Setups And Neck Sets. While most articles were more applicable to building, this article is for the player. What is a set up? What is action? What is intonation? What is neck relief? I plan to answer these 4 questions over the next few months.

WHAT IS A SET UP? This is what makes the guitar in my opinion. The set up will influence the other two topics listed but a set up is setting the strings and neck to a proper relationship. See the neck does more than hold the fretboad and headstock. The neck is to be set at such an angle that the strings don't touch it and the frets will work in tune all along the fingerboard. To determine if you need a set up you need to ask these 3 basic questions.

1) Does the feel of the action suit me, or is it difficult to play?

2) Does the guitar stay in tune up the neck or does it flatten or go sharp?

3) Does the tone and volume suit me?

If you answered no to any of these basic questions you may need a set up. If you take it to a luthier you may expect $35 to $50 for a standard set up. Here is what you need to know. First what is the action height at the 12th fret. This is the distance of the bottom of the string to the top of the fret as the 12th fret position. I like a 2-3 action. This means that you want the strings to be 2/64 of an inch at the high E and 3/64 of an inch at the bass E. I will accept up to 1/8 of an inch at the bass. As long as I can see the action is under 5/64 I don't worry too much about that.

If the action is High I check the relief of the neck to determine if I need a truss rod adjustment. Rather than me retyping the info , look under the set up specs and you should see all that info about relief in that article. Adjust the neck if the relief is out with the truss rod. At this point recheck the action height at the 12th fret. You may need to adjust the nut and saddle to get the action where you need it to be. As long as the saddle exposes about 1/8 you should be okay. If you get below that I feel a neck reset would be in order. If you decide to shave the bridge remember that you will then need to have that replaced if you ever do a neck reset. To lower the saddle you can use an emery board . Just rub the flat part of the saddle against that a few time. Remember a small adjustment can make a big difference so make small adjustments at a time. If you never did this before be careful , take your time and you should do fine. I also at this point replace the strings . Once the strings are tuned I take my measurements again and see what I have. Also check for buzzing.

It may be of importance to note that before I do any work I clean the fretboard with naptha , check the frets for loosening and oil the fingerboard with a few drops of 3 in 1 oil. You may rub the board with a little 0000 steel wool first to brighten the wood up first. If the frets need recrowning they should be done at this time. This is something I don't recommend the beginner to try out on a good guitar. Get a bargain at the flea market and ruin that before you kill your 1969 D35.

With the strings at pitch and the measurements noted you will now be able to shave the saddle. If the action is 2/64 too hi you can start by taking that much off. This should being it down about 1/2 of the needed adjustment. I do it this way so I don't over shoot my adjustments. After I have all the string about 1/2 through I check the nut and adjust that is needed. Here I recommend a set of nut files in the size of the strings.. I like to lower the nut to where I am under .010 at the 1st fret with the 2 fret capoed in front of the fret on the bridge side. This will soften the action alot. Try that guitar at pitch and see if the action is better . If you need it lower then work the saddle a little and let it set a few days. I am sure you can learn these simple steps. Again this is not for everyone. Take your time , think and make small adjustments and you will learn the art of setting up an acoustic guitar. Yours John Hall.

• continue to next tutorial >>