Buy online - how do you know you got a "setup"?

[Keith B.]

We all see the ads on Reverb or Guitar shops that sell online and many/most indicate they do a "full pro setup" with guitar purchase (or something like that). When we buy online and don't visually inspect or feel the guitar... how do we know what is actually done during this "setup"?

I bought a guitar recently and had a chance to speak with the tech. I asked a few questions, and didn't get the greatest level of confidence that the guy had spent any real time with that particular guitar. He did say something like, "these things are dialed in really nice from the factory".

So, what do you do to try to learn as much as possible about guitars you buy online and ensure they get the most possible attention by the shop's tech?

 

[Wohlfdaddy]

“Setup” is the most overused word in the guitar industry. A proper setup insures that the action, neck relief, nut height, pickup height, and anything else that is adjustable is set where you want it. It is different for every person. The intonation adjustment is affected by all these variables. There is no way for a tech to set up a guitar for you without information and specs that you would give them.
Without that info, the best case would be the guitar being set to factory specs. Worst case is they turn a screw or two and tell you “it’s a smoking setup.”

 

[Keith B.]

Hmm. I agree with the "setup is most overused word"... but, even buying online I get a chance to communicate with the shop. How much info is really needed from me? I prefer the lower action, but want to avoid as much fret buzz as possible assuming not especially heavy handed playing.

What other questions are techs asking you in order to setup a guitar?

I am mostly concerned with the likely, twist a screw and say "she's golden".

 

[steved]

Almost all of the guitars I've bought, new or used, have come with atrociously bad setups. I'm not a pro, but know how to adjust a truss rod correctly, and set string and pickup height properly, and in most cases can get a guitar working well. My favorite post purchase "setup" job was from allinoneguitars.com, a little shop in LA that sells Wolf guitars and various other things, usually famously inexpensive things that are strangely good for the price. I bought a Wolf Les Paul copy for 450$, and was given five choices of how I could have it set up, all with descriptive names and a detailed description of what was involved. This was a free add-on, by the way. I thought it was probably some kind of con, but when I got the guitar, it was set up perfectly, exactly as they described it, and it played wonderfully right out of the box. So it is possible to do it right!

P.S. I ended up giving that guitar to my brother - he's got a studio, and whenever I visit he has me play guitar on some tracks he's working on, and for decades he's had this terrible ancient les paul copy with really rusty strings that I have had to try and make work somehow. Now there's a nice guitar to play on there!

 

[Wohlfdaddy]

Hmm. I agree with the "setup is most overused word"... but, even buying online I get a chance to communicate with the shop. How much info is really needed from me? I prefer the lower action, but want to avoid as much fret buzz as possible assuming not especially heavy handed playing.

What other questions are techs asking you in order to setup a guitar?

I am mostly concerned with the likely, twist a screw and say "she's golden".

measurements at the first and twelfth fret are a start. If you don’t know, well, that just comes with experience. Eventually you will come up with a set of specs that are uniquely you.

Most techs around here always joke that everyone wants the action as low as possible with as little buzzing as possible. 90% of customers will say that and have no idea about the nut height, neck relief, etc.

 

[GADonis]

When I've given a guitar for someone else to set up a common question they ask is "how much do you bend?" If you don't bend at all (is that even possible?) , or half step, full step, step and a half can be a significant driver in choices made during setup.

To me, a large online retailer that is selling large numbers of guitars all over the country saying they do a "setup" would indicate that they do it to factory specs. Which of course may or may not be what you like. Then of course the guitar gets shipped which means some time sitting in a warehouse or two and in trucks being exposed to varying environments so a guitar that has been shipped is likely to need a little work to get it where you want it even after a "setup" at the seller.

Having said that, My McSoaporina came out of Canada, spent at least a week in customs and arrived in Louisiana after a couple of weeks total travel time in the summer and didn't need anything done to it. It was even in tune, mostly. Of course I'm not the most picky guy about setup with the exception of intonation. Intonation is one of my pet peeves.

 

[Keith B.]

"Most techs around here always joke that everyone wants the action as low as possible with as little buzzing as possible. 90% of customers will say that and have no idea about the nut height, neck relief, etc."

Ok - I "set myself up" for that one... I get it.

And maybe more importantly... the point above about larger online sellers "saying" they do a setup. Maybe it's all too much to expect and the best course of action is to plan for a setup (if actually needed and can't do ourselves) when it arrives.

 

[RickP]

Sweetwater does a good job here, but they are the only big online store that I always get a guitar from that arrives somewhat in tune, and easily playable right from the case. As noted above, it’s to the factory spec, which is a decent all around playability. Fortunately for me, this is my preferred set up. I’m not a strings-a-hair-off-the-frets sort of player.

I’ve also read great reviews on set up from Righteous, Dave’s, and Brian’s, though I can’t personally verify (yet!). I’m sure folks here can add others.

If you like something besides the “average player” factory spec, you should expect to do some touch up yourself. The one way to avoid that is to strike up a relationship with a good dealer, such as the three listed above. Once they know what you prefer, many will set up any guitar you buy from them to that spec for you. You pay a little more for that kind of service, but it’s money well spent.

Short of that, Sweetwater is the only one I’ve found.

 

[BrianC]

Every PRS I ever bought (12 or so) was perfect on arrival except one use Santana that needed a revision.

For me the big take away is that PRS guitars are pretty easy to work on. I do my own set ups now after watching some online things.

 

[SinSir]

I always plan on a setup for every guitar i buy. If nothing more than to get it dialed in to my liking. Sometimes its more tweaks than setup. Two of the most recent guitars I've bought second hand I ended up taking to a pro. Both of them the seller was surprised to hear as they were just "setup". One I could see where they thought this but the other I said I'd find another tech. Both play like a dream now and are perfect for me. Most of the time I do it myself but others its easier left to the professionals. Guitar setup is part of ownership how much depends on the source, tech, and player.

A properly setup cheap guitar is better than a poorly setup expensive guitar.