Is a professional set up worth the money?

[chuckjones93]

I have a Carvin LB76 that plays O.K It's not the greatest. But is a pro set up worth the money? $70 to $100 (in my area) seems like a lot of money for what? I've messed with it myself, but I'm no pro. It never seems to play any better. Are some basses doomed to play just O.K.? Or should I just spend the money and find out?

[TeeMartin]

A pro setup is definitely worth the money, but not at $70-$100. Unless you live in some sort of Beverly Hills esque mansion community (...in Akron, Ohio) try to find a place that can do it for $40 or under.

[michele]

A pro setup really worth the money but your best investment for the future is learning how to set up your instrument by yourself. Don't be afraid to tweak.

[Steve]

It depends on the condition of the instrument.
If all you need is a truss rod and action tweak probably not.

If you need to get frets leveled and nut work to get super low action, probably.

Keep in mind that high performance = high maintenance and if you don't learn to do it all yourself it can become a recurring cost.

[PasdaBeer]

yes...completly

[Vincent P]

Originally Posted by TeeMartin

A pro setup is definitely worth the money, but not at $70-$100. Unless you live in some sort of Beverly Hills esque mansion community (...in Akron, Ohio) try to find a place that can do it for $40 or under.

May be including a set of strings into this price.

[PasdaBeer]

hrm around my area its about 70 for a set up also


hell, my strings are 50 a set...i would love it if 70 included strings : P

[lowend1]

I think that EVERY player should learn to do at least a basic setup. A truss rod tweak, bridge adjustment and new strings is pretty straightforward stuff. The key is to understand what you're trying to achieve, and where the limits are. If you need a fret leveling or other work that requires time and skill, however, maybe a pro is best.

[boilerbass]

If you're in Akron, OH, check out Mighty Mike's Guitar Repair. Its on Portage Trail in Cuyahoga Falls. About 5 years ago he did a complete setup for me with fret leveling on a Warmoth bass that I put together but couldn't get exactly right. He did an awesome job and after he was done it felt like a 10X better bass when it was done. I think it was about $40-50 and well worth it.

[Barkless Dog]

A shop near me does it for free- adjusting & intonating

[DougD]

Spend the money. If the set up gets you where you want to be, great. Then learn to do it yourself. There is no grantee that a pro setup will make your bass play better. That depends a lot on the skill of the tech doing the work. If you have it done b a skilled tech and it still doesn't play the way you want it to, then you can make a decision weather you want to keep the bass or start looking for a better one. IMHO

[58super]

$70 should be enough to get you the tools and a book to do a set up and intonation yourself. Dan Erlewine's books are great for this type of thing. Fret leveling is something I'd take to a pro though.

[jgroh]

I say, try it yourself first then if it gets out of whack, take it to a pro. Just dont overdo it with things like truss rods, be cautious with any adjustments you make. There are plenty of sites with good info, like right here, so take your time and try it yourself.

I am going through this right now too. The places around here charge $60-$70 and it takes like 2 weeks to get done. I have a VM fretless that I put a new bridge on, and I havent had much time lately to fiddle with it, but that is too much and too long for me to take it to a shop.

[MysticMichael]

Originally Posted by chuckjones93

Or should I just spend the money and find out?

You should just spend the money and find out. If/when the instrument needs tweaking again in future, you'll at least know that you're still in the right territory, tweak-wise...

MM

[Mojo-Man]

Originally Posted by TeeMartin

A pro setup is definitely worth the money, but not at $70-$100. Unless you live in some sort of Beverly Hills esque mansion community (...in Akron, Ohio) try to find a place that can do it for $40 or under.

$75 is the price for a good setup where I live.

You will save yourself a ton of money if you learn to do yourself.

[ausf]

The go-to guy for DBs in NYC keeps a shop upstate as well. I got a chance to visit with him a couple of weeks ago and he offered not only a set, but a hands on lesson on setting up as well as free rod adjustment (if I wasn't comfortable doing it) for life. All for $60.

[Sahm]

Within the last 5 years, I've seen setups increase to about $70 around here. I would recommend, as somone else has, to get that first pro set up done before starting to do it yourself. This way, you'll get the feel of a pro set up and know if you're in the right ballpark when you do it yourself.

[staindbass]

a setup takes 4-5 days. if its done in a day, 3 days later the neck settles (when u adjust the truss rod, it takes a few days for the neck to fully settle into its new curve.) and ur intonation and stuff is not the same. buy a book and learn it your self, and save the dough for strings. test my theory. johnny a

[ibanezcollector]

#1 first and fore most is a professional setup worth it? Sure...

BUT WHO IS THE PROFESSIONAL, thats more important then the setup..

GC has setup people and ummmm ill pass on taking that professional setup, is the professional exactly that a professional or is it some kid or person who thinks they are and really dont know what there doing to begin with.

[isky]

I used to work at Sound Logic guitar store (Madison, WI). And I've seen a bunch of unprofessional setup consequences. Broken and over-bent necks, dead frets, burnt electronics, etc. My advice - if you think you know you can do it by yourself... think twice!
Though $70 is quite a lot...