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Hello folks,

I've paid for guitar set ups but after taking apart few guitars, adjusting truss rods and string saddles, I think most set-ups might be a waste. If you have a problem like uneven frets, broken frets, etc. that require specialized skills I think 99.9% players could adjust their guitars to their own liking without having to pay anyone. My bottleneck was being gun-shy about adjusting the truss rod. Once I researched it a bit and understood some basics and had a cheapie guitar for practice, I don't seem myself paying for set-ups again. What do you folks think?

Regards ...

It's like many, many other things : you can spend some time (and maybe get some tools) to learn how to do something properly yourself or pay someone to do it for you. Depending on the amount of time and money available to you and on your proficiency for the said thing, one option or the other is better for you.

There are things (not just music, everything) that I do myself because I know how to do them and/or like the process of doing them (or liked learning how to do them).
For other things, fuck yes I'll pay someone to do it well instead of spending lots of time learning how to do it. No scam in sight, it's just a matter of priorities...

Fair enough ... I tend to agree with that ...

I've never paid for a setup and the hangup for me is adjusting the nut. I often feel like I'd like the slots a bit lower but I don't want to pay for the files so I just suffer through it.

oldangelmidnight wrote:I've never paid for a setup and the hangup for me is adjusting the nut. I often feel like I'd like the slots a bit lower but I don't want to pay for the files so I just suffer through it.

The nut is still a mystery to me

If your definition of a setup is merely adjusting the truss rod then have at it. (I'm not actually implying that is how you are defining it)
While many people figure they can adjust the truss rod etc there is more to a set up than just that and there is a correct order of operations.
Many people believe intonation is merely a matter of adjusting the saddles.

I have fixed/setup many guitars that people had tried to do themselves.

Not saying that being able to do it is beyond the ability of everyone, anyone can learn. Few want to learn though and even those that might want to learn don't want to buy the tools to do a good job.

Though for setups there really aren't many tools needed. The most expensive investment is a set of nut slotting files.

Also there are MANY "luthiers" that can't set up a guitar for shit. There is a local store that advertises that they are "the home of the $20 set up".
I can't tell you how many guitars I set up that came directly from there. Those folks learned fast that paying me $40 for having it done right is far better than paying the other place and additional $20 to screw it up.

Wait, you only charge $40?!

I can't find a place to do it for under $80 dollars here. And even then, they usually have a long wait-list.

A lot of shops charge rates based on what the market will bear. If a shop is in a big city they will have higher rent/taxes/insurance/etc and have to charge more.

SOME people just think their time is worth $100/hr and aren't basing that on anything.

Some folks base it on the notion that machine or auto shops charge $90/hr for labor and think they should charge the same without understanding why that number is used.


But yeah if I do setups I charge $40. I generally don't advertise repair services because people that live out of the area aren't going to ship their guitars to me and I'm a bit of a drive for the local folks since I live about 45 min away from the nearest large urban area.

Bobby pretty much covered it all and I get it if you think paying for a setup is bullshit. I'll admit it can be if you're taking your guitar to a hack or to a place that gouges your wallet, but with everything you either gotta shop smart or do it yourself. But if you do go the D.I.Y. route, save yourself the headache and get the proper tools and learn the steps and technique to setting up an instrument. As someone who does setups and learned from a luthier, you'll save yourself hours of chasing your tail in frustration if you simply know what you're doing and have the right tools to do it.

Good for you Bobby, I charge the same for a setup. I think it's ridiculous what some shops or other independent techs will charge.

DRodriguez wrote:Wait, you only charge $40?!

I can't find a place to do it for under $80 dollars here. And even then, they usually have a long wait-list.

Evan @ NYC Guitar Repair, $70, usually less than a week turn around. Only guy I trust in town any more.

Yeah, I generally pay about $40 for a setup. That covers anything I need to have done unless I'm also having pickups installed, then it's a little bit extra. Very local shop. I'm confident most of their business comes from setups because I don't see them moving many guitars. Several times my bandmate and I have talked about offering to redo their website and also start doing some demo videos for them.... get them into the 21st century, but nothing has come of it yet.

That said... I fget great service from them every goddamn time. You schedule about two weeks in advance and then drop your guitar off a day or two before. It's typically done for you the day after you drop it off (only once have they needed an extra day).

The setups have always been quality and I get what I ask for each and every time.

Additionally, the guy they have doing amp repair there has shit done for me next day every single time. I took my Carvin X100B in and he had it back to me within a day. It needed new power amp tubes and had a couple of small parts replaced (caps, etc). I've been regularly happy with the service they provide.

I got a guitar set up at a shop right after I joined the forum and got a Peavey T60. The frets were considerably worn down and I thought that taking into someone to have it set up properly would save me the hassle of having it refretted. This was before I was into EBay and Reverb didn't exist yet for me to really look into just buying a new neck to slap on.

Dropped it off at a shop in Richmond. Took almost 2 weeks, no updates and just silence before I got the call that it was ready. For that particular situation, it was not worth my time or money. However, even having worked on and built a few guitars from parts now, I still would pay someone for a decent fret leveling/dressing/crowning, and to cut/file a nut if I needed it. Those are just things that I know I do not have the skills or time in my Arsenal to tackle properly.

Its as much a scam as charging someone to install a ceiling fan.

I think learning how to do your own set-ups is important. It was for me anyway. Most shop set-ups are really generalized for something so personal.

I can do a minor truss rod adjustment myself but for most things I bring it to my tech at my local GC. He's amazing and usually gets it back to me within a day or two.
Now that I have a Rickenbacker (2 truss rods) I'm gonna leave the work to him. I don't trust myself enough for that kind of job.
I wish I had more guitar repair skills but I have very limited free time these days anyway. My tech is definitely worth it.