Going to learn how to setup a guitar/bass. What tools do I need?

[aarono2690]

I’m going practice setting up a bass on my new Fender Aerodyne P-Bass. My plan was to use the Elixer Strings setup guide on youtube as it is highly recommended. If I screw up I’ll go crying to my local luthier. That said, the luthier in the video series lists some tools he uses which seem to differ based on who is doing the setup. Here are my questions:

1) What do I need besides a screw driver and allen keys? I was planning on getting a set of automotive feeler gauges and a string action height tool such as the Dunlop one from Guitar Center. Anything else such as a super precise ruler? Do I need the string action height tool or is it just a nice addition?

I’d prefer to keep my tools basic and able to be found locally.

2) Is a Korg TM-50 tuner accurate enough to set intonation? Are phone apps better?

3) I’m going to keep the stock strings on my P-bass for a while. I assume I shouldn’t have to mess with the nut to do a proper setup?

4) Assuming I’m not cranking the truss rod hard there’s really no way to break anything right?

5) Anything else to know?

 

[aarono2690]

The parts I planned on buying:

Dunlop Action Gauge

Dunlop DGT04 Action Gauge | Guitar Center

Shop for the Dunlop DGT04 Action Gauge in and receive free shipping and guaranteed lowest price.

www.guitarcenter.com

Feeler Guage:

Feeler Gauge, 32-Piece

Amazing deals on this 32Pc Feeler Gauge at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[3bolt79]

The Peterson Strobe app will be more accurate than any clip on or needle tuner. Also, I have a Petersen Strobe which needs a power supply. It was given to me. If you are in the lower 48 states, I could sent it to you for the cost of shipping. It’s a spare one and will be more accurate as you can plug into it with a paths cable.

 

[3bolt79]

You should get a straight edge and some gorgamyte to polish your frets and clean the fingerboard. A multi bit screw driver from the hardware store would be ideal as well.

That’s really all you need to get started.

As far as Straight edges go, a botched one would be great. I have a three sided on for guitars.

You can adjust the neck with the notched side until the neck is perfectly straight, and let the tension of the strings pull the neck into relief.

 

[3bolt79]

Where are you located?

 

[aarono2690]

Where are you located?

Thank you for your advice. I’m going to digest it more in the morning. Can I hold off on polishing since I do not intend to change the strings yet?

I am located in Minnesota. How about you?

 

[3bolt79]

Thank you for your advice. I’m going to digest it more in the morning. Can I hold off on polishing since I do not intend to change the strings yet?

I am located in Minnesota. How about you?

Yeah, you can hold off on the polishing.

I’m in Oregon. If you were close by I’d walk you through it. Met a cool guy here who lives 20 miles out of town from me. Gonna teach him some stuff. I am doing some work on his guitars. He’s new to guitar so I will give him some lessons as well.

I started playing in 1983. What year did you start?

Aerodynes are sweet guitars and basses. Welcome to the forum if you are new here. And please post pics of your bass.

 

[aarono2690]

Yeah, you can hold off on the polishing.

I’m in Oregon. If you were close by I’d walk you through it. Met a cool guy here who lives 20 miles out of town from me. Gonna teach him some stuff. I am doing some work on his guitars. He’s new to guitar so I will give him some lessons as well.

I started playing in 1983. What year did you start?

Aerodynes are sweet guitars and basses. Welcome to the forum if you are new here. And please post pics of your bass.

Thank you for the help thus far. I’ve played guitar/bass on and off for years, but my practice quality and discipline was so shoddy I barely count it as experience. I’m 33 now. I primarily drum, but wanted to actually give guitar and bass a good effort this time. I figure this will also help me communicate with other musicians.

I’ll post bass/guitar pics tomorrow. In bed at the moment and not much saved on my phone currently.

What kind of music do you play? How did you get started?

 

[3bolt79]

Thank you for the help thus far. I’ve played guitar/bass on and off for years, but my practice quality and discipline was so shoddy I barely count it as experience. I’m 33 now. I primarily drum, but wanted to actually give guitar and bass a good effort this time. I figure this will also help me communicate with other musicians.

I’ll post bass/guitar pics tomorrow. In bed at the moment and not much saved on my phone currently.

What kind of music do you play? How did you get started?

I’ll PM you.

 

[Charles]

I’m going practice setting up a bass on my new Fender Aerodyne P-Bass. My plan was to use the Elixer Strings setup guide on youtube as it is highly recommended. If I screw up I’ll go crying to my local luthier. That said, the luthier in the video series lists some tools he uses which seem to differ based on who is doing the setup. Here are my questions:

1) What do I need besides a screw driver and allen keys? I was planning on getting a set of automotive feeler gauges and a string action height tool such as the Dunlop one from Guitar Center. Anything else such as a super precise ruler? Do I need the string action height tool or is it just a nice addition?

I’d prefer to keep my tools basic and able to be found locally.

2) Is a Korg TM-50 tuner accurate enough to set intonation? Are phone apps better?

3) I’m going to keep the stock strings on my P-bass for a while. I assume I shouldn’t have to mess with the nut to do a proper setup?

4) Assuming I’m not cranking the truss rod hard there’s really no way to break anything right?

5) Anything else to know?

Check out these videos.


Click Youtube on the video and you'll find steps 2-4 as well.

 

[aarono2690]

Check out these videos.


Click Youtube on the video and you'll find steps 2-4 as well.

Those are the videos I mentioned in my OP. I wanted to make sure I have the proper tools.

 

[JOHNB2488]

I just bought these and started going through my fleet of guitars. Game changer

 

[DECEMBER]

Don't be afraid to setup your guitar. Yes, the only way you can break it is if you crank the truss rod further than it wants to go. If you put it into a back-bow, it's fine, just loosen it again, as long as you didn't break the rod. Too many people are overly intimidated by the truss rod and treat is as something that should only ever be touched by a "pro"...This is unwarranted, as long as you pay attention and know when to stop tightening a bolt. A setup can always be adjusted, and if you really can't get it right, THEN you can pay someone out the @$$ to do it for you.
This is everything I use. Screwdriver with different size bits (Philips, flat, and hex, from an auto parts store clearance bin). Truss rod wrench (Gibson and Squier types for me). String winder (I also have a bigger one for bass). Korg CA-2 tuner (I actually use the tuner in the DAW mostly, but the Korg gets pretty close if I don't feel like turning on the computer. Tuners with a 1/4" jack will be more accurate than anything with just a mic, a phone app, or clip-on).
The orange thing is a fret rocker with 1/64" notches marked on the side, up to 10/64", for measuring string and pickup height. It also finds high frets.
The feeler gauge is from Music Nomad and is a nut height gauge, and can be used to check action, too. .012" - .022" in .002" increments.
The files are cheaper Hosco nut files, and can be used on saddles, too. You likely won't have to touch the nut unless you go up in gauge enough to have to widen the nut slots.

#1: install new strings, stretch them, tune to pitch
#2: adjust truss rod so the neck is either flat or with a very slight forward bow. Check for proper action by putting a capo on the 1st fret, fretting the last fret, and checking the space between the top of the 8th fret and the bottom of the string. There should be enough room for 1-2 sheets of paper to fit thru.
#3: adjust bridge posts to desired string height. Use the fret rocker to measure the height at the 12th fret. It shouldn't have to be any higher than 6/64" bass side 4/64" treble side, and most prefer it lower than that.
#4: set pickup height. Seymour Duncan says to start at 6/64" from poles to bottom of string when fretting the last fret, then adjust from there to your preference. With active EMGs, mine usually end up ~8/64" bass side, 9/64" treble side on the bridge pickup and as much as 10/64" on the neck pickup.
#5: tune again, as all the adjusting will have shifted everything.
#6: intonate the saddles.

 

[Darkness]

You don't really need anything fancy. I bought several things I "needed" before doing my first guitar. On the several that came later this is all I use, in addition to a rolled towel to prop the neck up and some paper towels to wipe the fretboard after oiling it.

Small wire cutter- optional. I loosen the old strings and clip them near the nut, it makes removing the end in the tuner easy.

Small pliers - optional. I use these if I need to pull a string tight or pull a string out of a tuner.

Small flathead driver - mandatory for setting intonation. Depending on your bridge you may need a phillips.

Tuner winder thingy - optional. Saves time and your hand will thank you.

Dunlop 65 oil - optional, but I use a bit about every 6 months. I rub it on the fretboard, go grab a drink, then wipe it off.

The ESP tool - optional. It does help to spin the thumb wheels on various parts to snug them up. I don't recommend using them on tuner nuts, use a real wrench if you snug those up. 10mm for Epiphone.

It is nice to have a good tuner, but I got by the first few times using the free Fender tuner app. I got a fancy clip on after and compared them, the difference was minimal. I now have a fancy Korg in-line tuner, it is only slightly more "picky" than the app.

The first two times I paid attention to measurements and stayed right at Gibson recommendations for neck relief, string action height, pickup to string distance. An old member here who is no longer with is sent me some advice, it took a while to sink in but once it did I don't bother measuring and my results are better for it. I set up to what the guitar will do, not some recommended numbers.

 

[Darkness]

Here is what I was taught:


Assuming no twisted neck or proud frets and a properly cut nut, with the guitar tuned to playing pitch, begin by setting the saddle height for frets 17-21(2) so that the strings play buzz free at the lowest possible height. (Lower the saddle until it buzzes, raise until clear.) When all strings are clean go to the lower frets and neck relief. Play the strings from fret 1 to fret 16, increasing relief (loosening trussrod) to relieve buzz or decreasing relief(tightening trussrod) to lower the string height, so tighten, by fractional turns, until it buzzes and back off until it doesn't. Once you have acceptable relief, i.e. no buzz and easy action, set your intonation and you're done.
This is the opposite order of most setup directions. It is based on performance and not measurements, hence, I don't take any. It works because the neck is immobile between frets 17 and 22. The trussrod only affects lower frets. By setting the upper end first, you know any buzzes are coming from too little relief. This method works for most guitars, with trussrods.


I would add to that, loosen strings before each adjustment so there is no tension. Good luck, it isn't too hard but it will be a learning process.

 

[3bolt79]

I just bought these and started going through my fleet of guitars. Game changer
View attachment 23381

Those are great tools. I have them all. I bought the shop set of nut files. They are so much better that the metal Hosco set I have. And you don’t have to finish up with sand paper after. A real time saver.

 

[Old Woody]

I just bought these and started going through my fleet of guitars. Game changer
View attachment 23381

I like Music Nomad tools and their video's are excellent. I usually buy tools as I need them however I have almost bought all my guitar tools from them one at a time.

 

[Jam Handy]

Korg makes good tuners, but that teeny weeny little VU meter type display is long time out-dated. When I was giving lessons, it's nice to have an easy-to-read display. The one I went to is the Korg Pitchblack series. The digital read out for the notes is about an inch tall, and you can easily see it if it is on the floor (its a pedal tuner) while you are standing up, no stooping over with a magnifying glass to tune.

You can find them used for $30-50 in the earlier version

Korg Pitchblack Tuning Pedal | Reverb

Korg Pitchblack 2010s Black - Shop New & Used

reverb.com

The new version is called the "Pitchblack X" (now with an "X" in the name). They added a pedalboard buffer to the "X" version... I have the "X" mini, and it is very sensitive, and works great... its a chiclet sized unit that takes up little space on the pedalboard or the work bench.

Korg Pitchblack X Mini Pedal Tuner

Compact, discreet, and highly accurate, Korg's Pitchblack X Mini tuner offers supreme versatility and a buffer circuit to preserve your tone.

www.zzounds.com

Nice thing about zZounds is... You can do (on this one) a 4-payment plan. You make the first payment (about $20) and they ship the thing to you free 2-day. Then while you own and use the thing, later they bill you later on your debit card (you have to have a checking account w/ a debit card or you need a credit card). They have no interest charge, but at the time of your order online, there is a setup fee to do the payment plan, and whatever taxes your state makes them pay.

They also carry a large selection of the MusicNomad setup products. Some things can be bought on a payment plan, some things not, and somethings get added to a payment plan the more you buy.

Music Nomad | zZounds

Clean up your guitars and drums with these high-quality maintenance supplies from Music Nomad.

www.zzounds.com

No credit check, no social security number, until you start buying much more expensive items, which you won't be able to right away on the pay-as-you-play payment plans. My first buy from them was 2 years ago, I got a Hartke HD-75 bass amp for $300. Paid them the first $50-ish dollars, and had the amp in 2 days, then they billed me for the other 5 payments. It is long since been paid off and I have a ton of pedals, guitars and amps I have bought from them... and American Musical Supply shares a warehouse with zZounds, and also has the same payment plans.

Korg Pitchblack X MINI Pedal Tuner | American Musical Supply

Order Korg Pitchblack X MINI Pedal Tuner at American Musical Supply. We offer 0% interest payments, extended coverage, expert advice, & fast free shipping.

www.americanmusical.com

As far as tools... something to adjust the trussrod. Then examine the bass for yourself. Does it have small screws, large screws, hex screws, etc... and don't over-buy a huge kit of stuff that a luthier might buy... you'll quickly realize you've wasted a bunch of money buying crap you'll never use in a million years.

Something to fit the pickguard screws. Something to adjust the pickup heights. some kind of nut driver to fit the jack nut (maybe later), also the same to fit the nuts around the tuners that over time will loosen slightly. When doin the setup, check all the nuts, screws and such to makes sure the thing is tight.

Eyeball and feel are two instruments you don't need to buy. How does it feel to play when you play it. If the strings go "splank splank splank" and rattle, they are too low, raise them at the bridge saddles (or determine whether or not it might need a slight trussrod tweak)... if they seem too far from the neck, then lower them. You can't learn "feel" from a YouTube video... As far as the trussrod, it needs to allow for a VERY SLIGHT forward bow when the tension of the strings are at tuning pitch. As far as the trussrod, "righty tighty" (forward bow) or "lefty loosey" (backward bow). You might only need to turn the trussrod 1/8 of a turn, it doesn't take much.




In this photo, they are calling a "forward bow" a "concave bow". #1 is exaggerated and could be the case if you action is way too high. #2 is what I call a "backward bow" here they call it a "Convex bow"

#3 is the target, and noticed it says "very slight Concave". It is not perfectly straight. You can see the bow of the neck by putting the body of the guitar on the floor (gently) and eyeball down the edge of the sides of the fretboard from the headstock end... both sides of the neck, top and bottom... (a small flashlight might help...)

At the bridge saddles, as far as their height... you want the saddle heights to match the radius of the fingerboard. You can eyeball that by looking at the bridge from the strap button end, and just see if the bridge saddles make the same radius as the neck has. Once that radius is set, then check the string heights as you play, no need for tools at my house... its all feel and eyeballs... The luthier tool selling folks need you to buy their crap so they can stay in business... but you don't need 90% of the crap they sell just to set up your bass.

Especially stay away from Stewart McDonald (StewMac) as you'll find just about every price on their web site is more expensive than every place else on the Internet. All I use StewMac for is to shop around for neat stuff... then I always go find it cheaper someplace else... always. Kind of like what I do at Guitar Center, I hate their store and I refuse to even buy a single guitar pick there, but I'll go in and try guitars, amps and pedals, then buy them some place else, like online. (quietly hoping they do go bankrupt and completely out of business as they have been threatening to do for 10+ years, and good riddance)

As far as screw drivers and nut drivers and wrenches and hex things... find a flea market and pay pennies for stuff, instead of expensive buying new stuff online, etc. Or a pawn shop, or thrift store, or anywhere but buying new. Even with guitars and pedals, I try to buy used/mint and save about 30%+ on gear. Because as soon as you buy a brand new anything, walk out of the store with it, and it is now used, and worth 30% less (or so) on the used market. So I let some other guy take that 30% hit, and I still enjoy near mint gear that is exactly the same, yet 30% or more cheaper.

Just because a guy buys a Ferrari doesn't make him Mario Andretti.
Just because a guy buys an SRV Strat, doesn't make him play like SRV
Just because you buy a bunch of MusicNomad gizmos, doesn't increase your ability to setup a guitar... you need eyeballs and ears, and to know the difference with your fingers and the touch YOU personally put to the instrument. Textbook setting upping is great, but that might not fit YOU and the way you fret the instrument...

And this... the man makes the guitar, the guitar does not make the man. No matter how much money you throw at any guitar, let's say the person is a beginner... Buying $5,000 PRS USA-something gives ZERO new abilities, except for the ability to brag to people with pictures on the Internet.

I can play equally well on a $60 Squier Strat pawn shop special that I bring home and set up myself... the man makes the guitar, and buying a Ferrari doesn't make a man Mario Andretti...

Only practice practice practice... and same thing with set uppers. First time might suck like trying your first F barre chord (on guitar reference). Think about the Olympic gymnast, how did they perfect those tumbles and jumps and flips and such... practice practice practice..,.

(And to improve your playing) Think about American football players. What do they do before the game? Calisthenics. Those exercises get the blood flowing in their bodies so the brain can command the body to do the sport. So... before performances, etc... warm up... in school band, we "warm up" by blowing warm air through the horn, Buy doing some simple scales or chromatics just to get the blood flowing in the fingers. This helps the hand-to-eye coordination between your brain and the now alert nerves and muscles that control your fingers.

And as far as playing the instrument... this will always be true... "THE MORE YOU PLAY, THE BETTER YOU GET"... and with setter upper stuff, the more of them you do, the better at them you get.

 

[Charles]

Those are the videos I mentioned in my OP. I wanted to make sure I have the proper tools.

He tells us what tools to use in step one.

 

[aarono2690]

Jam Handy, I found one of those older Pitchblack tuners locally for $35. Gonna go pick it up tonight.