Cheap for a setup?

[wilkinsi]

I told Music Inn not to touch the electrics this time. Didn't clean the neck (lots of black filth on my fingers), but they changed the strings, relocated the strap button, and all for £18. Took 3 days. Worth it?

[Burn]

What is that in US? If they actually set it up.... But if all they did was change strings and move a strap button, I would have laughed at them. I had a shop put a charge for a "restring" when I got one of my EMG 89's wired up, and I refused to pay it. I told them to take the damn strings back off, I wasn't paying for that garbage. They just scrubbed the charge. I do all my own work now.

[fett]

About $36. And no, that seems like a rip-off to me.

[wilkinsi]

I don't know. A full setup in the UK is usually £40-£60. I made it clear I didn't want the electrics done this time as they fucked up the turbocharger pot on my Warrior. I don't do my own setups because I don't have the tools or the knowledge or experience to do it myself. I was once offered a course on setups etc etc, but the guy heading the course wanted £100 per person, which naturally, I would rather have put towards a new guitar at the time. There aren't many shops here that do full setups, most send them away and that doubles the turnaround time.

[fett]

It's time for you to do it yourself. This is not rocket surgery. Doing your own set-ups gets you "At One" with your guitar. If you play professionally, that's a whole other deal.

[emperor_black]

This is not rocket surgery.

you mean "Rocket Science" ? :ROTF: J/K

yeah, fett is right. I just got my Jackson SLSMG setup by a techie. He charges $35. Anyone in the san jose area? He does a pretty good job but not excellent. The slsmg had a lot of issues with sustain. He seems to have fixed the sustain on the two high strings but now there is a sustain problem on the G string.

[jonipop]

Great Fett Gives directions how to do it?

[lerxstcat]

I don't know. A full setup in the UK is usually £40-£60. I made it clear I didn't want the electrics done this time as they fucked up the turbocharger pot on my Warrior. I don't do my own setups because I don't have the tools or the knowledge or experience to do it myself. I was once offered a course on setups etc etc, but the guy heading the course wanted £100 per person, which naturally, I would rather have put towards a new guitar at the time. There aren't many shops here that do full setups, most send them away and that doubles the turnaround time.

Go to the Tech Q&A section, I think there's still a sticky there on Fluyd setups. If you have a string-through with tunomatic that's even easier. The only other thing you need to know for basic setups is how to adjust the truss rod, there should be something on that in the same section if there's not a sticky for that too.

The tools are basically the same tools you're using to change your strings if you have a Floyd - a set of hex wrenches.

[fett]

Great Fett Gives directions how to do it?

If my one of 80+ guitars doesn't do what I want it to do, I just keep messing with it. I'm not talking about major stuff like warped necks or major bad frets. But the last time I checked, a string goes from the tuner; over the nut; down the neck and to the bridge. So, I will just work with that. It's not like a car engine. You go right ahead and pay someone. I refuse to pay someone after listening how these techs seem to just rip everyone off. Maybe you guys are too busy to take a few hours and the wealth of tips we get on this board to be bothered with one of the most pleasurable things to do. And that is make the guitar play like you want it.

[Burn]

If my one of 80+ guitars doesn't do what I want it to do, I just keep messing with it. I'm not talking about major stuff like warped necks or major bad frets. But the last time I checked, a string goes from the tuner; over the nut; down the neck and to the bridge. So, I will just work with that. It's not like a car engine. You go right ahead and pay someone. I refuse to pay someone after listening how these techs seem to just rip everyone off. Maybe you guys are too busy to take a few hours and the wealth of tips we get on this board to be bothered with one of the most pleasurable things to do. And that is make the guitar play like you want it.

Amen. I learned everything I know, INCLUDING working on car engines From taking the initiative and time to do it myself. I'm not talking about this thread or anyone personally, but I pity a person who says: "I don't have the time to learn." Knowledge is power. When I walk into a guitar store, auto shop, computer shop, whatever, I know my stuff. I tell them exactly what I want, and can usually tell the sales dork about his ass in whatever he's trying to sell me. And it's not because I'm an ass(like my other half tells me ) it's because I learned.

[Bengal]

Jesus, 35-40 bucks for a setup? I need to move to Cali and open a business...

I do everything myself. I once forked over 10 bucks in the '80's for a setup and swore never again. So I learned to do it myself. Much more rewarding that way...

The biggest issue is getting over the thought that your gonna fuck up your guitar. That was the biggest for me anyway. But it's not hard at all. It's rather easy. Then you can get the guitar just the way YOU want it. Not how someone else thinks you want it...

[Bengal]

I don't know. A full setup in the UK is usually £40-£60. I made it clear I didn't want the electrics done this time as they fucked up the turbocharger pot on my Warrior. I don't do my own setups because I don't have the tools or the knowledge or experience to do it myself. I was once offered a course on setups etc etc, but the guy heading the course wanted £100 per person, which naturally, I would rather have put towards a new guitar at the time. There aren't many shops here that do full setups, most send them away and that doubles the turnaround time.

2 setups and you paid for the course. Hell, I set up my guitars more than that in just the springtime...

[fett]

Here is an analogy. And this goes for CS stuff, as well. If I want a tailor made suit. I have to be there. It has to fit "Me" personally. If I wanted a custom built guitar, I would show the luthier what he has to work with. Big hands; long arms and all the rest being 6'6". While I can't make my own suit, I can sure as hell make my store bought guitar fit "Me". Not only that, there is a sense of acomplishment (sp). I just am amazed on how bad the setups are on the guitars I bought on ebay. No wonder they sell them cheap. They sound like shit and they are too stupid to spend an hour or two tweaking.

[emperor_black]

Jesus, 35-40 bucks for a setup? I need to move to Cali and open a business...

I do everything myself. I once forked over 10 bucks in the '80's for a setup and swore never again. So I learned to do it myself. Much more rewarding that way...

The biggest issue is getting over the thought that your gonna fuck up your guitar. That was the biggest for me anyway. But it's not hard at all. It's rather easy. Then you can get the guitar just the way YOU want it. Not how someone else thinks you want it...

Ever since I got my first Kramer 4 years ago, I have been messing with my guitars' action, springs, etc. after reading on the net and forums. But my slsmg had weird problems like strings not having any sustain. I messed with the truss rod, but still no luck. That's why I took it to the tech. He had to do quite a few things to get it to the way it is now but still the G string chokes. I think I have a lemon.

$35 is the cheapest setup I could get in this area. Guitar center in san jose charges $50 and it seems they do a horrible job. I've never taken my guitar to them yet but yeah, I do most of the setups myself. In 4 years, after buying and selling 10 guitars, I have taken my guitars to the techie 3 times. I think that is an acceptable number considering there are people who take it to the techie to change strings on their guitars.