Setup for Success with string instruments!

I'm Lane Turgeon, the repair shop manager at Music Scene, and a musician on the weekends. I'll be addressing the subject of custom guitar setups. Naturally, I do my own setup work on my basses and guitars. You might be surprised to learn that I adjust my setup and change my strings every 2-4 months, depending on the frequency that I play and weather conditions. I cannot overemphasize enough how crucial it is to have your instrument setup for optimum ease and comfort is to your success as a musician.

Here's some things that I evaluate when estimating a setup:

- Truss rod: a frequent cause of issues with the instrument. I've even seen truss rods that are set improperly that cause the frets to pop out. Truss rods set improperly will severely impact the playability of the instrument.

- Saddle heights: saddles are at the end of the guitar opposite the nut. Electric instrument's saddles are usually adjustable with screws, acoustic saddles have to be shimmed or cut accordingly. Saddles greatly affect playability greatly, and take great experience and skill to do perfectly.

- Nut height: GUITAR PLAYERS! Are you having trouble with barre chords, or open F? It is extremely likely your nut slots are cut too high. This will promptly ruin the playability of any instrument, and make barre chords miserable for guitarists.

-Fret height: Inconsistent fret height will cause buzz and uneven action. This is something that is often overlooked even in high quality guitars, and takes detailed work to get just right.

Intonation; This is affect by the placement of the saddles horizontally. This affects the length of the string, affecting the tuning. If your instrument is out of tune in the higher registers, you probably need an intonation adjustment.

Here I have detailed a few of the main things I check when evaluating for a setup. Bring your guitar or bass by 546 N Andover Rd Ks, or give us a call at 316-440-8684 if you have questions or are ready to have your guitar play better than ever!