Adjusting action

See if the setup page on my web site helps. Linked below.

Cheers Nils, and sorry everyone, I thought i was in the repair forum, moment of total blondness!

ummm, you should take it to a guitar store and let them do it. If you have to ask "how" to do it then you shouldn't be messing with it at all. You can really screw it up if your not careful. It'd be better to just pay 25 or 30 bucks and have it done right the first time.

Or you can try to do it yourself and if you screw it up real bad then you may have to pay alot more to get it fixed!

So take it in and let a pro do it.

Have to disagree with you Bonzo, only because you're stating what you said as a blanket statement. Just because someone asks "How do I do this?" does not mean they are incapable of doing it. It just means that they never have before. Most people can achieve pretty good results with basic guitar set up if it is something that have an interest in learning and doing and have basic skills with basic tools. Most errors I have read about or heard about come from people skipping steps or rushing in before understanding the entire process. Then there will be those that will be afraid that they will make their guitar totally unplayable.

It boils down to the old "give a man a fish / teach a man to fish" scenario.

Personally, my guitars never sounded as good as they did until I purchased Dan Erlewine's book 'How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great'. (with all due respect to Nil's web site that has a wealth of information)

So while doing your own set up might not be for everyone, telling someone that if they can't do it now they will never be able to do it (in respect to anything) is a bit short sighted.

Michael

ummm, you should take it to a guitar store and let them do it. If you have to ask "how" to do it then you shouldn't be messing with it at all. You can really screw it up if your not careful. It'd be better to just pay 25 or 30 bucks and have it done right the first time.

Or you can try to do it yourself and if you screw it up real bad then you may have to pay alot more to get it fixed!

So take it in and let a pro do it.

Bonzo, I agree, except....

Everytime I change my strings buzzing occurs. I don't like messing with the action but I can't run to the "Guitar Shop" everytime and pay $60 and wait six weeks. (Quote me on this one - when they say setup will be done in 2 weeks expect at least 6 weeks - if your lucky).

Maybe I just need a good guitar shop?

Bob Jessie

I agree -- if you have to ask "How" you need someone to show you how.

After you see it done once and the "gotcha's" are explained you can easily do it yourself from there forward. But I'd highly recommend that you watch someone do it right once before trying it yourself.

It's not hard, but it's kind of like fixing a carburator . . . nothing tricky but really easy to go badly wrong if you don't know what you're doing.

If you think you have a setup problem or think you can benefit from a setup you can just take the measurements in the order they are outlined on my site. If you want to try adjusting it yourself and you are comfortable with the info on my site (or one of the many others that are probably better than mine) then by all means go for it. If you just take the measurements and it needs adjustments you can then take it to a pro and at least have an idea what to tell them.

I agree -- if you have to ask "How" you need someone to show you how.
After you see it done once and the "gotcha's" are explained you can easily do it yourself from there forward. But I'd highly recommend that you watch someone do it right once before trying it yourself.
It's not hard, but it's kind of like fixing a carburator . . . nothing tricky but really easy to go badly wrong if you don't know what you're doing.

I agree with you! That's why I hate messing the action - I really don't know what I'm doing and I love my Epi.... it has such a great sound. If I do take it for another setup this time I'll make sure to ask them what gage strings they put on.

Nils, I read your page yesterday. I changed my strings Sunday morning and as of last night, they sounded much better. I can still hear a little buzzing on the LOW E string. Also, when I was changing the strings I tilted the guitar upside down and the bridge fell out. I need to check to make sure I put it back in correctly.

Bob Jessie

Nils, nice blocks of info on your site. Just spent an hour poking around. . .

Nils, nice blocks of info on your site. Just spent an hour poking around. . .

Thanks. Glad you found it useful.

Any thoughts on what to add or remove let me know.