guitar setup order

You will need to check both E strings as the amount of curve can vary from one side of the neck to the other. Snug up machine head threaded top bushings. Tip: Use a permanent marker to mark the top of the truss rod’s original position to give you a reference point. When these adjustments are completed in the correct sequence they will ensure that the guitar is optimal, both in sound and playability. A neck with too much relief can suck the tone out of a guitar, and when the neck is straight the action stays more uniform as you move up the frets. The best saddle material is bone. Cost for the Stratocaster is £999. Tip: Some people just cut the strings at full tension with a heavy duty snipper, but there’s a lot of people who think it’s bad for the neck to endure such a rapid change in tension. The guitar setup process can be broken down into nine distinct phases. It will just cause you tuning issues and whatever you put in there will be temporary at best. Tremolo Adjustments. After the wah or EQ, try throwing in … Open strings move a lot, and most players tend to hit open chords a little harder, so give yourself some cushion here. Once in tune, check to see how level the bridge is to the top of the guitar. String height coming off of the nut makes a big impact on playability and you may find it all feels right once that is done. It keeps positive tension at the truss rod nut, and it’s easier to read a neck while straightening. 5. You will need to adjust the screws of the claw in to pull the bridge back or let them out to allow the bridge to rise. Never miss a critical guitar setup point with this Guitar Setup Cheat Sheet, DOWNLOAD THE FREE GUIDE! Remember, all three aspects of the set-up (neck, nut, and saddle) are related, and when you make changes to one you often need to make changes to all three. By now, everything should be in its right place (as Radiohead puts it), so get your screwdrivers out one last time. Remember, "the lighter the string, the weaker the tone". Don’t test the string, play it. The ideal setup is not one that obeys all the rules, but rather, one that makes a guitar comfortable to play and sound great for you. If yours is plastic or some type of synthetic material and you want the best tone possible, have it replaced with bone. Due to superior construction and wood treatment methods, you won’t often see protruding … If you do any of these steps after the intonation is adjusted it will ruin all the work you did to the intonation and you will have to do it all over again. PLAY! The frets are the … experimenting can help you zero in on the best setup for you. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'midlifeguitar_com-narrow-sky-2','ezslot_19',124,'0','0'])); You’ll need to find the balance point for the tension of the strings so that the bridge sits level. You can use the under string radius gauge instead of these but you will need to move the strings out of the way. That being said, effects chaining is not an exact … Nut Files are available in different sizes dependent on the gauge of strings you like to use. When tuning a guitar with a tremolo, I always tune back and forth to bring up the tension on the tremolo evenly: E to E, A to B, D to G. Because the tremolo is rising as you tune-up in pitch, you will likely find you are flat when you are done. Tip: File the slots on a slight downward angle away from the fretboard (about 25°) – if the headstock is pitched back, you can go parallel with that as a guide. It’s handy to have a set of notched radius gauges. Tip: Use a straightedge for added assurance (pictured). A proper nut is critical to the tone, feel, and tuning stability of your guitar, and there really is no substitute for a well-made bone nut. A truss rod is a mechanism that counters the pull of the strings. You can download a free chromatic tuner app and this will work fine for this exercise. Remove the saddle and mark a line on both sides of the saddle with a sharp pencil that represents the amount of material you were above your measurements at the 14th fret. If you don’t have a set you will need to loosen the strings and move them out of the way to check. I use 120-220 grit unless I have a lot to remove. Another important thing to keep in mind is to always check the straightness of your neck in the playing position. Place a capo at the first fret or hold the string down with your finger, and fret again around the body joint where the neck starts to thicken, this is usually around the 12th to14th fret. If your saddle is significantly off and this is all new to you, then you should also make a trip to the repair shop. In this lesson, we’re gonna talk about putting your guitar effects pedals in the proper order in pursuit of the holy grail of every guitarist, ultimate tone. If you have steady hands you can even use a belt sander. Even if the neck already has relief, it is a good idea to loosen the rod a little first to see how tight the nut is and to verify it is working properly. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'midlifeguitar_com-mobile-leaderboard-2','ezslot_17',122,'0','0'])); This is where electric and acoustic set-ups differ. Learn more about our use of cookies: cookie policy, Guitar Repair Tools Guide [Purchase List - 2020]. The physics of a moving string dictate that it moves most at the center of it’s opposing points. Other things to look out for are cracks, major chips, and significant string wear. you may find that slight variations will be more ideal for your playing style. You’ll still need to do a fair amount of work to fit it properly, but much of the shaping work has already been done for you. There will be a couple more items that you will need on top of this. Want us to build the guitar??? Built to Order.. We’ll build you a Tele, Strat or Jazzmaster…. Hi, I’m Luke and I am the founder of Midlife Guitar. These are included individually or in the StewMac setup kit, and also easily available on Amazon. If your nut slots are already too low and buzzy off of the first fret or you go too far, you have the same options as the saddle: replace or shim and recut it. I actually prefer compliments to my tone over flattering remarks regarding my technique. Tip: Righty tighty, lefty loosie ;). A tremolo will also make this step trickier because you might need to deal with balancing the bridge by adjusting the tremolo claw that anchors the springs to the guitar. In standard guitar tuning, this is tuned to E and is often referred to as the "low E string," meaning the lowest note you can play. Checking with the manufacturer or searching the internet should tell you if you are unsure. There are many things you have to consider and it often requires trial and error until you find out what works best for the guitar and the player. Moving the string up and down over this fret will make it a little clearer, and this is easier if you are using a capo at the first fret instead of tying up both hands. Built to Order. This is mainly for an electric guitar and is an excellent kit from StewMac. Tip: Passive pickups have a stronger magnetic field than Active pickups – if you set passive pickups too close to the string, it will kill the sustain and tone. Setting up the Pickups Hold down the fret closest to the pickups on the top string. Regardless of the manufacturer, the correct position for any bridge, under string tension, is going to be parallel to and essentially flush with the top (or up to 1mm, or so, above the top). TIP: Make small adjustments incrementally, and after changing one you will need to go back and readjust the other…it’s circular and can be very frustrating if you don’t understand the relationship. Tags: stratocaster setup service; codemonkey New Member! Installing New Strings 5. Simply, because an appealing and appropriate guitar sound speaks to serving the song and style of music. The best way to judge relief is with a straight edge, and a straight edge will make it easier for you to determine if you have a back bow. The one in this link is for medium gauge for an Electric guitar but you can get light and heavy gauge files also. TIP: As stated earlier, do all this checking in the playing position, and placing a light below you will help to illuminate the gap for clearer reading. You can find a good selection here on Amazon, Kyser (click here to check price on Amazon). Essential for Acoustic and Electric Guitar. Before the guitar was the guitar, it looked much like an early banjo (or an ancient Egyptian tanbur, if you happen to be a stickler for history). In the Guitar Setup course, the third DVD is devoted to acoustic guitar setup. This blog and my YouTube channel are dedicated to helping those learning to play guitar. Just remember, a change to one of these three key factors usually means a change to one or both of the other two, so always recheck and adjust as needed. When you are satisfied with your saddle height, remove the capo and spend some time playing the guitar. Remove an old string. … Active pickups should be adjusted as close to the string as possible to compensate for their weaker magnetic field (about 1/32″). It’s also just fine to do this with the guitar on it’s back, just tighten about a 1/8th to a 1/4 turn and recheck the neck in the playing position until you have eliminated the gap. On the bass E, you need just under a 1/8th inch (about 3mm) and 3/32” (about 2.5mm) on the treble in the playing position. I like to use thick tempered glass, and I prefer the 3M brand sandpaper, but there are a variety of options here. The good news is that you don’t have to be a pro to address the standard issues. There is no law that says your twelfth fret has to be in tune, you can choose anywhere you’d like. You need to know what the fretboard radius is so that you can set the underside of your strings with the saddles to match. The saddle is separate from the bridge. Tip: Make adjustments in quarter turn increments only! Use this as a rule of thumb, but I can tell you from experience that what you are looking for is slightly higher than what you see over the second fret. It functions the same either way as long as your can mentally keep track of the … If you are still unsure, then this video will help you identify what type of truss rod you have. I am not one of these people, but I don’t mind spending an extra minute unwinding the strings to be safe. A neck with a back bow (a bow in the opposite direction to the pull of the strings) will result in an unplayable guitar. The most important thing to consider is that the wrench fits the adjustment nut with no slop. Required fields are marked *. If you are setting up an acoustic, this will require shimming. So you will have to repeat that process until you are in tune and the bridge finds its balance. As previously stated, a good set-up is a balance of the neck, the nut, and the saddle. Repeat this until you find the height that works for you. For now, we are essentially going to eliminate the nut and set it to zero. I will break this step into two sections to make it easier to follow and better illustrate what tools you will need. 120 – 200 grit is recommended unless you have a lot to take off and make sure to use it attached to a hard, smooth and flat surface. You will need to determine what yours is, and if you have a Gibson style Tune-o-Matic bridge you will need a set of nut files to match each string. Fender Stratocaster Guitar Forum. For the purposes of this set-up guide, I am assuming your nut is functional but too high. I also prefer to straighten a bowed neck rather than bow an overly straight one. Where to put it: At the start of your chain. The six strings of a guitar can be thought of in descending or ascending order. Midlife Guitar is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. If for some reason you play a lot of chords up the neck, this may not work for you, but in my experience, most players fret chords toward the nut and play single notes as they get to the end of the neck, and nothing sours a chord more than sharp notes. If it’s not buzzing and still feels stiff, and looks high, remove a little more material. Perform any major preliminary adjustments. Check the radius of your fretboard. Small adjustments to the rod can make big changes. These tools will make it easier to do your guitar setup but they are not essential to perform the task. 4. It will assume that the essential geometry is correct and that there are no major fret issues or structural problems. If this happens, bow the neck and then bring it back to straight. For an acoustic guitar saddle that needs to be lowered in height, use self-adhesive sandpaper. The guitar is an imperfect instrument, there are usually only two exact notes on each string: the open note and the fretted note you choose to intonate (the 12th or halfway point of the scale in most all cases.). Home Forums > Main Stratocaster Guitar Discussion Forum > Stratocaster Discussion Forum > Custom setup order advice please Discussion in 'Stratocaster Discussion Forum' started by codemonkey, Mar 22, 2020. DO NOT try to rush the process. This step by step guide will cover the basics of setting up your guitar. Acoustics are very, very different than electric guitars, when you get right down into the mechanics of … Assessment 2. Essential for both Acoustic and Electric Guitar. Over adjustment of either rod will result in a back bow, and loosening the rod should take care of that in a properly functioning guitar. The reading at the first fret and second should look about the same. TIP: You are trying to achieve equilibrium. Check The String Height At The 12th Fret. How Does A Truss Rod Work? Phasers, Flangers, Chorus & Vibrato Effects. By understanding this we are then in a position to start making adjustments with the overall goal in mind. It shouldn’t be excessively tight and the gap should increase as you back off. Of the many products for guitars available, pedalboards are at the top of the list for best “bang for the buck” guitar gear. After doing a few setups though you may feel differently, I know I did. Angle the file with the approach of the string from the tailpiece, and use a file of the same gauge as each string. 6. You will need a hard flat surface and some self adhesive sandpaper. Tip: The high E string should cross the line on the ruler exactly, while the bottom of the Low E string should just barely allow bottom of the ruler line to show. If you care about your guitar these are worth purchasing. eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'midlifeguitar_com-narrow-sky-1','ezslot_18',121,'0','0'])); For me, a perfect neck is dead straight on the treble side and has just a few thousandths of relief on the bass (about the amount of the thickness of a sheet of notebook paper,) but this isn’t something you can necessarily control. Gravity has a significant influence on the neck, and the amount of relief will look drastically different when the guitar is laying on it’s back as opposed to sitting upright. Carried out on a regular basis, a setup will help maintain the health of the guitar through its seasonal changes. Once you have verified your fretboard radius and checked the saddle to make sure it matches, take string height measurements with a straight neck and a capo at the first fret in the same manner as described previously. Keep in mind you may not be able to get the neck straight, or perfectly straight, everywhere. I check the 12th fret and the 3rd fret and find a compromise between the two, often going until the 3rd fret is no longer sharp at all. This will cause your neck to bow. Remove old strings. Action, Intonation and Fine Adjustments 6.1 Adjust the Truss Rod 6.2 Set the Bridge Height and Radius 6.3 Recut the Nut 6.4 Adjust the Pickup Height 6.5 Check and Adjust the Intonation 7. This is a tricky process and there is a very fine line between low enough and too low. This site is owned and operated by Luke Winter. Age: 59 Messages: 3. Make sure the saddle is square after you have sanded it down to reduce the height. I will focus on properly made saddles that are just a bit high or low, but first let’s talk about issues that may require the help of a repairman. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'midlifeguitar_com-leader-3','ezslot_13',115,'0','0'])); Double action rods are useful for stubborn necks that don’t have typical reactions to the pull of the strings. Placed here, it’s like having your guitar’s volume … – Time (Delay, reverb, tremolo) We arrange them in this fashion if we are wanting each effect to operate as close to its originally intended use as possible. Truss rod repairs can be an expensive endeavor, so make sure you have the proper tool and don’t force anything. Preliminary Adjustments 6. You are verifying that it doesn’t buzz under normal playing conditions. Tip: If you’re changing your strings to a different gauge, or a set that uses a plain third, you can expect to make some intonation adjustments. Once you’ve set the neck, nut, and saddle, spend some time playing the guitar. A guitar setup is a series of adjustments that achieve a balance between three components: the neck, the nut, and the saddle. The head of the truss rod is accessed at the top of the neck or from within the sound hole depending on the guitar. It is important to understand that as you tune the guitar the amount of tension on the bridge changes and will cause it to move, and conversely, as you adjust the tremolo your tuning will change.

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