DIY acoustic guitar setup with EXCEPTIONAL RESULTS

[JackH]

I've already posted about this but in case anyone hasn't seen it this is one example is a great change with a guitar with a partial setup. Partial, meaning things most people can do even with normal tools in your house.

I went through the details of this in another thread but so you won’t need to read all that I’m placing this here now as a summary.

I bought an Ibanez AS100CENT (dreadnaught acoustic/electric) in 2003. It played well and not being experienced with more than two or three acoustics I have been 99% happy with this guitar until about 3 months ago. The guitar was still the same. It’s my desire for a guitar with mainly two improvements that changed. I wanted it a little louder without an amp and I wanted a lower action. It sounded fine to me. I am NOT a great guitar player. I do play well enough to hear my obvious mistakes and a guitar that has serious problems. I was going to play different guitars over weeks or months until I came across one I REALLY liked. My price range was $800 - $1200. In this forum I got tons of advice and this advice enabled me to do a portion of a setup that changed everything.

It took about two months probably (research, advice and the decision to try this myself). But I only did two things.

First, following advice from here and some research I removed my saddle and checked it for flatness on the bottom. The bottom of the saddle was shaped like an “S”. Not even close to being flat or straight. With some good advice here and a bit of good luck I sanded the bottom the saddle to get it flat. I sanded it just enough to create a flat surface. The amount of sanding I did resulted in the action being much lower and I was very happy with that. In addition it increased the un-amplified volume. Even before I started I knew sanding the saddle bottom would lower the action. But the increased volume amazed me. I can’t measure decibels but I’m guessing at 20% more volume. I have an average volume voice I think. In the past when I would just sit there and play and sing I would normally need my amp for just a bit more volume. Now I don’t. I can pick up the guitar and play and sing. I just sit here and sing and play. I don’t move the amp or guitar control volume at all. I either play un-amplified or with the amp with the setting always the same. The only button I had pressed in 3 months, after getting the volume where I wanted it was the on/off switch. After I got the saddle flat the amp was too loud for me to sit here and play and sing (no microphone). So I readjusted the volume down a bit. Sometimes I use the amp just because I want the reverb from the amp. The only other time I increase the volume is if I want to play along with the computer.

At this point my desire for a new guitar was almost eliminated. I say almost because who doesn’t want to get another guitar?  However, I can’t justify the expense due to previous complaints about the guitar I have.

I was using the saddle that came with the guitar new. I also had bought a new saddle from Ibanez for that model. I wanted a backup in case I screwed mine up. I guess they are made in a mold. That one wasn’t perfectly flat either. So I sanded it flat and it was just as great as my first one. At this point I had spent less than $10.

I then decided to send one of my saddles to have it copied in a bone saddle. I put the bone saddle in the guitar and it sounds great. I think it is a little louder but it may be my imagination. Actually I think it’s a little louder or different but to get good results on volume I’d need a decibel meter. I don’t detect enough difference in tone with my ear to worry about. I was considering a set of bone pins but most people say the pins don’t normally make a big difference so I didn’t get any. Then I saw a set on Amazon or eBay for a great price and got them. No difference in sound (that I can tell) but they look great.

I also used a metal straight edge to check neck straightness. I cut a 36” metal yard stick for this. I turned the truss rod to adjust it a tiny bit to get it close to perfection based on reading about acoustic guitar setup.

Things I won’t do that may need to be done for a complete setup is cutting groves in the nut or replacing it. Any filing or fret replacement is another thing I won’t do. Not today anyway.

Simply sanding the bottom of a saddle made a 90% improvement. The other 10% may be attributed to the bone saddle. Maybe only 5% attributed to the bone saddle but still worth a shot if you want. I got the saddle at “guitarsaddles.com” (Bob Colosi). He did great work. The thing is, if you are handy with your hands and cover your butt by having a replacement saddle for your guitar you might remove the strings. Remove and check the bottom of the saddle for straightness. Sand it until it is flat if it isn’t. Be careful not to remove too much material from one end. Before sanding you absolutely NEED to have a mental picture of what is needed. Also do some research from different people (on and off web). I am very comfortable with hand tools, sand paper grits, etc. But if you are someone who even looks at a hammer of screwdriver the house falls down you may not want to do this yourself. In addition, what I did do, even if I screwed it up was easily fixed with a new saddle installed by a luthier.

I was willing to spend hundreds on a new guitar because of issues I had with mine. Don’t forget, my guitar was already very playable and anyone who played it liked it. It was a great what I now call a “production guitar”. It seems these guitars are made with one or two mindsets. First, leave the saddle a little high so it can be easily lowered. Or, do as little work as possible to get it out there for sale. Doesn’t matter really. From now on if I ever buy a guitar I will consider the cost of a complete setup if needed when I shop. Maybe some stores include a free setup on the higher end guitars if you want one. Or, if they don’t include it free, keep having a setup done in the back of your mind when playing it.

In 2003 I paid $499 for a guitar I played and was happy with guitar and price. Now I have paid $50 or so and now I would be happy with this guitar priced at $800 or $900. I use dollar figures just to indicate my happiness in the $50 I spent recently. The bone saddle was the most expensive portion on my cost recently and could have been left out if I didn’t have the $35 or so for a bone saddle.

So $50 or less may be all it takes to have a much improved guitar. Or it may not. I gave it a shot and it saved me hundreds. I now have only a slight desire for a new guitar but absolutely no need for a new one due to any dissatisfaction with the guitar I have now.

Jack

[Truckjohn]

Thanks for the post.

I think you are absolutely right that many folks do not really understand how much improvement they will get out of a really good setup.

People throw away "cheap" guitars because the setup is bad... They think the guitar is poorly made and won't intonate correctly when the real problem is just a saddle or nut that is way too tall or poorly made and the trussrod needs an adjustment.

Thanks

[stormin1155]

I'm a guitar tech with my own shop, and my customers are continually amazed at what a difference a good set-up makes. I applaud your efforts to learn to do your own set-ups. I think every guitar player should know the basics of a set-up, just like every car owner should know how to change a tire, check their oil, and other basics.

Just a couple of tips... I use a straight-edge for a lot of things, but not to check relief... your guitar has a built-in straight edge for that... simultaneously hold down the string at the first and last fret.

My quick and dirty measure for setting action at the nut is a thin pick (.46mm). You should be able to slide it between the string and first fret, barely raising the string. A little higher (barely touching) on the bass strings. If the string doesn't touch, your action at the first few frets will be high, not only making it harder to play, but you're likely to pull the string out of tune by fretting it. If it raises the string much, open strings are likely to buzz.

To check for uneven frets, use a credit card as a straight edge, spanning three frets at a time. If you can get any rocking motion, you have a high or low fret.

Happy picking!

[murrmac123]

Originally Posted by stormin1155

Just a couple of tips... I use a straight-edge for a lot of things, but not to check relief... your guitar has a built-in straight edge for that... simultaneously hold down the string at the first and last fret.

Holding down at the first and last will give a false reading on most guitars ... first and 14th is what you want.

[tdq]

I'm far from a guitar tech but when I got my Parlor I tweaked the truss a tiny bit and put on a zero glide (yes I know not everyone likes these!!) but the point is with about 20 minutes work it became a great little player. I've done a little tinkering on my other guitars too and it's amazing what a big difference a little bit of knowledge can make.
On the other hand - I've over stepped my skills a few times too and mucked things up! A little knowledge can also be a dangerous thing. Fortunately these were on projects where a fail wasn't the end of the world.

[Paully]

I've been doing my own set ups, Acoustic and Electric for a couple of years. However I just got a new Yamaha FG700S and decided to take a shot at a professional set up. I took it to the tech and for $35 he did a nice job. Nothing I couldn't have done myself but it was worth the money to have a look at a pro set up vs mine.

[Paully]

I've been doing my own set ups, Acoustic and Electric for a couple of years. However I just got a new Yamaha FG700S and decided to take a shot at a professional set up. I took it to the tech and for $35 he did a nice job. Nothing I couldn't have done myself but it was worth the money to have a look at a pro set up vs mine.

[Hot Vibrato]

Originally Posted by murrmac123

Holding down at the first and last will give a false reading on most guitars ... first and 14th is what you want.

On many factory built guitars, you'll still get a false reading, because guitar factories are notorious for leaving the first fret high.

[JackH]

Has anyone come across a music store who performs free setups for guitars they sell to someone? I'm sure some setups could take considerable time. I don't know how charges are calculated? Sometimes a job can become a lot more complicated or time consuming that it's hard to give an estimate. Seems like if they do a setup for half price or some sort of discount. I've never asked anyone of the sales reps at a store when playing a guitar. I've also never had it mentioned as an incentive to buy one. Even if the price is a little bit higher it might be worth it depending on the condition of the guitar to begin with. Also, a setup may be done differently for what the customer wants. I was just curious if a setup is ever included in a sales deal or if it's always a completely different issue.

Jack

[redir]

All the music stores I used to do repairs for are now closed down. Last one just closed a couple weeks ago. Sad day. Internet has killed the mom and pop shops and so along with it goes the services. I can't imagine buying an acoustic guitar sight unseen but that's another story.

We used to set up every single guitar that came into the shop so they were good to go right off the shelf. If a customer wanted something done differently we did it for them when they buy the guitar.

[Hot Vibrato]

Originally Posted by redir

All the music stores I used to do repairs for are now closed down. Last one just closed a couple weeks ago. Sad day. Internet has killed the mom and pop shops and so along with it goes the services. I can't imagine buying an acoustic guitar sight unseen but that's another story.

We used to set up every single guitar that came into the shop so they were good to go right off the shelf. If a customer wanted something done differently we did it for them when they buy the guitar.

Sounds like an opportunity for you to open your own repair business, if you've not done so already. Folks in your area need to get their guitars serviced somewhere, right? If you do good work, word will catch on. Luthiers who are good at repair work are always in demand, and if you are good at fret work and setups, they will think you're an absolute genius.

I used to do setups and repair work at a music store for years on the weekends (I worked weekdays at a repair shop). We set up every guitar to suit the customer. Talk about a sad day... My dear friend who owned his business for thirty years broke down crying on the last day his store was open. It was heartbreaking to watch. He's such a nice guy and he did his best, but the internet and Guitar Center killed his business.

He went to work managing another music store. I asked him how that other store managed to keep the lights on. He said lessons and repairs were the only thing keeping them afloat. At least those of us who do repair work and teach guitar lessons have some job security.

[redir]

Originally Posted by Hot Vibrato

Sounds like an opportunity for you to open your own repair business, if you've not done so already. Folks in your area need to get their guitars serviced somewhere, right? If you do good work, word will catch on. Luthiers who are good at repair work are always in demand, and if you are good at fret work and setups, they will think you're an absolute genius.

I used to do setups and repair work at a music store for years on the weekends (I worked weekdays at a repair shop). We set up every guitar to suit the customer. Talk about a sad day... My dear friend who owned his business for thirty years broke down crying on the last day his store was open. It was heartbreaking to watch. He's such a nice guy and he did his best, but the internet and Guitar Center killed his business.

He went to work managing another music store. I asked him how that other store managed to keep the lights on. He said lessons and repairs were the only thing keeping them afloat. At least those of us who do repair work and teach guitar lessons have some job security.

Yeah that's a sad story. The music store that closed down before this one actually turned into a music school. So they stay afloat by giving lessons only and it actually works. The other one, the one that just closed, actually split into two stores years ago. One is now a very successful Internet store that sells high end boutique stuff and the other was the local shop. The store owners saw it coming a long time ago and jumped on the bandwagon and are very successful. The local shop is now closed. Even though this is a university town with 40 thousand college students right down the street I guess that's not enough people to come into a shop to buy guitars and amps and so on. But there sure are enough of them that want lessons.

I have been working on my own now for many years. I just was the 'repair guy' for all the local shops when they existed and worked out deals with the shop owners where they took a certain percentage of any referrals. I don't depend on it for my bread and butter anymore so I get enough repair work in to keep it afloat and honestly I have a bit more time for building now.

[tdq]

Originally Posted by JackH

Has anyone come across a music store who performs free setups for guitars they sell to someone? I'm sure some setups could take considerable time. I don't know how charges are calculated? Sometimes a job can become a lot more complicated or time consuming that it's hard to give an estimate. Seems like if they do a setup for half price or some sort of discount. I've never asked anyone of the sales reps at a store when playing a guitar. I've also never had it mentioned as an incentive to buy one. Even if the price is a little bit higher it might be worth it depending on the condition of the guitar to begin with. Also, a setup may be done differently for what the customer wants. I was just curious if a setup is ever included in a sales deal or if it's always a completely different issue.

Jack

It's not unusual for a store to do free setups on new guitars. I can't be specific but I know it's often thrown in the mix when I've been perusing guitars, some have even offered a second setup after a year. However, a setup on a new guitar is not a huge job - a saddle shave perhaps and maybe a truss ross tweak. If a new guitar needs more than that, well, perhaps it's a lemon.