• Registered: 2008-10-02
  • Posts: 192

Topic: general set-up questions

Generally speaking, how should a guitar be set up for a hard strummer to a light strummer to a stricty lead player to a fingerstyle player? String heights and fretboard radiuses and all that other stuff? The reason I ask is I've had this guitar now for about 2 months. An epiphones ES-295. Gold with the F-holes, Bigsby, split parallelagram inlays. It's beautiful. Sound great too. But... there are riffs that I play on my other guitars that come off with no problem. This guitar I always seem to miss the G string. Like that string is sitting too low. I know that I choke up way too much on my pick. That comes from years of playing a strat and loving those inadvertant pinch harmonics. I'd just hang the pick out a little more but it always end up back in the same spot. It seems to me, compared to my other guitars that the strings are really flat. Like no radius to them. Supposedly this guitar came from a Jazz guy. I'm more of a blues strumming picker. It has the floating bridge with the tuneomatic on it. Should I change this? How?

  • From: Central Flatland
  • Registered: 2007-05-30
  • Posts: 223

Re: general set-up questions

What you're having problems with is the mismatch between fretboard radius (which has nothing to do with setup, it's a manufacturing decision) and the flat profile imposed on the strings by the tunamatic bridge.  Fortunately, there is a solution.  There is a product known as a "Tru-Arc (tm)" bridge (which is a modification of the Gretsch "Rocking Bar Bridge") that can match your string radius to that of your fretboard.  You will need to know your fretboard radius, and send an email to Tim Harman (harmanz (at) psci (dot) net).  The bridges come in brass, aluminum, or stainless steel, and different materials will affect your tone in various ways; Tim will be happy to work with you and determine exactly what you're after.

Disclaimer:  I am not affiliated with Tim or Tru-Arc in any way, other than being a satisfied customer.  I just ordered my fourth bridge from him last week.

"There's such a fine line between genius and stupidity."
                              --David St. Hubbins
  • Registered: 2008-10-02
  • Posts: 192

Re: general set-up questions

Other than playing slide, why would you want your strings flat? I've never really paid any attention to this. I've always known that my strat and tele have an individual adjustment for each string but have never changed the factory set up. I guess that curvature on the Fenders and the flatness of the Epi is why I'm missing that string. I guess it could be my lack of skill though. Do Les Paul guys notice the oppisite when they pick up a Fender after years of playing a LP?

  • From: Central Flatland
  • Registered: 2007-05-30
  • Posts: 223

Re: general set-up questions

Got me, I've never played a LP.  However, since matching the string arc to the fretboard radius on my Gretsches, I don't plan on looking back anytime soon.

"There's such a fine line between genius and stupidity."
                              --David St. Hubbins
  • From: Gloucester, England
  • Registered: 2009-09-27
  • Posts: 71

Re: general set-up questions

strange... my Tanglewood TW502 (Gibson ES335 clone) has a "tunomatic" style bridge but it's radiused already (no-name OEM pattern bridge)... can't adjust the individual heights though, just up or down at each end using the wheels.

[url=http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/paulcooke100/Paul.jpg]a better photo of me[/url]
[url=http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/paulcooke100/IMGP0556.jpg]My basses[/url]
haven't photographed my guitars yet... smile