Kavanagh Customs

Project Guitar Help Centre: Setting Up Your Guitar From Home

Setting up your guitar should always be the last step in any guitar project to ensure maximum playability and enjoyment. It should also be carried out periodically (anywhere between once every couple of months to once a year dependant on how much/hard you play) as general maintenance for your guitar, best done at the same time as you change your strings. If you feel your strings are buzzing, or the action isn't as low as it used to be, it's time to do a set up!

Set ups are reasonably cheap to have done by a professional - any local guitar or music shop should be able to carry one out for you offering you the convenience of just dropping it off with them and collecting it back later playing like new. Of course, if you play a lot, or don't have a local shop to carry out the set up for you, or if you would just prefer to do it yourself from home, it isn't a long or difficult task, and this article will guide you through the process.

There are a number of steps to take, really these should be done in order, although some can be interchanged if you feel so inclined. You should always start off with a fresh set of strings and with the guitar fully tuned up; this just makes it a little easier to identify any problems you may be experiencing. These steps are:

1. Headstock Maintenance
2. Checking your neck for bows and adjusting the truss rod
3. Checking the nut and adjusting
4. String height and bridge adjustment
5. Adjusting the intonation
6. Adjusting pickup height

1. Headstock & Machinehead Maintenance

Your first step should be to check over the headstock and in particular the screws holding the machineheads - this is the most common source of tuning instability and action problems.

These are the little screws shown in the image above (on the rear of the headstock). Depending on which type of machineheads are installed on your guitar, there could be one or two screws for each (as shown in the image below), or just one screw holding down two adjacent machineheads (as shown above).

You should ensure that these are all tight, but be cautious of over-tightening as these are very easy to tear out if tightened too far. If this does occur, or you find one of the screws is extremely loose, take it completely out and dab a small amount of wood glue onto the thread before tightening it back it again. Replacement screws are easy to buy from your local music shop or online if you should determine a replacement is needed.

The next step is to do the same for each of the machinehead buttons (the screw at the end of the tuning arm shown in the image above) - this avoids ensures that when you turn the machinehead, the tuner actually tightens the strings rather than just spinning around and also ensures that you avoid the embarrassment of dropping it altogether and having to scuttle around on the floor trying to find it and it's accompanying screw! These are generally machined, so it can be difficult to find a replacement should one go astray so make sure that they are tight!

With the buttons and rear of each machinehead secured, it's time to turn your attention to the front of the headstock: make sure that the nuts around the top of each machinehead are tight, or in some cases you need only ensure that the mounting grommets are pushed down firmly (shown in the image below).

Whilst working on the headstock, it is also worth giving the string tree (if you have one - shown in the image below) and cursory twist with the screw driver to make sure that it hasn't worked itself loose as well. A loose string tree can lead to tuning instability problems, don't forget it's there to assert down-pressure on the strings to hold them in tune - they have to put up with a lot of pressure! As with the rear mounting screws for the tuners, be careful not to over tighten as they can easily tear out.

Whilst checking for screw tightness (and although it doesn't really fit into this section per-se), it's also a good idea to give the strap buttons a quick check to make sure that these are tight too (shown in the image below), just to be on the safe side. These should be checked regularly regardless of whether you are conducting a full set up or not - there's nothing worse than strumming away and having your guitar drop to the ground because of a loose screw!

2. Checking your neck for bows and adjusting the truss rod

To check the bow of your neck, hold the guitar in it's natural playing position (on your lap) and hold down the low-E (thickest) string against the 1st and 12th fret. Measure the distance between string bottom and the top of the 7th fret - it should be between 0.005" and 0.015" - just enough to slide a playing card under there (a much easier measure than trying to use a ruler to measure in those sorts of distances and cheaper than buying a measuring gauge). See the image below for a rough guide.

If you find that there is more space, you will need to loosen the truss rod (by turning the truss rod anticlockwise), if there isn't enough space, you will need to tighten the truss rod (by turning it clockwise). There is a more in-depth article about truss rod adjustments here - just take it easy and tighten in small increments - a little goes a long way in the world of truss rod adjustment!

3. Checking the nut and adjusting

As with all the other steps, make sure that your guitar is strung and tuned with the truss rod relief set before making any adjustments - remember that it takes a short while for new strings to settle in so about now is a good time to grab a mug of tea or your favourite hops beverage and come back to return any of the stretch out of the new strings. A full article on stringing your guitar can be found here.

To check the nut to ensure that the slots are correctly cut, fret each string individually between the 2nd and 3rd fret and take out your measuring implement of choice (a playing card is easiest!) and ensure that the amount of space between the 1st fret and the string bottom is near 0.005". Do this for each string and take note of any that are significantly too high.

If you find that any of the strings are too low (which will probably cause fret rattle whilst playing and can occur due to normal wear), you would be best advised to buy a replacement nut (which are very cheap) and install this and check the spacing again before continuing.

If you find that any of the strings are too high this is because the nut slots aren't quite deep enough and you will need to remove the string and file down the slot to the correct height. You will need to buy special files for this (available from most guitar stores and DIY stores). Be careful not to take too much off as it's easy to take height away from the nut but impossible to add height back on again if you go too far. Your goal is to have the space at the 1st fret as close as possible across the entire width of the board.

4. String height and bridge adjustment

For most players a string height (or action) of 3/64" is considered normal. Some players choose a higher sting height such as 4/64" (particularly for playing slide) while players with a light touch and want the fastest action possible strive to lower the action as close as possible to 2/64". This can be extremely difficult to achieve and maintain without fret buzzing somewhere on the finger board. For the very lowest possible action it will most likely be necessary to level and dress your frets first. An article on how to replace, level, and dress your frets from home can be found here.

Starting with the High E at the 12th fret, work your way across the fret board to the Low E measuring the distance between the bottom of each string and the top of the fret. Keep a note of these measurements so that you can determine what you need to do next.

It is also worth considering the type of fretboard you have and your playing style - for example if you tend to bend notes often in the upper register, you may want to try raising the action slightly higher on the B and G strings to avoid fretting out your note's whilst string bending.

Having determined your guitar's current action, and taking into account your playing style, you can now adjust the height of the bridge accordingly. For most guitars this is a case of using a small allen key to tighten the two posts holding the saddle (see the image below), although if you play a Gibson or other stop-tail variety, you may be limited by the amount of adjustment you can make for each individual string, having to use the two post screws to lower or raise that entire end of the bridge. If this is the case then nut and truss rod adjustments are all the more important in chasing out areas of potential buzzing problems.

After you have made all of the necessary adjustments to achieve the action you desire you should check your entire neck by fretting each individual note and checking for fret buzz. If fret buzz does occur try to determine which string is the cause and either adjust the bridge again, or make the necessary adjustment to the neck truss rod.

5. Adjusting the intonation

Intonation ensures that the string lengths are correct and that the note played at each fret down the length of the neck is accurate. For this you will need an electronic tuner (or an incredibly good ear!).

With the neck in tune, you should find that the note played at the 12th fret registers exactly the same as when the string is played unfretted. If your tuner shows that the note is sharp at this point then you will need to adjust the bridge saddle (shown in the image below) to lengthen the string slightly. Likewise, if the note is flat you will need to adjust the string length to be a little shorter. Try to only adjust the saddle very slightly each time and, of course, retune the string before checking again to ensure you are still adjusting in the right direction.

6. Adjusting pickup height

The final adjustment should be made at home through your own equipment and to your own taste - there are so many varying styles of music, playing and guitars themselves that this particular adjustment is all down to personal preference.

You should also understand that the magnetic fields generated by different pickups vary hugely (in particular overdriven pickups such as the DiMarizon have very strong fields of magnetism), thus you may need a greater space between pickup and string to gain your optimum sound.

Adjusting the height of pickups is extremely easy using the two screws either side of the pickup (which also allows you to adjust one side higher than the other if that suits your playing style better).

The first and easiest step is to ensure that your pickups are all on the same level. Fret your strings at the very last fret (one at a time) and ensure that there is about 3/16" to 1/4" of space between the string and the top of the pickups (as shown in the image below). If you play your guitars very hard, or shred them, you might want to leave a little more space to avoid those moments where you catch the side of the pickup with your plectrum.

With this base to work from, plug your guitar in and give it a whirl as you usually would. It's important to play as you usually would to ensure the best result from your adjustments. Trying each pickup in turn, adjust the height of the pickup accordingly - the closer the pickup to the string, the more the tone will change. If you set your pickup too close to the strings you will experience "wolf tone", which is a very muddy and overdriven sound - if that's what you are going for, then your job is done, but otherwise, take your time and play each pickup individually and together to make sure you're getting exactly the result you need. Don't forget to take your time - tone is a very personal and subjective matter so fiddle with the screw driver as long as you need to get the sound you're happiest with.

After all that, give your guitar a quick wipe down and a polish with a soft cloth and enjoy the feeling of a freshly set-up guitar!