it's gone down a bit since then. Sadly string action is one of those things I absolutely cannot settle on for some reason.
I'll have it low-ish and enjoy that, miss the fat sound and raise them, then miss the playability and lower again, and so on.

 

[Archer250]

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

Good memory man. It used to be real high but it's gone down a bit since then. Sadly string action is one of those things I absolutely cannot settle on for some reason.
I'll have it low-ish and enjoy that, miss the fat sound and raise them, then miss the playability and lower again, and so on.

I just use big strings with medium action lol. Nice compromise if you ask me. I get the fat sound, the playability, and the ease of bending.

 

[PFDarkside]

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

Just setup my aforementioned Jazz Bass V. Wow, this thing plays so much easier now! The "major setup" eluded to above ended up being just a quarter turn on the relief and lowering A/D/G/C some (~2/64") and it's amazing the difference. Raising the neck pickup by a full turn (didn't even measure) and it's sounding more powerful too.

 

[Shooter.556]

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

The very first thing I did after buying some tab books when I started playing was buy some guitar maintenance books and learn how to work on my own instruments.
I'm a diy kinda guy so I don't own guitars that aren't set up correctly.

 

[JOLLY]

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

I don't know how true the story is, but I remember reading years ago where Eddie Van Halen was talking about his setup. He stated that he takes his strings down to where they buzz, and then raises them a tad from there. So, that's pretty much what I've always done. It works for me.

 

[Shooter.556]

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

I don't know how true the story is, but I remember reading years ago where Eddie Van Halen was talking about his setup. He stated that he takes his strings down to where they buzz, and then raises them a tad from there. So, that's pretty much what I've always done. It works for me.

Once I have my neck straight and my intonation correct I do the same thing as well as dial in every pickup pole on each string. I have tried the scale method of going such and such mm but I like my ear and feel way of setting my action better.

 

[EDX]

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



with this pick a lot of you will rave about how wrong seted is my guitar, blueman will comment how low is the action and huge string gauge is for a 25.5 while aceman will say how high and thing are my strings........

there's no right or wrong, but there's a properly and something that isn't