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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.
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.
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.
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.
Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
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.
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
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
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.
I like to have a pro to do the set up occasionally as I prefer not to adjust the neck or do frets myself.
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
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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.
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.
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