# You guys set up your own guitars?



## Dan0h (Nov 16, 2021)

My 2001 strat has a bad case of the Intonation blues. I’ve adjusted the saddles but I can seem to get the truss rod to budge and there is a slight visible bow in the neck and rattle buzz strings all over the place. I’ve decided to finally pull the trigger and take it in for a set up. Just curious if you guys do your own or pay a tech to do it and how often. I’ve had this guitar for 20 years and this will be the first service. My new Jazzmaster is perfectly set up and has made it impossible to even touch my strat as it sounds like six out of tune cats screaming in agony when ever I strum it.


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## Big Monk (Nov 16, 2021)

I do my own setups but also like my action high, which means I do not get a lot of the issues that some people see when low action is required. I keep my necks dead straight and the only intonation issues I have had recently are when I could not get my Vintage Style Gotoh ABR-1 to intonate on the G String. I had to remove the saddle (a real bitch with the loctite nuts) and flip it and then it was fine.


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## Dan0h (Nov 16, 2021)

thewintersoldier said:


> Been doing it for years since it's not only cheaper in the long run, but who knows my guitars and playing style better than me.


That was my goal but the truss rod will not budge and I really don’t want to snap it. I guess I could squirt some wd on it and let it sit for a bit.


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## Betty Wont (Nov 16, 2021)

thewintersoldier said:


> Been doing it for years since it's not only cheaper in the long run, but who knows my guitars and playing style better than me.


The couple of times I paid for a pro set-up, I didn't like it. And ended up just doing it over myself anyways.


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## peccary (Nov 16, 2021)

I always set my basses up myself until last year when I took my main bass to a pro who somehow installed a buzz in the neck. Now I think I need a new nut somehow.

One of my good friends from college is friends with one of the Fender pro shop builders and he does work on the side who offered to do another setup and replace the nut. I'm hesitant to let someone else work on it but I feel like I ought to be able to trust someone working in the custom shop.

The other guy who worked on my bass did a *fantastic* job on my wife's (now mine, I guess, since she never plays it) acoustic guitar, but my bass came back to me a little off kilter. I think that after nearly 20 years of maintaining the same instrument to my personal tastes (even if they are "wrong" by industry standards) letting someone else work on it is like letting someone else drive your car: you get it back and the seat is too far forward, the mirrors are all funny, and it just is a bit off.


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## Dan0h (Nov 16, 2021)

Well this was the motivation I needed to try again to budge that truss rod myself. The thought of a stranger Funking up, in a bad way, my strat does not sit well. Thanks forum dudes. You have most likely saved the day yet again.


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## peccary (Nov 16, 2021)

Dan0h said:


> Well this was the motivation I needed to try again to budge that truss rod myself. The thought of a stranger Funking up, in a bad way, my strat does not sit well. Thanks forum dudes. You have most likely saved the day yet again.


Are you sure it's not tapped out? If it is then I'd probably take it to a luthier myself since I don't have a lot of experience with truss rods other than adjusting neck relief. That's why I took the acoustic in - the truss rod was tapped out and the neck was still bowed. The luthier was able to straighten the neck out and find me a few more turns in the truss with his fancy school learnin, and that was well worth the money.


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## Dan0h (Nov 16, 2021)

peccary said:


> Are you sure it's not tapped out? If it is then I'd probably take it to a luthier myself since I don't have a lot of experience with truss rods other than adjusting neck relief. That's why I took the acoustic in - the truss rod was tapped out and the neck was still bowed. The luthier was able to straighten the neck out and find me a few more turns in the truss with his fancy school learnin, and that was well worth the money.


If it is tapped out it came that way from the factory and I find it hard to imagine fender would send out an American deluxe like that but you never know. My guess is that since it has never been adjusted and is 20yrs a old it’s just being stubborn.


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## Big Monk (Nov 16, 2021)

Dan0h said:


> If it is tapped out it came that way from the factory and I find it hard to imagine fender would send out an American deluxe like that but you never know. My guess is that since it has never been adjusted and is 20yrs a old it’s just being stubborn.



Hex adjust or nut?


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## Dan0h (Nov 16, 2021)

Big Monk said:


> Hex adjust or nut?


It’s a hex. The Jazzmaster came with a very nice hex with extra leverage handle that fits I just wasn’t sure how HARD to push and it seems pretty tight.


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## Dan0h (Nov 16, 2021)

thewintersoldier said:


> First, loosen it before you do anything. Remove string tension and loosen the neck. If it's seized it won't move in any direction. After it's loose then try to tighten it. But don't force it.


That’s a great idea. I will try that tonight. Thanks dude.


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## fig (Nov 16, 2021)

You guys set up your own guitars?​Yes. That way I can blame my lousy playing on my lousy luthier. 

That _was_ the case until I read Chris' setup guide. Hot, sexy stuff!


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## wintercept (Nov 16, 2021)

I do, but I’m not very good at it… The great thing is it’s free practice every time I need a string change!


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## Big Monk (Nov 16, 2021)

How do you guys set your action? I have always noticed people are very particular and always seem to have slight issues with buzz and intonation and i seem to get around it because I enjoy higher action.


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## giovanni (Nov 16, 2021)

I had relatively bad experiences with setup in Brooklyn (expensive and poorly done) so I started doing it all myself. I don’t do an excellent job but it works well enough at a fraction of the price…


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## peccary (Nov 16, 2021)

I am a bass player so it'll likely be different, but I use an extremely low action. I play with my fingers and use a pretty light touch, typically playing over the 20th fret. If I need to dig in I move to just behind the pickup (P bass) and the tension there keeps the noise down. I like the low action because it's nice and smooth, but I also like using the frets to get soft clicks and taps at times, working them in kind of like ghost notes. I also use flatwound strings and keep the tone rolled mostly off so that keeps the noise down as well.

Just before I had my shoulder surgery I started trying to learn to use a pick Carole Kaye style (I had never used a pick on bass till then), which does not work well with my current setup. It really needs a pretty high action to be able to work effectively. One of these days I will get another P bass and set it up with a higher action, but for the time being it's as low as I can get it.


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## daeg (Nov 16, 2021)

Dan0h said:


> My new Jazzmaster is perfectly set up and has made it impossible to even touch my strat as it sounds like six out of tune cats screaming in agony when ever I strum it.


JM's are notoriously difficult to setup. One of the reasons they're so maligned is because they play terribly when you sit down to play them in music stores.

No neck shim + light gauge strings + low break angle over the bridge + shallow bridge saddles + rocking bridge + spring loaded vibrato tailpiece + low paid retail employees = 🤬disaster. Meanwhile a $200 Squier Tele plays just fine out of the box.

If you could setup a Jazzmaster yourself you can handle the Strat. Keep at it!


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## spi (Nov 16, 2021)

You folks have guitars?
I thought we just build pedals here.


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## Barry (Nov 16, 2021)

Dan0h said:


> That was my goal but the truss rod will not budge and I really don’t want to snap it. I guess I could squirt some wd on it and let it sit for a bit.


Liquid wrench works better


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## Big Monk (Nov 16, 2021)

I have 2 guitars: A 2020 Epiphone 50s Standard Les Paul and an older Indonesian Squier Standard Stratocaster with humbuckers.

I recently did a retrofit of a new 2 point Trem on the Strat. The old bushing were FUBAR and when I got the new one, I needed to drill out and fill the old bushing holes then re-drill for the narrower post space. 

It took me a while to get it setup after that. It always takes me a bit to get things dialed in on a Strat bridge. 

Glad I did though. I get a lot out of tweaking them and doing intonation, etc.


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## Dan0h (Nov 16, 2021)

thewintersoldier said:


> First, loosen it before you do anything. Remove string tension and loosen the neck. If it's seized it won't move in any direction. After it's loose then try to tighten it. But don't force it.


You sir deserve a beer, or three. Thank you. I believe I can finish the job from here now. A little extra push to loosen and then tighten. 👍🏼👍🏼


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## carlinb17 (Nov 16, 2021)

spi said:


> You folks have guitars?
> I thought we just build pedals here.


I sold all my guitars to buy fv-1 chips…. 

I build one guitar that’s somewhere on the forum. I’ve worked on a few but sometimes when the neck is twisted I just bring it in…intonation can be easy to fix but I’ve had it just totally baffle me… 

What’s the scariest guitar you’ve ever worked on?


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## Big Monk (Nov 16, 2021)

Dan0h said:


> You sir deserve a beer, or three. Thank you. I believe I can finish the job from here now. A little extra push to loosen and then tighten. 👍🏼👍🏼View attachment 18677



Ever think about swapping to the American Standard Staggered tuners? I bought a set and installed them on my Squier because of all the issues I was having finding a good set of string trees.


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## Dan0h (Nov 16, 2021)

Big Monk said:


> Ever think about swapping to the American Standard Staggered tuners? I bought a set and installed them on my Squier because of all the issues I was having finding a good set of string trees.


I like these locking tuners, the problems I have had with tuning have been related to the neck bowing and not being able to adjust it. Until now that is!


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## Dan0h (Nov 16, 2021)

thewintersoldier said:


> You more than likely have a dual action truss rod. Fender has really good setup instructions online. Look them up and you can get it setup how you like it. So glad you got it up and running?


Yes all set. Got the open and the 12th fret zeroed out and man I miss this guitar. It finally is in tune up and down the neck and took almost a solid 1/2 turn tighter. It’s super flat now. I have the saddles a wee bit proud so there is zero fret buzz up and down and I like the medium action on this strat. Jazzmaster I like it low but that feels just right low, this feels right with that extra tension as you mentioned.


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## HamishR (Nov 16, 2021)

As WS says, always loosen a truss rod nut before tightening. And you usually don't need much movement at the nut to fix things either.

I always had a slightly higher than average action because i hate buzzing strings but also the way frets can rob you of sustain even if they're not actually buzzing. But I'm mainly playing newer Gretsches made in Japan right now and I'm finding I can get a lower action than I'm used to with them without losing anything. 

But if I buy a new guitar I inevitably have to raise the action.

With Gibsons I used to have to always cut the nut slots a little lower too, but the last few have been pretty much perfect so I don't have to do anything other than gently open the slots up a little bit to let the strings move without catching - something every guitar seems to need. And maybe because of where I live it seems that every single guitar I get needs the truss rod loosened a tiny bit.


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## Barry (Nov 16, 2021)

My Alvarez acoustic from the 70's had run out of adustment for the truss rod, after reading a stew mac article or two I took it out completely and added several washers put it back in and that's given it new life, having played mostly acoustic for years I don't mind the action on my electrics being a tad high, when I think back to when I first started playing and the effort it took to fret a clean note and how much more effortless it seems now I feel like I've gotten somewhere, not sure where that is, but it's definetly somewhere I wasn't before


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## Dan0h (Nov 16, 2021)

Barry said:


> My Alvarez acoustic from the 70's had run out of adustment for the truss rod, after reading a stew mac article or two I took it out completely and added several washers put it back in and that's given it new life, having played mostly acoustic for years I don't mind the action on my electrics being a tad high, when I think back to when I first started playing and the effort it took to fret a clean note and how much more effortless it seems now I feel like I've gotten somewhere, not sure where that is, but it's definetly somewhere I wasn't before


I agree with you Barry. Playing my acoustic every night makes my electrics feel like butter as far as how easily notes are fretted.


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## Mike McLane (Nov 17, 2021)

I do my own setups, BUT Peccary is EXACTLY right.  Its possible your truss rod is max'd out.  its not unusual for modern Strats/Teles.  If it is max'd out or siezed up its easy to round out that 1/8" hex nut.   Then you have to drill it out and replace it.  A good tech can get you in shape for around $50 (+/-) unless you have some serious issues and avoid that costly misque.  Once that's done its pretty easy for you to keep it in spec.  As mentioned the relief specs (.008" or so at the 9th fret) are on the Fender web site.


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## andare (Nov 17, 2021)

Big Monk said:


> How do you guys set your action? I have always noticed people are very particular and always seem to have slight issues with buzz and intonation and i seem to get around it because I enjoy higher action.


Fender specs work for me on both guitar and bass. I play 7.25" radius fretboards so 12/1000" relief is good for me. I also play flats so I could get away with a lower action but I keep it average-to-high because I'm heavy handed, especially live. Highish action is where it's at for my needs. There's also more tone on tap.


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## Big Monk (Nov 17, 2021)

andare said:


> Fender specs work for me on both guitar and bass. I play 7.25" radius fretboards so 12/1000" relief is good for me. I also play flats so I could get away with a lower action but I keep it average-to-high because I'm heavy handed, especially live. Highish action is where it's at for my needs. There's also more tone on tap.



I believe my LP and Strat are both around 2/32” on the e string and about 3/32” on the E string. 

So fairly high.


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## andare (Nov 17, 2021)

Big Monk said:


> I believe my LP and Strat are both around 2/32” on the e string and about 3/32” on the E string.
> 
> So fairly high.


Yep, that's a bass action right there.
Which reminds me, my Strat needs a new setup after the summer, the strings are choking all over the frets. PITA with the truss rod nut at the heel


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## jeffwhitfield (Nov 17, 2021)

I'm an avid cyclist and when I got my first road bike I was damn determined to learn how to fix it on my own without having to resort to taking it into a bike shop everytime something happened to it. That led me to completely remodeling the bike...a complete rebuild with new components. I also bought another frame and built a second bike from scratch. Totally custom.

So, when I decided to get back into playing guitar, I bought a 5-string bass and, like the bikes, was damn determined to make my own adjustments. Three more guitars added and, yeah, I definitely prefer customizing my own guitars. I do my best not to bug a luthier at a guitar shop if I don't have to. Knock on wood, that has yet to be the case. Been able to solve virtually every problem with my guitars on my own.

Case point, I recently purchased a Les Trem tremolo bar to put on my Gretsch Electromatic. Guy I bought it from was nice enough to give me the right bridge to use on it. Installation was much easier than I thought it would be. Plus, I was able to avoid putting a different nut on the neck. I was super concerned that it wouldn't stay in tune. It was already having that problem. Adding a tremolo would only make it worse. The solution? Lube baby! Lube that nut with the right stuff prior to reinstalling the strings. Once I did that it stays in tune much, much better. 

The tremolo works beautifully but definitely required some adjustment. Had to lower the bridge quite a bit to get the string height just right. That and the intonation, which didn't take too long to dial it. Yeah, definitely a learning experience but soooooo worth it!


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