Guitar set up

It has been my experience that most music shops don't mention the setup when you buy.  I don't know if it's that they just don't want the extra work or what.  I have also set mine up myself.  Just as long as you turn it in slow increments.  It can make a big difference.  Good luck. It sounds as if you got it right the first time.  Good for you.

You'd be surprised at the horror stories some "reputable" dealers will present for purchase in store. I went o the largest store in Glasgow and was horrified at the condition of the guitars on show.

Hmmm, yeah.  The truss rod is used not so much for setting the action, but for setting neck relief-- how much the neck flexes with string tension.  Once you set the neck relief with the truss rod, THEN you adjust the action at the bridge and/or nut.

To check the neck relief, you're going to need to put a capo at the first fret, and hold the low E string down at the fret where the neck joins the body.  Use a feeler gauge to check how high the string is at the seventh fret; a "regular" player will want it at about 0.013", if you play really heavy, you might double that.

You can find a good essay (with photos) here:  http://frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/Ge … tradj.html

Seems like some very helpful info posted here.
Guitarpix mentioned it being necessary to take your time when adjusting the truss rod.
Yesterday I bought an Epiphone FT 550 Exellente at a pawn shop. So beautiful (to me) and I got a case of the Love is blind I guess. I went completely through the purchasing process and got it home only to realize there was an extra screw in it! In the neck just where the neck starts to thicken was a hairline crack. The screw was countersunk and very well placed. There is no give to the effected area and it plays fine. It has  a beautiful sound that jumps out at you. After reading Guitarpix post I suspect someone got in too big a hurry adjusting.      Should I be really concerned about this? It plays very well, a non player would never know the screw didn't belong and I don't have that much invested. ($179) Which may or may not be too much. (Don't tell my wife if it is).

Hey Deadstring,

Have you seen what Seasick Steve or even the venerable Willie Nelson are seen in public with? and I'm not talking partners here!

If it sounds good and you like it, it should be like everyone wishes they were like with their partners that "love is blind," if not deaf.

A useful thing I was told by a luthier named Rod Button is that there is 200lbs of pressure pulling the neck of a steel string perpendicular to the strings (think folding the neck in half at the heel) which is why steel strings have steel truss rods and the old classicals had wooden ones.

BTW Rod Button when he was starting out built these "boat back" guitars that used curved strips of wood something like a clinker built boat. The thickest part of the body was just behind the soundhole and was twice as thick as normal dreadnoughts. He even built acoustic basses that could be heard among the band WITHOUT being plugged in!!!

Sadly he went bust, but all I could afford at that time was a full set up on my old Fenix (by Young Chan) electro acoustic. That set up on a ply top made it sound ten times better and ten times easier to play.

Those Fenix guitars were great. Young Chan had an order from Ibenez to supply them with one-piece necks with their trademark sharkmouth pointy headstock but Y C got the long and short part the wrong way round so rather than have a big fire they married it to a semi curved wooden backed body they were doing for Charvel, result - Fenix rising from that ashes that weren't.

While I'm waffling (got back from Monday night gig and need to calm down) my new guitar was beautiful. I was thinking about a Jazz model and wanted a high action for tone and volume so when I saw that little number it was as your Epiphone - love at first sight and sound.

Everything was fine for 2 weeks then it developed a rattle, went back to the company, they said the pick up was incorrectly attached and repaired it and it came back to me. Joy was short lived as they'd done a set-up that lowered the action robbing it of tone and volume. It went back and they sent a number of new models from new shipment for me to choose from. It wasn't the guitar I'd paid for!

I paid for it in August, had the original for 2 weeks then had nothing until the following January but by holding out and sticking to my ground (with some very helpful advice from the Musicians Union legal dep't (the MU also give you £1000 equipment insurance and £10,000,000 public liability insurance as part of membership!!!)) I finally got what I'd paid for!

Some fantastic advice in this thread, thank you all!

Okay, I have been reading this topic with great interest, however I have a question.  Since all guitars "feel" different (Taylor vs. Martin vs. Washburn) how does one know how they like their action set.  What i mean is that if I play my dad's Martin who has a high action and I like it but then play my Washburn with a lower action and I like it, how am I ever going to understand what is the perfect feel for me?  Is there a way that I could tell if loweing it by .25 cm will be better?  or to raise it?  I don't know if there is a right or wrong answer but curious on how others have figured it out.

Well while we are on the topic, I have an old guitar which sounds pretty good but the action is really high and I would like to change it. However I dont want to do it at the expense of the sound.How much does changing the setup affect the sound?

Guitarpix I appreciate your  thoughts!
My wife aint a stripper either but she knows.....Never mind!
I have had all the strings off, long enough to clean it, and replace the strings with Martin lights. It came in tune very nicely and is staying in tune as well as the Yamaha does with new strings. It was a little flat (just out of zero on my tuner) the first time I checked it after restringing. Fine after that.    I  know the value dropped when the screw was installed but I don't really plan on selling it anyway. I love it! I just hope it holds together

First is a shot of the back. No visible damage but I spotted the reflection of my grandson's  First Act in the picture

Then the top of the neck as you are playing it.

Then the back of the neck and the screw.

And finally the bottom of the neck as being played. The damage is just about as hard to see in person as it is in this picture.