Self setup or get someone else to do it

chrisoldroyd

So I just bought a new Epiphone G400 Pro and would like to get it setup nicely, lower the action, new strings, check intonation and neck relief etc. So should I have a go myself, I'm not that experienced or is it worth paying someone that hopefully knows what they are doing. 

What's everyone's opinion??

SimonC

Have a go yourself, it’s a very good thing to learn.
The Guitar is made so it can be adjusted easily by the user, hence the adjustable bridge, saddles, truss rod etc.
There’s nothing you can do by making these adjustments that can’t be reversed. Just take your time and only make small, incremental adjustments.

dazzajl

It does depend on what you want? 

I’m very happy to set up my guitars myself and I can get them to a place that’s near enough to what I like that I don’t think about it, I just enjoy playing them. But when I’ve had guitars set up but a chap that came very highly recommend by a ‘proper’ guitarist, they’ve been in a whole other world of impressive. 

flying_pie

Give it a try yourself.

Then take it to a trusted guitar tech and have them check over your work. They can finish off the setup and you can ask them what they have done to improve it over your setup. 

richardhomer

As long as you use the right tools, so you don’t chew up truss rod adjusters - and go slowly - there’s pretty much no chance of doing any harm.

I don’t do my own fretwork - but everything else is well within the capability of anyone. I know exactly how I want my guitars set up - and when I set the intonation, I’m pressing the strings down with the same pressure I use in normal playing - so the guitar ends up optimally adjusted for the way I play.

Its a skill every player should develop in my view - along with the ability to solder.     

Phil_aka_Pip

I agree with most of the above, if everything is adjustable then within reason you can always tweak it back if you don't like what you did. If it's a case of shaving bits off a fixed wooden bridge I'd think twice about it, but I've taken a Tune-o-Matic bridge apart and re-assembled it to get the intonation I wanted. Read. Try. Experience. Learn

HAL9000

Have a go yourself. Plenty of help on YouTube. 

Only thing I learned the hard way is that it's sensible to loosen the strings before raising saddles. Managed to strip one of the height adjustment screws on an old no-name Tele as the string tension was holding the saddle still while I turned the screw.

Oh, and having an accurate tuner is useful for getting the intonation spot on.

robgilmo

I don't think I have ever seen a you tube video that explains things properly, for instance I wouldn't cut the groove of a nut to lower the string height, for me cutting the nut grooves is to enable the strings to sit correctly in the groove. Setting the relief and action, I do this by making the neck flat, set action so the last frets don't buzz (the truss rod doesn't bend this part of the neck) then set relief to eliminate any buzzing lower down the neck. I guess we all do things differently but the end result should be the same.

chrisoldroyd

Oh lots in favour of doing yourself. I’m tempted as I know how to do most of it but can’t seem to find an accurate method to check if the neck is setup right.

robgilmo

Your ears? And some feeler gushes.

guitars4you

There is no actual degree available in 'set-up' procedure or anything rocket science about it - But equally some will always do it better than others - To a degree you own playing ability and acceptance levels of what constitutes a good set-up will come into play a bit (don't want that to sound wrong, but probably does) - If you try it yourself, then the best bit of advice is do a small adjustment, check the result and adjust further if required - Easier to stop at any point this way, as against having to do a major repair to some huge 'cock-up' - I dare say most of us on FB who have made adjustments have learnt by trial and error

Essential adjustments involve, top nut, truss rod/relief, action, intonation, pick up height, string height, clean frets and clean strings - Get this right and you'll generally have something that is far better than a starting point

Will it need a fret dress ? - depends how bad it currently is and how low and action you require - the lower the action then the more critical it is to have a set of level frets, but at this stage I wouldn't worry about it, only if it becomes an issue with some fret buzz problems - Fret dress is not an easy issue to teach anyone straight off and correct tools are required

Ref a set-up, apart from a set of nut files and a correct truss rod adjustment tool, then any standard tools in your box should work

viz

robgilmo said:

Your ears? And some feeler gushes.

Feeler gushes may not be 100% required. 

ICBM

chrisoldroyd said:

Oh lots in favour of doing yourself. I’m tempted as I know how to do most of it but can’t seem to find an accurate method to check if the neck is setup right.

Simply hold the guitar in the playing position and fret the G string at the first fret and the first over the body (often the 17th on an electric). Look at the gap between the string and the 7th-8th frets - it should be roughly half the string diameter, or a little less. It's not necessary to measure it accurately since whether it's right or not is more to do with whether any strings rattle than the actual measurement.

NelsonP

I'd say try the basic stuff yourself. Go carefully, make small adjustments. If you feel like you've not got the result you want then take it to a tech.

I'm fine with adjusting action, intonation etc but neck relief has always been a black art and I've never had much luck doing it myself. I also worry that I might bust the truss rod somehow (have heard this is possible if you overtighten them).

It requires a good level of skill and patience to set up a guitar properly. Some things are way beyond my skill level - setting neck angle, relief, fret dressing etc. Techs also generally have the right tools for the job...straight edges, string height gauges, neck jigs etc.

YouTube covers most of the key stuff and it's not like it can't be learned though.

pintspiller

I adjust intonation and string height myself every four or five string changes. I prefer to buy four or five sets of strings at the same time to ensure they come from the same batch.

I like to have a pro to do the set up occasionally as I prefer not to adjust the neck or do frets myself.

WezV

All of those adjustments count for very little if the nut is not cut correctly, and the nut is left purposefully high on many factory setups.

Nut slotting is not something you want to do on your prized possession for a first time.

I won’t tell anyone they can’t do it... but for me it’s the first and most important step, and also the one with the highest chance of getting wrong and greatest need for specialist tools

however, anyone can learn to assess if a nut needs work

Chalky

Once you've learned how to do your own setups, including setting nut slots, you'll make all your guitars feel and play much better and never go back to paying someone else to do it.

SNAKEBITE

Have a go yourself, the first time will not be as good as the second and so on.

However, if you can cross thread a jam jar it might be an idea to pass it on to someone who is a bit more practical.

Strat54

WezV said:

All of those adjustments count for very little if the nut is not cut correctly, and the nut is left purposefully high on many factory setups.

Nut slotting is not something you want to do on your prized possession for a first time.

I won’t tell anyone they can’t do it... but for me it’s the first and most important step, and also the one with the highest chance of getting wrong and greatest need for specialist tools

however, anyone can learn to assess if a nut needs work

This is the best piece of info on here for the OP and so so true.

Funkfingers

Make enquiries with local guitar techs about their charges for a set-up. Chances are that a smaller sum of money will land you a copy of How To Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great by Dan Erlewine.

WezV

Funkfingers said:

Make enquiries with local guitar techs about their charges for a set-up. Chances are that a smaller sum of money will land you a copy of How To Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great by Dan Erlewine.

and then fully budget for tools etc and the price you may have to pay if you don't get it right.

I must confess,  I have only ever paid for one set-up and it was enough to convince me I should do it myself from that point forward.   But I don't pretend that it was an instantly cheaper  or I was instantly good at it.

I fully encourage people to have a go - but do it with your eyes open.   Don't expect perfection first time.  Don't start on your best guitar. Don't ignore the factors you can't adjust, learn to assess them first.   There is no shame in paying for a set-up if you don't have the time, inclination or spare guitars to do that.

I think the main issue with that 1 set-up I paid for was I was not specific enough in my requirements, or confident enough to challenge an expert.   If you are paying for a set-up, its worth spending some time thinking about what you actually want to achieve and don't be scared to tell the expert if the results are not right for the way you play.