................................................................Guitar "Set-up"

..............................................Everything is easier when your guitar works properly!

The way a guitar feels is a personal thing.  Upon acquiring a guitar you should take it to a luthier and have it set up so it plays as well as possible. Some music stores have a luthier adjust their guitars. If you buy one from a non-music store, the guitar probably isn't adjusted by a professional.

When I taught children, a parent would often buy a guitar from a discount non-music store to try to save a few dollars. The child would come to the lesson with a painful-to-play guitar and not want to practice. The parent would say either I didn't motivate the student or their child didn't have musical talent.

A guitar company would have to increase the cost of a new guitar $300 to have it adjusted correctly.
When you buy a guitar, a luthier will get it working well for $75 - $150. To find a good luthier, ask the top guitarists in your area who they take their guitars to.

1. The frets should be leveled and rounded so they are all the same height to reduce buzzing.   Loose frets should be glued.
2. If the frets are slightly rounded, less tension is required to push the string down.
3. The ends of the frets should be filed so they aren't sharp.
4. The bridge should be adjusted so that the radius is the same as the fingerboard.
5. The nut should be as low as possible reducing the tension required to push strings down.
6. Adjust the bridge saddles with an tuner so the guitar plays in tune.
7. If you have adjustable tuning gears, make sure the screws are tight to reduce string slippage. The guitar will stay in tune longer.
8. Adjust pickup height to have equal volume for all strings. If you have individual string screws, this can be done more accurately.
9. The truss rod should be adjusted at least as the temperature and humidity changes.  A luthier will either do this for you free of charge or show you how to do it.
10. Strap buttons on guitars are moveable. Through this adjustment, most guitars can be made as comfortable to hold as a Stratocaster.  Some guitars are neck heavy and cause tendonitus as well as shoulder and back problems. The guitar should not pull your back out of alignment. A guitar should be adjusted to the player's posture and body needs.
11. The pickguard height should be adjusted to your hand.  It should be secured parallel to the strings about a half inch down.
12.  Use a gig bag so that the weight of your guitar is on your right shoulder not your hands.