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Electric Guitar Set-up Tips - Introduction

Perhaps your guitar was playing great when you brought it home from the store, and gradually you noticed that it just didn't feel right anymore. Or, maybe it just never felt right from day one, whatever the case, you know it's time for a tune-up (pun intended).

I can usually tell when my guitar needs a bit of tweaking, it starts to feel tedious and tiring to play, albeit in a very subtle way.

The following information is intended to help you do the basic set-up tasks yourself. I've taken my guitar to lots of techies for basic setup tasks, and for the most part, none of them ever seemed to get it right. It was always difficult to talk to the person who was actually doing the work, since a lot of stores just farm it out to outside sources.

What I consider the basic tasks are:
 

1. Adjust the truss rod for proper neck relief
2. Adjust the bridge for proper string height and action
3. Adjust the height of the pickups properly
4. Adjust the intonation for accuracy

By no means is this an all encompassing list, but it's a good start for the minor tasks that you can carry-out yourself. If you've never done it before, I recommend that you first bring your guitar to an experienced luthier, and have them check and repair the following items as needed. Even if it's a brand new guitar, you'd be amazed at the difference this can make:

• Regulate The Nut. This insures that the strings are the proper height at the first fret. If they're too high, you may experience a slight degree of sharpness in the lower fret region.
  
  This is because the string has to travel too great of a distance when you depress a note at the first fret. Not only that, but you will also find it tiresome to play in the lower fret region as well. Most guitars do not come with a properly regulated nut, this is a must do.

Here's what Gibson had to say about the nut slots on their guitars: Nut slots themselves are cut according to the string gauge used. Some good measurements at the first fret for string height are: bass side: 2/64 inch, treble side: 1/64 inch.

• Check For High And Low Frets. Level the frets as needed. Any time frets are leveled, they'll need to be re-crowned to ensure accurate intonation.

• Check for loose frets, and re-glue any that are found.
• Have the frets polished, this will give them a smooth, silky feel.

Sounds expensive eh? The usual cost for a full guitar setup - regulating the nut, adjusting the truss rod, and setting the action and intonation shouldn't run you over $35.00.

For the fret leveling, crowning, and polishing, my luthier charges a flat rate of $75. Re-gluing the loose frets will probably run you another $30 or so.

This should be a one time expense, thereafter, you can do the tweaking yourself and get the guitar playing exactly the way you like it.

Articles in this series:
Set-up Tips Introduction
Adjusting String Height
How To Adjust The Truss Rod
Adjusting Pickup Height
Adjusting Intonation
 

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