Setup Steps?

[johneek]

This question may have obvious answers to some of you, but it's not obvious to me, so here goes. When you do a complete setup on your guitar (or bass) is there a particular order in which you prefer to accomplish the steps? For the sake of clarification, I'm assuming that at a minimum we're talking about changing strings, adjusting the bridge height, adjusting the truss rod, and setting the intonation.

I'm also curious to know if there are any circumstances or situations where your order changes. For example, how would you setup a recently acquired guitar needing major adjustments differently than a guitar you've owned and played for years?

[antipodean]

G'day John,

Here's how I'd do it:

1) Fit new strings and tune to pitch (or an approximation thereof);
2) Carefully set relief (truss rod adjustment), retune;
3) Set action (bridge height), retune;
4) Set intonation for each string (retuning as you go).

As has been said often, you may need to adjust relief in steps over a few days if it is way out. Note that if you are performing this act on a new (to you) instrument, then steps 2 and 3 may be iterative (i.e. you set relief, set the action, then find that your need to tweak the relief to stop some rattling, which may lead to further action adjustment etc) as the amount of adjustment required could be substantial. Further, steps 3 and 4 could be iterative - if you need to move a saddle substantially to square up the intonation, you may need to tweak the bridge height to eliminate rattle, which could lead to a need to adjust the intonation again (although minutely). I'd always use this order irrespective of the condition of the instrument.

This sort of thing is really painful on a vintage/RI Fender, where you have to remove the neck, adjust, replace the neck, restring and potentially repeat the process. On a Ric, it's a relative piece of cake.

[johnallg]

Good post Evan, that's how I do my basses. Just did one today. I have to say, on the basses, that intonation is a real pain in the tail(piece)! With all the well thought out engineering on Ricks, that one slipped through the cracks. A real pain.

[beatlefreak]

The only thing I can add here is adjusting the pickup height (if needed) after adjusting the action. They need to be adjusted so they're far enough away from the strings they don't interfere with your playing style or influence intonation, yet not so far away that you don't get the most out of them. You'll want to check for relative loudness between them also.

[johneek]

Thanks...the specific question I am most curious about (and what actually prompted this thread, though I decided to make it more general) is this: Is there ever a time when you would lower the bridge before you adjusted the truss rods? In a case where the bridge was way too high (almost at the very top of it's travel) would the string tension on the neck change significantly by lowering the bridge? If so, then wouldn't an initial truss rod adjustment have to be readjusted after lowering the bridge? Or is the change in string tension from lowering (or raising) the bridge negligible?

[beatlefreak]

Adjusting truss rods for the amount of bow in a neck will change the action every time. So adjusting the bridge height is pretty much inevitable after a truss rod adjustment. I would always start with the truss rods first.

[johnallg]

John, if the bridge was up as high as you indicate, I would lower it down close to where I usually end up, check tuning, then check relief to see what change in the neck happened. If it were me.....

[antipodean]

The only thing I can add here is adjusting the pickup height (if needed) after adjusting the action. They need to be adjusted so they're far enough away from the strings they don't interfere with your playing style or influence intonation, yet not so far away that you don't get the most out of them. You'll want to check for relative loudness between them also.

I knew I'd forgotten something!

On John's question re bridge height, as I said, the process could be iterative if you have an extremely bad set up to begin with. So in the case where the bridge is super-high, lowering it first would be fine, but you will have to adjust it again once the relief is set.

I confess with some embarrassment that, apart from intonation, which I'm an absolute stickler for (I like playing double stops with an open string and a fretted harmony note high on the neck - which sounds really horrible unless the intonation is near-perfect), my relief and action setups tend to be "close enough" i.e. there is a range of settings where I'm comfortable. As a result, my basses all play slightly differently, which I like - it gives each its own character.

[scott_s]

Nut height can't be neglected. I address it after the neck is straight and the action is correct, but before I fool around with intonation and pickup height.

- Scott

[doctorwho]

I would add a "step zero" the list above:

0) Check neck relief with the old strings tuned to pitch

The reason I do that is to get an idea as to what the neck is doing before new strings are put on ... if the overall tension remains the same after restringing, then the relief will be the same and by knowing whether the neck was in need of a tweak before restringing, I am prepared ahead of time for what, if any, neck adjustment is needed.

I recently restrung my 450v63 JG which did not have strings on it for a while, so I've given it a few days to settle in before setting it up.

[wj350]

Is there ever a time when you would lower the bridge before you adjusted the truss rods?

Well, not being very technically oriented, I've done exactly that with my 325s. Necks have always been straight out of the case, but I've fooled with the bridge height on all of them to make them as low as I can without buzzing. I've never had the TRC off the short scales (except for the 1996 that had the raised nut). Might be the short scale necks are just less prone to shape changes, especially with similar gauge strings. So for me on the short scale, it was check neck relief (OK), tune, lower bridge, tune and intonate.

I love the bowtie bridges for intonation--slide the bridge to intonate the low and high E strings, and the rest are done!

Bill

[jdogric12]

You all forgot beer. For shame.

[johneek]

You all forgot beer. For shame.

JDog...see how much we depend on you to keep our priorities straight?

[paologregorio]

I've rarely had to adjust my truss rods, but I've sent a couple of my Ricks to the local luthier for this and that(having frets dressed, finish touch up), and I'm sure he adjusted the truss rods.

[Vertigho]

Taking a step further back (for a newbie), can someone enlighten me as to the proper technique for checking the neck? I've read the relevant text in the manual:

With the instrument in tune, sight the neck for a bow or under-bow by resting the body on a level table at an approximate 45 degree angle holding the top horn near the strap bolt.

However, I'm not sure what the two planes are that make up the 45 degree angle - the table top and the body of the guitar?

And one should be sighting down the edge of the neck (as opposed to the front or rear of the neck) from the headstock? Or some other sighting line and/or technique?

And what is the definition of bow vs. under-bow? Bow is if the center of the neck is higher than the neck ends at the body and headstock (and thus, you'd want to loosen up the truss rods), where-as under-bow is where the center of the neck is below the ends (and thus, you'd want to tighten the truss rods)? Or vice-versa?