How to Setup Your Guitar Like a Pro: An Easy Guide for Beginners (ebook/paperback)

“Everything you need to start confidently working on your own guitars is right here.”

Recently updated to include over 260 photos covering all the aspects of a pro-level guitar setup, such as cleaning & maintenance, neck adjustments, string height adjustments (bridge saddle and nut), pickup height adjustments, intonation, and more. Learn how to dial in the perfect setup, step-by-step, on any guitar- with precision and measurability! Use the included cut-out tool templates to broaden your skills. Makes an excellent starter book or reference for budding professionals.

Now updated and expanded with additional content including a section on restringing, neck shimming, scale length determination and new images!

“I have related and referred to Jonny’s guidance many times over the years and I can truly say that I wouldn’t have gotten very far without it.” -Daryl Chonka, Guitar Tech for Randy Bachman (The Guess Who & BTO), Recording Engineer, Recording & Performing Artist

“Everything you need to start confidently working on your own guitars is right here.” -Andrew DeGroot, Factory Certified Guitar Tech/Luthier, Stang Guitars

“The importance of a great setup can’t be overstated. This is a perfect guide for those starting out in the craft, and a great general reference to keep around. Jon nicely lays out all the info needed to setup your guitar like a pro, without any confusing clutter. You’re in great hands.” –Cory Newman, Luthier, C.A. Newman Guitars

Included in the book:

An 8-step method for electric, acoustic & bass guitar setups
How to adjust neck relief (bow) for optimum playability
How to adjust string height for your playing style and guitar type
How to file nut slots, adjust pickup height and set the intonation accurately
How to adjust Fender-style tremolo’s, Gibson hard-tails, Floyd Rose and other floating bridge types
How to adjust the saddle on your acoustic steel string or nylon string guitar
Manufacturer’s setup specs from Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, Jackson, Gretsch and others
Exclusive setup specifications from the author’s best playing guitars & basses
Cut-out templates for radius gauges, under-string radius gauges & an action ruler
A handy measurement conversion chart & more!

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION 1
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK 3
PARTS OF THE GUITAR 4
WHAT IS A SETUP? 6
WHAT YOU WILL NEED 7
GETTING STARTED: INSPECT THE GUITAR 10
REMOVE THE STRINGS 11
Removing Strings on a Tremolo Bridge 13
Removing Strings on a Floyd Rose-style Bridge 14
Removing Strings on an Archtop Floating Bridge 17
Removing Strings on an Acoustic Guitar Bridge 18
STEP 1: CLEAN THE GUITAR 19
STEP 2: CHECK THE HARDWARE AND ELECTRONICS 23
How to Clean Dirty Potentiometers & Controls 28
STEP 3: RESTRING AND TUNE TO PITCH 29
Slot-head tuners 31
Locking Tuners 32
Floyd Rose or Other Double-locking Bridge Systems 33
Acoustic Guitars 36
Nylon String Guitars 38
Tuning Tips 42
STEP 4: ADJUST THE RELIEF IN NECK (TRUSS ROD) 43
a) What is a Truss Rod? 43
b) Why Set the Relief? 45
c) Measuring Relief 46
d) How Much Relief is Enough? 49
e) Adjusting the Truss Rod 50
How to Remove the Neck for a Truss Rod Adjustment 52
Adjusting the Neck Alignment 53
STEP 5: ADJUST THE STRING HEIGHT AT BRIDGE 55
a) Gibson-style Hard-tail Bridges (Tune-o-matic) 57
b) Fender-style Hard-tail Bridges 59
Individual Saddle Height Adjustments 60
Under-String Radius Gauge Procedure 62
c) Vintage-Style Tremolo Bridges 64
d) Modern Tremolo Bridges 65
Bridge Angle Adjustments 67
e) Floyd Rose Bridges 69
Neck Angle Adjustments / Shimming 72
f) Acoustic Guitars 74
STEP 6: ADJUST THE STRING HEIGHT AT NUT 77
STEP 7: ADJUST THE PICKUP HEIGHT 84
Pole Piece Staggering 85
STEP 8: ADJUST THE INTONATION 87
Scale Length and How to Measure It 93
TROUBLESHOOTING 94
TOOL TEMPLATES 97
SETUP SPEC SHEETS 104
MEASUREMENT CONVERSION CHART 109
FURTHER RESOURCES 110
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 111