|
Post by zpilot on Mar 28, 2022 8:38:24 GMT -7
A friend's father has a large collection of guitars, amps and guns. Stuff right up my alley. A lot of it high-end collectible stuff. A couple of nights ago I was invited over to his house to to view it and play some of the guitars and amps. I would estimate that the guitars alone were worth $300.000. I only had time to check out the Gibsons he had. There were some very cool instruments but but almost all were in need of intonation and set-up to the point that they were unplayable. It just reminded me of something I learned long ago about how important a proper set-up is. I can adapt to the cheapest guitar as long as it is set up as I like it and will stay in tune. If it is not I don't care how valuable it is, at least not for actually making music.
|
|
|
Post by lowbudget on Mar 28, 2022 8:55:07 GMT -7
A friend's father has a large collection of guitars, amps and guns. Stuff right up my alley. A lot of it high-end collectible stuff. A couple of nights ago I was invited over to his house to to view it and play some of the guitars and amps. I would estimate that the guitars alone were worth $300.000. I only had time to check out the Gibsons he had. There were some very cool instruments but but almost all were in need of intonation and set-up to the point that they were unplayable. It just reminded me of something I learned long ago about how important a proper set-up is. I can adapt to the cheapest guitar as long as it is set up as I like it and will stay in tune. If it is not I don't care how valuable it is, at least not for actually making music. I don’t think it’s uncommon for some of those high end collectors to not even be players. So sending a valuable instrument out for a set up might only put it at risk.
|
|
|
Post by daddyelmis (Greg) on Mar 28, 2022 9:00:10 GMT -7
the problem with owning a lot of guitars is that there is a lot of maintenance required to keep them in playable shape. I have 9 guitars and a mandolin ... most are in need of new strings and some light maintenance, but I don't have the time right now to sit and do them all. I don't know what Rick Nielsen does.
|
|
|
Post by GuitarZ on Mar 28, 2022 9:12:39 GMT -7
Wow! That's a lot of guitars with your friend's father and in the photo above. When I was buying my strat, I found what I was looking for at one place. I told them I liked the guitar, but that it needed a setup. They politely told me that if I bought it, I could then leave it with them and pay for a setup. I stopped in another spot, found the same guitar and commented to the salesman how nice it played. He told me that they take the guitars when it's not busy and setup them so that they play well. No surprise that I bought my strat from the second place.
|
|
|
Post by headshrinker (Marc) on Mar 28, 2022 9:33:25 GMT -7
the problem with owning a lot of guitars is that there is a lot of maintenance required to keep them in playable shape. I have 9 guitars and a mandolin ... most are in need of new strings and some light maintenance, but I don't have the time right now to sit and do them all. I don't know what Rick Nielsen does. Rick Nielsen has a guy.
|
|
|
Post by RickJames on Mar 28, 2022 10:15:07 GMT -7
I always kept all my guitars set up, and in tune, whether I played them or not. My theory is if the neck adjustment is maintained and the balance of the set up , the wood will tend to rebound to that condition rather than spend years in an unplayable condition, and then having to force it back to playability.. not sure that really made any sense at all but I just thought I would say it lol
If enough years pass the wood will also start to solidify and become more immobile, that’s my experience anyway
|
|
|
Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Mar 28, 2022 13:33:46 GMT -7
There's only one guitar that I let sit for many years, a Squire VM Jazz bass that I played for years in a 3 piece power trio. It had great action, no fret buzz, it was great. After that band folded, I played it at church a few times and then it sat for a good 5 years in a cold basement. We took it out last week and the neck was shaped like something Robin Hood would have loved. I mean, it had a good 1/8" - 3/16" back bow. I didn't have allen wrenches with me but I'm taking a set to church this week and we'll see if it will rebound. I hope so, for a cheap bass it was really great (with a set of DiMarzio jazz pickups in it).
|
|
|
Post by daddyelmis (Greg) on Mar 28, 2022 13:42:26 GMT -7
There's only one guitar that I let sit for many years, a Squire VM Jazz bass that I played for years in a 3 piece power trio. It had great action, no fret buzz, it was great. After that band folded, I played it at church a few times and then it sat for a good 5 years in a cold basement. We took it out last week and the neck was shaped like something Robin Hood would have loved. I mean, it had a good 1/8" - 3/16" back bow. I didn't have allen wrenches with me but I'm taking a set to church this week and we'll see if it will rebound. I hope so, for a cheap bass it was really great (with a set of DiMarzio jazz pickups in it). If that doesn’t work, put it on Reverb as the limited edition Shrek Signature model. 😁
|
|
|
Post by zpilot on Mar 28, 2022 14:41:40 GMT -7
There's only one guitar that I let sit for many years, a Squire VM Jazz bass that I played for years in a 3 piece power trio. It had great action, no fret buzz, it was great. After that band folded, I played it at church a few times and then it sat for a good 5 years in a cold basement. We took it out last week and the neck was shaped like something Robin Hood would have loved. I mean, it had a good 1/8" - 3/16" back bow. I didn't have allen wrenches with me but I'm taking a set to church this week and we'll see if it will rebound. I hope so, for a cheap bass it was really great (with a set of DiMarzio jazz pickups in it). You may already know this. Bass guitar necks sometimes need more correction than can be made with a truss rod alone and if it is back-bowed the string tension may not be enough either. With several basses (J-Basses especially) I have had to remove them from the body and set them up in a jig made with c-clamps and wood blocks to OVER-bend them in the correct direction. I leave them like that for a couple of weeks or so until the wood takes a proper "set". You'll have to play with the clamps to get the right bend.
|
|
|
Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Mar 28, 2022 15:10:11 GMT -7
There's only one guitar that I let sit for many years, a Squire VM Jazz bass that I played for years in a 3 piece power trio. It had great action, no fret buzz, it was great. After that band folded, I played it at church a few times and then it sat for a good 5 years in a cold basement. We took it out last week and the neck was shaped like something Robin Hood would have loved. I mean, it had a good 1/8" - 3/16" back bow. I didn't have allen wrenches with me but I'm taking a set to church this week and we'll see if it will rebound. I hope so, for a cheap bass it was really great (with a set of DiMarzio jazz pickups in it). You may already know this. Bass guitar necks sometimes need more correction than can be made with a truss rod alone and if it is back-bowed the string tension may not be enough either. With several basses (J-Basses especially) I have had to remove them from the body and set them up in a jig made with c-clamps and wood blocks to OVER-bend them in the correct direction. I leave them like that for a couple of weeks or so until the wood takes a proper "set". You'll have to play with the clamps to get the right bend. I mis-spoke, the neck is bowed forward. I'm hoping that tightening the truss rod will bring it back, but thanks for the info. The bend is most pronounced between the nut and the 5th fret which at first look I'm thinking that the truss rod may not fix it. The truss rod usually affects the neck centered around the 5th fret, doesn't it? I'll know more when I get it home in my shop. I may need to make up a jig like you describe.
|
|
|
Post by loucardguitar (Johnathan) on Mar 28, 2022 15:15:33 GMT -7
Wow! That's a lot of guitars with your friend's father and in the photo above. When I was buying my strat, I found what I was looking for at one place. I told them I liked the guitar, but that it needed a setup. They politely told me that if I bought it, I could then leave it with them and pay for a setup. I stopped in another spot, found the same guitar and commented to the salesman how nice it played. He told me that they take the guitars when it's not busy and setup them so that they play well. No surprise that I bought my strat from the second place. Yeah, it's my opinion that if you are spending your hard earned money on a guitar with a place, the least they can do is give it a proper set up. I mean I understand them not throwing a bunch of mods in. But at least making sure that the guitar is playable should be a no brainer that it is included in the price of the guitar.
|
|
|
Post by "Z" Steve on Mar 28, 2022 15:59:19 GMT -7
I always kept all my guitars set up, and in tune, whether I played them or not. My theory is if the neck adjustment is maintained and the balance of the set up , the wood will tend to rebound to that condition rather than spend years in an unplayable condition, and then having to force it back to playability.. not sure that really made any sense at all but I just thought I would say it lol If enough years pass the wood will also start to solidify and become more immobile, that’s my experience anyway By looking at your avatar the necks get a little extra attention!
|
|
|
Post by KeithA on Mar 28, 2022 16:19:04 GMT -7
I always kept all my guitars set up, and in tune, whether I played them or not. My theory is if the neck adjustment is maintained and the balance of the set up , the wood will tend to rebound to that condition rather than spend years in an unplayable condition, and then having to force it back to playability.. not sure that really made any sense at all but I just thought I would say it lol If enough years pass the wood will also start to solidify and become more immobile, that’s my experience anyway By looking at your avatar the necks get a little extra attention! Especially the ones with the butt-end truss rod adjustments! I’ll leave now 😀
|
|
|
Post by adam on Mar 28, 2022 16:50:58 GMT -7
Cool cool! Just to add, there's fine lines in some instruments that allow them to sing, or not, and it's fleeting. Like a LP with the action too high, the bass/low E is off the charts too bassy and you can't play it in tune. Get it too low and it has no bass. A couple times a year it's right and it's in tune and balanced.
|
|
|
Post by zpilot on Mar 29, 2022 0:29:53 GMT -7
Cool cool! Just to add, there's fine lines in some instruments that allow them to sing, or not, and it's fleeting. Like a LP with the action too high, the bass/low E is off the charts too bassy and you can't play it in tune. Get it too low and it has no bass. A couple times a year it's right and it's in tune and balanced. LP sixth string has always been a tough one for me. There is almost never enough travel in the saddle to properly intonate it. I wind up setting the string lower than I would like just to limit it going sharp. I'm naturally a Tele/Strat guy and tend to really hammer that string so it requires a change in technique when switching to a Les Paul.
|
|
|
Post by adam on Mar 29, 2022 5:42:12 GMT -7
LP sixth string has always been a tough one for me. There is almost never enough travel in the saddle to properly intonate it. I wind up setting the string lower than I would like just to limit it going sharp. I'm naturally a Tele/Strat guy and tend to really hammer that string so it requires a change in technique when switching to a Les Paul. Exactly. I feel like the neck needs the smallest amount of relief or they are just hard to intonate and play in tune.
|
|
|
Post by Chilly Gibbons (Todd T.) on Mar 29, 2022 17:16:57 GMT -7
I’ve often wondered why music stores try to sell guitars that obviously need setting up. Without that, you’re buying based on looks and/or some desirable combination of parts. But you have to guess when it comes to playability. I own many guitars and do my best to keep them all in optimal playing condition. Granted, I love setting up guitars, from rewiring, building up strats and teles, and leveling and crowning fretboards. I hope to do this and basic amp repair in retirement for enjoyment and maybe beer money.
|
|
|
Post by nick0 on Mar 29, 2022 17:24:08 GMT -7
I’ve often wondered why music stores try to sell guitars that obviously need setting up. Without that, you’re buying based on looks and/or some desirable combination of parts. But you have to guess when it comes to playability. I own many guitars and do my best to keep them all in optimal playing condition. Granted, I love setting up guitars, from rewiring, building up strats and teles, and leveling and crowning fretboards. I hope to do this and basic amp repair in retirement got enjoyment and maybe beer money. I always wondered why associates at guitar stores stand around while all of the guitars are out of tune and setup like garbage. You'd think they would pull a few down and at least clean and tune them. The old, "you got time to lean, you got time to clean." As many of you said, setup is so critical. You can usually make a decent guitar great with a little knowledge and tlc.
|
|
|
Post by nick0 on Mar 29, 2022 17:32:33 GMT -7
I will add: Back in the day, guitar stores weren't like that. I was just a kid, but a lot of what I learned about guitar setup and maintenance was learned at the guitar store. Guys taking time to explain things to me. What I should be doing and answering my questions. Before the time of YouTube... there's no excuse now! LOL Oh wow, I sound like a cranky old man... sorry!
|
|
|
Post by RickJames on Mar 29, 2022 17:37:50 GMT -7
Haha
|
|
|
Post by JonesKY on Apr 5, 2022 10:10:34 GMT -7
it's mostly about the "squeaky wheel" for me...
after initial setup, I can generally maintain ~10 instruments through the year, with a few general tweaks per year due to humidity.
the "players" however, get very regular attention (daily / weekly) simply because they need that level of care for the best performance. for example: the nascar team is tweaking their car constantly, but their personal SUVs are likely on quarterly PM schedules.
because the goal for me is to play, not maintain, when I become more of a tech than a musician, then it's time to move the gear. same goes with the addition of amps, pedals, PAs, recording gear, software, plugins, forum posting, etc.
per Zappa, "shutting up and playing the guitar"!
|
|