R
Richard Monroe
Well-known member
guitar setup
Come on guys! Peter, take a deep breath and don't panic. Some of the people here are trying to help you, and a few are just torturing you because they think it's fun. Yeah, it's handy to understand guitar setup, and you probably won't hurt your strat unless you really lean on a truss rod wrench, but you might benefit from taking your guitar to an experienced guitarist, dealer, or luthier (a guy who makes guitars) and asking him to change your strings, set your intonation, adjust bridge height, do a truss rod adjustment, and show you how to do it. Try, " I'm poor, but I'll shovel your driveway in January, any day you say." You'd be amazed how well that works. Many people would do this for you cheap or free, just to help you out, and to defend an American strat from the fate of being set up wrong (worse than death).
I think you really, really shouldn't mess with intonation yet, it is not time grasshopper. All in due time, my pretty. Although it is not the advice you want to hear, I expect, all the money you intend to spend on a solid body w/ dual humbuckers would serve you better over the years if spent on a good guitar instructor. Understand that the people on this board are the ultimate do-it-yourselfers, or they wouldn't be home recorders, and most of them have made the mistakes you are making now!
Sometimes, it's easier to learn the easy way. Most people do it one of 2 ways: trial and error vs. pay a pro to do it right. I tend toward the 3rd path- pay a pro to teach you how to do it right the first time, then teach someone with less money for free to pay off your karmic debt. So I hired a recording engineer, not to record, but to teach- think about it. Anyway, figure out what kind of strings you like, get your axe set up for them, and don't change all the time. And guys, don't confuse this guy, he's already got enough "issues"; we don't need to add to his headaches. Good luck- Richie
Come on guys! Peter, take a deep breath and don't panic. Some of the people here are trying to help you, and a few are just torturing you because they think it's fun. Yeah, it's handy to understand guitar setup, and you probably won't hurt your strat unless you really lean on a truss rod wrench, but you might benefit from taking your guitar to an experienced guitarist, dealer, or luthier (a guy who makes guitars) and asking him to change your strings, set your intonation, adjust bridge height, do a truss rod adjustment, and show you how to do it. Try, " I'm poor, but I'll shovel your driveway in January, any day you say." You'd be amazed how well that works. Many people would do this for you cheap or free, just to help you out, and to defend an American strat from the fate of being set up wrong (worse than death).
I think you really, really shouldn't mess with intonation yet, it is not time grasshopper. All in due time, my pretty. Although it is not the advice you want to hear, I expect, all the money you intend to spend on a solid body w/ dual humbuckers would serve you better over the years if spent on a good guitar instructor. Understand that the people on this board are the ultimate do-it-yourselfers, or they wouldn't be home recorders, and most of them have made the mistakes you are making now!
Sometimes, it's easier to learn the easy way. Most people do it one of 2 ways: trial and error vs. pay a pro to do it right. I tend toward the 3rd path- pay a pro to teach you how to do it right the first time, then teach someone with less money for free to pay off your karmic debt. So I hired a recording engineer, not to record, but to teach- think about it. Anyway, figure out what kind of strings you like, get your axe set up for them, and don't change all the time. And guys, don't confuse this guy, he's already got enough "issues"; we don't need to add to his headaches. Good luck- Richie