Birthday Bliss - Setup Question

[THAWK819]

So... my amazing wife decided to pull off a really amazing surprise for my 40th a few weeks ago. On my birthday weekend a large, "that can't be anything but a new guitar," sized box arrives from a guitar shop in Lexington Kentucky, and inside was a gorgeous, brand new, McCarty 594 with a cherry charcoal finish.

Once I managed to close my jaw and wipe off the drool, a further inspection revealed it's actually a wood library special, with artist grade top, Brazilian rosewood fretboard and Indian rosewood neck. I have barely put it down enough to go to work and/or sleep since I got it.

This beauty is almost perfectly in tune every time I pick it up, no matter how much bending I do or how hard I sometimes mash the strings.

Eventually though, even though the setup feels perfect right now... I know I'm going to need to get a setup done when this Northeast weather swings from extrememly cold and damp to extremely hot and dry.

I can't imagine trusting this beauty to any of the guitar shops nearby, as I've had some less than stellar setup experiences with them. And even though the local Guitar Center actually did a good job on my Les Paul... I'm still a little hesitant to bring them this.

Has anyone here ever sent their guitar by mail to the PTC for a routine seasonal setup? If so, how long did it take to get it back? Maybe I'm babying this guitar too much (can you blame me?); but it just seems like noone else would do it as well as they would. The thought of putting this back into a box and packing it for the mail gives me nightmares though. Heck... I'd be tempted to make a road trip of it and drive it down to Maryland myself.

 

[toothace]

Where in the Northeast are you?


Yes...the PTC is fantastic!

 

[THAWK819]

Where in the Northeast are you?


Yes...the PTC is fantastic!

How long did it take to get your guitar back once they received it? And NYC in the Northeast.

 

[toothace]

How long did it take to get your guitar back once they received it? And NYC in the Northeast.

I had a finish flaw they repaired, took about 8 weeks IIRC. It's been a while. There are some great shops not too far away. The two I am aware of are Northeast Music in PA and Brian's Guitars in CT. Google says they are about 2 hours from NYC if you are up for a drive. Haven't been to Northeast Music but Brian's will have plenty there to tempt you for your next purchase.

 

[THAWK819]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XAkpkdGd1DYvzpG0H-RHg9OwuSVBUFox/view?usp=drivesdk

Here’s a pic

 

[alantig]

You’re likely going to need a truss rod adjustment at most, and my experience has been that you likely won’t even need that. Get a ruler that measures in 32nds and measure your string heights now so you’ll know where you’re trying to get to. You can do the truss rod adjustment yourself - just be patient and go slow. But it’s definitely a DIY thing. FWIW, I think I’ve only adjusted one PR s truss rod, and it was a mohogany neck.

 

[bodia]

Gorgeous guitar, and spectacular job by the Mrs! Happy birthday to you, indeed!!! You likely will not need a "seasonal" set up on that guitar. It's gonna be pretty stable, forever. Seriously, I've only had to do truss rod tweaks on the PRS SE that I used to have. I don't believe I've ever touched the truss rod on any other PRS I have ever owned. Granted, they don't leave the house (unless it's to a jam at a buddies house), but I do live in the weather nightmare of Chicago!

 

[THAWK819]

Yeah... I don’t see this leaving the house. I have an SE Zach Meyers that I swapped Seymour Duncan pickups into that’s my official, “leaving the house,” guitar.

 

[Ovibos]

How long did it take to get your guitar back once they received it? And NYC in the Northeast.

It's been a long time since I lived in the NY area, but there has to be a few top-flight repair folks in NYC...

I mean this guy does work for the Strokes and others, and this guy is supposedly the King of NYC repairs.

My takeaway is they don't work out of shops anymore (I hear Umanov's closed), but keep it slim and run from apartments.

 

[pauloqs]

Every PRS that I've owned did not need a setup, but I set it up myself due to personal preferences. Basically, lowering the action and sometimes the pickup height to accommodate for the slightly lower action. Most of my non-PRS guitars with non-maple necks get a truss rod tweak once or twice a year. But every PRS that I've owned, including the mahogany neck ones, never needed a truss rod adjustment.

 

[Guitpicky]

594s are phenomenal guitars and you got some nice features. You will fall in love with that rosewood neck, not enough Os in smooth!

My 594 came set up perfectly and I haven't had to do much but change strings and retune. I'm in Minnesota and we get some of the most extreme temp and humidity fluctuations in the country. I keep them in their cases when not playing and at most they need a tune. Never had to touch the truss rod or action height. My acoustics will vary a little but not enough to go cranking truss rods.

Consider doing your own setups if you have any mechanical aptitude whatsoever. There's not really that much to it once you get the hang of it. Watch a few YT vids on setup, use proper tools, think about what you're going to do BEFORE you do it, and take your time. You won't wreck your $5,000 baby... just get to know it better

 

[László]

I live in Michigan, and it’s cold and dry here in winter, humid in summer. I’ve managed to avoid seasonal setups (usually caused by humidity changes) by following this simple formula; it’s about maintaining the stability of the guitar’s immediate environment, i.e., the case.

If you keep the guitar cased when not being played, you get fewer seasonal (and often daily) swings in RH; the case acts as a buffer between the guitar and the environment, allowing seasonal stuff to happen more slowly. For some reason, that seems to matter.

Also, a few years ago I started keeping one D’Addario humidipak in the cases of my electrics. The humidipak keeps the guitar at a RH between 40-50%, which is ideal. The packet absorbs excess humidity, releases humidity when it’s dry out, and lasts for months. The result is that the guitars are more stable.

The humidipak kits also come in 3s for acoustic instruments, but I find that electrics only need one. I just stick it behind the headstock, and it humidifies the whole case.

The humidipaks have no odor, and don’t leak. I’ve been using them for several years. As a lunatic safeguard, I also humidify the room I keep them in; I use a steam humidifier that kicks on when the RH is below 40%. I suspect that’s just a feel-good thing for me, though, since the humidipaks probably do most of the heavy lifting in this scenario.

Of my 6 most recent guitars going back 5 years, only one has had an adjustment, and it was principally a playing preference thing.

I will also say that the PTC does AMAZING setups; they did a couple to previous PRSes. I recall the turnaround being 2-3 weeks.

 

[Rusty Chops]

Gorgeous guitar!

Don’worryaboudit.

 

[THAWK819]

Yeah the action is perfect right now and it barely ever needs a tuning tweak, so I can imagine this not needing serious adjustment.

And considering we’ve had a few literal 50 degree temperature swings within the same 24 hours in the last few weeks, the stability of this guitar is amazing.

I guess I have to consider storing it in its case when not being played. I just love being able to scoop it off a stand and play at my leisure; and getting the strap on and off is a total pain... oh well, first world problems I guess.

Thanks for the tips guys.

 

[pauloqs]

You could store it in a good gig bag. I think it'd be a good compromise. Mono, albeit expensive, have some top loading gig bags that makes quite easy to get the guitar out and play.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

You’re a very lucky guy for several reasons!

Play and enjoy!

 

[THAWK819]

I have a mono soft case... that’s a great idea. It should easily fit with the strap attached.

 

[WA Paul]

Wow, happy 40th indeed! Congrats! 594 + RW neck = awesomeness

 

[Fuku]

I’m picky about my guitars too man. I learned to do setups myself a long time ago because of my first PRS. I wasn’t about to drop that beaut off anywhere . I’ve seen some sorry workmanship, especially GC. So I learned from YouTube and reading. You can get some simple, but necessary tools from Stew Mac. If you have some mechanical skills you can do it. All my friends bring their guitars to me too. Good luck, and happy birthday with your new axe.