How Long To Wait Before Setup?

[Big*Al]

Yesterday I took delivery on a guitar . . . a pretty nice Guild import. I bought it from Amazon, so it was never looked at by anyone until I opened the box. The strings came without much tension and when I first tuned it up, the action was almost un-playably low. The neck relief, etc., appears to be OK, but the saddle seemed to be the issue. This morning, the action was closer to normal, so the guitar seems to be settling in a bit under tension.

Eventually, I plan to make a new bone saddle for it to my preferred string heights, but I suppose I should wait a while yet for the guitar to settle in some more. How long? A couple of days? A week? More?

[bluesfreek]

I think after a week if the action is too low than I'd fix it. Personally I would have probably replaced the saddle after a couple of days if the problem persists.

[Imbler]

Originally Posted by Big*Al

Yesterday I took delivery on a guitar . . . a pretty nice Guild import. I bought it from Amazon, so it was never looked at by anyone until I opened the box. The strings came without much tension and when I first tuned it up, the action was almost un-playably low. The neck relief, etc., appears to be OK, but the saddle seemed to be the issue. This morning, the action was closer to normal, so the guitar seems to be settling in a bit under tension.

Eventually, I plan to make a new bone saddle for it to my preferred string heights, but I suppose I should wait a while yet for the guitar to settle in some more. How long? A couple of days? A week? More?

For myself, I would wait a couple of weeks for it to settle in, as you have no idea of what humidity it was subjected to prior to you. But, since you are doing the work yourself, you can judge how much you value waiting versus doing the job twice.

[Ned Milburn]

A "setup" alone is mostly just 3 aspects... Nut, truss, and saddle.

If the truss is adjusted correctly, the nut can be setup and then is mostly good to go until you get fretwork done.

The truss, especially on a newer guitar, will likely develop more of a bow as time passes, and I think it is a good idea that guitarists know how to adjust truss rods for their own guitars. It is easy, and there isn't much voodoo involved. So, over time, your guitar might need its truss rod tightened slightly.

Once the truss and nut are adjusted properly, the saddle can be sanded or shimmed to desired height, then this shouldn't need to change.

So, another week and get the thing setup, learn how to adjust your truss, and happy picking!!

[Big*Al]

Originally Posted by Ned Milburn

A "setup" alone is mostly just 3 aspects... Nut, truss, and saddle.

If the truss is adjusted correctly, the nut can be setup and then is mostly good to go until you get fretwork done.

The truss, especially on a newer guitar, will likely develop more of a bow as time passes, and I think it is a good idea that guitarists know how to adjust truss rods for their own guitars. It is easy, and there isn't much voodoo involved. So, over time, your guitar might need its truss rod tightened slightly.

Once the truss and nut are adjusted properly, the saddle can be sanded or shimmed to desired height, then this shouldn't need to change.

So, another week and get the thing setup, learn how to adjust your truss, and happy picking!!

Thanks, I'm actually reasonably experienced in setups and basic guitar repair. I have the specialized tools, etc. I've worked on plenty of old guitars . . . I just never had one that was under full string tension for the first time. This is uncharted territory for me.

[Big*Al]

Well, it's day four since tensioning the strings. I took measurements and it seems that the string height stabilized after the first day. I made up a new saddle for it this morning and the guitar plays great. If it settles in more, I can always adjust it a little in the future. Thanks for the opinions.