Guitar Setup Lessons
To get the best out of your guitar, it must be set up to suit your particular playing style. Setup refers to small adjustments to the hardware and, if applicable, electronics that optimize the sound and playability. The angle of the neck, height of the strings and position of the saddles influence the playability, tone and tuning stability of your instrument.
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Neck Relief
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This neck is slightly back-bowed. Neck relief refers to the angle of your guitar neck in relation to the body. Typically the neck lies at a slight incline, away from the body. However, humidity and careless handling can cause the neck to move position. To set the neck to a position that lets you move across the fretboard with ease, tighten or loosen the truss-rod. The truss-rod is embedded into the neck, the tip of the rod protrudes into the headstock. Remove the truss-rod cover with a small Phillips screwdriver to expose the truss-rod nut. Slot a hex key into the nut and adjust the tension of the rod. Loosen the truss rod to move the neck backward and tighten it to move the neck forward.
Action
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Action is the technical term for string height. Since the distance between the strings and the fretboard directly influences the amount of pressure required to fret a note, badly set-up action can affect how easy it is to play the guitar. If the action is too low, the strings will buzz against the fretboard. If the action is too high, you'll find it hard to change notes cleanly. You adjust action by raising the height of the bridge. The method of adjustment varies according to the type of guitar, but typically involves turning a thumb-screw or using a hex key to tighten a nut. To raise the action, tighten the nut. To lower the action, loosen the nut. Adjust each side of the bridge by an equal amount.
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Intonation
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There is a screw behind each saddle, where the string is supported. Each string sits on an individual saddle. The saddle position dictates which portion of the string vibrates and is called "vibration length." If the saddle is too far backward or forward, the pitch differences between frets will not be correct. By using a guitar tuner, you can check whether or not the note at fret twelve is the same pitch as the open string. If it is exactly the same, the intonation is fine. If it is sharp, tighten the saddle screw slightly to increase the vibration length. Do the reverse if the intonation is flat.
Pickup Height
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The proximity of the pickup to the strings of an electric guitar influences the strength of the guitar signal. If the pickup is too low, the sound will be quiet and thin. If it is too high, the guitar may be prone to feedback. You can adjust the height of your pickups by adjusting the screws either side of the pickup cavity.
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References
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