intonating my strat

[andrewstadium]

I want to do a set up on my 80's Squire Bullet.
Any good DIY websites that showyou how to do it?

[chillhouse]

not that i know of off of the top of my head, but -- go to the coolest local guitar shop (not the mega store) and ask if you can pay to have a setup and if you can watch and learn. i do this for people. some of the common issues are better seen and explained in person. setups are hands on operations, and it's often easier to learn by watching and talking to someone. obviously, you have to find someone who is cool with this. it's not rocket science, but there some things to watch out for (like truss rod adjustments).

will

[chillhouse]

hey, i just saw that you are in boston. i have a music shop in melrose, ma on the northshore. pay me for a setup and i'll teach you how to do it on a saturday afternoon. $25 plus strings. what a deal! contact me if interested.

[Brian Brock]

Just mess around with it. It's a lot harder to screw up than people make it out to be. Turn the truss rod nut one way and it tightens, the other way and it loosens. Fiddle with the bridge. Maybe your nut is too high, so file it down a little - carefully.

Just don't convince yourself that truss rod adjustments haven't done anything and over tighten it. You could damage your instrument - but really, it's pretty hard to screw up a couple of blocks of wood bolted together.

If you get lost, you can get someone to fix it for you while you watch.

b

[Shane Michael Rose]

wolf, who is located under the 150 building on mass ave, is very good at setting up guitars. he works for berklee.

thats my boston 2 cents

[andrewstadium]

Thanks for the input Boston guys. I normally go to Moradian in Cambridge who is great. But he is busy right now so I am hoping to do some tweaks by myself to hold me over. Eventually, I need to learn to do it myself. I am almost embarrassed that I don't know how.

[MD]

I want to do a set up on my 80's Squire Bullet.
Any good DIY websites that showyou how to do it?

I got this book out of the library one time. It was pretty useful.

How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great!: The Electric Guitar Owner's Manual (Guitar Player Book) (Paperback)
by Dan Erlewine
ISBN 0879306017

http://tinyurl.com/au9yr

[lanterns]

Search on WIKIPEDIA.org


everytime you switch gauges, do a set-up. everytime you switch strings, do a set-up. seasons change, do a set-up. changed the action lately? intonate it again.

setting up your guitar is important, especially if it's a strat with the springs and whammy bar.


do a harmonic on the twelfth fret, then push it down. if the last note sounds higher or lower than the harmonic, you need to intonate.

[lightning_electronics]

fender's website has support info, which goes through the entire process of setting up guitars and all the info is free.

if you want to invest in a book, get something by dan erlewine. he invents practically every custom tool sold by stewart macdonald; they're a supplier for luthiers and such and their website is www.stewmac.com. speaking of which, they have an entire library of books regarding stringed instrument design, building, and maintenace. you might want to check them out for fantastic literature. they also have a free information section: www.stewmac.com/freeinfo.