Is it worth getting a luthier to setup my new guitar ?

T42 · January 2018

Just a quick question, sure its been asked before but I wanted to know, is it worth having my new guitar setup ?
I have this Fender T300
<a href="https://ibb.co/bz0mOb"><img src="https://image.ibb.co/cPsNww/IMG_4387_2.jpg" alt="IMG_4387_2" border="0"></a>
I have no problem is upgrading parts if it is worth it. I am new to playing but ive really took a shine to it and I have to say its giving me a lot of enjoyment.

antifash · January 2018

Does it play alright? If so, then probably not. Do you have a good luthier? Can you explain your issues to him / her? If not, then leave it as is and enjoy playing.

T42 · January 2018

Truth is, im brand new to this so it definitely doesn't sound good in my hands but im willing to put the effort in and learn.
I just didn't know whether it would be worth having it seen too ?

Lifebiker · January 2018

Hi I have just joined the forum I am not a luthier but I have repaired and set up a number of guitars, as antifash stated I would leave it as it is unless you think there is something amiss but unless that model has been dropped or damaged there is not much that can go wrong...........enjoy it.

antifash · January 2018

Hard to say. Maybe let someone who can play have a go.

NeilMcG · January 2018

The question is does it play properly? If you are new to guitar then you won't have the knowledge to tell if the action is low enough (inc nut action) to make it easily playable rather than a struggle.

If you have a guitarist buddy get them to have a look and see what they think. If you don't have anyone to ask then I reckon it is worth having a reputable local tech have a look - it will cost you a bit, but better that than have a marginally playable instrument to learn on.

Fretwired · January 2018

I tend to get new guitars setup by a pro. I've found it's a good investment as after being packed in a container and shipped via sea, and then left sitting in a warehouse or on the wall of a shop the action and neck can be all over the place. Having a poorly setup guitar can hamper you if you're a beginner. Maybe get someone to look at it for you.

sweepy · January 2018

Most guitars that come out of the box are functionally setup, if you spend a few £ getting it tweaked and adjusted I can guarantee that you will play it more

FelineGuitars · January 2018

A GOOD luthier will often offer a health check service (we do) where they will carefully look over the guitar and only make suggestions of stuff if it's really needed.

Speaking only for myself I don't object to seeing a guitar and giving it a clean bill of health with no work needed because it maintains a good relationship with potential customers who feel all the happier to use your services when they have a guitar that does need help.

TheMarlin · January 2018

Yes. Get it setup properly. Makes a world of difference.

Marlin

ICBM · January 2018

I would at least get it looked at. The biggest thing that will help if you're a beginner is the nut height - they're very rarely cut as well as they could be from the factory due to manufacturing tolerances, and even a surprisingly small difference in height makes a huge difference in playability.

You can check the nut height yourself very easily - hold the guitar normally and press each string in turn down at the third fret (so the string is also resting on the second fret). Then look at the gap between the string and the first fret. If the gap is small - less than a quarter of the string diameter and preferably as small as a tenth of it, especially for the thicker strings - then all is good. If it's larger than that, and especially if it's about the same as the string diameter or more, then it's too high. You can do this by eye, you don't need feeler gauges or anything.

An over-high nut will not only make fretting the strings hard work and your fingers sore, it will also make the guitar sound out of tune, even if you've tuned the open strings perfectly. This is a major cause of 'guitar not staying in tune' problems - it's actually that it's not *playing* in tune, if that makes sense.

Nut height adjustment is a professional job if you haven't done one before - you need experience and the right tools.

The second most important thing to get right is the neck 'relief' or curvature, which affects the action higher up the neck. This is adjusted with the truss rod, which although it can be done by an amateur, is a bit scary at first!

Finally, the bridge height which is what most people think of as the 'action adjustment' is really a professional job too if you're not experienced, especially on a guitar with an under-saddle bridge pickup, like this - if you don't do it right the pickup may not work properly.

The average guitar which feels 'OK' from the factory can be improved quite a lot in all these ways by someone who knows what they're doing, and the difference it can make to how easily the guitar plays and how good it sounds can be remarkable, even if you thought it was OK beforehand.

sev112 · January 2018

T42 said:

Just a quick question, sure its been asked before but I wanted to know, is it worth having my new guitar setup ?
I have this Fender T300
<a href="https://ibb.co/bz0mOb"><img src="https://image.ibb.co/cPsNww/IMG_4387_2.jpg" alt="IMG_4387_2" border="0"></a>
I have no problem is upgrading parts if it is worth it. I am new to playing but ive really took a shine to it and I have to say its giving me a lot of enjoyment.

Don’t know

but who laid your floor ?

And are the silver chairs and mirrors yours or your mrs’ and whose are the oaks ones?

T42 · January 2018

sev112 said:

T42 said:

Just a quick question, sure its been asked before but I wanted to know, is it worth having my new guitar setup ?
I have this Fender T300
<a href="https://ibb.co/bz0mOb"><img src="https://image.ibb.co/cPsNww/IMG_4387_2.jpg" alt="IMG_4387_2" border="0"></a>
I have no problem is upgrading parts if it is worth it. I am new to playing but ive really took a shine to it and I have to say its giving me a lot of enjoyment.

Don’t know

but who laid your floor ?

And are the silver chairs and mirrors yours or your mrs’ and whose are the oaks ones?

Not sure why you want to know that but here goes

Floor laid by awesome local tiler.
Silver chairs and mirrors belong to my wife, as does everything else I own.
Oak ones also belong to my wife, as I am married.

TAMCO · January 2018

It's worth going to a guitar tech/luthier if:

1. You have any fret buzz
2. The action is painfully high and the saddle needs 'shaving'

If you are happy wth the string height and there's no fret buzz, just play it until you get to know it better.

MagicPigDetective · January 2018

Yes I would. I bought a Taylor 114ce new last year. I assumed wrongly that the nut should be fine from the factory for such a prestigious manufacturer. But I took it to a luthier today who only needed one look, no measuring, to see that the nut was far too high and needed filing.

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Is it worth getting a luthier to setup my new guitar ?

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