"Never underestimate the sheer impact of a thorough and proper setup..."
-Kevin Catfish Prefontaine 1/28/2013
"Never underestimate the sheer impact of a thorough and proper setup..."
-Kevin Catfish Prefontaine 1/28/2013
One thing I really miss about not living in New Hampshire any more is going over to have Mark Bishop set up my guitars.
as much as I took pride in really dialing BOTH of my DGTs today... My Lester that really needs a new ABR-1 or reasonable facsimile due to bent screws, etc. left me wanting a pro like Mark Bishop to "make things ok..."
There are some things I can do to my guitars but when a Master Craftsman blesses a guitar the end result can be glorious. I few months back I bought an Antique White SE Singlecut. It had a wonderful fit and finish. The stock humbucker were nice but I specifically bought the SE to put two of Pete Biltoft's HS-90's in it. They are humbucker size, metal covered P-90's. They sounded good in it but the 12,13 and 14th frets on the B&E strings didn't sustain. Rick Kneale in Springfield, Oregon worked over the frets to near perfection, added a bone nut and basically ported and polished it. I've never liked the phrase "It plays like butter" but I sure love playing this guitar. I've never had a guitar setup to this degree and I'm thinking I've been missing something.
I agree, a great set up makes all the difference in the world!
For Christmas my wife got me the Stew Mac setup kit, which is an overpriced set of a few pieces of metal in a box. But man, I went through my guitars with those overpriced pieces of metal and the guitars all play like I just got them back from the shop!
John, some of us are tool users and some of us not. Sounds like you have some skills with tools.Quote:
Originally Posted by John Beef
I've never been a "tool user." When it comes to car repair, home repair, appliances, etc, I'm a "check writer."Quote:
Originally Posted by tacomadriver
But a few years ago I had a bad experience with a local guitar tech and vowed to never bring him a PRS again. So I got one of the StewMac kits that John mentioned, watched a few YouTube videos, read a few how-to articles, and now I'm a certified tool user. Most of the setup stuff is not as difficult as I thought. Maybe start out by practicing on beater guitars you have lying around, you'll be a tool user in no time. :)
Do you happen to have the Stewmac item # so I can check this out?
3910Quote:
Originally Posted by tacomadriver
I have done my own setup tweaks for years but there always came that time where it just wasn't right - too much buzz and the action is too high. That's when I would take it in. I honestly feel now with just the straight edge and action gauge that I am able to do a way better job than eyeballing things. It amazing how when you have the right tools and follow the instructions, things turn out well. :)
The StewMac toolkit is great, cos measuring allows you to get your setup dialed in right every time. Well worth the time and $$$, and for anyone who owns US-made PRSi, it's a drop in the bucket, $$$-wise. :)
If you have as many guitars as I do, it's totally impractical to have someone else do your setup work. It also means you get good at it quicker 'cos you have to do it all the time!