Any "set up" wizards out there?

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getuhgrip

getuhgrip

Bring Back Transfat!
I bought a maple neck from an american standard last month and swapped with the rosewood neck on my mexicaster.
It has sounded flat and twangy since. Especialy the G string.

What are some of the procedures to follow when replacing necks, and how do you set up the bridge?
 
Getuhgrip,

Set the action fairly high, that way if it buzzes you can only blame yourself.

To set the intonation, make sure you wait till the strings are as dead as you are used to playing them. I like fairly dead strings, they stay in tune better.

Then play songs with chords all up and down the neck, and keep adjusting untill a good compromise is met. This will take a while, but it's the best way.

Using a strobe will only work if your guitar is perfect, and there ain't no such animal!

Check out the colaboration I did with bassman at the clinic. This song had lots of chords. Without proper intonation this song would not work. Look for "Guitar and Drums".

I think I spent about a month off and on setting the intonation on my guitar.

GT
 
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The neck is a 4 bolt new style?Loosen the strings slack first.Loosen the 4 bolts at the heel and slowly and EVENLY tighten then up back to about hand-tight (20 foot-pounds or so).
Retune to concert and check the neck for straightness using the low E as a straight-edge.Adjust truss rod as need (righty tighty- lefty loosey).Leaving a slight amount of upbow "relief" will help reduce buzzing if the action is low and string bends are anticipated.
Intonation is then a straightforeward process of setting the individual string saddles so that the 12th fret harmonic and the open note are both in tune.If you don't have a strobe,here's a shareware tuner good to 1/100 cent
http://tom.artistcollaboration.com/tuner.exe
Good Luck.

Tom
 
Tom,

I have to disagree about setting intonation, octave setting will only get you in the ball park.

I can not stress enough, the setting intonation by ear, with real chords, its the only way!

Intonation will have to be a compromise, for the whole neck, not just the 12th fret. It's just not that easy.

GT
 
GT
Your system is called "mean tempered tuning" and was abandoned during the time of Bach (mid 1600s).
The ear is great at hearing "perfect" intervals;perfect octaves,perfect fifths.perfect fourths etc.And that would be wonderful if all you do is play in one key.
But the modern "mean tempered" system uses imperfections on purpose to allow you to modulate from key to key and still have the instrument remain relatively in tune in EVERY key.
Use whatever works for you,but be aware that you are swimming upstream as far as the common practices of most guitar techs and repairmen.
Interested readers can try this test:tune your guitar by ear with perfect intervals and then tell me if the 3rd string G at the first fret is in tune.Chances are it will be sharp.
Just for fun,tune the low E to perfect tune and then use the harmonis method to tune the other strings with each upper note being three cycles a second flat (the beats between the notes).This is a quick and dirty (but useable!) approximation of equal tempering your axe.

Tom
 
Tom,

Cool information, I'l have to change the name of my guitar from Stratocatus, to Bach Rocker.

Thank you for simplifying the name, "mean tempered tuning", COOL!

I don't think it's a good idea to have a guitar tech set up your guitar. For one thing they don't have a lot of time to spend.

I've done this, they set the action way to low, couldn't even grab the strings for bending, not to mention, way to much buzz! They set the intonation with a strobe,which made the guitar only in tune on some chords, and not others. This is why there has to be a compromise, between chords, not just tuning, but intonation.

This is why I am a firm beleiver in "Mean Tempered Tuning".

BTW: the g string is and allways will be "The weakest link"!

I even tried a wound g once, a little better, but broke so fast, no go!

I do think that by ear is better than some machine!

GT
 
Hi GT
Between posts I am tuning Metallophones and Glockenspiels at the drill press for my company Rhythm Band (we sell en masse to schools).One of the things I have learned in listening to the notes and watching the graphic display is the the ear has a "sweet spot" in the middle range and gets less acurate in its judgements as the extremes of the range are approached (close,sharp high notes or flat low notes fool the ear and sound in tune).
I use a tuner on the bandstand,but will rely on my ear during a song if a note sounds off.My classical guitar teacher used to joke that you should tune to the final chord of a song so that at least that one will sound right!

Tom
 
Tom,

Between posts, I'm trying to find a cure for cancer, and setting up guitars for Eric Clapton. HaHa!!

What your guitar teacher said was right on. Fortunately electric guitars have adjustable bridges, and can perhaps realize a little more perfection in intonation, if well tempered (compomised).

Example: You tune your guitar to make one chord in tune, and it's perfect, but when you play another chord it's out of tune.

You then compromse tune, and the out of tune chord becomes less out of tune, but the in tune chord becomes out of tune. This is the compromise.

Now what mean tempering does, is allows you to not only use the tuners to help the compromise, but also uses the bridge saddles. Fretted instruments need all the help they can get!

GT
 
Tom,

Here' Bachrocker in action. Let me know if the tempering is mean enough. Lots of chords, good test!

This is a collaboration I did with bassman.

I'll put my guitar where my mouth is.

Short download, two minute song.

http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/rockpop/gt/

Song; instrument 2

BTW; Did not have to tune for last chord, guitar has Mean Temper!!

GT
 
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GT nice playing and nice sound on the take 2 song.
But your next to last post makes my case about tuning.If you tune to a certain chord and then change chords and you have to retune,you are only ever going to be in tune for that one key!
Your example song is diatonic and doesn't modulate so you don't get into trouble with the tuning.
I can see that we cannot convince each other of the relative merits of our positions.You are a good player.Here's a link to me playing live with my band.
http://redrival.com/tomh/redhouse.asf
Take care ,buddy.


Tom


p.s. say hello to Eric for me
 
Tom,

I got missing file or directory notice. Are you sure you gave the right link.

What do you mean diatonic and doesn't modulate? Why I never!!

BTW: Whatever happened to getuhgrip, did you hit him over the head with a glockenspiel?

GT
 
Sorry GT
My old Redrival server finally killed all my old files.That was a free server that I started with last year and the tech crash has had them change to a pay service.I moved my text and graphics to geocities but the old audio links worked untill now.I have recently got a 100 meg ftp site so I guess I better move everything over there.Mea culpa,bud.

Tom

p.s. here's a joke
Current Events Teacher:Can anyone tell me where Afghanistan is?
Johnny:Between Iraq and a hard place
 
Tom,

Great debating with you, I learned there's a name for the damage I've done to my guitar.

I hope you learned that people listen to music, not machines.

Tuners and strobes will only get you in the ball park, but the ear will take you home!

GT
 
Tom Hicks said:
Intonation is then a straightforeward process of setting the individual string saddles so that the 12th fret harmonic and the open note are both in tune.
Click to expand...

I've never intonated using the open note, I always compare the harmonic on the 12th fret, to the 12th fret, fretted. And adjust the saddles accordingly. You really mean open string?
 
Let me be more clear.Intonation is set like this.Use the open string to set the pitch.Then the harmonic at the 12th fret is compared to the fretted note there and the deviation between those last two pitchs is the increment of adjustment for the saddle.Sorry if I mislead.
Obviously,it is the relationship between the open string and the fretted 12 th (half the distance from the nut to the saddle) that determines the "in tuneness" of an ax.

Tom
 
Ok gotcha, was just wondering. Thought I might have been intonating wrong all this time.
 
You can even intonate your acoustic guitars this way by filing the saddle


Tom
 
So,

My thoughts on the subject have been dismissed as insanity.

OK, well when I take over the world, you guys aren't invited.

GT
 
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