Strings question

tonyw1

tonyw1

New member
sorry if this sounds like a stupid question but i am still new to the more technical side of guitars i play for my own enjoyment and because i am really into music so sorry if i'm coming across as stupid! :confused:

ok, i have an epiphone les paul junior and the strings are really tight to the fret board and the guitar is really comfortable to play
i also have a squier jaguar and another epi les paul junior double cutaway but the strings are higher off the fret board and not as comfortable for me to play
is there anyway of changing this or what causes it?again sorry if this is a silly question :spank:
many thanks
Tony
 
You just need a good setup done to the jag and LP jr. You can do it yourself, but if you're totally new to setting action and intonation, take it in to repair shop. They can knock em out no problem.
 
What Greg says: a guitar shop that has a technician can do a complete setup, adjusting the action (that's the height the strings are above the fretboard) to your liking and ensuring that you don't have fret buzzing, checking the intonation and more. As you like the Epiphone's action, take that with you and the techie can measure that. If the strings on teh two guitars are a different gauge then you may want the techie to set the Squier up for the same gauge as you use on the Epiphone. Expect to pay around 60 euros - that's just a guess. A good set up can last a lifetime.
 
thanks for much for that guys there is a good music shop in a city about 45 minutes away from me i'm going to give him an email now and see can he or one of the guys that work in the shop do it for me, no point bringing all my stuff up to find out that he has no one that can do it!
is it a complicated thing to do?i wouldn't mind spending a few euro on it if it means that the guitar will be more comfortable and better to play!
 
tonyw1 said:
no point bringing all my stuff up to find out that he has no one that can do it!
is it a complicated thing to do?i wouldn't mind spending a few euro on it if it means that the guitar will be more comfortable and better to play!
Click to expand...

Like what Greg said- it's called "setting the action" as in: You want a guitar technician to set your action for you. He (or she) will ideally have you play a couple of different guitars lying around and see which one feels best to you. They can set yours up with similar action. This is a very basic guitar tech skill and almost any tech can do it. I'm sure you'll have no problem finding someone to do it. Cheers.

Drone.
 
Drone_21042 said:
Like what Greg said- it's called "setting the action" as in: You want a guitar technician to set your action for you. He (or she) will ideally have you play a couple of different guitars lying around and see which one feels best to you. They can set yours up with similar action. This is a very basic guitar tech skill and almost any tech can do it. I'm sure you'll have no problem finding someone to do it. Cheers.

Drone.
Click to expand...
cool cheers man
so its basic enough to do yes?
say rather than me playing a few differant guitars if i wanted the set up on my guitar done to another one of my guitars they could easily do it ya?
 
yeah ..... I would consider it a very basic adjustment ......... ANY decent shop can do it.
 
tonyw1 said:
cool cheers man
so its basic enough to do yes?
say rather than me playing a few differant guitars if i wanted the set up on my guitar done to another one of my guitars they could easily do it ya?
Click to expand...

absolutely, and good techs can do it in a just a few minutes
 
I'd say you could do it yourself with a little reading on the google. Try it without messing with the truss rod. You might get it just right, and if you screw it up, well you were gonna take it in anyway.........
 
Couldn't agree more with Greg on the truss rod point. People on the Warwick forum are constant farting with the truss rods on their basses and end up with a bass that's essentially impossible to set up for anyone without replacing the now turfed rod.
 
I guess it's like working on cars. You can do the basic stuff if you do some research and jump in. The truss rod is something I would avoid messing with as I am afraid of screwing up the neck. One comment that did ring true - if you get your guitar set up right it will last for a long time. I get my guitars set up when I buy them then maybe once every five years or more (mainly a check up). Good idea to bring the nice guitar with you to show the tech.... My set ups usually cost me $100 all in including new strings. It's a little more for fret dressing - which is necessary after several years of playing cowboy chords...
 
ido1957 said:
I guess it's like working on cars. You can do the basic stuff if you do some research and jump in. The truss rod is something I would avoid messing with as I am afraid of screwing up the neck. One comment that did ring true - if you get your guitar set up right it will last for a long time. I get my guitars set up when I buy them then maybe once every five years or more (mainly a check up). Good idea to bring the nice guitar with you to show the tech.... My set ups usually cost me $100 all in including new strings. It's a little more for fret dressing - which is necessary after several years of playing cowboy chords...
Click to expand...

truss rods are nothing ...... the key is to not turn them too much. Maybe about 1/8 of a turn at a time. And realize that if you get to where you've turned it as much as 1/2 a turn something's probably wrong.
I've always done my own and I don't think I've ever run into one that needed anywhere near a full turn so they're prety sensitive.

As for 100 bucks ..... meh, I guess.
If I were still working on gits I'd probably charge around 45 bucks for a set up not counting strings ...... it really only takes maybe 30 minutes or so.
 
google guitar set up and I'm sure you'll find a million good articles or videos.

the truss rod isn't too scary as long as you don't turn more than 1/2 turn as Lt. Bob said. Most of the time it won't need much or anything. The bridge height and length is the most important part, and then the nut. If you can't get the bridge set right, the nut is probably the problem. Fret dressing is important (getting all of the sharp edges off of the frets), but that won't make as much of a difference as the bridge and nut.

But, if you don't want to mess with it yourself, I'd rather pay $100 to get a good playing guitar than just have a piece of junk hanging around the house. A good setup is like a new guitar when it's done.
 
aaronmcoleman said:
the truss rod isn't too scary as long as you don't turn more than 1/2 turn as Lt. Bob said.
Click to expand...
yep ...... I just recently finally adjusted the truss rod on my Stinnett Custom. It was time ..... it was brand spanking new right off his bench when I got it and now I've been gigging it for about a year and a half and it had just a little too much relief. So I turned it a little over an eighth of a turn and it was too much! So I had to back it off ...... probably ended up having turned it maybe 1/16th of a turn. They're pretty sensitive indeed.
 
A good guitar setup book is a great asset for many maintenance and repairs of guitars. I have one called-
Guitar setup, Maintenance & Repair by John Levan
by Mel Bay books
All kinds of info is in there, I use it for any bridge or truss rod settings and I've learned a lot, even wiring for standard guitars and great mods as well.

John Levan was one of the guitar techs that saved and resurrected many of the guitars damaged in Nashville, TN when the rivers overflowed last year.
 
Anfontan said:
A good guitar setup book is a great asset for many maintenance and repairs of guitars. I have one called-
Guitar setup, Maintenance & Repair by John Levan
by Mel Bay books
All kinds of info is in there, I use it for any bridge or truss rod settings and I've learned a lot, even wiring for standard guitars and great mods as well.

John Levan was one of the guitar techs that saved and resurrected many of the guitars damaged in Nashville, TN when the rivers overflowed last year.
Click to expand...

This is very good advice. Even if you never intend to do any of your own work, you will understand what your tech is talking about better.
 
muttley600 said:
I love this kind of advice as it ensures I have a steady supply of work all year round...;)
Click to expand...
now now ...... if they stick to my advice to not turn it more than 1/2 turn it's not going to harm anything.
Of course ..... who ever heard of a newbie git player following advice fully?
 
This kind of stuff can be done at home by pretty much anyone with some patience. If it was messed up to begin with and messed upmwhen you're done, what's been lost? Just take it to the tech like you would have in the beginning.

My advice is write down your initial settings and what you've changed and how much (ie truss rod 1/16 turn clockwise, high e intonation 1/2 turn counter clockwise…etc)
Then you can always undo what you did and get it back to where it was.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top