Discussion Topic
guitar tech
Posted on 02/09/09, 08:44 pm
i figured that it might be usesfull to start a topic on guitar care like share tips or something i dunno lol
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Reply #1 02/12/09 1:22am
Ya that's cool nova. What info are you looking for exactaly? Like how to change strings.....clean....re wire your old pickups...ect? But ya I think this would be a cool post though! -
Reply #2 02/12/09 3:14am
well to be honest setting up a guitar is confusing the hell out of me lol so any tips on setting up the intonation and what not would be helpfull -
Reply #3 02/12/09 7:57pm
Setting up a guitar as far as what? Like what strings to use? Or how high they should be off the neck? I'm a little confused as to what you want to know nova. Intonation depends on a lot of things. The tone itself of your guitar. The strings your using. The way your bridge is set and how high it is of the neck and body of your guitar. I'm guessing you have fret buzz?? -
Reply #4 02/13/09 3:53am
sorry man i should of been more clear lol i use ernie ball 9 guage strings and yep i got fret buzz lol there isnt a more horrible noise lol and i havent actually attempted to set up a guitar before so i have no idea what im doing how far away are the strings meant to be from the fret board?? -
Reply #5 02/13/09 3:26pm
Oh ok well first off if you never done it befor the best thing to do is to take it to a pro and tell them what's going on. But if you want to try it yourself hers some info you should know.
Neck
On most guitars they come with adjustable truss rods. The purpose of a truss rod is to adjust the neck to counteract string tension. There are many reasons for truss rod adjustments. One of the most frequent reasons is changing string gauges or tuning pitch witch can affect string tension. String tension changes may affect the string height and cause fret buzz or notes not to ring true. To adjust the truss rod locate the truss rod nut at the top of your neck (should be under a plastic cover on the head stock) and adjust it by using the correct wrench (usaly a Allen) into the nut and tighting (clockwise) loosening (counter clockwise) the rod. Truss rod tension can be measured by installing what's called a capo at the first fret the holding the string down at the fret position where the neck joins the body. Insert a thickness gauge between the string and the 8th fret. There should be between 0.3 mm to 0.5 mm clearance. That clearance is referred to as "neck. Relief". Too much neck relief can cause the neck to have higher action in the middle of the neck causing poor intonation and incofortable playing. No neck relief can cause fret buzz.
Action
Your guitar should have been set from the factory already with there specs. But changes in temperature can affect it also by moisture in the air. High string action can make for difficult playing. If the string actiong is to low fret buzz or unclear notes can occur. In the case of string action make sure the guitar is tuned and that the truss rod is adjusted properly. slot of guitars are set at the 14th fret (basses at 12th fret). The action may also need to be readjusted after the neck has been adjusted or strings have been changed to a differnt gauge
On guitar the treble side should be 1.7mm the bass side should be 2.3mm
On a bass guitar it should measure treble side 2.0mm and bass side 2.5mm
Intonation
Intonation adjustmrnt is the operation of adjusting the location of the string at the saddle to compensate for different string gauges or different tunings. Intonation is properly set when the 12th fret note and the 12th fret harmonic are exactaly the same. This is the center point of the scale and the most accurate way of setting a standard scale length. With the harmonic note as the standard....if the freted not was flat move the saddle forward towards the headstock. To decrease the string length....if the note was sharp move the saddle back away from the headstock.
Hope that helped you put a bit nova. But again if you have never done it before I would strongly suggest taking it to a pro and haveing them do it. It doesn't coust a lot to have it done and they may be able to do it whell your there. -
Reply #6 02/14/09 2:07am
hi - i agree with the last post. if you haven't done it before. an initial set-up by a tech should not be that expensive. at least you would then have a reference point for future adjustments. as stated earlier many things you may not even think to consider might be causing you problems. just doing something as simple as changing the diameter of the strings you play with can create a problem because different string gauges require different tensions to create the same note. however, different tensions on the strings can allow the neck to flex or recurve creating buzzing or action issues. sorry i didn't make any sense. -
Reply #7 02/14/09 3:05am
That's true try using heavier gauged strings. See if you like them. If not have your guitar set to the strings you like. Also keep in mind that once your guitar is set to a string try your best to keep to that string. Meaning if you use medium light gauge strings don't have your guitar set to that gauge and then go out and put light gauge strings on. You'll most likely wind up getting fret buzz. -
Reply #8 02/14/09 8:52am
i prefer ernie ball 9's i've experimented with different gauge strings but ended up with 9's at the end lol but at the moment i have literally no money to get it set up in a shop so im planning on doing it myself and i guess that it'd be a great thing to figure out how to do myself anyways!!thank you for all your help peoples!!!!!!!!!:) -
Reply #9 02/14/09 10:13am
No prob. Let us know how ya did -
Reply #10 07/22/09 1:33am
This was my kind of thread. Darkhour000 great advice. The only thing I think I should add to a first time do it yourselfer is that it doesn't take much of a turn on the truss rod to change the relief, 1/8 or 1/4 of a turn. And if it feels in the least bit tight....STOP or you'll strip the truss rod and that is a major repair. Otherwise there's not a whole lot that you can go wrong aside from just being cautious with your screw drivers so they don't slip and mar the finish. Good luck and great advice Darkhour again!
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