Guitar Setup

plague_rider

plague_rider

Coffee
Nov 13, 2008
1,841
4
38
Newcastle
This isn't a request for specific information, rather a suggestion that we pool all thoughts and ideas on guitar setups, including everything from string gauge, intonation tips, everything that you guys do to your guitars or hope the player has done to theirs that affects sound or tone before the sound leaves the guitar...



(the reason i've suggested this is recently i've been listening to Arch Enemy's Rise of the Tyrant a lot more. Not an album that blew me away mix wise (Wages and Doomsday own) but when listening to some of the guitar parts, specifically the verse riffs for I will live again, I can't get over how the slides and chord changes sound so powerful yet so precise, the notes are so perfect, and i know playing guitar properly is the main factor, but i also know it helps if the guitar is setup properly.)
 
What a coincidence, I've just been fucking about with my guitar setup today. Action seems to have dropped a bit due to the weather turning a bit colder this week.

Personally I like using hybrid strings, gets the chords and riffs chunkier while still allowing for easy lead playing. My guitar currently has 9-54 on it (I play in Drop D) though I'm considering getting the low D onto a 56 to make it a bit tighter (I use heavy pick's and dig in quite a bit)

Something I have been thinking about lately, is that 2 of my other guitars have higher actions than my main guitar, and they seem to be much louder and clearer when played acoustically. So I think I'm gonna try raising the action on my main guitar a little and see if it makes a difference to the sound.

Interested to hear some other people's thoughts on guitar setups,
 
Generally: Higher action, more relief = more sustain & more attack.
This is due to that fact that both gives the strings a higher tension and pressure.. but of course, too much relief causes intonations issues, and too high action will make it impossible to play fast & clean.

Going by the book you should adjust the string height of each individual string to the same radius as the fretboard, however, ive found it to feel better if you give the strings a lighter relief then the fretboard.

Another pointer is that when adjusting intonation on your guitar, always put it SLIGHTLY low.
This is due to the fact that when you actually play the guitar, you will press a bit harder, causing the note to go up slightly in pitch.

Edit:

Also, if you have a bolt-on neck, detach it from the guitar and see if there is any paint or clearcoating where the neck is seated in the guitar.
If there is any paint or clearcoating present, wet sand it until its gone.. wood on wood = more tonal transfer(Come on with the gay jokes! ;D ).
When you are reattaching the neck, put all the screws in at once without tightening them(Just enough for the neck to stay on.), then tighten the bolts closest to the neck first, and they should be tight as a mother fucker, then tighten those close to the body(Not quite as hard as the other ones though.).
 
I think it's a bit more than just the string sets; his amp and guitars probably have a bit to do with that. (Also, I believe they tune to C standard for quite a chunk of their current material.)

Notuern, high action might make it harder to play fast and clean, but jazz guitarists tend to stomp all over the idea that higher tension makes fast playing impossible. Also, I've tended to tighten bolts gradually and (as close as possible to) evenly after hearing that suggestion everywhere else, what does your order tend to change?

Jeff
 
On a trem equiped gtr I thought that all screws for the bolt on neck need to be tight as a mutherfucker otherwise you can hear the neck moving when you use the trem (and string tension changes)...
 
...and LOL shouldn't this be in the equipment sub-forum?? HAHA! why does everyone find it so difficult to post in the right place? guess i 'm just being anal!
 
JBroll said:
Notuern, high action might make it harder to play fast and clean, but jazz guitarists tend to stomp all over the idea that higher tension makes fast playing impossible. Also, I've tended to tighten bolts gradually and (as close as possible to) evenly after hearing that suggestion everywhere else, what does your order tend to change?

Jeff
Click to expand...

I find higher tension will make it harder to push the string down, which means that you will need more muscles in your fingers to play fast.. but sure, if you practice on high tensions you'll play just as fast(I used to play 11's tuned to E for example.).

About the neck: Both works fine actually, but what this does for your guitar is that it gives the neck somewhat of an angle, which also means higher string tension and pressure.
The more even and tight it is, the more sustain and wood you will have!

16S said:
On a trem equiped gtr I thought that all screws for the bolt on neck need to be tight as a mutherfucker otherwise you can hear the neck moving when you use the trem (and string tension changes)...
Click to expand...

If you over tighten the neck, it will make cracking noises when you dive, and if it isnt tightened enough it will drop tuning.
 
16s: I wasn't sure where to start this, i thought it would get overlooked in the equipment thread...

I normally try and keep the action low, having some trouble adjusting the floyd at the moment though, gonna try and find jpeg to help with it...
 
I tend to avoid super low actions myself. They aren't necessary. I just prefer light gauge strings, (9-54 on a 7 string, don't care if you think I'm a "pansy" or whatever bullshit, I've had wrist problems in the past, I'm not going to risk damaging my wrists, so light gauge it is for me), a moderately (as opposed to really really) low action, and making sure I have the right damn guitar, which would typically be something with big tall frets, and a flattish fretboard radius and a neck profile to suit you.
 
Low action feels soooo nice!
I had a guitar that wen through a PLEK-machine for the lowest possible action, and gods holy jeebus it felt smooth!
You just had to gently touch the string to fret it, and absolutely 0 buzzing along the neck.

For those of you who dont know, a PLEK-machine measures your neck perfectly, both radius, frets and relief.
Then it goes over the neck leveling & crowning the frets, when this is done, the instrument is restrung and rescanned, and here they get the values for the setup they are looking for!
 
Notuern said:
Low action feels soooo nice!
I had a guitar that wen through a PLEK-machine for the lowest possible action, and gods holy jeebus it felt smooth!
You just had to gently touch the string to fret it, and absolutely 0 buzzing along the neck.

For those of you who dont know, a PLEK-machine measures your neck perfectly, both radius, frets and relief.
Then it goes over the neck leveling & crowning the frets, when this is done, the instrument is restrung and rescanned, and here they get the values for the setup they are looking for!
Click to expand...

Can't seem to get PLEK everywhere though, never heard of anywhere in Aus that has a PLEK machine:erk:
 
Notuern said:
Low action feels soooo nice!
I had a guitar that wen through a PLEK-machine for the lowest possible action, and gods holy jeebus it felt smooth!
You just had to gently touch the string to fret it, and absolutely 0 buzzing along the neck.

For those of you who dont know, a PLEK-machine measures your neck perfectly, both radius, frets and relief.
Then it goes over the neck leveling & crowning the frets, when this is done, the instrument is restrung and rescanned, and here they get the values for the setup they are looking for!
Click to expand...

any idea roughly how much people charge to put a guitar through one of those. I'd love to get my old ibanez set up like that
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Torniojaws said:
He used BEADF#B tuning on the first two Arch Enemy albums too. And on a few songs on Burning Bridges too, if I remember.
Click to expand...

Yes, you're right, I was drunk at the time :kickass: :lol:. Yeah, I'm pretty sure ALL Arch Enemy up to Wages Of Sin was in B. But I still doubt he used a smaller string gauge back then in B than he does now in C.
 
It wouldn't really surprise me because I know for a fact that Bill Steer used a 56 as his low B (Guitar World interview) so I don't see why Amott wouldn't follow suit.

Petrovsk: I also use 9's on my current 7 string. Like you, I've also had wrist issues. I'm going to experiment with thicker strings for the low strings though. The thinner high strings are a definite relief for bending notes when soloing, but I feel there is a lack of oomph and definition in the low strings. Hopefully I can find a nice balance/compromise.
 
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