rxtech
Well-known member
Can anyone recommend a good tech in the San Luis Obispo area to set up my Axis Sport (ie, action, intonation)? Someone who does quick turnaround time as well. It Is the only electric that I have.
SLO based guitar tech
- Thread starter rxtech
- Start date
beej
Moderator
Since you're in SLO ... perhaps you can get the factory to give it a once over/setup? Might not be the quickest but their work is amazing and the bench rates are reasonable.
rxtech
Well-known member
True, but it is my only guitar, at least on the electric and I don’t wanna wait that long.
racerx
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2021
- Messages
- 380
It sounds like with your constraints that you should look into doing your own work. Basic maintenance is straight forward with minimal work (especially on EBMM guitars with locking tuners and the easily accessible truss adjustment).
If you have to get into destructive work like fret dressing or nut changes, then wait for a pro. Otherwise relief, string height, and intonation are pretty easy to pickup. I’ll link to some online resources later today, but EBMMs FAQs are usually pretty thorough. Couple that with one of Dan Erlewine’s videos and you should be all right.
edit:
Here's the EBMM FAQ link: FAQ - specifically the vintage trem section assuming trem model (or Luke section if you want a floating setup)
Here's the EBMM video on truss rod adjustments:
StewMac's video on intonation:
If you have to get into destructive work like fret dressing or nut changes, then wait for a pro. Otherwise relief, string height, and intonation are pretty easy to pickup. I’ll link to some online resources later today, but EBMMs FAQs are usually pretty thorough. Couple that with one of Dan Erlewine’s videos and you should be all right.
edit:
Here's the EBMM FAQ link: FAQ - specifically the vintage trem section assuming trem model (or Luke section if you want a floating setup)
Here's the EBMM video on truss rod adjustments:
StewMac's video on intonation:
Last edited:
Amazon & others sell tool kits specifically for doing basic setups. I'd recommend picking up one of those, along with a string action ruler. I use one I got off Amazon made by Baroque, it's stainless steel and the size of a credit card. For intonation, get a high quality tuner, one that's accurate within a fraction of a cent (most tuners are only accurate to w/in 1 cent), preferably a strobe type. Peterson tuners are the gold standard, but TC Electronic's polytune 3 pedal (what I use) is comparable and accurate to w/in 1/10th of a cent in strobe mode.
Follow EBMM's guide for setup. You can check truss rod adjustment by capoing the 1st fret and fretting at 16 or 17. You should just be able to slip a business card under the strings around fret 7-8, with a little friction. EBMM's truss adjustment spoke wheel doesn't even require a special tool. After that, follow the EBMM guide for setting the trem, then adjust the saddle blocks to get your action height (you said you had an Axis sport - I don't think those have a Floyd Rose trem - if it has a Floyd, it's a whole different game), then intonate. Be sure to put on fresh strings first!
The money you'll spend investing in a few tools and a strobe tuner will more than pay for itself over time, every time you have to do a setup.
