Amazing what difference a setup makes

lincolnblue · February 2020

I bought my Faith Neptune Trembessi about 6 years ago and, for one reason or another, never took it to a luthier for a proper set up. I likes the sound of it but the action was too high which made playing certain chords and shapes a bit more challenging.

I took it to a local luthier the other week and got it back on Thursday. There was apparently a slight curve in the neck and now the action is lower, which I prefer.

It's almost like having a different guitar. Other than it feeling easier to play, it sounds different (I'm sure - unless it's just me) - sounds brighter and snappier. Ok it has new strings, but it still feels and plays like a different guitar.

ICBM · February 2020

Yes, the set-up affects the tone, often quite drastically. There is a usually a 'sweet spot' where the full tone develops but the action isn't wildly too high - although if you're unlucky, the two things aren't possible at the same time.

GTC · March 2020

A decent set-up with the right strings can transform a guitar. Personally, I've never found any deterioration in tone by setting the action as low as possible to give a comfortable buzz / rattle free action.

ICBM · March 2020

GTC said:

A decent set-up with the right strings can transform a guitar. Personally, I've never found any deterioration in tone by setting the action as low as possible to give a comfortable buzz / rattle free action.

That's the key, but the point at which it starts to affect the tone is not always audible as obvious buzz. Once you get above that I've never found a higher action makes any difference though.

TimmyO · March 2020

Cool. My J45 was enormously improved (and I already liked it) when I finally got a pro setup done

GTC · March 2020

ICBM said:

GTC said:

A decent set-up with the right strings can transform a guitar. Personally, I've never found any deterioration in tone by setting the action as low as possible to give a comfortable buzz / rattle free action.

That's the key, but the point at which it starts to affect the tone is not always audible as obvious buzz. Once you get above that I've never found a higher action makes any difference though.

Sometimes I've thought I'd got the set-up right only to later find I was getting a weird buzz on certain string combinations around the middle of the fretboard. Usually a quick tweak of the neck relief via the truss rod is all that is needed.

jellyroll · March 2020

I'm keen to try a set up for myself. Am I right to think of it as a 3 step process:

- set the neck relief
- check the nut
- adjust saddle accordingly

So, if the neck relief and nut look good, I can just concentrate on the saddle?

icu81b4 · March 2020

Agree - Makes a huge difference, even the expensive ones don't come set up correctly in my view... I'm lucky to have a really good luthier close by where I live so all my guitars get looked after by him (Eddie Green, he's written a book too)

I have a Faith guitar in the for sale section at the moment that was set up by Eddie.

GTC · March 2020

jellyroll said:

I'm keen to try a set up for myself. Am I right to think of it as a 3 step process:

- set the neck relief
- check the nut
- adjust saddle accordingly

So, if the neck relief and nut look good, I can just concentrate on the saddle?

That's more or less it - the secret being small adjustments at a time and patience.

Neck relief I usually initially set buy holding the 6th string 1st and 13th fret down simultaneously - and tapping on the string around the 6th fret - adjusting the relief so there is the faintest downward movement there.

An easy test to see if the nut slot heights need adjusting - does playing feel a lot more comfortable using a capo?

Then the saddle - a little at a time and patience.

If it is an expensive guitar, you might want to buy a real cheap one on eBay to have your first go on,

ICBM · March 2020

I usually set the nut height first, because it’s the one that doesn’t need to change if you later need to find a balance between bridge height and relief.

You can check it very easily simply by fretting each string at the 3rd fret and looking at the gap between the string and the 1st fret. It should be tiny - ideally less than a quarter of the string diameter on any string, and never larger than the string diameter even on the plain strings. You don’t need feeler gauges, by eye will be good enough since if it’s that small, it’s not that critical - as long is there is at least a tiny gap.

jellyroll · March 2020

Thanks @GTC @ICBM

ESBlonde · March 2020

On the nut I tend to measure the clearance on the first fret open string to the first fretted on the third fret. I err on the slightly more side by sight and a feeler gauge for confidence (sight is better IMHO). It is possible to get well down on the saddle, but again it's hard to put material back so steady as she goes.

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Amazing what difference a setup makes

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