Where Can I Learn to Set Up A Guitar?

[Kill Me Sarah]

I'm planning on getting a guitar from Rondo Music so I can learn to tinker. In general, their guitars get great reviews, but a lot of them require a decent amount of set-up to be just right. I assume that there are places online to learn, but I'm wondering if anyone knows of any good books, or any good music shops where they will teach you in the Seattle-Tacoma area.

Side note: I'm torn between getting another Strat-style guitar, and picking up a Les Paul copy. I've never played a Les Paul style guitar, though I've heard they're easier to play (easier to set up with really low action). Thoughts? Recommendations of song comparisons that use one or the other?

[ken]

I've played a few of their Agile Les Paul and SG copies. They are very nice guitars. I have a friend who bought the SG and used it as his main axe right out of the box. He has the real thing too!

Ken

[Kill Me Sarah]

Know anyone who has gotten the SX versions?

[Project-D]

I've got How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great by Dan Erlewine and it's a really good one, I haven't tried any of his other books but they get high marks by most reviewers. He's also got some videos and people speak highly of them. Anyway it covers replacing the nut/bridge, frets, necks, trem's and more, plus it's pretty cheap, $14.

Also, here are some kickass websites Frets.com This is Frank Fords site, and even if you don't intend to ever work on your own guitar, it's interesting to read, especially if you're any kind of tinkerer. It covers repairs from broken necks, smashed tops, machining parts, and making your own specialized tools.

Musicial Instrument Makers Forum. This is also for the tinkerers, it's mostly text, but there are some pictures, repairs, handmade instruments, etc. Some of the handmade instruments there are amazing.

Here's another great one Kathy Matsushita, this lady is an English teacher (!) who makes her own guitars. Her pages aren't laid out too well, but there's LOTS of pictures, and she explains every step. She's documented most every guitar she's ever made.

[roymond]

Strat vs Les Paul: what's "easier" is going to be a personal choice. Strat fretboards are wider, and strings are generally "looser" feeling (dependent on gauge used). Some people like this and it fits their hands better. Others like the smaller neck diameter of the Les Paul. And also various models have different curvature of the fret board itself, from flat to slightly arched. Again, all personal things that require you to spend some time to determine what feels right. Then there's that little bump at the end of a les paul neck, whereas a strat just keeps going under the nut. Then there's the weight of the instrument and the way it hands, or sits in your lap when seated.

If you're truly "wondering", then don't rush into it, spend some time in their little room playing away. Or...can you rent one for a month?

Or hell...buy it and get intimate You can always divorce (in most states, anyway)

[Kill Me Sarah]

Yeah, I think the appeal of these Rondo guitars is that they are decent and yet I could probably afford to get a new one every month or two Whereas I'd have to probably save up for half a year to go out and buy an American Strat or Gibson LP.

If I don't break a string, can I just get an annulment?

[king_arthur]

Hi - when you said "learn to tinker" and "another strat" it sounds like you're already a player, you just want an inexpensive guitar so you can learn to do minor tweaks to make it play in tune, etc. I don't have any recommendations for books, but probably the main things you'll want to do will be truss rod adjustment and intonation stuff...

If the action seems good at the tuner end of the guitar, you shouldn't have to do anything with the nut... if it's too high, file from the bottom (if you try to adjust the individual string notches, then you have to adjust ALL the notches) or install a little shim, as needed.

The truss rod adjusts the curvature of the neck, and thus, the action the rest of the way up the neck. My recollection is that you want it slightly convex so you don't get buzz on the high notes when playing in the middle. Basically, tweak 'til you get good action and no buzz. Most bridges offer some degree of height adjustment, too.

The way you play will affect how your action should be set up - the heavier your "touch" on the guitar, the more action you'll need to avoid buzzing.

And you want to do all this without throwing the intonation off... basically, you get a strobe tuner, and when a given string is in tune played open, it should still be in tune when played at the 12th fret. Basically, if you shorten the string (by adjusting the saddle), the 12th fret will play higher (relative to the open string).

The weight and even brand of strings you're using will affect all this stuff, so decide what you think you'll be using and set the guitar up for those strings.

Once you've got the strings working the way you'd like them, you can adjust the pickups up or down to get an even sound (or the sound you want, whatever that might be). If you want to get into the electronics a little bit, you might want to add a switch that will put the pickups in phase or out of phase (by reversing the polarity of one of the pickups). That's what happens when you put a strat pickup selector switch between notches.

And then when it starts sounding out of tune, replace the strings before you tweak any of the setup...

Charles (KA)

[Kill Me Sarah]

a bunch of really useful stuff

Thanks! This is exactly the kind of info I need. As for my "another strat" comment, I meant a replacement strat-style guitar for the one I left behind (a Squier). I want to get something that I can use, but also that's not so expensive that I'm afraid to tinker with it.

[ken]

Well, you could learn a lot for cheap by fixing up a Squire or Epiphone to playable condition. If you are looking for a good cheap axe, I picked up one of these Xaviere's for the holidays: http://store.guitarfetish.com/xaxvandxvgu.html

Ken

[Project-D]

If you really want to tinker, you could buy one of those Saga kits on ebay. You attach the neck, hardware, electronics, and paint it. If you take some care, and tweak the neck, etc, you can get a pretty decent guitar. After you've put it together, you'll have tinkered quite a bit, http://www.guitarattack.com/ has some of these kits people have made.

[Kill Me Sarah]

Those are cool Ken, I like the blue.

While I'm semi-on the subject... what is a good place for inexpensive decent sounding amps?

[ken]

Are amps something else you'd like to tinker with? If so, check out the Epiphone Valve Jr. I've got he head and a kit to upgrade it. I also like the look of the Crate Blackheart series. (Yes, I am a fan of low-watt tube heads.)

[Kill Me Sarah]

Are amps something else you'd like to tinker with? If so, check out the Epiphone Valve Jr. I've got he head and a kit to upgrade it. I also like the look of the Crate Blackheart series. (Yes, I am a fan of low-watt tube heads.)

I'll tinker w/ anything if it's not too complicated. If it gets too complex, I generally like to watch someone else do it first. But I have cracked open my iPod

[Billy's Little Trip]

But I have cracked open my iPod

Was it full of magic dust?

[Kill Me Sarah]

But I have cracked open my iPod

Was it full of magic dust?

Not full of much at all. Incidentally, it's amazing how many iPod problems can be fixed by slipping a folded-in-half business card into its innards.

[Project-D]

Let us know if you get the Rondo, I'd like to know what you think of them. I could get a couple for the kids at school. They're always asking me where to get guitars, and some of them come in with these crappy Wal-Mart things, that cost about as much as those Rondo guitars which look way better. The 30 inch scale bass would be easier for them too.

[Kill Me Sarah]

Finally made a decision and pulled the trigger on an SX GG1 (Les Paul clone).

http://www.rondomusic.com/gg1bobk.html

Got decent reviews on Harmony Central. I'll keep you posted w/ how it looks/feels/plays.

[Billy's Little Trip]

Finally made a decision and pulled the trigger on an SX GG1 (Les Paul clone).

http://www.rondomusic.com/gg1bobk.html

Got decent reviews on Harmony Central. I'll keep you posted w/ how it looks/feels/plays.

Wow, $129?

[Kill Me Sarah]

Finally made a decision and pulled the trigger on an SX GG1 (Les Paul clone).

http://www.rondomusic.com/gg1bobk.html

Got decent reviews on Harmony Central. I'll keep you posted w/ how it looks/feels/plays.

Wow, $129?

Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about.

Next up will be a bass. My wife really wants me to get her something cute. Ideas?

[Billy's Little Trip]

Well, you could learn a lot for cheap by fixing up a Squire or Epiphone to playable condition. If you are looking for a good cheap axe, I picked up one of these Xaviere's for the holidays: http://store.guitarfetish.com/xaxvandxvgu.html

Ken

How does it sound? Does it sound like a hallow body?

[Spud]

<a href="http://www.parsonsguitars.com/">This guy</a> set up my 8-string bass for sixty bucks. It needed it, and he did a fine job.

SPUD

[Kill Me Sarah]

<a href="http://www.parsonsguitars.com/">This guy</a> set up my 8-string bass for sixty bucks. It needed it, and he did a fine job.

Anyone else surprised that Jack White, Joe Perry, and a couple others there don't set up their own guitars?

Edit: Just looked at the price list. That guy's surprisingly affordable. And there's a shop in Tacoma!