Here's everything I use in this video (affiliate link, not sponsored!): amzn.to/48e1Q6Q Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:29 How often to set up your guitar 00:59 Tools required 01:51 Step 1: Change your strings 02:33 Step 2: Neck relief 05:17 Step 3: String height 07:16 Step 4: Pickup height 08:45 Step 5: Intonation 10:41 Final thoughts *Update* I've misplaced the decimal point in the neck relief tables! They should read: 7.25": 0.012" 9.5" to 12": 0.010" 15" to 17": 0.008"
Thank you a very thorough lesson. I,m glad you shared you didn’t use the capo when setting the strings height. I just got done setting up my Fender Stratocaster. I just followed your advice. Thanks again for sharing.
Brings to mind: "The wheels of commerce are greased by profit, not thrift.". I recently went to local place, where I'm usually outnumbered by store employees 4 or 5 to 1. I said I wanted 11 strings. Salesman proceeded to introduce me to accessories on the counter and guitars behind me. I said I would be back later when I knew better about what I wanted. He said to bring the guitar. I don't think so. 11 strings, brand name, material and brand model name of material is what I'll ask for next time. He never asked acoustic or electric.
@@DavidBostock-ti2fv Look you need to say EXACTLY what you want otherwise they will try to sell you either the most expensive one they have or just something you dont even need... 😂
@@GamrokFeddythat's how it is most places. Luckily I live in a small town and the owner of the local guitar shop is super nice and always finds exactly what you need and never tries to up sell or get you to buy what you dont want or need
The guitar center nearest to me- you could probably stand in one place picking your butt for 4 hours straight and nobody would notice. The staff seems to us an avoid at all cost strategy. 😂😂
I bought a new fender strat in 1987 -- played in bands and clubs for a long time -- finally someone offered to set it up for me - in 2015! I had never had it set up - things were different back then if you did not know someone or no one told you (the shop I bought it at should have said something) you did not know.....I was amazed when the action was lowered how much better it played!
Yep! That’s exactly how it is for me I’ve started playing when I was 7yrs old… I’m now 35yrs old. All self taught and never had any friends who were big into guitar or anyone who even knew things about guitar from the technical playing aspect to working on setting up a guitar so even after all those years of playing by ear theres Soo much I never learned about and I’m a lefty who started playing right handed guitars upside down!
I've always been a bit nervous of playing with the setup of my guitars, but your guide is really user-friendly and easy to follow, so it's time to give it a try. Thanks for sharing.
I check set up every time I change strings (and check it again a couple of days later after playing on them) and every seasonal change and every time I take a guitar travelling with me when I get to a new location. I definitely agree with the order you recommend (relief, action, intonation). And good tip about keeping fender style saddles level - so many people think tilting the saddles is part of matching the fretboard radius, and that is just wrong. A titled saddle can rob you of tone, sustain, and tuning stability. I never bothered with feeler gauges for adjusting relief - I just hold a string down at the 1st fret and where the neck joins the body and tap at about the 7th fret to see how much movement there is. IMO there is no "right or wrong" - it depends on how hard you play, the string gauges you use and the type of music you play (a little fret buzz will never be noticed with high gain playing but might be bothersome for a rich clean tone). I adjust PU height for sound. Some folks might prefer balanced volume when changing from neck to bridge - some may prefer more output. As long as they are not too close to the strings, I feel it is a matter of taste and sound (for example, on strat style guitars I tend to keep the middle PU a lot lower - I just prefer the sound I get in positions 4 and 2 that way). I would suggest never to adjust the truss rod more than 1/4 turn without checking, and if it is not good enough after two adjustments, wait a day or two before going further. I agree completely that anyone serious about guitar should learn to do this. And I would add that, a lot of nubes seem to think getting a "pro set up" is good for life. Wrong. Guitars change. And setting up to "factory specs" is a compromise. Playable by anyone but optimal for no one. The only person who can dial in the perfect set up for your style, sound, and choice of string is you.
Thank you for a great lesson. I have a question do you remove all your strings at one time when cleaning your guitar neck or do you do one at a time. I have always heard your neck could go out of adjustment if you took all the strings off at one time. I really respect your opinion. Thank you. Have a great day .
Thanks for your kind words and your question! Personally, I take all my strings off at once as it gives me better access to everything I need to clean, especially the electronics. I've never had a problem so far. But, I do understand the rationale for doing one at a time. If you're doing a full setup anyway, then I'd say take them off as you'll be tweaking the neck anyway!
Yup, either the fretted note or harmonic! With the harmonic, you don't risk bending the note with excess pressure like when you fret, which is a bit of a plus! 😊
Ive got a new one coming in the mail shortly and def saving this to use! You made it very approachable and not as intimidating as I thought it would be. Thank you!
Every few string changes or when weather seasonal changes. Another good thing to check is that frets are seated correctly, this is a common issue and a fretting hammer is cheap a few light taps usually suffice. And for the more advanced in repair/setup a good fret level and polish goes a long ways in playability and improved tone. But take to a repairman if unsure. If you have a old beater or access to a junked guitar to practice leveling frets there are some good videos through various places like Stewart McDonald, dan erlwine etc that can teach you, tool's like a fret leveling beam fret files aren't to expensive, anywhere from around 30 to 75 average and More pricey options about 100 to 200 a little investment and some practice and these tools pay for themselves after just one usage. Considering average fees for level and polish and possible crown.. average price for this is 150 and up.. and spanned over a few guitars say 3 and that's 450 to 500 bucks average.. price of another ibanez rg, mim fender, clasicvibe, schecter or another mid priced guitar, guitar kit etc.
Great vid!!! Hopefully it was on youtube as simply explained as this when i started out. Ended up with a Strat bridge falling away from the body from very little spring tension, looks kinda funny. Also useful for a LP or such. I recall my LP came tuned to F and the strings were very high, what a pain on the left hand... Greetings
Can i just measure the height on the 8th fret like there were shown in the spreadsheet or do i have to do it with passing a ruler through. I´m kinda confused what the spreadsheet is for. Nice Video btw👍
Thanks for your question - and liking the video! 😊 The spreadsheet shows the ideal size of the gap between the top of the 8th fret and the string, depending on your guitars fretboard radius. These measurements are really, really small and can't accurately be measured by a ruler. For example, my guitar with a 9.5" fretboard radius need a 1/100th of an inch gap at the 8th fret. So, I use a feeler gauge that's 1/100th inch thick to feel the gap. If the gauge doesn't make contact with the fret and string (while the capo is on and the fret at the neck depressed) then I'll know it's too big. Likewise, if it's too tight I need a bigger gap. Ideally, the gauge should be in contact with both the fret and string and able to pass through smoothly. Hope that answers your question!
Best video on this that I've seen on YT out of quite a few. I've alway been too afraid to take this on but your explanations and the way you shot the video were excellent. I'm going get hold of a cheapo guitar to practice on! Big thank you for this - I feel veritably inspired to have a crack at this now. I've subscribed to your channel as it looks great. Cheers and good luck - PT x
@@ConorRocksYT Glad to hear a reply! I use a Charvel Desolation Soloist DX1, and now i realise my mistake, it's not a neck thru, but rather a set neck! I apologise, but if you've got any advice on that, it would be greatly appreciated. Have a great day ahead! :)
Bought my first electric guitar last week from someone who never played it. Your guide really helped me to set up my guitar as a guy who only had experience with acoustic guitars only. Thanks a lot Conor you Rock 🤘.
Yes, but quite often you'll find that although the intonation is perfect when checking it at the 12th fret, it's not perfect if you check it elsewhere. So you play the bass E string, play the 12th fret and it's E, but then check the 3rd fret and it's well sharp - so there goes your G chord, for example! Ditto on the other strings, especially the G string - it's never anywhere near A at the 2nd fret! So I take the view that a lot of what I'm going to play is the chords inside the first 5 frets, and it's more important for the intonation to be right there - if I'm going to zoom up the neck for a solo I'm probably going to be bending and using vibrato and all that, so it's not so vital that the intonation is spot on.
I'm a casual player, and i'm actually a mechanic, so it wouldn't be difficult to do what is shown in this video. However, considering i'll be probably bringing my guitar once or twice a year into the shop for a check , i'll just leave this job to the professional. He'll do a much better job, is better than me at playing the guitar, and it's cheap anyway.
two things: I only turn the bridge and pick up screws 1/2 turn at a time then re-measure or re-test. I also make a clear mark on the screwdriver shaft ( you can also put a piece of blue tape on the shaft and mark it there) so I can actually see how far I have turned it. thx
This was absolutely perfect and exactly what I was looking for. So many videos make it overly complicated but this was very simple. My 92 strat sounds better than it ever has!! Thanks!!!!
Hey, i just got my first guitar. I tuned it and noticed, that the neck was bending big time. I tryed to losen the truss screw and it kinda worked but it was rlly difficult to losen. Then i heard a loud crack, kinda like the wood split or smth but i couldnt see any damage. I stopped and retuned my guitar but its still bend a lot. Should i return it or pay someone to set it up for me?
Hi, thanks for your comment - and congrats on getting your first guitar! Some creaking or cracking sounds are perfectly normal when adjusting the truss rod as the wood shifts. From what you've described, I wouldn't be worried. I don't think there's anything wrong with your guitar from the sounds of it. But, as you've just bought it, you can always take it back to the store and get them to check it out, for your own peace of mind. Any decent guitar store should take a look for free as part of their after-sales service (most places I've been to will even do a free set up!). In your situation, I think starting with the guitar shop makes the most sense - only because it's a good opportunity to get a pro look at it. Otherwise, I'd try making the adjustment again - following all the precautions (small turns, not forcing it) - and seeing how you get on. If it's still being tricky, then taking it to the store is a must. Good luck, and let me know how you get on!
I also had issues when messing with my intonation because individually my strings sounded in tune but when I would play like an A chord or E chord it sounds off like my A string and middle strings sound off and when I use a digital chromatic tuner the needle wouldn’t change from being a tiny bit sharp even after I loosened the saddle screw so I couldn’t figure out how to get my intonation right by using a tuner. So I tried just by ear and got close to tuned correctly but it’s still off
Thank you brother for the tutorial,I'm a pro drummer and have always been fascinated with the guitar. So I bought one and am definately a beginner, while pounding the skins I've always watched both of my guitarists work magic. Never figured my fingers had the flexibility for the neck, so, I've learned something benificial (pardon the spelling). I just subscribed and look forward to more vids. Rock Steady! "IronWolf". Drummer for "SunCat & the IronWolf".
Thank you a very thorough lesson. I,m glad you shared you didn’t use the capo when setting the strings height. I just got done setting up my Fender Stratocaster. I just followed your advice. Thanks again for sharing.
You can do it! 😊 Just take your time and don't force anything. But, if it's really not something you want to do - taking it to a pro is a great option!
@roundtable audio I would do it if I had all the feeler guages and whatnot, plus I'm a real early stage beginner. I'm putting a partscaster together, but when all the pieces are screwed together, I'll bring it in to a local pro to properly check things like neck relief, intonation and fret levels. Eventually, I'll get to the point where I can do it all myself.
thanks for this. whats confusing to me is that some measure the string action at 12th fret, others at 17th, and also, should you capo the first fret yes/no?
No worries! 😊 Personally, I don't use a capo when setting the string height, and I've not had any problems so far! I measure at the 17th fret (or wherever your guitar's neck meets the body) as this removes any neck bow from the measurement, and therefore should be the closest the strings are to the fretboard. But, you can measure it wherever! You'll just need a slightly different measurement. These are only start measurements anyway, you can always adjust to preference afterwards!
Thanks for the excellent video! I have to admit I'm a bit nervous to dive into this but I always wanted to learn to do it. I bought all the tools months ago (including a few not mentioned here) to work on a beat up old strat knockoff but haven't had the courage to start yet but you have given me some confidence to give it a try. Wish me luck, cause I bought 4 new PRS SE guitars in the past 3 months and only 1 of them came with a full setup. The other 3 need quite a bit of attention 😳 Thanks again for the inspiration. 😎
Thank you! I don't use feeler gauges for strong height, but I start around 4/64ths to 5/64ths on the low E string side, and 3/64ths to 4/64ths on the high e side - and then adjust it to taste!
This is a great guide. Been scared to do my strat. Only thing not covered is curved neck. Do string height have to be set according to neck curvature or should they be all same height? That's what I always worry about.
Thank you! I touch on this around 5:50. I set them each string to the same distance from the fretboard - which will follow the curve of the fretboard radius. Then, I'll adjust the string height to taste! Edit: one thing worth adding, the saddles themselves should be level! (If you have the kind of saddles that are adjusted individually!)
yeah, it can be quite tricky - especially if it's you're first time! As long as you take it slow and don't force anything, you'll be fine (even if it does take a while!)
This a nice summary. There are many videos on RU-vid covering the same topic but most of them go way too long. There are a couple of less common things that could be added. One, setting floating bridge/spring tension, which might be relevant if you change string gauge. Two, setting bridge pivot post height for a two-point tremolo.
That's fine, too! The open string and a natural harmonic at the 12th fret will be the same pitch - so you can use either/or to compare it to the fretted 12th!
It me right now having this issue and i feel like i need to do something new such a good set up after long times played..ive been searching for a weeks to select the best teacher tutorial at youtu..and today i just found my good teacher for what i need..thanks bro for sharing this even its just a basic lesson but its give me so so much satisfaction about how to set up the guitar..thank you agains.
It's so cool to get back into this. I've been a guitar player for 14 years now and i just got back into playing seriously again, and bought a new guitar. Refreshing myself on my setup always feels good.
For string height, I didn't have a ruler that went smaller than 1/16th increments and there was some buffer distance, but I realized that a medium Fender 351 pick (the classic kind of red, white, blue, and black picks) are .6-.8mm thick, so averaging to .7mm is 0.02756. 3/64ths of an inch is 0.046875, 4/64ths is 0.0625, and 5/64ths is 0.078125, so you could roughly use the edge of 2-3 picks stacked as a measurement on the fly!
The guitar center tech set up my squire Telecaster when I had it restrung after first purchasing it. Beyond that it hasn't really been set-up. The neck pickup won't move it's built into the pick guard. I'm picking up my first Strat on Thursday. I might have it set up I might not. It felt fine in the store. I really want to play it.
Very straightforward advice thanks. I've just tried your linked items and it says not available in the UK do you have any other suggestions ? Many thanks Ryan
my new donner jp-1000 was in tune out of the box. the B and G strings sound much louder and longer sustain than the other 4 strings. do I need to adjust the pickup height ?
Congrats on your new guitar - I'm a big fan of ES-335 style guitars, too! 😊 I'd always recommend a full set up (if you're comfortable doing it) but to me, this just sounds like you just need to adjust your pickups pole pieces! I don't have a video on this channel showing you how to do it but if you search for "how to adjust humbucker pole pieces" you'll find the right answer 😊 Let me know if you have any trouble!
so I took to the guitar store...and he played it and confirmed that the 2 strings wer much louder than the other 4.... He tested the outputs of the pickups and all were even so he said to try new strings...and problem solved...😃
Love mine. The extra weight that so many people keep mentioned doesn't make a difference. They are not nearly as firm as people say either. I have tried a few different tempos and different distances. They work well in all areas. They are fast when you want it are comfortable.
This should be a beginners first encounter with a RU-vid guitar lesson. This has helped my quality of sound and ease of use immensly. Cannot overstate it enough. Thanks a tonne. You have my sub.
PSA: This guide only works, if the nutslots are cut correctly for your string-gauge and your guitar doesn't have any high frets. Otherwise, you can't get a buzz free set-up or in case the string height at the nut is too height, it's hard to fret the strings and you face intonation issues.
Why is your "Neck Relief at 8th Fret - in inches" blank? Not very helpful. Now take the correct feeler gauge for your radius, ok, why didn't you display what the correct feeler gauge is? GEEZ. Why don't you tell your viewers what the neck radius is of the guitar you're working on and the correct feeler gauge. This should be elementary info provided if you're making one of these videos..
Conor, I always set up my acoustic string height at the 12th fret; can you explain why you set the height at the 17th on the electric? This is my first electric and I'm curious. Cheers.
Good question! I use the 17th out of preference, and I think it's the way Fender set up their guitars. The 12th fret is perfectly fine to use as well (although it'll likely have a slightly different measurement!)
@@ConorRocksYT Thanks - I actually saw the same idea elsewhwere, but with the capo on the first fret (but as you said, you wanted the nut height in there too). You're right, the 12th and 17th give very similar results. What I DO do that does not seem to be widely used, is to use a magnifying glass to read the steel ruler/string gauge. The measurements really pop out clearly.
I have a question about setting the intonation. When I play a note on the 12th fret it seems like it's double of the frequency of the open string. Is that supposed to be the case? Or does it actually need to be the exact same sound? Sorry for the dumb question, I'm completely new to this.
Not a silly question - I can see how the wording can be tricky! You're right that it's meant to be twice the frequency (or round abouts!). They're both meant to be the same type of note (for example an "E" on the 6th string) but the 12th fret is an octave higher in pitch.
@@ConorRocksYT Thank you very much for the quick answer! Just got the intonation correctly set! I got a Larry Carlton S7 as my first guitar, very helpful video to let me set it up right away. One of strings broke immediately after tuning, so I put on a new set right away. Only thing I still noticed just now is very slight fret buzz (I think) on the A and D strings. Going to tighten up the neck slightly to see if that'll help.
@@ConorRocksYT Everything seemed fine, but there was still buzzing on the low E string (when played a bit louder). Even after I tried to tighten the rod. Then I tried to just make the action of just that string a bit higher, and that seems to make it better. Was that the right way to approach it?
@@MichaliSarris yup, that's what I'd do! As long as the action on that string is still easy to use (as in it didn't have to be raised super high). If it's too high, the buzz might be caused by an uneven fret (or frets) - in which case a fret dressing would fix that (that's something you'll need done by a shop!)
