What is a setup and who should I get to do it?

Many a time a beginning guitarist will ask, "What is a setup?" A setup for guitar usually comprises of adjusting the neck(truss rod), nut action, saddle height (action) and intonation in this particular order. For electric guitars pickup height adjustment being included as well.

So why do players need to setup their instruments? There are several reasons:

1) To achieve better playability (most common)
2) General maintanence (regular truss rod adjustment is usually needed for the neck to be in good shape)
3) Bragging rights (Oh my instrument was setup by "Mr XXX", insert KC whenever possible :p)
4) To try and save a poor purchase i.e lousy instrument

Let's talk about 1) which is playability. Playability of course means different things to different people. Some like high action, some like more relief etc. Ultimately a good setup is what the player himself likes. However there's a little problem in this statement though as sometimes, what one likes may not be the 'right' or 'better' solution. Let's just say there are unorthodox and orthodox mindsets. Some players are so conditioned to their massive action/relief setups that they can't play any other setup. The orthodox players will however want a nice low action and just a smidgen of relief. So what I'm saying is, sometimes the players should also to try alternative suggestions esp from an experienced tech. Discomfort at the start is also part of improvement process. Ever felt natural playing a new sport? A new chord perhaps. Similarly a new, 'better' setup might take time to get used to.

Another dream most guitar players have is to get a el cheapo guitar to play as well as say their more expensive counterparts. Most of the time this isn't going to happen as the attention to fretwork, accuracy of the neck to body joint etc just isn't as good as their costlier cousins. What this means is, more work is required to setup a cheap instrument - which could mean more $$ incurred for the setup. So a piece of advice is, get a decent playing instrument right from the start and then tweak from there. You can't just mail order a foreign bride and try to 'set her up' right. Besides having first hand experience, understanding what makes a quality instrument is important as well. (New age feminists, chill :) )

However, with so many individual preferences how does one know where to get a setup. Essentially a good tech should have a good understanding of many styles of playing, i.e rock, jazz, classical etc. In most cases they should also be players with some level of technique. This way, they can listen carefully and intently to what a player needs. Most of the time, poor technique is passed off as a player's individuality which the tech has to deal with tactfully. Poor picking , plucking, fretting can cause undue fret buzzing. Obsessiveness over unimportant details can drive some techs nuts as well, e.g "the high E is 0.001" away from the edge of the fingerboard while the low E is 0.0015" from the edge" While these things when perfect are nice to have, such minute details do not affect the tone or playability. As I've always said, the guitar is not an F1 machine - it is instead a work of art which is an extension of perhaps a great but imperfect player.

Here, at the Maestro Guitar hospital, we work closely with many top musicians; from rockers, jazzers to studio cats and we breed the attititude of achieving what the player wants. Sometimes we will also be bold enough to advise otherwise and many pros humble enough have listened and appreciated the input and improvement we have done for their guitars. Want an unbiased opinion on guitar setup and playability, come pay a visit at our Maestro Guitar outlets.

KC

My story

Having worked on hundreds if not thousands of guitars in my past 4 years, I feel its time to pen down some a short introduction or sorts. I've also made some mistakes in the past, but you learn from them and move on. No matter how much of a hotshot you are, I've learnt that ultimately a blend of ability and experience is most important.

To date, I'm most grateful to all my customers for appreciating and supporting what I do. I started doing guitar repairs when I was 18 - one day at the public library, I stumbled across Dan Erlewine's "Guitar Player Repair Guide" and I've never looked back. I learnt how to read schematics on my own and did almost every wiring configuration imaginable on my guitars. Hum cancelling, out of phase, series/parallel etc - you name it, I've done it. I became very proficient at setting instruments after a while and during my varsity days, I actually spent more time tinkering on the guitar than on my studies. Within those 3 years, I was able to do most major repairs such as refretting, regluing of bridges, some refinishing etc.

When I graduated, I actually worked for an education company (which will remain anonymous). After several months there I was frustrated and at that time in 2004, Kelvin started Guitar Connection and asked me if I was interested to join him. I was delighted at the opportunity and took it up immediately. During the 2 years that I was there, I gained lots of experience as it was a busy repair shop. Also, I learnt a thing or two from Kelvin who is another very experienced guitar tech himself. I left Guitar Connection in Sept 2006 and joined Maestro Guitars in Jan 2007. Being in a Guitar manufacturing company gave me renewed enthusiasm and more opportunities due to better access to power tools and other specialised guitar making tools.

Having been in Maestro Guitars for over 2 years, I have contributed to refining their QC process and this year I will be more involved in product design. Guitar repair is still what I love and I will continue doing it for a long time, so rest assured that I'm a techinical manager in Maestro Guitars that loves to get his hands 'dirty'.

KC