New guitar setup from Sweetwster

[Nikofthyme]

..greenhorn here
.. I seriously appreciate anything anyone can fill me in on as to what I should do here.
Getting a new Epiphone DR 500 MCE from Sweetwater soon.
I understand they do a setup and check before the guitar is shipped out. Should I let them put new bridge Pins on this before I get it (Tusq ?) I understand the difference is noticeable. Anything I should have them check or replace beforehand ? IE: Lighter or medium extra strings anyone can reccomend ?
Thankx in advance

[Rudy4]

I've purchased a guitar from them and I'd say that for the most part they do a cursory overview to see if there's anything obviously wrong. You can certainly call and see how much they will do as far as a "setup", which usually involves tailoring the guitar to your specific needs as a player. If the standard specifications are OK I'd go with whatever their standard is.

One of my playing partners purchased a Wechter 000 that should have never made it out of the factory. The bridge was slotted way too wide and a shim was added to make the slot narrow enough for a standard width saddle to be used. The saddle was so poorly cut that there was cardboard under one end to make it playable. It made it through the "checklist" without anyone noticing, so that's my personal experience for what it's worth, since I ended up repairing it for him. I'm sure Sweetwater would have made it right, but that was what he wanted to do. I love SW and buy a fair amount of stuff from them and only relate this to stress that "setup" from a retailer may vary in what you actually get.

As far as custom pins go, how will you know how much difference spending the money will make if you can't do an A-B comparison? It should be easy to slack the strings and swap pins as long as the size and taper match.

Bridge pins can be one of those things where if you spend the money you end up thinking it improved the sound. Only one way to find out...

[rmp]

Look I like dealing with Sweetwater, and I've bought a # of guitars from them and I'm in no way bashing their work.

Their 55 point inspection is more to find very obvious defects and I believe that is done when they recieve the guitar, and inspect it to see if it passes this review. If it does not, they send it back.

I bought a Gibson SJ200, the pickup was so entirely messed up that they sent me another one the next day, and I shipped the first one back.
Any one doing a "REAL" complete check of that guitar would have known immediately there was issues. I'm not complaining, they took care of the mess, but just saying, they would have found this had they "looked"

With their volume they don't have the resources to do a proper and complete setup, you can ask, but I I've done enough bizz with them. (6 or 7 guitars... gibsons/taylors,gretsch..)

Basically when you buy the guitar, it's already had that 55 point inspection, and they pretty much just ship it to you.
IMHO Setup is a thing you will need to do that after the sale. And I would not expect them to. They don't know what you'll need in regard to your playing style, touch, etc.


Get it done AFTER you receive it. it's really the only way.

Acoustics need nut slot attention and a few other tings,, changing out bridge pins you can DIY as long as you have the right ones on hand.

Bridge pins making a huge difference is debatable. and sometimes, the stock pins work better than after market swaps.

My advice:

I would 1st take it as is, play around with it, see how it feels. look for a local setup tech that has a good rep, and give them a call and set up an appointment.

it takes a bit of time and knowing what you need to get an acoustic setup right. They are rarely spot on out of the box. Some brands are closer than others... But they all need to be looked at in some way.

[bnjp]

I would get it first and play it. If it doesn't suit you, get someone to modify it. I recently did an experiment with a new Guild DS-240 and immediately changed the saddle to bone...marginal difference. Changed the nut to bone. HUGE improvement in sustain and volume. Changed the bridge pins to bone. improvement in tone, but loss of volume over the plastic pins.

[reeve21]

I seem to remember that Sweetwater will do an actual set up (as opposed to an inspection for defects) for an additional cost.

The last guitar I bought online was from Elderly. It came set up just the way I requested, no additional cost.

[bnjp]

Originally Posted by reeve21

I seem to remember that Sweetwater will do an actual set up (as opposed to an inspection for defects) for an additional cost.

The last guitar I bought online was from Elderly. It came set up just the way I requested, no additional cost.

They will. But support your local luthier.