I hate setting up guitars :-/
- Thread starter mickrich
- Start date
plague_rider
Coffee
Gotta say I absolutely love setting up guitars...
Its like meditation for me... Especially seeing as some of my friends have a collective of beautiful guitars ranging from Schecters/Ibanez/ESP/Musicman...
Love the family photo dude...
Its like meditation for me... Especially seeing as some of my friends have a collective of beautiful guitars ranging from Schecters/Ibanez/ESP/Musicman...
Love the family photo dude...
DeclanWhite
Senior Member
I love and hate it. especially rewarding if a good guitar was setup bad, then I fix it and it's awesome to play!
Notuern
Bloody vaginal belch
- Oct 20, 2007
- 3,625
- 0
- 36
I only hate to set up guitars with floyd rose.. and i think restringing is one of the most boring things in the universe, but this comes from working in a music store where i was changing strings at least 5 times a day, 5 times a week for 3 years. 
LeSedna
Mat or Mateo
Nice panel there, just add a fender and you'll have almost all tones you would ever need !
How different is a gibson with its aesthetic copy from ESP ? I know the ESP is loaded with EMGs, but appart from that are they two completely different guitars ?
How different is a gibson with its aesthetic copy from ESP ? I know the ESP is loaded with EMGs, but appart from that are they two completely different guitars ?
JeffTD
Senhor Testiculo
Agreed here - I find it entirely therapeutic and am kind of a control freak when it comes to setups so I even end up doing string changes and initial setups for bands that come in.
JeffTD
Senhor Testiculo
Looking at this picture makes me really miss my M-I NTB. It's been 3 years this month since it was stolen and I still scour eBay and Craigslist for it (routed for a 2nd humbucker, really hard to miss) on a weekly basis. Such a great guitar.
plague_rider
Coffee
Theres so many times where I miss doing it, where I haven't been able to restring my own where I'll do a mates guitar for about $15 if they provide the strings...
Trying to get my unused EMG 85 and bass EMG-HZs sold so I can buy some HZs for on of my guitars and some new strings...
PS: I LOVE THE SMELL OF LEMON OIL!!!!
I had to clean, string and set-up 16 guitars over the course of a day and a half at the beginning of the guitar sessions for my band's EP. Used to work for the Washburn USA Custom Shop doing set-ups, so I'm used to having to do quick, accurate set ups on multiple instruments. I think our daily minimum quota at Washburn was 10 guitars, and that was from installing the neck (if it was a bolt-on), electronics and hardware, and then doing the set-up.
Joy, joy.
Honestly, though, I do find it relaxing like Jeff said. And yea, gotta love that lemon oil! One of my guitarists's baritone Les Pauls soaked up 3 applications of that stuff. I've never seen a fretboard that was so dry.
Joy, joy.
Honestly, though, I do find it relaxing like Jeff said. And yea, gotta love that lemon oil! One of my guitarists's baritone Les Pauls soaked up 3 applications of that stuff. I've never seen a fretboard that was so dry.
- Aug 2, 2007
- 1,753
- 70
- 48
Fender USA DLX Tele, Gibson LP with P90s and RG550 missing from the pic so I have everything I need!
Recently sold on a Gibson ES137. Wasn't getting used much at all.
Got rid of a Rickenbacker last year too. Was a really nice guitar with a very distinctive sound but was hardly ever used.
The Eclipse is a custom full thickness and the Gibson murders it.
The Gibson feels organic and the sound "jumps" out of it.
Very dynamic and alive.
I generally hate EMGs and setting up all these guitars in one sitting and playing through my Mesa MK4 to check wiring etc confirmed this.
I have a duncan 59 set that I am going to put in the Eclipse and also have a Duncan sh-11 bridge that I will try too.
I think the 59 set will be perfect. Should be pretty close to the burstbuckers in the Gibson. The only reason it wasn't done straight away is I didn't have any 500k pots to do the job.
The MI NTB started life with an EMG 81 in it and it sounded really thin so I changed it to a duncan SH-11 which is recommended for bright guitars (Maple neck through, ebony board and alder wings) but doing this setup showed it to be lacking bottom end compression. I love when mutes squash into the valves and it wasn't doing it. Swapped it for a Duncan Invader yesterday and it sounds brilliant now. Perfect pickup for it.
The PRS has a duncan sh-11 too. A big step up from the stock HFS that was in it. The HSF was very undynamic and dull. The Duncan screams in it.
I remember you posting about that. What a bastard. I think it will probably show up eventually. Keep looking. Have you tried looking through photos of local bands on FB?
I love the simplicity of the M-I and wouldn't want the extra pickup. I don't gig (and hardly ever play) so the M-I is perfect as a recording guitar for customers.
What pickup did you have in the bridge?
To the other replies, I owned a musical instrument shop for 10 years and have set up hundreds of guitars over the years so the therapeutic aspect is well worn off for me. Stripping a guitar, installing and wiring EMGs then stringing and setting up a floyd rose several times a week has killed the thrill for me
.
- Aug 2, 2007
- 1,753
- 70
- 48
Switched the EMG set in the Eclipse for Duncan 59s.
So much happier with how it sounds now.
Alive and dynamic and very like the LP STD.
BTW if you are ever buying pots watch out for Fender and Ernie Ball ones.
The threaded shaft that goes through the body is very wide and requires you to widen the hole if you are swapping for EMG pots.
I bought the EB pots and didn't really want to file the hole wider so got Fender ones which turned out to be the same :-/
Ended up filing the hole wider and putting the EB ones in.
I can see the Eclipse getting much more use in the studio now.
It looks great too with zebra bridge and black neck with no logos.
So much happier with how it sounds now.
Alive and dynamic and very like the LP STD.
BTW if you are ever buying pots watch out for Fender and Ernie Ball ones.
The threaded shaft that goes through the body is very wide and requires you to widen the hole if you are swapping for EMG pots.
I bought the EB pots and didn't really want to file the hole wider so got Fender ones which turned out to be the same :-/
Ended up filing the hole wider and putting the EB ones in.
I can see the Eclipse getting much more use in the studio now.
It looks great too with zebra bridge and black neck with no logos.
kev
Im guybrush threepwood
I do enjoy it, but hate it when it is a total pest. I used to intonate Ibanez Edge bridges without the proper intonation tool and that was a horrific experience.
Glenn Fricker
Very Metal &Very Bad News
kev
Im guybrush threepwood
I love setting up guitars when a band is paying me full rate studio time.
Like!
lolzgreg
Cereal Shipping Sneapster
Bullseye. No one records here without having their guitars set up and restrung by me first. I have never had a guitar setup by ANYONE that has been intonated properly. Bands seem to love it because their guitars leave better than they show up
DeclanWhite
Senior Member
ive seen terrible setups by 'the best in melbourne'. it's like... ok well, well spent money dude, now i have to do it again but better haha. my ears bleed when something is SLIGHTLY out
Max Morton
Member
This!
Always ordering strings from the USA for the clients. The ones they sell here in Ukraine suck in terms of quality and cost almost twice as much. The same brand, the same model, but the difference is night and day! Especially D'addarios.
Setting up the bands' guitars and basses and always asking them to leave their guitars in the studio during the recording sessions if possible.
Besides, what a nice reason to relax for half an hour while setting up a couple of instruments.
Notuern
Bloody vaginal belch
- Oct 20, 2007
- 3,625
- 0
- 36
Thats odd.. because as i understand it there is ~5 factories in the entire world that makes guitar strings(Which would suggest that all d'addarios should be the same.).
Max Morton
Member
I sincerely believe that there is a percentage of second grade strings, which are too good to be thrown away, but too bad to be sold in civilized countries. It's quite a common thing in any industry. Textile, food, etc. I'm not even sure if I blame Daddario and others
Now, when I mention quality, I have exact reasons to say that:
- The way strings intonate (both reaction to picking, and the wounded strings behavior on higher frets). It's night and day.
- The way strings maintain their tuning. The same thing, the difference is obvious.
- Lifespan. The ones I got here can just die after one song. They lose all their treble and their intonation becomes completely unbearable. Now, when I take the "US" set, it can last several sessions and still sound pretty cool. Less bright but still great.
- Tone. Even the brand new set does not have that clarity and punch. They are bright for a short period, but there is no definition in between the "basic harmonic" and "zzzing".
I had too many opportunities to compare, so I'm definitely not mistaken. Be it the bands who ignore my proposition, or me, when I run out of strings during the New Year/Christmas season
