guitar setup

[MichaelLitvak]

hey people

i bought my imported dk2 pile o' skulls back in mid december 2005
the store i got it from said i have free setups for a year.. and that i should come in the summer due to the temprature change (live in toronto canada, summers are pretty hot, winters are cold)
anyway.. i didnt go to get a setup. i've experienced a tiny bit of fret buzz lately so i raised the action a tiny bit and now most of it is gone, and i raized the action just a bit so i dont even feel the difference.. but there is still some buzz on 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th frets

when they say free setp.. i dont know what they mean.. neck setup? truss rod shit or im just gonna come there and they'll be like "oh ur action is high, lets lower it. then they lower it and i get extreme fret buzz and thats it..

anyway my question is.. i am pretty comfortable with the action i got now ( 2 mm high on 3rd fret, 5mm high on 12) .. but should i still go for a neck setup? is it hurting the guitar or the neck of the guitar? or if i like it i should just leave it as it is

also.. lately the volume knob makes static when i turn it and both knobs keep on falling off .. do you think the store will cover that and fix it for free even though i bought it like 5 months ago

[Boxcar Willie 84]

Well you need to ask the store what they cover as far as the free setups and stuff goes. As far as a setup, if the guitar is buzzing all over the place then you need to have some work done as far as the truss rod goes, and it sounds like basic maintenence on the guitar would do you some good too, if you have a dirty pot and the knobs are falling off.

[MichaelLitvak]

i want it done.. but i dont know, i just can not trust them..
im scared that they'll work on my truss rod and make it worse..
thats y i didnt do anything since i like it this way
and that goes for everyone.. not just one store

just had a bad experience with guitars when it comes to fixing them..
i had a les paul copy that i got from ebay.. wasnt a very good quality but played and sounded fine.. i go to my music school and my teacher isnt there, there was a substitute.. okay nice i come in and he's like give me ur guitar for a sec.. he seemed to know what he's doing.. guy in mid 50s i guess.. and i was naive..
anyway he said the action is too high so he lowered it down and no sound was coming out of any frets.. neck was messed up. . he started to mess with the truss rod.. and now the neck of the guitar is messed..

so im having a hard time trusting anyone

[Bengal65]

You need to find a good luthier who can do complete setups. A good investment is to have Dan Erlewine's Book on Guitar Repair. It's the "Bible" on guitar repair IMO. I think others will agree. There are many items that need to be checked when doing a setup. Some of them are neck twist, relief (truss rod), fret level, saddle height, nut height etc. When these items are addressed systematically and completed, you will have a nice low action and minimal fret buzz. Some fret buzz comes with lower actions and is not completely avoidable. Good luck

[Nazgul]

sorry, but HOLY F##K 5mm on 12th fret?? Is that the way you like it or you haven't ever tried a guitar with lower action? I have mine set at 1mm at the 12th fret and it also buzzes, i will have to check truss rod sometimes soon. These imports are good guitars with nice fretboard job and are capable of action atleast 1.5mm on 12th fret with no buzzing.
Read some online tutorials on how to work with truss rod. It's not that hard. You just have to take it slow.

What about that guy that messed up your lp copy? What did he do afterwards? I think he should pay for the full setup. Getting no sound out of the neck means that he lowered it too much and the guitar (probably) has some bad/worn frets.

[straycat]

Get the Dan Erlewine book it will take all the mystery out of set ups and truss rod adjustments.Its real simple to do.

[MichaelLitvak]

sorry, but HOLY F##K 5mm on 12th fret?? Is that the way you like it or you haven't ever tried a guitar with lower action? I have mine set at 1mm at the 12th fret and it also buzzes, i will have to check truss rod sometimes soon. These imports are good guitars with nice fretboard job and are capable of action atleast 1.5mm on 12th fret with no buzzing.
Read some online tutorials on how to work with truss rod. It's not that hard. You just have to take it slow.

What about that guy that messed up your lp copy? What did he do afterwards? I think he should pay for the full setup. Getting no sound out of the neck means that he lowered it too much and the guitar (probably) has some bad/worn frets.

i have tried my teacher's guitar.. he had really low action and it was okay.. didnt like it so much
and about my teacher.. he just lowered the action and completely twisted the neck

[ewright]

I understand being wary of guitar shops' "setups". They charge you top dollar for what they insist is a "pro" setup done by an experienced luthier, and you end up trying to fix their mess yourself because it either made things worse or had no effect. I've seen them add shims and springs right-and-left rather than just making the appropriate adjustments, or promise low action only to have the most horrible fret buzz I've ever heard. If all they know how to do is lower the bridge without adjusting anything else, then WTF am I paying for? I've got a %$#@& allen wrench at home! One time a jack-ass even told me if I didn't like his setup on my Jackson, I should just buy one of the Ibanez's he had in stock, because thats the best you can do with a Jackson!

In fact, every single time I've paid for a setup locally, I've regretted it. If I wanted the guitar all fvcked up, I could've done that myself!

[PallarAndersVisa]

just gotta find the right guy! I got a guy in my area that just plain rocks. He knows exactly what I want, and exactly how to do it. from regular set-ups, to nut jobs (lol) to complete refrets, he rocks.

[ewright]

Whats his number...I could use a good nut job...

[MichaelLitvak]

just gotta find the right guy! I got a guy in my area that just plain rocks. He knows exactly what I want, and exactly how to do it. from regular set-ups, to nut jobs (lol) to complete refrets, he rocks.

hmm yea .. i wish i had someone in my area..

i got the store i bought my guitar from.. the people there seem really nice and know what they're doing.. i can get a free setup from there

or.. theres another guitar shop.. and they said a "full neck setup" will cost me 60 bux..

and theres another guy .. my teacher recomended him .. he said he's really good but he lives too far in downtown


i think i'll go to them soon. probably tomorrow and get my free setup done, hope for the best

[Postal]

I guess in all reality, having them do the freebie- and see if they get it right.... if not, you're out nothing, then find someone who can do a good setup.

Sounds like your truss rod needs a slight adjustment, then bring the bridge back down.

[straycat]

I have a question. how did your teacher twist the neck by adjusting the truss rod?If a neck twists its because it was going to anyway,thats the nature of wood.You could break a truss rod by over tightening it or damage the neck but twist it I don't think so.

[MichaelLitvak]

I guess in all reality, having them do the freebie- and see if they get it right.... if not, you're out nothing, then find someone who can do a good setup.

Sounds like your truss rod needs a slight adjustment, then bring the bridge back down.

yep i think so too

hmm also, whats gonna happen with the floyd rose? will it still be paralel to the body after trussrod adjustment?

[Bengal65]

yep i think so too

hmm also, whats gonna happen with the floyd rose? will it still be paralel to the body after trussrod adjustment?

Yes That is, if the setup is done correctly.