Time to learn how to do my own setups

[mcvinyl]

Hi,

I've just received my Axis Sport (Yes I'll post pictures ASAP) and there is a little fret buzz on 2, 5 & 6. So I thought "that's OK I'll drop it into my guitar guy and he can do a setup on it" Then I went to put it into my rack with the other 5 & realised "I can't keep paying someone to setup my guitars every 6 months". So it's finally arrived, the time for me to have to learn to do it myself. I'm looking for a bit of an idiots step by step guide on how to setup my guitars. I have the Axis Sport & a Strat that are both string throughs. I have two Deans that are both stop tails and I have An Epiphone Joe Pass which is a trapeze tailpiece with a stoptail that isn't fixedbecasue it's an archtop. Can any of the geniuses here give me a little help /direction please. I want to be able to set my action, intonation & neck relief I guess but also any other info I may need.

Thanks
Simon

 

[Lew]

i would be interested for the answer aswell.

Congrats on that guitar it looks awesome!

 

[kbaim]

Man, agree on this one.

Just spent a week without my 3 lukes, then get hit for $260 in set up and some light filing fees. Including 6 bucks each for strings.

But they all play great now thanks to the guys at trutone in santa monica.

But the strings on my vintage sunburst don't feel new so I think they saw me coming
KEITH

 

[mbgreene]

When this question came up in earlier threads I'd seen mentioned, probably through Jimi D, books by Dan Erlewine. I picked one up, "How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great" when I picked up my guitar just to get a better understanding of the physical workings. It's laid out well and fairly straight forward with practical examples for several types of necks, bridges, trems, etc. and even came with a plastic radius guide. And you don't need the ultimate set of tools either. The other book I've seen is his "Guitar Player Repair Guide".
For a $20 or less investment it seems well worth it.

 

[Raz]

I know that prior to my EBMM guitar, thus in the days before I was a member here, I was totally ignorant of my guitar's technicalities. Soon though I began to adjust the truss rod and lower the action, just from discussions on the board...my next major job is to intonate it. I will either wait for Jimi D's help, or perhaps on his recommendations, I will purchase a better tuner...

 

[beej]

I'll second Dan Erlewin's "Guitar Player Repair Guide" - it's a must-have if you're interested in guitar maintenance and covers some really detailed subjects. There's a good section on guitar setups and a easy-to-follow method for setting up most electrics, including some stats of what a few pros use.

Basic setups are quite easy to do and it's a real asset to any player to understand how to maintain an axe- from setups to basic electronics. You can always take it to your local shop for the expensive work (fret dress, refret, etc.) but it's pretty expensive to keep taking them in for periodic setups!

 

[Raz]

When this question came up in earlier threads I'd seen mentioned, probably through Jimi D, books by Dan Erlewine. I picked one up, "How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great" when I picked up my guitar just to get a better understanding of the physical workings. It's laid out well and fairly straight forward with practical examples for several types of necks, bridges, trems, etc. and even came with a plastic radius guide. And you don't need the ultimate set of tools either. The other book I've seen is his "Guitar Player Repair Guide".
For a $20 or less investment it seems well worth it.

Aren't these two books written by the same author? Is there a difference between the two?

 

[beej]

> Aren't these two books written by the same author?
> Is there a difference between the two?

Yep, Dan Erlewine- he's got a lot of material out there. I'm not too familiar with "How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great", but from the review it sounds less detailed than the GP repair guide. It's probably fine for setups- my guess is it just has some of the same material (many of which were taken from articles, columns, etc. in Guitar Player). The GP guide has a lot of info in there that you may or may not find useful- woodwork, changing nuts, fretwork, yada yada yada ...

 

[Raz]

...and never the twain shall be...

Choices...its ironic though cause the apparently less detailed compilation is more expensive than more informative one...

 

[beej]

Well, guess I stand corrected! Actually, I just read another review that said there was some overlap, but much different material in both. So guess I'll have to pick this one up too.

Regardless, there are a ton of books that cover this stuff, and all of them are less than the cost of a setup

 

[Raz]

Well my new Sub1 purchased locally is due for its -ONE FREE SETUP- but I'll be damned if I let those fools touch my baby...when I went in there one day, mentioning how I did this and that...the guys face dropped...

 

[Warg Master]

Setups are easy when you have the correct information. Intonation is easy too... those books are a good start, I'd say do a google search if you don't want to leave your computer...there's a few good sites out there.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

Its esentially a doddle. Action, intonation and truss rod adjustments are pretty easy to do. That said, I know my limitations and any work on the nut or frets or fret ends I leave to Charlie Chandlers Guitar experience!