I've come to the conclusion that im the only person that can setup guitars the way i like..

[Fiddy]

After having owned many guitars, tried techs here and there, I've come to this conclusion.

People's guitars are all setup all kinda fucked up. I think low action means something completely different to some people. Maybe they just got really strong muscles in their fingers and don't feel the extra effort needed.

[sookwinder]

For the past 10 or so years I have set up my electrics and maybe 6 years I have also done my acoustics
I think the main thing is that once I have set up a guitar and then played it for half an hour I may go back and tweak a little further just to get exactly how I like it

A tech at a guitar shop would not spend the time to play the instrument and do a fine tune on it again

[JSett]

I've been doing mine for decades but recently started taking them to a guy local to me. I can get mine, like, 95% there but whatever he does just adds a tiny bit of sheen to the setup that I can't quite put my finger on. I'll do mine then tweak over the course of a week or two then take it over and he just makes it *chefs kiss*

[thisisnickpaige]

I've been doing mine for decades but recently started taking them to a guy local to me. I can get mine, like, 95% there but whatever he does just adds a tiny bit of sheen to the setup that I can't quite put my finger on. I'll do mine then tweak over the course of a week or two then take it over and he just makes it *chefs kiss*

I use to use a guy for years but then he seemed to stop caring and they got worse.
I've always pondered on this, why he could get it that extra 5% to finished and i've come to wonder if it's the sandwich phenomenon where they just taste better when someone else makes it for you.

But that sounds about right, no one knows what you think feels best better than you.

[Fiddy]

For the past 10 or so years I have set up my electrics and maybe 6 years I have also done my acoustics
I think the main thing is that once I have set up a guitar and then played it for half an hour I may go back and tweak a little further just to get exactly how I like it

A tech at a guitar shop would not spend the time to play the instrument and do a fine tune on it again

This sounds about right. Ill set up an intrument, play it and adjust some more, keep playing and adjust even more until it's just right.

In my case i don't like how others make my "sandwiches"

[Gavanti]

I decided a long time ago this was an area I wasn’t willing to spend money so I needed to teach myself how. I can dial it in after playing for awhile and can definitely live with whatever the difference is between my setup and a tech’s. Any fretwork needed beyond dressing the ends though, it’s off to the shop.

[marqueemoon]

I need to get some nut files. That’s the area where I am the pickiest.

[Fiddy]

I decided a long time ago this was an area I wasn’t willing to spend money so I needed to teach myself how. I can dial it in after playing for awhile and can definitely live with whatever the difference is between my setup and a tech’s. Any fretwork needed beyond dressing the ends though, it’s off to the shop.

I think money is an important aspect of it. I rarely feel like the work done is exactly to my "specs", sobi always end up feeling like I have wasted my money.

A few years ago i got a refret done on a Greco Ric, excellent job on the refret but when I got the guitar back, i still ended up lowering the bridge, mind you, nothing too difficult...

But besides this one great refret, i think every other setup or work I've paid for has been lacking..

[Scout]

I think it’s a numbers game, all the subtle differences can be measured with the right tools. I also firmly believe that anyone with more than one or two guitars would be well served learning to do their own setups. Anything you need to know is online and reversible barring file work on the nut, frets and bridge; even those jobs are really not difficult, just intimidating.
Everyone has to learn to do this work, it can either be you for the cost of some tools or the person you hand your guitar to and that person won’t know exactly how you like it.

[cincinnatiharry]

That's cool. I WISH I could setup my own guitars. I am rubbish at it. I have tried many times and they always come out worse. I just pay a luthier I know to set them up how I like with he custom string gauge set I use.

I play in standard half a step down and double drop D (so some guitars have one, and other guitars have the other).

[JSett]

That's cool. I WISH I could setup my own guitars. I am rubbish at it. I have tried many times and they always come out worse. I just pay a luthier I know to set them up how I like with he custom string gauge set I use.

I play in standard half a step down and double drop D (so some guitars have one, and other guitars have the other).

I ran that exact tuning on all of mine for about 15+ years. I used to call it Triple-C-Sharp tuning. When I decided to eventually go back to a standard Eb it took me a few weeks to re-train my hands and brain to play again.

[IceBlueBoogaloo]

Funny enough, learning the odds and ends of my Jazzmaster before and after acquiring it ended up giving me the skills to do my own setups all the way up until fret leveling and nut filing (tools are expensive, nuts are scary!). I knew how to do really basic stuff on my basses and took them in for everything else but I was never satisfied with how technicians handled my JM. So I decided to get over my fear of truss rods and learned how to setup just the way I like it. It helps that I’ve lost countless strings to all the bridge and tailpiece adjustments I’ve made lol. I was always checking neck relief and action after restringing.

[soggy mittens]

Yep, if I could be bothered learning how to cut a nut then I'd just go all the way and do everything myself. I still haven't met a luthier that knows how to cut a nut in a way that results in actual low action. I know what low action is I've experienced it on a friends strat, that was insane and it was a joy to play. I don't know how it could be so low without rattling. I think everything else is pretty easy to get right but the nut is where the F up occurs 99% of the time. Acceptance of less than perfect seems to be a theme in my guitar setup life now tho. Like at some point I just have to get on with it. >_>

[fuzzking]

thing about the nut is it's too easy to fuck up and then having to start all over again, or using the baking soda/superglue fix. easiest way to get super low nut slots for me: fret corresponding string at 2nd fret. cut slot until there's only a tenth of a mill or so left between string and first fret when string is fretted at 2nd. takes some patience, but works a treat. takes some time though, and easy to cut too low if you're not patient enough. it's a cost/effect thing.

[s_mcsleazy]

i've been doing it myself because i know how i like it. half the time, i've had techs complain about my string gauges and me liking a higher action so i don't choke out. i had one person even say "if you learned how to play the instrument rather than beat on it, you wouldn't need heavy strings and high action" but honestly, i feel if the action is too low, the guitar is too easy to play too. i wanna fight the guitar.

for the record, my 25.5" scale guitars in standard have 11-48's. my 24" scale guitars have 13-54's.