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Old 06-13-2018, 01:32 PM
JackB1 JackB1 is offline
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Default Any reason for a professional setup?

If you know how to adjust the truss rod/relief yourself and know how to
sand a saddle (if needed), is there any other reason to pay to have a professional do a setup on a new guitar? I don't do any nut filing, so if the
nut height is fine, what else could they do that I can't? This is assuming the
neck is straight and the frets are good.
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Old 06-13-2018, 02:03 PM
Tenzin Tenzin is offline
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If you have those skills, then the only thing I could think of would be paying for a professional's experience if something didn't go right or if a different tool were necessary.

I'm pretty good at learning from reading and know a decent amount about electricity. The few times I opened up any type of fixture, never looked like it 'should have'. I 'nope' my way out of anything electric nowadays.

The other thing I personally look at is things that have a 'one time cost'. Purchasing an item I am not bothered with the 'buy it for life' mentality for many things. My cable bill and cell phone bill for the family drives me completely insane. Aside from the Twin Peaks revival, yes I'm one of those, I don't watch TV and no one ever calls me on my cell just to say, "Hi". I get the call when there's a problem.

That's me. I'm weird.
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Old 06-13-2018, 02:03 PM
charles Tauber charles Tauber is offline
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It depends.

If you know how to change your car’s oil and air filter, is there any reason to take your car to a professional mechanic for a tune-up? If your car doesn’t need a tune-up, no you don’t. The question hinges, in part, on whether you’re able to correctly determine if it needs more than an oil and filter change.

Ditto for taking your guitar in for a professional setup. A skilled professional repair person does more in a stup than simply adjusting the truss rod s sanding the bottom of the saddle. Can you correctly determine what needs to be done to optimize playability? If so, you probably don’t need the services of a professional.
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Old 06-13-2018, 02:36 PM
redir redir is offline
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I can't tell you how many times people have been shocked at how much better their guitars played when they took it to me for a set up. I don't mean to brag, I'm saying a pro set up in general by a qualified tech can make a difference. You don't know what you don't know till you know it. That kind of thing.. I'd say often times it's probably 75% of the times the nut. Most nuts even on nice factory guitars can be tuned up better.
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Old 06-13-2018, 03:07 PM
JackB1 JackB1 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by charles Tauber View Post

Ditto for taking your guitar in for a professional setup. A skilled professional repair person does more in a stup than simply adjusting the truss rod s sanding the bottom of the saddle. Can you correctly determine what needs to be done to optimize playability? If so, you probably don’t need the services of a professional.
That's what I'm trying to figure out. What more can a professional do that I can't? Getting the action set where I like it is optimizing playability for me. What else can be done to optimise playability?
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Old 06-13-2018, 03:14 PM
JackB1 JackB1 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redir View Post
I can't tell you how many times people have been shocked at how much better their guitars played when they took it to me for a set up. I don't mean to brag, I'm saying a pro set up in general by a qualified tech can make a difference. You don't know what you don't know till you know it. That kind of thing.. I'd say often times it's probably 75% of the times the nut. Most nuts even on nice factory guitars can be tuned up better.
Yes I would definitely let a pro adjust the nut, but if it's not too high and measures out to spec, what else would I need the Pro for? Not trying to
belittle any luthiers out there, I am just trying to determine if it's realistic to expect them to do anything I couldn't myself. Normally what I do myself is
this:
1- check the relief, adjust as needed
2- check nut height
3- check neck angle
4- remover the old strings
5- polish the frets with steel wool
6- clean the fretboard and oil it
7 - install new strings
8 - check relief again
9 - check action height, if needed sand saddle to fine tune
8 - final check of relief and maybe tweak it a little more
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Old 06-13-2018, 03:16 PM
Nymuso Nymuso is offline
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I last had a "professional" set up in the 90s. The guy broke the nut then charged me for a new one. And this guy was a luminary among repairmen at the time. Unless the neck has fallen off, I now do my own work.

Last edited by Nymuso; 06-13-2018 at 03:37 PM.
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Old 06-13-2018, 03:49 PM
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Mr. Jelly Mr. Jelly is offline
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If a person knows what they are looking at then why would you need another person to tell you what you know? Allot of these people are not that good.
It can be costly but these skills can be learned easily. It doesn't have to cost you but there is a learning curve. If a person has a guitar that is in good shape and isn't in need of work then chances are it won't need everything. You can easily learn to measure if the nut needs work or the neck relief is okay and if the string height needs lowered or raised. Google it. None of these measurements is going to damage a guitar. Once learned you know you can trust yourself to do the job correctly. It's a teach a man to fish type of thing. Most guitar players learn how to do some things them self over time. But there is only so much a person can do to the playability of a guitar. You can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear.
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Old 06-13-2018, 03:59 PM
BT55 BT55 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redir View Post
I can't tell you how many times people have been shocked at how much better their guitars played when they took it to me for a set up. I don't mean to brag, I'm saying a pro set up in general by a qualified tech can make a difference. You don't know what you don't know till you know it. That kind of thing.. I'd say often times it's probably 75% of the times the nut. Most nuts even on nice factory guitars can be tuned up better.


I couldn’t agree more. Yes I can complete a good setup but there are times that my guitars go to a pro. A pro setup vs my setup may be close but the difference of using a pro can be the difference between liking a guitar and loving a guitar.
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Old 06-13-2018, 04:37 PM
charles Tauber charles Tauber is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Jelly View Post
If a person knows what they are looking at then why would you need another person to tell you what you know? Allot of these people are not that good.
I agree.

Quote:
It can be costly but these skills can be learned easily. It doesn't have to cost you but there is a learning curve.
Some aspects can be learned easily and others can't.

I used to believe that anyone who wanted to could make a guitar. Three apprentices later, I've learned that that isn't true. More than three decades of fixing the repairs that people have done for themselves has taught me otherwise. Some can, some can't: know thyself.


Quote:
Most guitar players learn how to do some things them self over time.
That's true and I encourage people to do what they can do. I've taught many customers how to adjust neck relief and other setup related things, and have written an article about it that's been around since the mid-1990's.

Quote:
But there is only so much a person can do to the playability of a guitar.
That's true.

Quote:
You can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear.
A skilled repair person can make almost any guitar, at nearly any price range, play "like butter". A bad setup can make almost any guitar, at nearly any price range, play like a $50 guitar.
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Old 06-13-2018, 07:21 PM
Quickstep192 Quickstep192 is offline
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I take my guitars to a (my) pro for a setup for two reasons:

He has more experience and can probably do a better job than me.

I like building a relationship both to support the luthier community and so there’s a pre-established relationship for when I need more serious work. (And he’s a great guy)
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Old 06-13-2018, 08:34 PM
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Mr. Jelly Mr. Jelly is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Quickstep192 View Post
I take my guitars to a (my) pro for a setup
That's great! I would also if I could. But there aren't any to speak of in this part of the country. Shipping a guitar around the country for every little tweak a person wants is not reasonable. At least to me.
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Old 06-13-2018, 10:33 PM
mirwa mirwa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JackB1 View Post
If you know how to adjust the truss rod/relief yourself and know how to
sand a saddle (if needed), is there any other reason to pay to have a professional do a setup on a new guitar? I don't do any nut filing, so if the
nut height is fine, what else could they do that I can't? This is assuming the
neck is straight and the frets are good.
Nothing wrong with doing your own setups.

But a comparison if I may.

I can cook barbeque ribs and chips for tea tonight, I know how, I can buy the ingredients, I have been cooking for 40 yrs, so why would I go out for tea and pay someone to make me barbeque ribs and chips.

Whilst I know my food is good, it still does not taste as good as the one I purchase at the local pub.

Reason

A person does not know what they do not know. You assume the neck is straight, you assume the tolerances you work to are good, you assume your hand skills are more than adequate, you assume frets are good, you assume neck joint is good, you assume lots. Now you may be correct you may not, but unless you have a reputable person set your guitar up for you, you do not know what you are missing.

Back to my comparison, I assume I know how to make barbeque ribs and chips, but man, those ribs and chips at the local pub taste so good, so I know by comparison, some of my assumptions when cooking are wrong.

Steve
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Old 06-14-2018, 10:26 AM
Rodger Knox Rodger Knox is offline
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The quality of a setup depends on the quality of the fretwork and nut. If the fretwork and nut are good, a setup is pretty easy to do. If the frets or nut need work, that has to be done before a good setup is possible.
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Old 06-14-2018, 10:39 AM
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Bob Womack Bob Womack is offline
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There are other things a pro will do as well: quite often the frets aren't as level as they might be, even if the guitar has been Plek'd, due to temperature/humidity changes since the guitar was at the factory. There may be fret sprout from the same source. A good tech or luthier can spot those issues and correct them. i wrote up an article about what all my luthier does when I take a new guitar in to him and it is HERE.


Bob
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