I should do my own setups from now on

[scottfeldstein]

EDIT: Could an admin please move this to the correct forum? Sorry!

A couple of years ago I impulse bought a used Warwick off Ebay. It's the Rockbass Corvette $$ 5-string. When it arrived I was appalled at the height of the string action. I figured I'd just take it in to the local music store and have them fix it.

The told me there was only so much they could do because the neck was bent. There is a slight ripple high up on the tribble side. Anyway, it sounds great. I just wish it played more like my Ibanez SR505. Playing the Warwick is a chore and lately I've been thinking I should just get rid of it and swear off buying instruments that I can't play first.

Then something happened last night that makes me reconsider. I've been watching YouTube videos of this guy who just fixes guitars. Dave's World Of Fun Stuff. So last night I look over at the Fender FA-135CE Concert acoustic guitar. The one that has appalling action. The one that my music store also told me they couldn't make any better than it is.

I get my metric wrenches, loosen the strings, make a few truss rod adjustments and voila. The string height has gone from dreadful to...unremarkable.

I don't change my own oil. I know what's involved, sure, but I find it's worth the $50 or whatever to have someone do it who knows what they're doing. That was my philosophy on guitar setup, too–until now. I'm going bust out the tools and see what I can really do with the Warwick. These guys at the local store do not know what they are talking about.

 

[Element Zero]

 

[bholder]

EDIT: Could an admin please move this to the correct forum? Sorry!

A couple of years ago I impulse bought a used Warwick off Ebay. It's the Rockbass Corvette $$ 5-string. When it arrived I was appalled at the height of the string action. I figured I'd just take it in to the local music store and have them fix it.

The told me there was only so much they could do because the neck was bent. There is a slight ripple high up on the tribble side. Anyway, it sounds great. I just wish it played more like my Ibanez SR505. Playing the Warwick is a chore and lately I've been thinking I should just get rid of it and swear off buying instruments that I can't play first.

Then something happened last night that makes me reconsider. I've been watching YouTube videos of this guy who just fixes guitars. Dave's World Of Fun Stuff. So last night I look over at the Fender FA-135CE Concert acoustic guitar. The one that has appalling action. The one that my music store also told me they couldn't make any better than it is.

I get my metric wrenches, loosen the strings, make a few truss rod adjustments and voila. The string height has gone from dreadful to...unremarkable.

I don't change my own oil. I know what's involved, sure, but I find it's worth the $50 or whatever to have someone do it who knows what they're doing. That was my philosophy on guitar setup, too–until now. I'm going bust out the tools and see what I can really do with the Warwick. These guys at the local store do not know what they are talking about.

Besides the (ever-present) possibility of an incompetent tech, the other fair point is that even the best tech can't really do a set up to perfection for you - good ones ask and can come close if they take the time, but they'll never get as close as you can once you've got a few basic tools and some experience (unless there's a serious functional problem, requiring a luthier not just a tech, I'm a big believer in doing your own setups).

 

[M.R. Ogle]

Doing adjustments like a truss rod tweak SHOULD be something that most players could learn to do themselves. None of this is rocket science. Bridges have saddle screws that screw in and out to adjust string height and such. It's all pretty easy generally, and if you DO encounter something unusually tough... THEN go get a tech.

That being said, if your Warwick does have a rise somewhere down the fretboard, then , yes... you can only get the action (string height) down so low without buzzing or fretting out. the dreaded "tongue rise" as seen in so many bolt-on's is a real hard problem to work around. I see no motivation for a tech to intentionally sell you a poor setup. A good tech will set it up "right to the edge" of buzzing and then give it back to you with an explaination of why the action can't go down any lower.

 

[cataract]

Yes

 

[Nashrakh]

Congrats. Always quite the revelation to find out some things aren't as scary as one thought, huh?

 

[scottfeldstein]

A good tech will set it up "right to the edge" of buzzing and then give it back to you with an explaination of why the action can't go down any lower.

This is what I assumed they were doing. Last night's experiment with the Fender guitar has shown me conclusively otherwise.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

I don't change my own oil. I know what's involved, sure, but I find it's worth the $50 or whatever to have someone do it who knows what they're doing. That was my philosophy on guitar setup, too–until now.

I feel the same way on the oil change, mostly I don't do it because I don't want to deal with the oil spilling all over everything.

Last time I thought I could do a guitar fix I went to swap out a pickup and I broke one of the lead wires that goes into the windings, yeah I don't' have a magic touch with tools. I'm more of a duct tape and hammer mechanic.

Good for you, cool that you could figure stuff out to your liking.

 

[bassliner50]

Yes, yes, yes. Do it all. Its part of your act.

 

[ddnidd1]

The problem is anyone can call themselves a guitar technician.

 

[Aloe]

if set-up is just adjusting the bridge, neck relief and pickups height, there's nothing wrong with doing it yourself.

but sometimes getting action low requires some fret maintenance, this is the part I don't do myself. I'm lucky enough to know two luthiers that were able to set-up lower but playable action that I was able. yes, and both times it also was a fret job as well.

it's unlikely that's a nice luthier will work in a guitar shop though, but get to know at least one good local tech. you may need frets leveling or even fixing a broken neck one day. or some cosmetic job that really needs to be done by a guy with lots of experience.

 

[JRA]

I'm going bust out the tools and see what I can really do with the Warwick

even the best tech can't really do a set up to perfection for you

good luck, OP!

 

[electracoyote]

You're on the right track. Watch Youtube vids, draw your own conclusions about what is wrong with a set up and how to make it right and conform to YOUR needs and standards as a player.

Unlike an oil change, a guitar set up is a highly personal thing. I hear so much bad advice, even here on TB.

I got serious about doing my own set ups after being condescended to by a so-called expert. I think it's difficult for most techs, because they are not you and don't play exactly like you. The best they can do is some generic "factory specs" or something like that. You'd have just as much success asking them to adjust the driver's seat and mirrors in your car...the best anyone can ever do is "close" to what you really want.

I think at a minimum, all players would be doing themselves a big favor by understanding the elements of a good set up and at the very least being able to adjust truss rod, saddle height and intonation, nut slot depth (requires a set of gauged files), how to build and replace a nut, and how to re-set a bolt neck straight in the pocket (the damn things get bumped and go crooked a lot). If you balk at more challenging things like fretwork and electronics, find a good tech for that stuff. But as for the rest, it will usually save you a lot of trips to the shop and let you dial your basses in just the way you prefer them.

 

[shawshank72]

Something every instrument player should know.
Go by feel as well, don’t get caught up in the measurement side of things.

 

[Dilver]

Everyone should learn how to do their own set ups. You just need a few basic tools - but you must get the right tools for job - and make small adjustments at a time. Most people are too afraid they’ll “screw something up” but the reality is unless you make extreme adjustments (like turning screws too hard, forcing something to turn etc.), or use the wrong tools, you really can’t mess things up so bad. By learning to do your own set ups you can adjust your instruments to what YOU like best, vs what your tech likes or what he thinks you might like.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Find a local person who knows what they are doing, ask in musicians circles.
It pays to have new acquisitions looked at by a competent, experienced pro at least once.

 

[Artman]

This is what I assumed they were doing. Last night's experiment with the Fender guitar has shown me conclusively otherwise.

It depends upon your tech. I do setups on my own instruments, but a few years ago, I had the plastic nuts on my guitars replaced with bone, and the frets leveled and dressed/polished. Not something I do myself. The tech at our local “mom-n-pop” guitar shop is amazingly skilled. He asked me very specific questions about my playing and preferences. When I got them back, both the mim Strat and the PRS Se played better than any other guitar I’ve ever laid hands on! Check online reviews and forums before you leave your axe with just anyone.

 

[Geri O]

I’ll never discount the value of the expert guitar techs I’ve known in my life. They do wonderful things with seemingly unredeemable instruments. I’ve seen it for myself.

But I had to learn how to do my own basic setups to accommodate my weird way of playing. I like a little heavier gauge of strings than most. I play a little harder than most (and I’ll admit, a little harder than I should). And I like a slightly higher action than usual (just slightly). So my setups need a careful balance of action height and neck relief setting. And I’ve learned to make those adjustments for myself. Why not, since I’m the player and I know what works for me, right? I do NOT tackle anything related to fret work (wear, level, replacement) or the nut (replacement, height). I also handle intonation and pickup height adjustments.

Note that I do NOT adjust neck relief as part of the action-height process. I adjust the neck for the amount of relief it needs to accommodate the action I'm trying to achieve. This is what I've learned from the guitar tech experts that grace TB freely with their knowledge and advice.

All this allows me to set a nice action height that feels good to me and doesn’t buzz and rattle too badly (a little rattle is fine). And call me crazy, but my basses just plain sound better to be with a slightly higher action. As good as all the guitar tech I know are, they don’t (for better or worse) play bass the way I do. In fact, they are all good guitar players. But I’ve found their skills and knowledge of repairs to be great regardless.

 

[deckstirparnell]

Good job. I've always done my own setups unless it involves fretwork. For that I have a friend who is not a Luthier but learned his trade from the school of hard knocks by buying, selling, and trading instruments. It's been my experience that a lot of "Professional Luthiers" tend to set stuff up to "Factory Specs" which in my estimation sucks. Many don't have the sense of adventure to get the action "greasy low" like I like it so I do my own. It's not rocket science and unless you go really wacky, it's hard to do anything that's unrepairable (although I know a couple of guys that totally destroyed a beautiful playing G&L L2500).

 

[La Faro]

Doing adjustments like a truss rod tweak SHOULD be something that most players could learn to do themselves. None of this is rocket science.

I'm always baffled when long term competent players say they get their truss rods adjusted by a tech. Once everything's been set up, it just tweaking the truss rod when you feel the actions a bit out. I couldn't fathom giving my guitars up for a time, going out of my way to get it sorted when there' s an hex key on my desk.

After I bought my Jazz bass, buy speakers went. I was using a software amp (Mark Studio). I ordered new studio monitor from Germany, and knowing they'd be held up at Vietnamese Customs, I knew I was facing a long spell with just headphones. Then I stumbled on a Takemine Acoustic Bass in a local shop. I'd only ever seen one in a shop here before, and it was in Ho Chi Minh. I wanted to buy it, but it was unplayable. Strings flat against the fretboard. I asked if I could a just the adjust, they would let me, and said they would do it after I bought it. Being they seemed clueless, I wasn't going to trust them with my new bass. So I took the gamble. Truss rod and bridge adjusted, it sounded great, and plays well. The same shop then got a a Fender T-Bucket Bass acoustic bass. It's been in the shop now for four years, unplayable, looking unattractive with corroded strings.

Doing my own set ups, has become a necessity for me. But once you get your head around it, it's just a process in the main part.