How to properly set up your guitar.

Zapp Brannigan

I saw in another thread someone ask for this. so here's my attempt.

Its not hard as you can see. You will need a few tools to begin, but many of them are available at any hardware store.
1. Allen Wrenches(hex key) Various sizes in both standard and metric(most new guitars come with the set specifically for that guitar)

2. Screwdrivers. If you don't know what theses are for have someone else set up your guitar.

3. Feeler gauges (for measuring neck bow/relief)

4. A six inch steel ruler that measures up to 1/64" (general and Stanley make good ones)

5. NEW STRINGS!!! In order to set up your guitar properly you MUST have new strings on it!

6. GUITAR TUNER!!!

Are you ready to begin? TUNE YOUR GUITAR!!!

The three MAIN things you need to check are as Follows (must be done in order):


1. Action (the height of the strings off the fretboard)

Action is a highly personal thing. Some like it ridiculously low, some like it quite high. You'll just have to learn how you like yours. The main way to modify the action is by lowering the bridge. On some bridges, like the ones found on strats and teles, the individual saddles are adjusted.

Now, whip out your ruler and measure the distance between the bottom of the low E string and the top of the fret (the metal, not the wood). This should measure about 3/32". Do the same with the high E string and that should be about 2/32". This is for extremely low action by the way so you'll have to experiment with what you like.

If the measurements are too big, we need to lower the bridge. We'll start with bridges that don't have individual saddles. If you look at the bridge, be it tune o matic or floyd rose, you'll see two posts, one on the bass side, one on the treble side. In order to lower the bridge, we're going to have to screw these posts into the body some more by turning them clockwise (if looking down on top of the gutiar). You should be able to see the strings getting closer to the fretboard. If your guitar has a cheap Floyd Rose copy, it's generally best to remove all tension from it (that means remove the strings and springs). The reason for this is the baseplate on cheap Floyd Roses are not hardened and turning the posts while there's tension on them will result in damage.

If you have removed the Floyd Rose, put it back together and check the action again. Keep at it until you find an action you like. Once you're happy, play every string in every position. We're looking for dead frets. If you get dead frets towards the bridge, your action is too low so you'll have to raise it back up.

2. INTONATION (Oh BABY)

If you are setting up an electric guitar please be kind and ste yout pickup selector to the neck pickup. This process is time consuming sometimes, but very simple. Plug your guitar into the tuner and tume that bad mother****er!
Play a harmonic at the 12th fret. Press down the 12th fret and pluck the string. Is the needle of the tuner landing in the EXACT same place on each one? If your guitar is properly intonated it will. If not do this: If the fretted note is sharp (to the right of 440) you need to move the saddle away from the headstock retune and try again. If the fretted note is FLAT (to the left of 440) move the saddle TOWARD the headstock. When you are done you will notice that the Low E is farthest from the headstock, and the high E is closest to the headstock. NOTE! Tune you guitar to the harmonic at the 12th fret If this seems to complicated take it in to a professioanl and ask them if you can watch them do it(most shops are cool about this as far as I know)

3. Neck Relief(how close the strings are to the fingerboard)
WAIT! Don't touch those saddles yet! This involves using your guitars TRUSS ROD. This can be checked by holding down the 1st and 15th frets(eliminating the nut and saddles effect on the guitar) and using you FEELER GAUGE to measure the distance between the top of the 7TH FRET and the bottom of the LOW E string. This measurement should be between .005" and .007" generaly speaking. How do you adjust your trussrod? Good question Billy! Tightening your trussrod will move the neck closer to the strings, while LOOSENING your trussrod will move it farther waway from the strings. Until you have gotten used to doing this a few times NEVER TURN YOUR TRUSSROD MORE THAN 1/8th of a turn at a time. Also, allowing the trussrod adjustment a few minutes to "sink in" never hurt anyone.
Whats a trussrod you say? If you don't know bring it to a professional.

This is pretty much it in a nutshell as far as I am concerned, If you have action problems after this pocess you either 1 did not do it right, or 2 have ther problems such as Low nut slots or High or low frets. If you feel your guitar is set up properly and still have problems please feel free to take it to a professional and have them check it out! Let me know if you have any questions or if you see something I have left out! Thanks for reading!

Doctor J

Check the oul stickies

feylya

Slurms wrote:

1. Neck Relief(how close the strings are to the fingerboard)
WAIT! Don't touch those saddles yet! This involves using your guitars TRUSS ROD.

NO! Jesus christ NO! The truss rod is the LAST thing should start ****ing with. It is designed to make the fretboard straight or only slightly bowed. It's to counteract the pull of the strings. You're getting neck relief and action confused. Neck relief is the bow of the neck. Action is the height of the strings off the board. Action is adjusted from the bridge.

bonzai bob

yeah man, never touch your truss rod to highten or lower the action. That's pretty stupid.

feylya

Plus not all bridges have height adjustable saddles.

John

And it's in inches, I cannot work in inches.

feylya

Ironically, all guitar measurements are in inches... String guage, scale length, everything!

John

I know and I think it's digusting

Zapp Brannigan

my attempt has failed

ill get my coat shall i?

feylya

It was a good attempt and fair play to you for trying but it just has bad advice in it I'm afraid.

John

Slurms, you've made more of an effort than me so fair play to you.

Zapp Brannigan

go raibh mile.
edit at will to make it better or delete as you see fit.

Ancient1

John2 wrote:

And it's in inches, I cannot work in inches.

I got myself a 6 inch "pocket" steel ruler with tiny-ass increments (in centimeters on one side and inches on the other) in a hardware shop for 2 eurons. Highly recommended!

I'm "continental", so inches dont mean sh1t to me, but this little ruler is the business!

Edit -

measures up to 1/64"

- that's the one.

feylya

I edited your first post a bit Slurms. I don't have time right now to rewrite the rest but I'll get round to it soon.

Johnny Storm

Fair whacks to ya, Slurms.

charon

You copied that from a thread on the Megadeth forum didn't you? Unless your name there is mat!_SW

SirLemonhead

charon wrote:

You copied that from a thread on the Megadeth forum didn't you? Unless your name there is mat!_SW

I was always curious as to whether he was the same Slurms from the Deth boards or not

Ancient1

Maybe we should sticky this too?

A guitar set-up and maintenance resource thread....

Zapp Brannigan

cough cough......... yeah thats me form the deth forums. I pmed him and asked him he said it was cool.

charon

Ah right lol

nickcave

bonzai bob wrote:

yeah man, never touch your truss rod to highten or lower the action. That's pretty stupid.

I adjust the truss rod on my acoustic (fixed bridge) all the time. But only in tiny amounts if I need to change the action. Especially if I'm often using really low tunings. If I change from standard into, say, BEBEBE, without adjusting the truss rod, I'd have a huge backbow in the morning and loads of fret buzz. Bad action can be caused by a bow in the neck. Intonation will also be out if this happens. I love my truss rod.

feylya

If drastically changing tunings or string guage, then you should tweak the rod but it's not something you should constantly do.

John

nickcave wrote:

I adjust the truss rod on my acoustic (fixed bridge) all the time. But only in tiny amounts if I need to change the action. Especially if I'm often using really low tunings. If I change from standard into, say, BEBEBE, without adjusting the truss rod, I'd have a huge backbow in the morning and loads of fret buzz. Bad action can be caused by a bow in the neck. Intonation will also be out if this happens. I love my truss rod.

OH MY GOD! NICK CAVE IS A MEMBER OF BOARDS!

I think we've found a headliner for boardstock