Setup Help

[Templeton]

Hi, i've been the proud owner of an Axis SS for a few months now but still feel i'm not getting the best out of it.
It was used when I bought it so I had it setup and ever since i've gradually realised it doesn't play all that great for a £1500 guitar.
My main issue is on the high e and B string,bending is a real chore,it feels like I really have to dig my fingers in or the string slips away.Another similar problem is when bending on these strings there is real tension once i've bent up a step like it's going to snap.
I've only really got one place for setups near me and after the job they did last time it seems like i'd be throwing good money after bad.
So if you have any advice it'll be most welcome,at the end of the day these a minor gripes it's still a fantastic sounding guitar,best i've ever played although mines recently developed the dreaded "Stress Cracks" which i'm gutted about.

Thanks

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

Where are you located in the UK?

 

[Templeton]

Nearest city is Leeds but it's a bit of a hassle without a car.

 

[Spudmurphy]

Templeton I was gonna ask the same think - if ya put your location in your profile it helps.
Is your action low? - I mean real low - if so you will want to raise it a bit to "dig into" the string when bending.
Is there plenty of life left in the frets? - you may need a refret.

We could talk for ages about set ups but without seeing it, it's really difficult to give advice. I could recommend a guy in Cardiff - make a day of it come on down take your guitar to him - he'll meet up with you later and jobs a good un - between £40 - £60.

Other than that, there just has to be a guy close to you - have a word with some of the local pub/club guitarists and ask where they take theirs.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

Or send it to Charlie - he will look after it!

Home - Charlie Chandler's Guitar Experience

 

[Templeton]

All good points,as for the frets they're in good shape, since the guitar was only a couple of week old when I bought it.
I guess getting another setup done seems they best option but it may not be for a couple of weeks.
In the meantime is there anything I could do to the e and b just to raise the action slightly?

Cheers

 

[pjc812]

Get a small allen wrench and use the set screws in the saddles to bring them up. Go easy, a little bit goes a long way.

As for stress cracks, they're just cosmetic. To keep them from spreading, use something like a sharp phillips head screwdriver and dent the finish at the end of the crack. That will keep it from getting worse. Then you can use some sort of marker to darken the primer coat. Worked fine on my JP6. No complaints.

 

[candid_x]

By chance have you been used to a 24 3/4" scale length before getting this one? If so, you may want to try dropping down to the next lighter string gauge.

 

[Templeton]

Cheers for the advice, I have used a 24 scale before so i'll rule that out for now but thanks.
So I tried raising the saddle a touch,gave the screws a 180 turn but no joy, didn't feel any better and it started to cut out if I bent it past the 12th.
I've started to realise i've never been happy with it,i've never felt comfortable playing it despite it sounding great,even my Squier feels alot nicer.
This all seems strange given the rave reviews you see around here,but nobody I know can give their opinion since i'm left-handed, I don't know maybe i've been sold a dud that's why the original owner was so quick to get rid.
Worst of all i'll have to take a sizeable loss if I decide to sell because of the neck laquer crack, i'm just at a complete loss how a £1500 guitar feels like the worst guitar i've ever played.

 

[wired]

What string guage are you using?

These guitars are meant to be set up w/ 9's and maybe 10's. Don't spend money on a set-up, all they're going to do is raise the saddles or the whole bridge.

 

[Red Scare]

You know, I have had guitars that for some weird reason were just impossible to play. Even short scale guitars. For some reason there was a huge amount of tension that I could not rectify. One thing most people don't think to check is the nut. It's possible that the slots are high which, believe it or not, can make it feel like you are playing on 12AWG solid copper all over the neck.

 

[Templeton]

I've been thinking about what Candidx said about using a 24 3/4" scale before,i'm not too familiar with scale length but both of my other guitars have 21 frets as opposed to the Musicmans 22.
I was just reading a thread on here where someone seems to have a similar problem with their JP6 and one of the replies says
"You'd have to go to 13's or something on a short scale to get the same tension "feel" as 10's on a long scale"
Do you think this could be the problem? If I drop to 9's will there be a sufficient difference in tone?

Thanks

 

[candid_x]

The number of frets isn't the issue. What kind of guitar have you been used to playing?

 

[candid_x]

If I drop to 9's will there be a sufficient difference in tone?

Thanks

Everything is a compromise. Yes, you'll probably notice some difference in tone and feel.

 

[Templeton]

The number of frets isn't the issue. What kind of guitar have you been used to playing?

Previous guitars were a Tokai PRS style and a Fender Mustang,both had 10's and I could play bends easily.

 

[Dead-Eye]

Previous guitars were a Tokai PRS style and a Fender Mustang,both had 10's and I could play bends easily.

The Mustang, unlike most Fenders has an extremely short scale (24"), and PRS have 25" (so the Tokai probably too). All EBMMs have the classic "Strat-style" 25.5" scale length.

 

[candid_x]

Previous guitars were a Tokai PRS style and a Fender Mustang,both had 10's and I could play bends easily.

I believe the PRS has a 25" and the Mustang a very short 24" scale length. Both are shorter than the EBMM 25.5" scale length. So, both should be easier to bend and with less string tension than your EMBB.

Couldn't hurt to try 9's out. If they're too flimsy you could try EB Hybrids, which are a little lighter on the plain strings and heavier on the wound strings. There's other string solutions too, which I won't go into here.

 

[candid_x]

Woops, crossed posts with Dead-Eye.

 

[Templeton]

Cheers going to look in the Hybrid strings.
A mate of mine bought a Silhouette recently,it's a 1990 model,he's got 10's on that but hasn't had the same problem,would the Silo have the 25.5'' scale?

Thanks

 

[candid_x]

eeyep. Good luck with it, let us know how it works out.