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What is a setup?
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How often do I need to have my instrument setup?
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No, really, how often do I need to have my instrument setup?
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Can I adjust my instrument myself?
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How often should I change my strings?
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Should I change my strings one at a time?
A setup is a series of adjustments which make
an instrument easier to play, sound better, stay in tune, not
break strings, etc. Straightness of the neck, action height (string
clearance over the frets), and intonation, are addressed when
doing a setup. We also take the extra time to evaluate and adjust
any hardware which may be loose or incorrectly fitted.
For acoustic instruments, the basic setup will include:
A preliminary hardware inspection & adjustment. Adjust the
truss rod, set the action height, make sure the bridge saddle
is properly radiused & beveled, and adjust the nut. When all
the adjustments are correct the instrument polished up and gets
a fresh set of strings.
For electric instruments the basic setup will include:
A preliminary hardware and circuit inspection. Adjust the truss
rod, set the: action, intonation, and pickup heights. Where applicable
additional hardware is re-adjusted. When all the adjustments are
correct the instrument polished up and gets a fresh set of strings.
On electric & archtop instruments, there are a few other adjustments
which are done at the time of a setup. But because these adjustments
occur less frequently they bill as individual items. First is:
Re-cut (or shim & re-cut) the nut. Second is Re-cut the bridge
saddle slots. Nut and Saddle maintenance can happen once a year,
sometimes less sometimes more. The need for these adjustments
can be influenced by wear as well as instrument shift. The third
only applies to bolt on neck instruments. Sometimes the neck set
angle will require correction. Once the angle is set, that adjustment
is usually appropriate for several years. The fourth only applies
to Archtops. Re-fitting the bridge foot to the top improves tone
and stability. Tops gradually change shape over time. When that
happens the foot needs a fit adjustment.
A properly adjusted instrument will be more touch sensitive, have
better tone, and often seem more powerful than in it's previous
state.
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For best performance most instruments
need two or three setups per year, usually when the season's change.
Sometimes smaller tweaks can pull an instrument back in to line
making a previous setup last longer. It depends on the individual
instrument.
Most instruments are wood. They expand and contract in response
to changes in temperature and humidity. This movement will affect:
Action height, neck relief, fret alignment, intonation, holding
pitch, and other fun stuff. The result is unsatisfactory performance
in: playability, pitch accuracy, and tone.
Even synthetic instruments like Steinberger, Status, and Modulus
are affected by changes in temperature and humidity. They just don't
shift as dramatically as their wooden counterparts.
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At the bare minimum have an experienced professional
do a full setup & inspection each year.
Aside from the obvious seasonal changes, using your instrument puts
wear on the playing and sound generating surfaces. Additionally
no instrument is impervious to aging. All instrument gradually deteriorate
over time. Having an annual checkup by a pro who is known for great
work and diagnostic skills can help avoid major repairs/problems.
In the long run most clients discover their instruments become more
stable and reliable by doing regular seasonal adjustments. Meaning
two or more adjustments each year. For most it's two or three setups
and a couple of rod adjustments in between. Wood has a memory. If
an instrument is routinely guided back to it's optimal point of
adjustment, 99% of the time it settles into the happy spot and future
seasonal movement is less dramatic. Waiting until an instrument
is unplayable usually requires more forceful measures to make it
right and takes a little extra effort to keep it on track.
You will have more enjoyment with an axe you don't have to fight.
We have found regular adjustments although important for everyone,
have the most dramatic effects on beginner and intermediate players.
Seasoned pro's have the chops to make any guitar sound good. They
can exert their will over an instrument and music comes out. It
doesn't mean they enjoy the fight. But they have the skill and can
execute under adverse conditions. It's their job so they do what
is needed.
People who are learning to play lack the muscle memory and mental
frame of reference. They don't know how much strength is appropriate
and usually try to physically overpower an instrument when the opposite
will be more effective. Having an instrument which plays correctly
and with ease allows anyone to develop good playing habits. When
an instrument is dead on, physical energy can be utilized for the
nuances that allow a wider range of expression. What would you rather
do bash away and have your hands hurt while wondering why it just
doesn't sound good? Or, have a more fulfilling musical experience?
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The adjustments executed in a setup are essentially
easy. There are lots of "how to" magazines, books, and
videos.
However, retail instructional material will only teach you that
luthier's version of "the math" and try to give you
a small glimpse of the big picture. There is a dramatic difference
in feel, tone, stability, and touch sensitivity between an instrument
setup by a novice or the same instrument setup by someone who's
done thousands of jobs over a period of years. The mechanical
measurements are only one part of the equation. The specs have
to be tempered by value judgements and choices about how to tweak
around any given instrument's strengths and weaknesses. You may
already be aware that work coming out of different shops will
vary in look and feel. There are several ways to solve most repair
issues, and setups are a style thing. If you've found a shop or
person that really nails it for you, stay with them.
If adjusting your axe will give you joy. Then do it. But we highly
recommend having an instrument put totally right first. Having
this as your bench mark can serve as a frame of reference when
trying to re-adjust on your own. Eventually, your instrument will
drift to a place you can't resolve. You can bring it in and we
will put it right. We have several clients who enjoy tinkering.
We bail them out when they need it. We don't pass judgement on
the owners, only the instruments and only in their best interest.
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Electric guitars every 2-3 weeks, 4 weeks
max. Acoustic guitars generally 3-4 weeks, 6 weeks, max. Electric
bass two months would be the high end four to six weeks is usually
better.
If you are playing any guitar an hour or more every day. Those
strings will be toast in two weeks tops. It's better to change
your strings frequently. There are reasons for this, you can read
or ignore them.
Strings loose their elasticity with use and elapsed time. Strings
are always under tension. The lack of elasticity makes the strings
feel stiffer, they don't hold pitch as accurately, they are not
as loud, and the tone degrades. Constant tension means whether
you use a guitar or not, as time passes strings go dead.
It goes without saying that usage kills strings, but why. What
happens when you bend a paper clip back and forth a bunch of times?
Eventually it heats up and breaks. What happened? Metal fatigue.
The metal lost it's natural elasticity, the wire became brittle
and finally cracked.
Strings do the same thing in a less dramatic way. Every time you
play a song, the strings swing in sine wave patterns a few hundred
thousand times. After a few weeks of play most strings are no
longer capable of creating accurate pitch, great tone, or feeling
as they do in the first few days. You can feel the strings getting
stiffer. It's nature's way of telling you to change them.
The last part of the equation is the corrosive reaction of a person's
perspiration with the string. Some brands work better than others
depending on your body chemistry. Some people kill strings in
a day regardless of brand. No matter which way you cut it, we
all cause strings to have a slight chemical reaction that adds
to diminished string life.
Why does this matter? In the long run dead strings put more stress
on a neck, the top of an acoustic, or the balancing springs of
a tremolo. Dead strings are also more abrasive to the frets accelerating
fret wear. Dead strings are not as loud so you have to hit the
guitar harder. No matter which way you look at it, dead strings
are rough on instruments. If you love your axe, please change
your strings.
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We don't, it takes forever and you can't fully
clean or inspect the board with strings in the way.
We take all strings totally slack with a peg winder. Using diagonal
cutters, clip the strings over the body for easy removal. Slip the
string sections out of the bridge (or tail piece) and machines.
Turn the machines for easy re-load. Then re-string and tune to pitch.
If your instrument has a floating tremolo, we recommend sliding
a small stack of business cards under the back edge of the bridge
to hold it in floating position when the strings come off. If this
is a Floyd Rose, Kahler, or other locking trem system, you may have
to turn the trem bar back towards the tail and place a padded block
between the bar and the body's face to hold the bridge static with
no strings. It varies, we can show you how to do it.
If your instrument has a separate bridge and tail piece like many
Gibsons. Or it has a floating bridge and trapeze tail found on most
archtop guitars (like D'Aquisto and D' Angelico). Once string tension
is removed the adjustments can slip. There is a simple solution.
It's quick, easy, and works every time.
Before loosening your strings take some low stick masking tape and
fit a strip over both the bass and treble height adjustment posts.
Press the tape firmly against the sides of the bridge, the height
adjustment wheels, and the face of the guitar. Make sure you have
firmly pinched the tape around the parts so there will be no movement
once the strings are off. With a stop tail you can do the same.
With an arch top floating bridge, make sure you have also secured
the wooden bridge foot to the instrument's face so it will not slide
and mess up your intonation.
If you have questions about this process, please ask the next time
your instrument is in for work and we'll show you how it's done.
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