Guitar Setup

[Grimstache]

Is $75 (usd) too much money for getting a new guitar setup. I bought it brand new online. Thoughts?

[esc]

Well this looks like an easy but difficult question. The right answer might be yes... or no. Or maybe, it depends. What do you think? Was it a lot of work doing this setup? Without knowing what kind of problem the guitar had, how could one reply?

[simonm]

It depends on what is being done but for a good set-up by someone who knows what they are doing this is cheap to very cheap if are resident in the US.

[Grimstache]

Well he said he would condition the fingerboard and frets, but the guitar is brand new. I don't new strings. Honestly just the action needs to be set up.

[GuitarVlog]

What does he mean by "condition the fingerboard and frets"?

Conditioning the fingerboard may only mean lightly wiping it with lemon oil. You should learn to do that yourself.

What guitar did you buy? I'd be surprised if a brand new Yamaha, Takamine or LaPatrie needed any fret or fingerboard work. A Cordoba might need some fret leveling or fret-end dressing. Some of the Spanish factory guitars need no work (Saez, Ramirez, Alhambra to name three).

The San Francisco Bay Area is on the expensive side for set-ups. It's $25-35 for setting the nut and saddle action. Add $60-$70 for fret-leveling which is hammering down uneven frets. This would be work done by a competent guitar technician. I've never paid a top-level luthier to do any set-up work for me so I wouldn't know the price. Kenny Hill once adjusted the nut action on my Yamaha CG171SF for free while I was waiting for my Hill Estudio 45s to be set-up.

I don't know how much it costs for filing down frets, crowning them, and dressing them. That's a big job. I'd immediately return any new guitar needed that kind of work.

[Grimstache]

It's a Manuel Rodriguez. The action is a little low, I get some buzzing, but everything else is fine. As far as conditioning is concerned, I build flintlock rifles, I know my way around a hunk of wood. =)

[GuitarVlog]

I build flintlock rifles, ...

I think you could do your own complete setup with a pippin file, a caliper, sandpaper, a few other tools (which you may already have), and some research on this forum.

Start here:

http://www.hillguitar.com/website/news/ ... setup.html

Note: If the action is too low, then you may need to fit it with a new saddle and/or nut. That might be why he's charging extra. IMHO, the cost would be justified as long he's not planning on just shimming the saddle or the nut. A bone saddle replacement by a tech costs $75; same for a bone nut replacement. That's why I learned to do my own.

http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Musicia ... dle01.html
http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier ... wnut1.html

[Dave1947]

You can check the frets for level with a straight edge. They'll probably be OK if not have the luthier look at it. Other than that you can slide the saddle out after loosening the strings enough and replace it with a new bone saddle (you can get them on e - b a y at a low price). You may need a pliers to work the old saddle out and sand paper to remove some material from the saddle (for height adjustment)but it might be fine just as it is. Every serious guitarist should be used to doing these things. It's easy and doesn't take long.

[wortspur]

A proper setup on a classical guitar is more time consuming than on an electric guitar.
On an electric guitar, most of the setup can be done by adjusting some screws (trossrod for neck relief, adjustable saddles for string height).
The classical guitar can be setup by:
- filing the saddle. If the saddle is too low, the luthier has to file and shape a new bone saddle from scratch
- corrections on the nut. If one or more slots are cut too deep, the luthier has to file and shape a new nut
- leveling the frets. This is done to make sure that none of the frets stands out which might cause string buzzing

[tanolonco]

grimstache--the following assumes: there are no neck/fret issues and low tension strings. for the former, see a luthier; for the latter, you might want to try higher tension strings which should, in theory, reduce buzzing. if this guitar is new, or relatively new, the previous owner could have installed low tension strings.

since you stated you know your way around wood then you could resolve this problem pretty easily. you can do one of two things. the first would be to find a shim of hard wood and place it in the slot. the second method would be to superglue a thin piece of hardwood on the bottom of the saddle. with both methods you will need to sand down the (bone for method one) or hardwood glued to the bone (method two) to get the proper height. gluing a piece of hardwood to the saddle allows you to treat the wood/saddle as one unit and is much easier to do if you cannot obtain a thin and uniformly flat shim.

if you decide to go to a new bone saddle then you are looking at the cost of a bone saddle and the labor to prepare it and $75 paid to someone else is probably reasonable.

[simonm]

It's a Manuel Rodriguez. The action is a little low,...

Get a smal bit of veneer or business card thick paper and stick it under the saddle and see if that cures the buzzing. If it works, job done. When you are in the humour later get a saddle blank and shape it so that it is the same height as the original plus the bit or card/veneer.

[Supperconductor]

...you might want to try higher tension strings which should, in theory, reduce buzzing.

This worked like a charm for me. You might want to try this first.

[Dave1947]

You can experiment by tuning your normal tension strings up to 445 or even 450 Hz. up from 440Hz. This should reduce buzzing. If you notice an improvement and your fingers can stand it then buy some HT strings.