Setting up your own Guitar

[Connor]

I dont want to talk my guitar to a shop and pay them money to set it up.
i want to adjust the action / truss rod / intonation myself.
anyone here know exactly what tools i need / info i need to read?
Halp.

[Derelict78]

just google guitar setup there is a TON of info online.

[colin]

Setting action and intonation is dead easy. I've never adjusted a truss rod though, but I've been thinking at looking that up and taking a whack at it, I'm not one hundred percent happy with the setup on my strat right now.

[Derelict78]

yeah look it up it is not hard

[The4455]

To adjust the truss rod you will need a set of Allen Wrenches, dependingon what kind of guitar you have the end of the truss rod yo uadjust will either be at the top on headstock or at the bottom of the neck on the body, select the correct size allen key and insert it into the truss rod, there may be a a truss rod covering depending on your guitar, turn clockwise and counter clockwise to adjust. But like I said it all depends onwhat kind of guitar you have, so what kind of guitar do you have?

[Gearmond]

yeah, i basically had my friend take me to this guy who does everything under the table (you would not belive the amps he has. holy crap, guys) and he pretty much told me how to do pretty much everything I need to do.

showed me this neat trick for checking the action too.

[smile_man]

yeah, i basically had my friend take me to this guy who does everything under the table (you would not belive the amps he has. holy crap, guys) and he pretty much told me how to do pretty much everything I need to do.

showed me this neat trick for checking the action too.

wanna share?

[Gearmond]

yeah, i basically had my friend take me to this guy who does everything under the table (you would not belive the amps he has. holy crap, guys) and he pretty much told me how to do pretty much everything I need to do.

showed me this neat trick for checking the action too.

wanna share?

would you hate me if i might've forgotten it?

I THINK its just pressing down on the 7th fret, and the space should be approximately half the thickness of the string. and repeating that on whichever fret is 5 frets away from the last. but that sounds too simple

he had a trick for intonation too. but i definitely forgot that.

[morange]

Here's how I do mine.

When you do the truss rod, first you loosen it slightly, then you only tighten it in really small increments, like, 1/8 turn at most, or something like that. Really, don't just crank away. Also, it's good to put some lube in there, like 3 in 1 oil or something. Don't get it on the wood. The truss should turn smoothly. If you have difficulty, don't force it because you can break the truss rod that way.

My truss wouldn't turn anymore on one of my guitars. The reason was that the nut on the truss rod was out of threading to continue tightening onto. If this is the case for you, completely unscrew the truss nut, oil it up, and put a washer between where the nut sits against the guitar. This will give you more tightening room.

To see if I need to adjust the truss, I fret the string at the first and last frets, and feel how far the string is above the twelfth fret. I use the low E string for this, fretting the first fret with my left hand, and fretting the last fret with my right thumb. Then I push the string against the twelfth fret with my right middle finger to see how much room is between the string and fret. There should just be a tiny amount. Not touching the fret, but I should just have to barely push it to make it touch the fret.

For action, I use a nickel and a dime to judge. Without fretting any strings, to get low action, you should be able to slide a nickel between the low E string and the twelfth fret without it touching the string. You should be able to slide a dime, but not a nickel, between the high e string and the twelfth fret. Play your guitar to see if there's any buzz, and if everything is comfortable, and adjust slightly to taste.

For the intonation, use the most accurate tuner you have access to. If all you have is a simple guitar tuner, the kind that's accurate to like plus or minus two cents, use a software tuner. There are some good free ones. For each string: tune the twelfth fret harmonic, then (mute the string first so the tuner doesn't pick up the harmonic) play the twelfth fret note. If the fretted note is sharper than the harmonic, slide the saddle back (away from the neck). If the fretted note is flat, slide the saddle forward. Anytime you move the saddle, you need to re-tune the string. It takes a while, as do the other adjustments. Be patient, and you'll get good results.

[dubkitty]

just to add to what people have already said:

some guitars (Gibsons and some Gibson copies, e.g. Tokai) have a bullet-nut adjustment for the truss rod which requires a special hand-adjustment socket wrench; "vintage"-style Fender necks have a large cross (i hesitate to call it "Phillips" because it doesn't really have that contour) nut at the heel end of the neck, for which you'll want a broad, thin screwdriver; most other guitars have a Allen-key adjustment. many acoustic guitars nowadays have the truss adjustment inside the soundhole at the neck mount. be sure to have the right tool for the adjustment, or you'll fuck something up.

i have a basic rule for deciding what to adjust for string buzz, assuming it's not a problem with a particular bad fret(s): if it's buzzing below the 10th fret, less tension in the truss rod/more bow in the neck; if it's buzzing above the 10th fret, raise the bridge. or just turn on a couple of fuzzes, and nobody will notice the string buzz

[moose23]

This is for bass but I find the info just as good for guitar too.

http://www.tunemybass.com/bass_setup/

Also this book is invaluable to anyone wanting to do anything from set ups to minor and even some majors repairs.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Books,_plan ... Guide.html

http://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Player-Rep ... b_title_bk

(same book two links btw)

[Noise...]

I dont want to talk my guitar to a shop and pay them money to set it up.
i want to adjust the action / truss rod / intonation myself.
anyone here know exactly what tools i need / info i need to read?
Halp.

It's a lot easier than most guitar shops will have you believe.

The big things are intonation and the truss rod. Action is easy once you know what you're doing with those two - especially the truss rod.

In general, you want a slight curve to the guitar's neck. Definitely not a deep curve, and you don't want it straight as a board either. DO NOT, however, turn the truss rod more than 1/8 of a turn in either direction at a time. I generally turn it the 1/8th turn, then leave it for a few hours, or even overnight. Many times, that slight turn will actually be enough, unless it really has a bad curve to the neck, or even a back-bow. Remember - Righty tighty, lefty loosey. Clockwise tightens the truss rod, making the neck straighter, counter-clockwise loosens the truss rod, allowing for more curve.

Intonation is easy as well, once you know what you're doing. Get a decent tuner (last time I set intonation on my guitars, I used the tuner in Garageband. ), play the string open, then fret the 12th fret and play. Adjust forward or back on the saddle accordingly. Bringing the saddle closer to the neck make the string sharper, taking it further from the neck makes it flatter. Set the truss rod and desired action height first - if you set them after, you'll need to readjust your intonation.

The only tools I'd recommend are a set of allen wrenches. Although a capo and string winder can be quite helpful as well!

[elbandito]

It's a lot easier than most guitar shops will have you believe.

The big things are intonation and the truss rod. Action is easy once you know what you're doing with those two - especially the truss rod.

In general, you want a slight curve to the guitar's neck. Definitely not a deep curve, and you don't want it straight as a board either. DO NOT, however, turn the truss rod more than 1/8 of a turn in either direction at a time. I generally turn it the 1/8th turn, then leave it for a few hours, or even overnight. Many times, that slight turn will actually be enough, unless it really has a bad curve to the neck, or even a back-bow. Remember - Righty tighty, lefty loosey. Clockwise tightens the truss rod, making the neck straighter, counter-clockwise loosens the truss rod, allowing for more curve.

Intonation is easy as well, once you know what you're doing. Get a decent tuner (last time I set intonation on my guitars, I used the tuner in Garageband. ), play the string open, then fret the 12th fret and play. Adjust forward or back on the saddle accordingly. Bringing the saddle closer to the neck make the string sharper, taking it further from the neck makes it flatter. Set the truss rod and desired action height first - if you set them after, you'll need to readjust your intonation.

The only tools I'd recommend are a set of allen wrenches. Although a capo and string winder can be quite helpful as well!

Great info, Noise!

I'd like to add that if you seriously want to start doing your own general guitar maintenance, that you invest in a set of feeler gauges and a very accurate luthier's ruler (one that measures 1/32" and 1/64"), so that you can make sure that everything is straight across the whole neck. StewMac sells them and it's worth the investment. Also, Garageband's tuner might work but I'd also suggest that you invest in a really good and accurate physical tuner (one with a strobe, if you can afford it)... I've seen cheap tuners in the past that have been off as much as 20%!!

[Noise...]

It's a lot easier than most guitar shops will have you believe.

The big things are intonation and the truss rod. Action is easy once you know what you're doing with those two - especially the truss rod.

In general, you want a slight curve to the guitar's neck. Definitely not a deep curve, and you don't want it straight as a board either. DO NOT, however, turn the truss rod more than 1/8 of a turn in either direction at a time. I generally turn it the 1/8th turn, then leave it for a few hours, or even overnight. Many times, that slight turn will actually be enough, unless it really has a bad curve to the neck, or even a back-bow. Remember - Righty tighty, lefty loosey. Clockwise tightens the truss rod, making the neck straighter, counter-clockwise loosens the truss rod, allowing for more curve.

Intonation is easy as well, once you know what you're doing. Get a decent tuner (last time I set intonation on my guitars, I used the tuner in Garageband. ), play the string open, then fret the 12th fret and play. Adjust forward or back on the saddle accordingly. Bringing the saddle closer to the neck make the string sharper, taking it further from the neck makes it flatter. Set the truss rod and desired action height first - if you set them after, you'll need to readjust your intonation.

The only tools I'd recommend are a set of allen wrenches. Although a capo and string winder can be quite helpful as well!

Great info, Noise!

I'd like to add that if you seriously want to start doing your own general guitar maintenance, that you invest in a set of feeler gauges and a very accurate luthier's ruler (one that measures 1/32" and 1/64"), so that you can make sure that everything is straight across the whole neck. StewMac sells them and it's worth the investment. Also, Garageband's tuner might work but I'd also suggest that you invest in a really good and accurate physical tuner (one with a strobe, if you can afford it)... I've seen cheap tuners in the past that have been off as much as 20%!!

I agree entirely on the feeler gauges and Luthier's ruler. About a month ago I had some issues with my Jazzmaster's neck buzzing in some random places, and I was wishing I had them. It ended up being about a 1/16th turn on the truss rod. I didn't even think to recommend them.

As far as the tuner goes, again I agree. For the rough n' dirty setup, use what you've got. But once you get serious, definitely get a strobe tuner. I generally go by ear, so I've gotten away with some...less than decent tuners. However, I don't recommend that. Get a good tuner.

[metalmariachi]

It's a lot easier than most guitar shops will have you believe.

The big things are intonation and the truss rod. Action is easy once you know what you're doing with those two - especially the truss rod.

In general, you want a slight curve to the guitar's neck. Definitely not a deep curve, and you don't want it straight as a board either. DO NOT, however, turn the truss rod more than 1/8 of a turn in either direction at a time. I generally turn it the 1/8th turn, then leave it for a few hours, or even overnight. Many times, that slight turn will actually be enough, unless it really has a bad curve to the neck, or even a back-bow. Remember - Righty tighty, lefty loosey. Clockwise tightens the truss rod, making the neck straighter, counter-clockwise loosens the truss rod, allowing for more curve.

Intonation is easy as well, once you know what you're doing. Get a decent tuner (last time I set intonation on my guitars, I used the tuner in Garageband. ), play the string open, then fret the 12th fret and play. Adjust forward or back on the saddle accordingly. Bringing the saddle closer to the neck make the string sharper, taking it further from the neck makes it flatter. Set the truss rod and desired action height first - if you set them after, you'll need to readjust your intonation.

The only tools I'd recommend are a set of allen wrenches. Although a capo and string winder can be quite helpful as well!

Great info, Noise!

I'd like to add that if you seriously want to start doing your own general guitar maintenance, that you invest in a set of feeler gauges and a very accurate luthier's ruler (one that measures 1/32" and 1/64"), so that you can make sure that everything is straight across the whole neck. StewMac sells them and it's worth the investment. Also, Garageband's tuner might work but I'd also suggest that you invest in a really good and accurate physical tuner (one with a strobe, if you can afford it)... I've seen cheap tuners in the past that have been off as much as 20%!!

I agree entirely on the feeler gauges and Luthier's ruler. About a month ago I had some issues with my Jazzmaster's neck buzzing in some random places, and I was wishing I had them. It ended up being about a 1/16th turn on the truss rod. I didn't even think to recommend them.

As far as the tuner goes, again I agree. For the rough n' dirty setup, use what you've got. But once you get serious, definitely get a strobe tuner. I generally go by ear, so I've gotten away with some...less than decent tuners. However, I don't recommend that. Get a good tuner.

I agree.
I recommend the Sonic Research strobe tuner.
It’s accurate, easy to use and solidly built.
http://turbo-tuner.com/

MM