Questions about setup..

[JPMotorSport]

I'm gonna perform my guitars setup tommorow, however I can't seem to find some good info about how to adjust it to my liking. Every guitar is different, and I've never setup a Fender-style fulcrum trem like the one on the Petrucci.

1. I've never had a guitar with locking tuners before, only floyd rose's and les Pauls. what is the proper way of stringing the tuner? i was reading the FAQ on the ernie ball webiste - I usually leave slack on non locking tuners so that when I turn it 'locks' the string in place. Do i just run the string through the tuner all the way and then lock the string in place while the string is straight across the guitar? Or do I put it in, leave some slack of string, lock the string and then turn while the excess string goes around the tuner?

2. The action is really too high for my liking. The FAQ said to adjust the truss rod - but people have told me to only adjust the truss rod for neck relief issues. Would I be ok messing with the truss rod? What about string height from the saddles? Do I adjust those little teeny hex screws at the saddles too?

3. The strings are almost perfectly flat, without any curvature to the radius of the fretboard. i don't like that. How do i kinda 'round' out the angle of the strings? With those double little hex screws at each saddle?

Forgive me if these questions have been answered in the FAQ or before, but I kinda need some more guidance and elaboration as I would really rather learn my guitar inside out and be able to perform setups on my own, rather than vaguely explain what I want to a guitar tech, and be without the guitar for 1 or 2 days.

Thanks!

 

[candid_x]

I'm gonna perform my guitars setup tommorow, however I can't seem to find some good info about how to adjust it to my liking. Every guitar is different, and I've never setup a Fender-style fulcrum trem like the one on the Petrucci.

1. I've never had a guitar with locking tuners before, only floyd rose's and les Pauls. what is the proper way of stringing the tuner? i was reading the FAQ on the ernie ball webiste - I usually leave slack on non locking tuners so that when I turn it 'locks' the string in place. Do i just run the string through the tuner all the way and then lock the string in place while the string is straight across the guitar? Or do I put it in, leave some slack of string, lock the string and then turn while the excess string goes around the tuner?

I leave only a slight bit slack in the unwound strings to give them a tad more bite. The others go straight through in line with the rest of the string.

2. The action is really too high for my liking. The FAQ said to adjust the truss rod - but people have told me to only adjust the truss rod for neck relief issues. Would I be ok messing with the truss rod? What about string height from the saddles? Do I adjust those little teeny hex screws at the saddles too?

It's absolutely ok to tweak the truss rod. EB makes it easy; you don't even have to loosen the strings. A genius of a design, really.

3. The strings are almost perfectly flat, without any curvature to the radius of the fretboard. i don't like that. How do i kinda 'round' out the angle of the strings? With those double little hex screws at each saddle?

Not too familiar with the JP, but I understand they have a fairly flat radius. Sounds like a matter of working with your saddles to follow the neck's contour.

Forgive me if these questions have been answered in the FAQ or before, but I kinda need some more guidance and elaboration as I would really rather learn my guitar inside out and be able to perform setups on my own, rather than vaguely explain what I want to a guitar tech, and be without the guitar for 1 or 2 days.

Thanks!

Most setups are easy enough to do that even guitar players can do it (ha hah). If it gets into fret dressing and such, it gets a little dicier. I don't go there. That's why they pay guys like Jon and Tommy the big bucks.

 

[Spudmurphy]

Hi JP
The locking tuners are so easy.
- When you restring just pull the new string tight and lock it off. You need no windings on the post at all. The reason for windings goes back before locking tuners were on the market - insofar as you needed some windings around the post so that the string would "bite against itself" and not slacken off.
With locking tuners you don't have that problem.

With regard to your other questions I would recommend that you buy the book written by Dan Erlewine.

It goes into great detail about how the Nut and bridge set up should mirror the curvature of the neck.

If you want a super low action you have to introduce a slight (concave) bow to the neck - once again this is covered in great detail in the book.

Get the book , read up on the procedures and go for it - just my opinion if you have never done it before.
Spud

 

[wired]

With locking tuners, you don't want the strings to wrap around the post, that's going to make your guitar go out of tune more when using the trem. Pull them straight through, lock, strech & tune. Easiest string changes ever.

If your neck is straight, adjusting the saddles is the way to go to lower your action a little. As far as adjusting the curvature of your strings, you should stay consistent w/ the radius of your fretboard. I believe the JP's have a 15" radius? Pretty flat, especially compared to other EB models, so I'd go easy w/ shaping the saddles too much.

 

[JPMotorSport]

OK. I did the setup - changed the strings, set the intonation and adjusted the action. Now my Petrucci plays beautifully fast

Just one more question. After lowering the action, I found a slight concave with the neck - like an increase in relief I suppose. I fretted the 2nd fret and used my right finger to fret the 12th and fret, and the gap seems to be very very small - like a business card the FAQ said.

Would the guitar be ok with the increase of relief?

Thanks guys.

 

[candid_x]

OK. I did the setup - changed the strings, set the intonation and adjusted the action. Now my Petrucci plays beautifully fast

Just one more question. After lowering the action, I found a slight concave with the neck - like an increase in relief I suppose. I fretted the 2nd fret and used my right finger to fret the 12th and fret, and the gap seems to be very very small - like a business card the FAQ said.

Would the guitar be ok with the increase of relief?

Thanks guys.

If you're ok with the action at around the middle of the neck, then it should be fine. If it's too high in the middle, it prolly could use a little relief taken out, though you may have to tweak the saddles again. If it feels right to you, that's what matters.

 

[wired]

OK. I did the setup - changed the strings, set the intonation and adjusted the action. Now my Petrucci plays beautifully fast

Just one more question. After lowering the action, I found a slight concave with the neck - like an increase in relief I suppose. I fretted the 2nd fret and used my right finger to fret the 12th and fret, and the gap seems to be very very small - like a business card the FAQ said.

Would the guitar be ok with the increase of relief?

Thanks guys.

It sounds like your neck is straight, I don't think you need to adjust it.