Step One - Neck Adjustment

Tools required: Allen Key (or sometimes a screwdriver or nut driver) Straight Edge Capo The first step of any guitar Setup will always be to check whether the neck is straight or not. If the neck is not straight, then it will need to be adjusted via the truss rod. The truss rod is a rod of metal running through the centre of the neck and tightening or loosening this rod will determine the bow of the neck. What this means is that you can manually flex the rod in either direction in order to achieve a straight neck. The truss rod is usually adjusted from the top of the neck - where the headstock meets the neck. Some models may be adjusted from the base of the neck, meaning that you will have to remove the neck in order to make your adjustments. Checking the bow of the neck: Version 1: If you have a Straight Edge, you can place this along the neck. Version 2: Place a Capo on fret 1 then press the string on fret 17. At this point, If you have them use your feeler gauges to measure the gap between the string and the fret at fret 8. If you do not have these then you can try to use a ruler or your best guess. The gap should be approximately 0.10inches or 0.25mm between the string and the top of the 8th fret. If the gap is less than 0.25mm you will need to loosen the truss rod by turning it counter-clockwise. If the gap is more than 0.25mm you will need to tighten the truss rod by turning it clockwise. Tip: Loosen the rod a little bit first. When making adjustments make small turns - up to one quarter turns maximum at a time. Always use caution when adjusting the truss rod! If you have difficulty or notice stiffness when making your adjustments, you may be better off taking it to a professional luthier instead of risking damage to your instrument by forcing the truss rod. Result: The result of your actions should be a setup neck, straight with no curve or bow along its length. It is incredibly important to get this right early on as if you need to adjust it again later then you will have to repeat all the steps that follow this.

Step Two - String Height

Tools Required: Ruler Screwdrivers Allen Key Now that you have set your neck straight, you will want to check your string height. It is important that you set your string height correctly now, as any changes made at the end of the step up will require you to correct the tone a second time. To setup the string height you will place a Capo on fret 1 and then use the Ruler to measure the gap between the strings and the frets at fret 12. You may use your personal preference when setting string height, however there is an widely accepted measurement of 1.2mm-1.6mm gap from the fret to the string. Adjusting the string height is done via the saddles on a Fender style guitar bridge or by adjusting the entire bridge on a Gibson style bridge.

Step Three - Intonation

Tools Required: Screwdriver Guitar Tuner The final step of setting up an electric guitar is adjusting the intonation. This entails changing the length of each individual string by moving the saddles on the guitar bridge backwards or forwards. The aim is to make the a harmonic at fret 12. I.e. the note will be the exact same pitch as when the string is played open (but an octave

higher). Plug in your guitar tuner and tune the instrument so that it is at the correct pitch when played open. Once done: Play the low E string open and then fretted at fret 12. - If the note is flat you will need to move the saddle forward towards the neck, shortening the string. - If the note is sharp you will need to move the saddle backward away from the neck, so that the string is lengthened. On a Fender style bridge, the screws to adjust the saddles are at the back of the bridge. On a Gibson style bridge, the screws to adjust the saddles are accessed from the front of the bridge beneath the strings. Once the length of your strings have been adjusted, the notes played at the 12th Fret and the notes played unfretted ought to be the same. I.e. an E string played open is also an E note when the same string is played with the 12th fret depressed. At this stage you can give yourself a pat on the back as you will have successfully completed all the steps required for a basic guitar setup. When it comes to setting up an instrument you can gain a gain sense of satisfaction from undertaking your own setup, but if you do run into difficulties then always take it to a professional. See the following additional suggestions for a more advanced/comprehensive guitar setup.

Optional Steps

Pickup Height Adjustment Nut Height Adjustment

comments policy 61  comments posted

+56

MaggaraMarineposted on Jul 16, 2013 11:31 am  #Actually if the neck was completely straight, there would be no gap between the string and the fret. I mean, think rationally. When the neck is straight, all frets are on the same level. And if you pressed down two frets, your string would touch all the frets between the two frets (because all frets are on the same level). So your neck needs to be just a bit bowed so that there's a gap - it's almost straight but not completely straight.

-12

uttamoposted on Jul 16, 2013 11:42 am  #What's wrong with the string touching all of the frets between the two frets you press down?

+33

fc89konkariposted on Jul 16, 2013 02:23 pm  #you'd either get ridiculous fret buzz or an insanely high action, depending on how you end up setting your bridge height (no relief)

+14

uttamoposted on Aug 11, 2013 03:34 pm  #

Ah right, so it's an indication that the neck is set up incorrectly. Damn I got negged heavily, I genuinely wanted to know what was wrong, I wasn't disputing OP.

-16

negativefxposted on Jul 17, 2013 04:05 pm  #Fender custom shop and master builts are all straight-necked. Bridge height determines relief.

KerNeL_KLuTcHposted on Jul 17, 2013 04:24 pm  #use a 12 inch straght edge, if it warped in those small increments it's something to worry about if not, it's insignificant.

+8

Pick 'n' Fingerposted on Jul 18, 2013 09:19 am  #you forgot, that the nut is higher, than the frets. That makes it work. Simple physics.

MaggaraMarineposted on Jul 23, 2013 06:07 pm  #So what? If you push down the first fret, it doesn't matter how high or low your nut is. Same with if you push down the 17th fret, it doesn't matter how high or low your action is. Hard to explain without a picture. But yeah, if you didn't push down the 1st fret, nut would matter.

hmblm12posted on Aug 12, 2013 04:49 pm  #I'm sure he meant the bridge.

+2

MaggaraMarineposted on Aug 12, 2013 07:22 pm  #Again, it doesn't matter. You can have your action how high or how low you ever want but when you push down the 17th fret, the string height doesn't matter any more. You push down the 17th fret so action doesn't have an impact to notes between 17th and 1st frets. Think about it. It's hard to explain, I would need to post a picture or something. But you can try it by yourself. Set the action to really high or really low. The gap between the 8th fret and string stays the same. You can only affect the gap by adjusting your truss rod. (Again, we have both 17th and 1st fret pushed down - if we didn't, both bridge and nut would matter).

MaggaraMarineposted on Aug 15, 2013 05:59 am  #Now I understood why you commented on my post. You misunderstood my first post. If you read the article, it was talking about pushing down your 1st and 17th frets and I was talking about the gap between the string and the 8th fret when those frets are pushed down at the same time . And you were

talking about if the frets weren't pushed down. Of course you are right, the nut and bridge are higher so even with completely straight neck you could play. But you would just get fretbuzz (or you would need to have high action). We were talking about a bit different things. So again, I was talking about the gap between the string and 8th fret when both 1st and 17th fret are pushed down. And if the neck is completely straight, there can be no gap between the 8th fret and string when the 1st and 17th fret are pushed down. Sorry for being unclear with my first post.

sstonyposted on Jul 19, 2013 02:18 pm  #You forgot the angle of the neck.

HarrySoundposted on Jul 23, 2013 05:00 am  #If you push down the string , would that not create a bow in the string and the highest point off the bow , where your fingers are would touch the fret. You would have to push down on the entire string evenly to touch all frets...

+9

zeroceidposted on Jul 16, 2013 11:37 am  #Really wouldn't recommend adjusting the truss rod unless you know exactly what your doing. Can hear the snap and the scream as a beginner alters it following this guide XD

Prokart335posted on Jul 16, 2013 01:03 pm  #Absolutely correct. Don't do any adjustments with the neck unless you have done it before and know what you're doing. Take it to a repair shop if you know this is the issue, they probably won't charge you much for doing it anyways. Most guitar's won't even need a neck adjustment out of the box.

+22

Dimarzio45posted on Jul 17, 2013 07:44 pm  #If you follow the instructions of 'make small adjustments', in many cases the results will be beneficial. I did the same thing to a guitar years ago for the first time and it turned out just fine. Now, I've adjusted practically all of the guitars own and I have not ONE horror story (they're not cheapies, so that really helps). The point is, truss rod adjustments should not be as feared as some people make them out to be. The important part is KNOWING you have to make a truss rod adjustment. You have to learn at some point, right? If not now, when?

ethansguitarsposted on Aug 18, 2013 01:43 am  #That all depends on the guitar and where the factory is located in comparison to where it's being shipped. Heat and humidity change can take a heavy toll on a stringed instrument. Plus the quality control of the factory and make of the instrument. There are a ton of factors involved. I wouldn't go as far as to say most don't need neck adjustments. I'd actually say most could use either a little relief or back bow after they've settled into their environment. I do however completely agree that you shouldn't adjust it unless

it's a cheap guitar to practice on or you've done it before and know what you're doing. If not than bring it to a pro, it'll be worth it.

+27

MaggaraMarineposted on Jul 16, 2013 03:16 pm  #It's not as dangerous as people make it seem to be. I have adjusted my truss rod many times and nothing has happened to the neck. I actually once turned it to the wrong direction and noticed that the fret buzz got worse so I turned it to the another direction and got rid of the buzz. You just need to be a bit careful with it and not turn it more than 1/4 of a turn at the time. Sometimes it's the only way to get rid of the fretbuzz (unless you want to have a really high action). If the fretbuzz only occurs on the lower frets, truss rod is what you should adjust. But if it's on the higher frets, you may have too low action. But yeah, when you adjust the truss rod, I would suggest watching some tutorial videos first. And it's good to know how to do it by yourself. Though on some guitars (like my Charvel) you need to take the neck off before you can adjust the truss rod. If you have one of these guitars, then I wouldn't maybe do it by myself.

+4

kverhoeveposted on Jul 16, 2013 09:11 pm  #I've adjusted the truss rod to perfection on both my high dollar guitars (Gibson Les Paul and Taylor 314ce) and I have also had them setup by a professional at other times. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to perfect string tension, the absolute key is adjusting in small increments and not turning the truss rod several rotations (snap!)

aerosmithfan95posted on Aug 05, 2013 09:53 am  #I completely agree. It's just that some experienced guitarists may get carried away if they begin to adjust the truss rod a lot. As long as they have some understanding on what to do beforehand, they'll be good.

+1

vIsIbleNoIsEposted on Jul 21, 2013 01:23 pm  #to make truss rod adjustments, all you need is to not be careless. guitars don't break so easily, at least nowadays.

The_Lockerposted on Jul 22, 2013 12:55 pm  #First time I ever adjusted a truss rod was on my Fender bass and it went fine. Although I did a half turn in one go which I probably shouldn't have done. But it worked, I was getting so much fret buzz before it was near unplayable, now it plays great.

Sv3nkri3g3rposted on Jul 16, 2013 01:34 pm  #I've been doing the setup on my instruments and my friends' for a while now, whenever I tell someone how to adjust the truss rod I tell them 1/8th turn at a time, but only do it once a day. Gives the neck time to bend with the truss rod without the risk of them over tightening it and breaking it.

+1

kverhoeveposted on Jul 16, 2013 09:19 pm  #I personally slacken my strings, adjust the truss rod, the re-tune to check the tension, relief, and play-ability. There's really no need to only limit this adjustment to once a day as you guitar's neck does not need to "rest." Adjust until you're satisfied.

godisasniperposted on Aug 14, 2013 09:41 am  #I was under the impression that you should always adjust the truss rod while tuned so that you're dealing with the same amount of tension at all times.

crazysam23_Ataxposted on Aug 22, 2013 12:10 am  #You're correct. Loosening the strings doesn't help.

demonhellcatposted on Jul 16, 2013 03:08 pm  #I think you meant 0.01 inches, not 0.10; but the 0.25mm is correct. Although if you're heavy handed and do a lot of rhythm playing around the 1st-3rd frets you may need more relief to avoid fret buzz.

+7replyAxeHappyposted on Jul 16, 2013 05:05 pm  #Unless you're an absolute moron you won't hurt your guitar by adjusting your truss rod. Go slow and carefully and you will be fine. There is no need to stick to 1/8 of a turn or day or whatever. Also this is really just an action adjustment not really a setup.