How To Do A Guitar Setup

Getting to know your guitar is a great thing, if you are playing the guitar then maintenance is a key factor to ensure you know how to set up. What does maintenance do, does it benefit your playing skills and can you do it yourself?

Doing a guitar set up includes many procedures that all fall under the maintenance category, most are absolutely essential and if done wrong can cause issues for you and therefore will need expert advice.

So, let’s go through how to do a guitar set up.

Adjust the neck –

If the neck of your guitar is perfectly straight then you should be able to fit a piece of paper through the tiny gap between the strings and the fretboard. If your neck is straight then you will not have any buzzing on the strings when plugged in – even if you do have a little bit if you plug it in and you can’t hear it then you can leave the guitar as it is as this is not causing major problems.

If it does, however, buzz when plugged in it does not necessarily mean that the truss rod needs adjustment, it may be solved by just raising the bridge or bridge saddles slightly.

New Guitar Strings

Removing old guitar strings and purchasing new ones will maximise your guitar intonation. If your guitar strings are too tight then this will result in a weaker tone, your string gauge should be 0.9-0.11, do not use 0.13 gauge as this will damage the guitar neck and it will also be uncomfortable to play,

You can lower or raise the gap between the strings by adjusting the bolts located on the bridge.

Adjust Pickup Height

Adjusting the pickup height can really customise the response of your guitar (electric guitar). It is simple, you bring the pickups closer to the strings if you have a soft touch or if you want to produce a fuller, mid-range tone then you should compress the strings. To do this you will need a small screwdriver and it is best to plug your guitar into an amp to ensure you can get the best sound. If you have a heavier pick attack or you are seeking wider dynamics and a more “airy” tone, lower the pickups slightly. Adjusting the height of each pickup also helps to balance the output between them.

Check Strings and Fret Gap Distance

You must have your guitar again with a chromatic tuner, using the standard EADGBE tuning, from here you should check the gap between the strings and the twelfth fret. The standard gap between the sixth string (low E) should be 2mm and for the first string (high E) the gap should be 1.5mm. If you don’t have these readings then you can easily raise or lower the gap by adjusting the bolts located at the bridge. To measure the gap between the strings and frets you are best using a ruler to get an accurate reading. You will know if you have done it correctly when you hear no buzz on the guitar – if you do, simply raise the bridge to minimise it.

Intonation

Knowing if the intonation of your guitar is good should be done using a chromatic tuner again. To check the intonation, pluck one of the strings and if the note shows correctly on your chromatic tuner then this means your guitar intonation is ok.

However, if the note you play is sharp then the bridge saddle needs to be adjusted – and if opposite (a flat note) then move the bridge saddle in the opposite direction. Small adjustments are best, even the slightest turn can make a difference – so slow and steady will help you to make a huge difference. Repeat for all the strings until the intonation is correct.

Play

Once you have completed the above steps for setting up your guitar, you should play it to see if you can notice the changes that you made. The more often that you adjust your settings, the easier it will be for you to ensure the guitar is in tune.

The best time to set up your guitar is when strings are changed, guitars can also change in temperatures, so always keep a listening ear to the intonation. If you keep your guitar in the same case, temperature and the same brand of strings are used then you shouldn’t have to adjust the settings much.

Hopefully this has given you a step in the right direction for setting up your guitar, once you do it the first time then you will begin to find it much easier. If you play the guitar, knowing how to set it up should be fresh in your mind at all times if anything ever goes wrong. If you do, however, require extra help then visit one of our stores and our staff will be happy to help you adjust any issues you may have.