The reasons guitars of today are a lot more affordable than similar quality guitars of back in the day is that the guitars of today are factory-made. While affordability is great, the lack of human touch during production means that every guitar player must know how to set up an electric guitar.
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With this knowledge, you would be able to get the guitar to sound exactly how you want it to after you’ve bought it from the factory. If you don’t think you can do what we explain in this video, then we suggest getting a professional to set it up for you instead.
However, we suggest you try to do it yourself. This is because setting up a guitar is a very personal thing. The way you want your guitar to sound might not be the same way another person wants their guitar to sound. Doing it yourself will give you room to design the sound the way it suits you.
What Is The Ideal Guitar Set-up?
Although there might be slight differences from player to player, a good guitar set-up should contain the following features:
It must be able to hold a tune. A guitar that has been set up properly will be able to hold a tune for a significant amount of time, and not unwind or dis-tune frequently.
It should have a pretty straight neck with a slight bow (relief) in the middle.
If the nut is set up properly, the string placement and movement should be good.
A great action (fully depends on what you prefer).
The right intonation.
Fair distance between the pickup and the string.
Before You Start Setting Up — How To Set Up An Electric Guitar
Before you start setting up your electric guitar, it’s important that you first tune the strings. Tuning the strings will give you a proper understanding of how the guitar sounds, and the necessary adjustments you need to make.
Also, you should tune the guitar to the pitch that you would normally play in, not just the standard pitch. This would give you the most accurate description of what your guitar would sound like when you’re actually playing it.
Here Are The 4 Major Steps To Take When Setting Up The Guitar
- Straighten The Guitar’s Neck
- Adjusting the guitar’s action
- Adjusting the guitar’s intonation
- Adjusting the guitar’s pickup height
Alright! Now that we know what we should be looking for in a guitar that’s properly set up, it’s time to actually set up our guitar that way.
Straightening The Guitar Neck
The first step in setting up the guitar is to straighten the neck. Remember, you want your guitar neck to be fairly straight, with a little relief in the middle.
The reason why we do this first is that it’s the basis for every other adjustment. The straightness of your guitar’s neck would ultimately affect all the other adjustments you make to the guitar.
To straighten your guitar neck, you’ll need to adjust its truss rod.
Step 1: How Do I Need To Adjust This?
The first thing you must figure out is whether the neck of your guitar is concave, convex, or straight. If your guitar is curved like a bow, it’s concave. If it’s curved like an outward bow, then it’s convex.
You don’t want your guitar to be any of the three mentioned above. What you want, is a neck that’s relatively straight but slightly bowed in the middle. This gives you the best relief. However, this is not a rule of thumb.
Depending on the type of music you play, you might want to have more relief or less relief. For instance, blues players often want more relief on their guitars as opposed to rock players who prefer little to no relief because of how fast they play.
So, the first thing you need to do before beginning to adjust the truss rod is to determine how the truss rod needs to be adjusted. Does the neck need more or less relief?
Step 2: Adjusting The Rod
To adjust the truss rod, you’ll need an Allen Key. Most guitars come with their own Allen Keys. However, if yours didn’t come with it or you can’t find it anymore, then you should be able to get a new one for cheap.
Adjusting the truss rod should be done in very minor increments. Don’t ever turn the truss rod more than a quarter for every turn. The smaller the turn can be, the better. This is because, if you tighten the truss rod too much, it can result in irreversible damage.
Since you already know how you need to adjust the truss rod for your guitar’s needs, turn it clockwise to tighten it, and anti-clockwise to loosen it.
One thing you should keep in mind, though, is that adjusting the truss rod should be used for straightening your guitar’s neck. Never use it to adjust the action of the strings. We are getting to that.
Adjusting The Action
Once your guitar’s neck is straight, the next thing you need to do is to adjust the action of the guitar. This one is down to personal preference. You first have to determine what exactly is comfortable for you.
However, like most other things, there is a general guideline or an “industry-standard”. This industry-standard states that the distance between the neck and the strings at the 12th fret should be around 1.6millimeters.
Basically, the width of a dime.
If the strings are much more than 1.6 millimeters, that means you it has a high action and you’ll need to lower the guitar’s bridge. If it’s lower than 1.6 millimeters, then it has a low string, and you’ll have to raise the bridge.
How To Adjust Your Guitar’s ACtion
Use an Allen Key to adjust the bridge. You’ll find really small holes on your bridge that should fit your Allen key properly.
If you’ve realized that your guitar has high action, turn the Allen Key in a clockwise direction. This would lower the bridge, reducing the action. On the other hand, if the guitar has low action, then turn the Allen Key in the counterclockwise direction, increasing the action.
Like we said earlier, this is only an industry standard that is comfortable for most guitars. If it’s not comfortable for you, then adjust the action to what would be comfortable for you. Make sure that the strings are not too close to the frets, though, unless they will buzz when you strike them.
Adjusting The Intonation
To set the intonation of your guitar, put it where you normally would when you’re playing. So, if you usually play sitting, then on your lap, and if you play standing, hanging from your shoulders.
Once that’s done, take the following steps
Tune your 6th string with a guitar tuner.
Play the 12th fret on the 6th string that you’ve just tuned.
If the note is sharp, turn the bridge saddle counterclockwise.
If the note is flat, turn the bridge saddle clockwise.
Continue repeating step 2 until the open string and the note at the 12th fret are exactly the same.
Do the same for all the other strings.
How To Adjust The Pickup Height Of A Guitar
The heights of the pickups will affect the overall volume and tone of the guitar. The reason they are adjusted last is that they are adjusted in relation to the height of the strings.
Following the industry standard, the acceptable pickup height for your guitar is between 1.6 millimeters and 3 millimeters. This distance is measured when the string is pressed at the first fret.
Check out these other articles
- What do guitar pedals do?
- How to solo on the guitar for beginners
- How to read guitar tabs for dummies
- How to pack a guitar for shipping
- How to write a melody on the guitar
- What is an acoustic guitar?
Conclusion
If you’re still not satisfied with how your guitar sounds, go back to the first step and do it all again. Continue until you are completely satisfied with how your guitar feels and sounds when you play.
The great thing about setting up your guitar is that once you’ve finally gotten it done, it would be a very long time before you have to do it again. Also, even when you need to do it again, you would already have the knowledge and experience that would make it much easier.
And that, folks, is how to set up an electric guitar.
How To Set Up An Electric Guitar – Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to set up an electric guitar?
Setting up an electric guitar should not cost a fortune. On average, a professional setup will set you back somewhere around $50. However, if the set up will take a lot of work, this may set you back upwards of $100, although you could still get it done at a more affordable rate.
Guitar setups often involve changing the strings to improve intonation and this adds to the overall costs. To be sure you are getting the best services for your money, always contract professionals and experts to carry out the setup.
How do I know if my guitar needs a setup?
Well, if you notice the sound produced by your guitar is off or is of lower quality than expected, then you probably need to carry out a setup for your guitar. If there are obvious challenges while playing your guitar such as low action, rough fret ends or the annoying fret buzz, a guitar setup is also most likely required.
That said, it should be normal practice to have your guitar set up periodically. So, if you haven’t carried out a guitar set up in a while, your guitar might be due one.
Is a guitar setup worth it?
If you want your guitar to give you the best possible sound that it is designed to produce, then you should get a guitar setup. There are many playability problems associated with guitars. These include incorrect intonation, fret buzz, rough fret ends, incorrect string height and pickup height, fret outs, amongst others.
A professional set up helps to resolve all these kinds of issues. Your guitar will be thoroughly inspected for potential problems and kept in good shape after it is subjected to a proper setup.
How long do electric guitars last?
Ideally speaking, depending on the model and quality of an electric guitar, they could last an entire lifetime. Top-quality guitars are designed to be with you throughout your life. Even cheap electric guitars will be able to last for about 20 to 30 years.
Of course, the eventual lifespan of an electric guitar will depend on a number of factors. This includes proper care and maintenance, the strings that you use, and the temperature and humidity conditions of the region where you use the guitar. The most important factors are the care and maintenance you give your guitar – it practically determines how long the guitar will last.
How often should I get a guitar setup?
Generally, many professionals advise that a guitar setup should be carried out on your guitar an estimated 1-2 times a year if you are an average user. Now if you play your guitar a lot more than an average person, then you will need to do a guitar setup more frequently.
Another factor that might increase the frequency with which your guitar set up should be carried out is the atmospheric condition. If your guitar is subject to an environment with fluctuating temperature and humidity, you will need to carry out a guitar set up more often.
