New Guitar Needed Setup

[man7sell]

Just received my new PRS fade. Lovely looking guitar but the setup is way too high. So it's about time I learnt to do that. TRAIN. Tune, Relief, Action, Intonation, and N (nut?).
Got a nice little kit from Musicnomad and lots of helpful youtube vids. Action lowered to just how I like it. Now it is a superb guitar. So now I have to setup all my others. Who does their own setups?

 

[Fringbird]

Me. Most valuable skill to have. No one can set it up exactly how you see it and feel it in your head.

 

[gush]

I do.

 

[rcsrich]

For many years, a new guitar just got the “TRA” from me and that’s it. I then found a local guy I like and now they get the whole enchilada. I don’t like messing with nut myself and don’t have the patience for setting intonation.

 

[Dirty_Boogie]

Me

 

[deathworlder]

Frets
Nut
Relief
Action
Intonation

 

[JasonE]

Been doing guitar setups for decades. I honestly don't understand how some people can become very good guitar players without knowing the instrument well enough to do a basic setup. I will go a lot further into it than what the average player needs to but I think it is a skill that should go along with being a player. It really puts you in touch with the instrument at a deeper level IMHO.

 

[DISTORT6]

I do my own set ups.
However, every few years I'll take it to my guy for a "reset". Just to have another set of hands and eyes to make a fresh baseline.
My guitars with wings, NOBODY touches them but me.

 

[claythomas]

I have been doing my own since 1984.

 

[Moondog Wily]

Yeah, it's science, but not subatomic particle nuclear physics type science ;~)) Some people don't have the patience, some people don't have the grasp of what's involved or the steps, some people value their time more than others and have the money to pay someone else to do it, etc. I do my own because I can, I like to and I hate paying others for things I can do myself (and often can do better in part because I know what I want/need and can adjust as necessary). If I had millions and was jetsetting, I would certainly be paying someone else to do that as I would be "busy" ;~))

 

[Black Plaid]

My first guitar was $40, and it was dreadful. I didn't even know it was called a setup when I started figuring out for myself as the only guitars I could afford in the 80s were not the kind that would come even intonated well from the factory. Ok, maybe a bit of an exaggeration, I did get an RG550 in '89 while stationed in Japan that I thought was pretty dang nice.

In the last 10 years I've graduated to doing my own fret leveling. Maybe one day I'll make the jump to refretting and then making a neck from scratch!

 

[11top]

Me, and they all need the action changed to fit my preferences.

 

[Bogner]

Me.

I Have Only Ran Across A Couple Of Guitars In My Lifetime That Were Perfect For Me Set Up Wise And Needed Nothing. The Countless Others I Have Meticulously And Passionately Set Up. It Is Amazing What A Few Tweaks Can Do. Invest In Good Tools And Acquire The Knowledge Needed To Get The Most Out Of Your Guitars And You Will Be Much Happier As A Player.

 

[JasonE]

Me.

I Have Only Ran Across A Couple Of Guitars In My Lifetime That Were Perfect For Me Set Up Wise And Needed Nothing. The Countless Others I Have Meticulously And Passionately Set Up. It Is Amazing What A Few Tweaks Can Do. Invest In Good Tools And Acquire The Knowledge Needed To Get The Most Out Of Your Guitars And You Will Be Much Happier As A Player.

You make an interesting point. I have purchased exactly one guitar in my lifetime that I didn't need to set it up the way I wanted it. It is a 2016 Gibson SG Standard that has a factory mistake on it and is the reason I bought it. It still hast the plastic on the pickguard. They put the wrong headstock overlay on it when they built it. I got a good deal on it and never really planned on playing it. I decided one day not too long after buying it that I may as well tune it up and give it a whirl and see how it played and sounded. To my surprise, it played just like I wanted it to and it sounds extremely good. The only thing I can think of why that is, I think the guy I used to buy my guitars through at that shop changed the strings on it and did a setup on it because he liked the guitar. I have never had a factory setup that I liked, including PRS. They are just a little higher on action and a little too much relief for my liking.

 

[Rider1260]

If it's playable ( PRS usually are ) I will play it for a bit just to get a feel.
Then I put my Strings on do a full setup , sweeten to my liking including pickup heights

 

[JasonE]

If it's playable ( PRS usually are ) I will play it for a bit just to get a feel.
Then I put my Strings on do a full setup , sweeten to my liking including pickup heights

That is my typical process as well. I played with the pickup height on the Studio before I decided to adjust the rest of the setup. I was planning on having to change the bridge pickup. When I finally got a pickup height on it that made me happy, I did the full setup and adjusted the pickup height to compensate for the change in string height. I played it enough while figuring out where I liked the pickup height set at that I already knew exactly what I wanted to adjust about the rest of the setup and it was done quickly. I still can't get over how well that guitar plays and sounds. It has a real nice ring to it.

 

[KentuckyBoiledChiccan]

Been doing guitar setups for decades. I honestly don't understand how some people can become very good guitar players without knowing the instrument well enough to do a basic setup. I will go a lot further into it than what the average player needs to but I think it is a skill that should go along with being a player. It really puts you in touch with the instrument at a deeper level IMHO.

Dan Erlewine's book How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great, should be a mandatory read for every guitar player. Basic setup is a breeze, pro setup is not that much harder with just a couple of tools

 

[aamefford]

I’ve been doing my own on the learn as you go plan. That Music Nomad kit is pretty nice, I started with that. I haven’t done a fret polish yet, my KL 380 needs it pretty bad though so soon. I also need to dive in and learn what I need to properly check and level frets. It seems all my new guitars will likely be used, ‘cause I’m kinda spoiled by cores and S2’s and I’m pretty frugal buying guitars, if I guy can say that, PRS and core in the same breath! Anyway, I’d like to have a fret rocker and maybe a strait edge for checking, appropriate tools for leveling, and enough knowledge to know what I need to check and do to end up knowing my frets are level.

 

[jdrix]

Just started learning the process myself in the last few months. The MusicNomad Precision Set Up kit pretty much opened that door for me - I've been watching a slew of YT videos, taking in all the info & tips I can. It's actually pretty fun. The only things I've yet to really tackle are fret and nut maintenance

 

[JasonE]

Just started learning the process myself in the last few months. The MusicNomad Precision Set Up kit pretty much opened that door for me - I've been watching a slew of YT videos, taking in all the info & tips I can. It's actually pretty fun. The only things I've yet to really tackle are fret and nut maintenance

Fret and Nut work is where you start getting into the deep end of the pool. A mistake there can cost you a bit of money, especially with frets.