The '5-STEP SETUP' every guitarist should know!
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- Опубліковано 19 кві 2024
- We're fixing my guitars! This is my approach to getting a perfectly guitar setup at home. The 5 things I always check when looking at guitars, so they play like a dream
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0:00 The problem
1:12 The action (electric)
4:28 The action (acoustic)
5:19 The nut
6:14 Neck adjustment
8:40 How the truss rod works
9:14 Adjusting the rod
11:30 Intonation
13:55 Pickups
16:14 Maintenance
Hi, my name is Paul Davids! I am a guitar player, teacher, producer, and overall music enthusiast from the Netherlands! I try to inspire people from all over the world with my videos, here on UA-cam.
If you want to know more about me, check out PaulDavidsGuitar.com or check out my guitar courses at: learnpracticeplay.com and nextlevelplaying.com
Thank you for watching!
Paul
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*IMPORTANT ADDITION* Always adjust the action after ensuring the neck is setup correctly. I named the action first, because sometimes that is all it takes to take a guitar from good to perfect. On the Novo I did not even touch or measure the neck, because everything feels right. Of course this doesn't apply for acoustics, where you should always do the neck before any adjustment. Cheers!
hey paul why are the strings on my acoustic buzzing? i just replaced the strings a couple weeks ago. LOVE UR VIDS 😘🥰
Floyd rose set up please? Just a suggestion. Keep up the good videos!
TRAIN:
Tune
Rod
Action
Intonation
Noodling
@@louiszaffino4071 you may have put lighter gauge strings on the guitar than were on before, allowing the neck to bend back more than it was with the other strings.
@@louiszaffino4071 Each set of strings has a variable tension rate and a subtle change can affect the neck and it sounds like you may need a slight adjustment of the truss rod to give it more relief and to compensate for the new strings, that being said if it was fine beforehand with the older strings. 1/8-1/4 at a time and allow 30 minutes before working on it again as this gives it time to settle.
How to set up a guitar:
Open this video everytime you need to do it.
Good for the algorithm.
@@PaulDavids lol
@@PaulDavids Sounds like the robot overlords are already here 😂
And then read the pinned comment....
Algorithms matter but a solid guitar setup matters more, quality video again Paul👍🤘
As a mechanic, and Engineer. My experience is that If you adjust down (loosen) anything, always loosen farther then you need and work your way tighter. Adjustments last longer as you set a torque and tension rather then loosening.
A good rule of thumb for any adjustment.
I've always done this with tuning but never thought about it for truss rods.
Interestingly it's the opposite for piano tuning, because the pins are set in the wood -- you always tune down because they will want to settle back up, but this is countered by the tension of the string.
I would tend to agree with this, but guitars are little beasties. One guitar might work better adjusting to tight, and the next adjusting down. One way to tell is if you hear little pings when you adjust. If you hear the ping, go the other way (usually tight).
@@nipperdog7777 The "Ping" sound just indicates that the string is not following the string relief or tension smoothly, and that is caused by a nut slot that is too tight (ie: friction, which is a bad thing in nut slots). That makes every move up or down hard to get right, and if you bend a string, problem can be that the string will not come down back in tune as the nut locked the 'over tension', and your guitar is out of tune (again).
Same thing with tuning the strings. Start low and tune up.
It always blows my mind how much a setup changes the sound of the guitar. If I ever start feeling uncomfortable or like the guitar isn't feeling right, I pay attention to what is missing, adjust, and we're back in love.
I’ve been playing guitar for almost 30 years and this is great information. The only tip that I could give if you haven’t covered it already is to stretch your strings after you put them on And play with it for about 20 minutes before you go on stage. It typically won’t go out of ttune or have any slips. I generally just pull the string at the 12th fret about an inch away from the fretboard a few times and then retune
Yupp. Ive found that if you repeat this atleast twice on electric and three times on acoustic, they will stay in tune just fine.
I just bend the string at random frets up and down, retune and then bend again until I stop needing to retune it
Good idea that really helps.
I've been in a few bands and seen the lead guitarist do it all the time. I like to play for a week on new strings to break them in and get comfortable with them before I'd go on stage. But then again he was way better than me haha
I read where Eddie Van Halen would boil his strings before putting them on his guitar. Hmmm....
I'm a pro "international system" for measurement units, but the fact you thought to put both metric and imperial units side by side is such a mark of professionalism. Quality of you work is really inspiring!
I am American and I’ve never heard of the Imperial sister before. We call it the English system.
@@briandillon8041 No we don't lol never once have I heard that, must be some east coast stuff!
@@briandillon8041 Gotta watch Star Wars then..
@@briandillon8041 imperial sister? lol
Technically I believe the American system is officially called U.S. Customary units, which differ from the imperial system chiefly in the number of fluid ounces making up a cup, pint, quart, etc... although you may correct me if I am wrong, this information was gleaned from a google search. And it is certainly common to refer to the system used in America as the imperial system. I have heard of people calling it the English system as well, but not in America.
There I was, feeling pleased with myself for finally figuring out how to add filters in Final Cut and then a second Paul appears 🙄
Paul beating us all as guitarists and editors!
Chris we don't watch your videos for the camera work!
Well i mind more about your playing than your editing skills lol
I have to agree, Paul's video skills are the gold standard.
There they were, 9 other guitarists feeling pleased with their solos over Pauls backing track, then your solo popped up..
I use John Suhr’s method of setting intonation. That is I don’t use the open string and 12th fret. I use the third fret as my open reference and the 15th as my octave reference. This sweetens the intonation and makes it a little more accurate
I'm going to try that.
I'm not going to try that.
What does "sweetens the intonation" mean exactly?
@@edeledeledel5490 i know doing both methods and finding a happy middle will give you the "truest" intonation, but it's not exactly necessary, no matter what you do, a guitar is naturally going to be ever so slightly out of tune on certain frets, most of the time, its not noticeable by ear.
@@williamwhelan997 If more manufacturers used a zero fret instead of a nut, there would be no reason to use the third fret for intonation. Most problems with intonation using open strings are caused by the nut grooves being too high. A zero fret reduces this possibility to almost nothing. Most amateurs are reluctant to file away at their nut, particularly if it's an expensive guitar for them.
How you fret changes the intonation anyway. If you fret right behind the fret with a lot of pressure, It changes the tension in the string, and sharpens the note. If you fret further back, lightly, this doesn't happen as much. If you don't believe this, try using a capo with a strong spring just behind the fret, and then a capo with a weaker spring in the middle of the space between the frets.
If you hit the strings very hard, you might need more pressure and to be nearer the fret, so horses for courses.
Death metal doesn't need to be in tune, anyway.
Paul, love your videos. They are always so helpful and always make me feel like I left with more knowledge than I had before watching. ✌🏻
"The capo is not only for Wonderwall" I Laughed out loud
Why? It wasn’t funny....
I literally clapped haha
Real men barre wonderwall with there thumb
@@70mjc boooo, be nice
bought my capo for that song LOL
Btw for anyone who doesn’t know, lemon oil is different from lemon juice. Lemon juice is corrosive and will literally make you frets and fretboard fall off. Lemon oil is a mix of mineral oils that moisturize the fretboard and make it play better. Lemon oil contains no lemons, it just smells like them
Lemon oil is extracted from the outside skin of the fruit, lemon juice comes from the inside.
Lemon oil is not a mixture of mineral oils, it's a vegetable oil by definition.
@@ErebosGR there is absolutely no actual lemon in lemon oil
@@ErebosGR Correct, but the "lemon oil" that is sold for guitar fretboards is mineral oil. Yes it's stupid.
@@TheGrahammasterflash Only the Dunlop 65 one. Others use real lemon oil.
@@ErebosGR Sorry Erebos, every wood rated (guitar or furniture) lemon oil that I've ever been able to find any information on is actually just scented mineral oil. Sadly, it's pretty hard to find this information. I may have found it in MSDS information. I don't recall, and I'm not doing all that work again to find it. I satisfied my own curiosity, and that was enough at the time. If you know of some specifics that do use real lemon oil, I'd be interested to see them though.
What a fantastic tutorial. I love the calm, steady, quiet and methodical way you approach the subject. I've always been a bit anxious about trying a full set-up on my guitars, but now I'm really keen - confident, but not overly so - to attempt it. Thank you.
I just found this video and it’s the best I’ve seen on the subject. Thank you for your hard work.
Always do neck relief first, then action, then intonation. Relief affects action, and both can affect intonation.
I came here to say the same. I always thought neck relief was first. Neck relief affects action, but saddle height doesn't affect neck relief.
TRAIN - Tune, Relief, Action, Intonation (Can't remember 'N')
True! Mentioned action first because sometimes it can be the first and only step.
@@jeffblackwell5493 Noodle ;)
@@jeffblackwell5493 Neck? (Cleaning) Edit: oh, wait, it actually is Noodle :) thanks google.
Is it just me or does this guy have one of the most soothing voices on the planet?
I play this at night to go to sleep
but never boring.
Plus heavy Dutch accent.
@@svenjansen2134 The Dutch are amazing with languages. They speak better English than most of us Americans do.
Bob Ross of guitar stuff.
I have always been intimidated by these setup steps but you explained it better than any other video I have watched on this subject and actually make it seem do-able. Trying this on my Jazzmaster which feels like the action is very high for me. Thanks for this vid! Awesome!
What a great, great video. You explained the various aspects of guitar setup in very easy to understand terms. For me just starting out playing guitar, I feel that it isn’t all about notes, chords, scales, modes and so on, it’s also about setup and maintenance of the instrument too! Thanks so much for the upload. I really appreciate what you have taught me today. 😊
It sounds dumb, but this is exactly what I’ve been after.
I’ve always been too worried to touch these things with my guitars out of fear of doing something I can’t come back from, and a lot of other guides always seem to assume some prerequisite knowledge.
This was great, cheers Paul!
Buy a really cheap, beater guitar. Use that to practice on. Better to learn on a guitar you don't mind making mistakes on. This is how I started. Now I'm building guitars. Tbh, all of this is much easier with a bit of practice, and realizing just how resilient a guitar is.
Same. This video has genuinely been very useful to me.
@@mgcnashville6615 exactly. I bought a bullet Tele for 117 bucks brand new. I wound up learning a bunch and did some upgrades and now I love the guitar. I'm not that worried about it being stolen or broken while playing in bars either.
"fear of doing something I can’t come back from"
You can learn your limit and just back away when you approach it. Just be cautious, you usually have to go a ways past reasonable to mess stuff up.
mma 1st funny how once you learn to tech/build, it seems so obvious and simple. And you can make cheap guitars play well even if they're made with cheap parts. Can also buy good quality parts/wood and build a guitar every bit as good as a $5k guitar for a fraction of the $.
You've heard of Les Paul, this video has Mor Paul.
Lol that made me laugh, thank you
Hey Monsieur Le Page. Thats Les Paul. This is Le Paul. There is only one.
#groan
@@couchpoet1 Bulk Hogan
You're a brave man. BRAVO!!👍
Paul, thank you so much for this video, man. I was always very afraid to touch things in my guitar and now I fixed some major issues with dead notes. Awesome
Hey Paul, thank you very much for this super concise and helpful tutorial. These adjustments breathe new life into my guitars and playing! What a treat:-)
I Stopped bringing my guitars to the: "So-called Experts in NYC" and started doing all my own Set-Ups and Maintenance about 7 years ago = I've Never been Happier with the Playability of my instruments. They look & sound fantastic, and I'm enjoying Playing much-more. ( if you want something done right . . . Do It Yourself ) - Fantastic explanation Paul.
this is extremely important for guitarists to do. Not because the tech isn't doing it right. The tech is doing it to his preference, and people have different preferences regarding how they like to play. When you do it yourself you can make adjustments until you get it the way you like it.
Great videos. Love the attention you put into the editing and vibe. Well done.
You are an excellent teacher, Paul. Thanks. I've started your courses and have decided to go back to basics all the way through even though I've played for decades. I missed a lot and avoided things like theory so I will go all the way through with you. You have one of the best teaching approaches and just a natural, calm and precise nature which inspires. The fact you are a stellar player is a bonus.
*Make sure to do all measurements and tests with the guitar in playing position* (especially intonation checks open vs 12th fret). Tune a guitar on it's back or sitting in a neck jack and then recheck in playing position and the tuning will be a long way off target -- Gravity!
Thanks a lot Paul! I've been so scared of this, but now I finally have the confidence to properly set up my SG that has terrible intonation and action problems, hahah.
Awesome as always. Love you clarity, simplicity to the explanations which really help. Thank you.
Paul Waller from Fender’s custom shop has a cool acronym for setups. It’s T.R.A.I.N. (Tune, relief, action, intonation, noodle) he recommends doing a setup in that order.
I follow T.R.A.I.N for setups too, it works well.
Also, play some Train songs after you set it up. :)
What noodle means.Sorry im from Greece.
@@user-be9ey4jb3c just messing around on the instrument, playing your favorite licks and riffs. Seeing how your adjustments impacted the feel. check this out from Fender Custom Shop ua-cam.com/video/eDU8nqQdXfw/v-deo.html
@@user-be9ey4jb3c Pick a key and play a few licks on your guitar... :)
I taught myself guitar setup not too long ago and radically improved the playability of my Dad's handed down American strat. Local guitar shop did a "setup" last year and didn't even polish the frets or adjust the intonation and relief. There was ALOT of neck relief, whereas I prefer a super straight neck with low action like Allan Holdsworth. I also was able to file down the nuts a bit on my new Charvel tele and Jackson 8 string to get better intonation on the lower frets, soo much better. There's something so great about patiently working on the setup and getting the instrument in a much more playable, intonated and stable state.
To anyone still afraid of adjusting guitar or bass setup, don't !!! take your time and understand what you are doing!
I've been looking for a simple explanation for this, and this is hands-down the best example I've seen. Thanks for doing this Paul.
Thank you for this video. It has helped me a lot. The attention to the little details is what makes your content a go to always.
100s of confusing videos later Paul to the rescue. You are one of a kind!! Please keep at it Paul, the world needs you!
You covered ground that it took hours of watching other videos to understand; yet you somehow managed to do it perfectly in under 20 minutes. Amazing!
Wow this is so well done! Clear and informative, amazing work!
What a superb video. All the major setup points covered in a simple and effective manner.
That´s some sick camerawork Paul! And a beautiful guitar : )
This is the most helpful guitar video I have ever seen in my entire 50 years. Thank you so much!
I agree. I've been doing all this forever and Paul just teaches everybody so clearly.
THis is a wonderful summary for setting up a guitar in less than 20mins. Thank you so much!
Thank you for this amazing video! I am about to set up an old guitar that has been in storage for 10 years or more! It's needs new pickups, bridge, and probably more, and I'm sure the neck could use some adjustment too. This guide will help me out a lot! Love your videos!
My guitar now plays like a dream. You're the best, Paul; be well my friend.
I'm here to report that apart from music film making is an amazing art, as such i just watched the beginning part at half speed and that mask is so good it makes it clear to me that Paul is an amazing guitar player and also a terrific film maker that clearly puts a really long time into making his videos. Love you paul.
You were very thorough and jumped into what I was looking for right away! Thank you!
Been a year or so since i last watched this video, came back to it because i needed some info and man, just watching this video and looking at Paul so much younger, seeing how far hes come in this time is amazing. This is an incredible video; high quality editing, clearly very well planned. Love this content, always will, pretty damn useful as well! Thanks for the tips in all your vids Paul, you started my journey into electric guitar, helped me learn to improvise through your pentatonic scales video and so much more. Can't begin to describe the inspiration you are to me, so really, Thankyou so much for this!
Now im setting Paul Davids content quality as target for my guitar videos.
Not to ignore those camera shots and editing. top notch content
This is super helpful, Paul. I have recently started doing my own setups after years of taking my guitars to a luthier. And your explanations of these adjustments are the clearest that I have seen anywhere. Getting ready to adjust the truss rod and the pickup height on my tele so this is great timing. Thanks!
Thanks Paul, some clear, straightforward guidance on what always seems to me a complicated process.
Excellent straight forward and simple steps to making your guitar go from good to great 👍 Great video 📹 👍
I've watched dozens of these set-up tips and it's great to see how useful and important these steps are! When I was younger and knew nothing of string adjustments, pickup heights, action,; I literally would trade away a guitar because it didn't feel right or sound like I wanted(long before tutorials on UA-cam). Now, I'm willing to try most adjustments myself. Thanks for posting this!!
This is the best guitar setup video I've ever seen, and FINALLY takes the guesswork out of it! I've done many guitar setups in my time, but I've still learned something here.
out of all the guitar videos I've watched this is potentially the single most helpful one I've watched so far! thanks so much man. just got a new guitar and all of the adjustments were a mystery to me. I have a cheapie acoustic as well that could probably use some of this kind of love. fantastic. I was getting buzzing and flat notes all over the place and playing felt like strain. just a little adjustment on the action and its like a whole new instrument.
This video was a big help. I have been struggling with getting better action and intonation on my Ibanez acoustic. Filing down the bridge and the nut were things that I’d never even considered. Thank you!
By far the best and most detailed guitar set-up explanation, but at the same time kept it simple in a way that helps understand everything easily. Have been looking for a good video that explains the bridge's saddle intonation so that I could mess with mine properly
Thank you so much for this detailed video! I'm very thankful on how clear and detailed you are in your explanations! Definitely earned my subscription! I'm 37 and just got back into my guitar but honestly never got serious. My passion has been sparked again and am practicing more consistently! The passion you have for music definitely comes through on your videos! Keep up the great work, and again, thank you for putting up content like this for the masses!
Best Wishes
John
You’re my hero, Paul. Thanks for making this stuff so easy to understand. I’ve been terrified of the truss rod for years.
Thanks. Knew most of this, but it's so great to find it all in one place. The pickup height demo was really good!
I havent played guitar in 10-12 years but I'm about to get my first one since and I'm doing all kinds of research to refresh my mind and I love how clear and to the point this video is. Thanks for making this
As a guitar n00b, this video was so helpful. Thanks a million, Paul! :)
Wow. I have learned so much from this. Thank you so much for producing such informative videos.
Just used some of your tips to set up a solid body electric ukulele! The improvement in sound is enormous! Thank you!
You've dropped this video right when I was about to walk off doing setup on LP
I'll be back after a walk
very helpful for my Squier - I fixed action and intonation in 10 min, also thanks to the toolbox you recommended elsewhere. plus I changed tuners to locking, and now it's a breeze.
I just wanted to say thank you for all your quality content Paul!
Brilliant video, thanks so much Paul, hugely grateful for all your content mate!
This community, 'closing in on nearly 2 million'. That's f-in amazing, Paul. I've watched, periodically, for the last few years or so. I thought you had some good videos, but never imagined it would grow as it has. You have 3000 likes already on the day you release the vid, ffs. I can only put it down to your open, honest and friendly nature, without all the click bait and typical YT hype. Well done
This is really important. Especially if you order from online, usually things are quite messed up because of transportation. Playing chords was super hard for me (been playing couple weeks for now). My problem was that action was really super high (around 5mm). I lowered it and suddenly playing chords became so much easier. I don't need to push strings so lot anymore which helps me to make chords play more clearly.
I have seen so many videos that try to explain doing these things. This is by far one of the better ones. Well done! I saved this video and shared it to several of my friends. I've seen some of your videos before, but this is the one that made me click on the subscribe button.
I'm a beginner and have been looking for good instruction on how to do basic setup. I have big box music stores and they're always backed up and I hear a lot of negative experiences from. This video has to be the best demonstration/explanation out there! Really really great! Thank you Paul!
This is an absolutely AMAZING video! I've played guitar for years but never looked into setting up myself. I just bought a 3/4 Squier Fender Strat and I think it would benefit from a little bit of tweaking, and after watching this video, I feel confident enough to do it myself rather than sending it to a Luthier. Thank you so much! 🙏
Man that 18 mins was definitely worth it! Thanks!!
Perfect. Thanks! I usually take my guitars in to the shop for adjustments but now a days with three week queues it’s high time I learned to do this myself.
this was like butter on a warm pan so smooth. and super great teaching, easy to follow great instructions awesome work.
Out of 4 Stars I give Paul Davis FIVE!
Thank you, Paul. As usual, this detailed and well articulated descriptive and visually supportive video is super helpful and valuable for we guitar lover/players with limited tech exposure. I (we all) greatly appreciate you.
BE WELL, BE JOYFUL, AND BE PROSPEROUS IN ALL WAYS, ALWAYS.
Joseph
Except he has the guitar in the wrong position the whole time.
Bro we need more chord progression videos bro it just makes our playing very much interesting
It just lets out the emotion man
Best instruction video on all of youtube ever. Paul thank you. It is so nice that someone can finally intelligently talk about an instrument as it deserves. 😀
This is great. I constantly work on my guitars and have for years. I have been having some minor issues with fret buzz and had to put some relief in the neck. The SG example seemed so extreme compared to my issues. It made me feel better about the kind of changes we mere mortals are capable of at home with truss rod adjustments. Also, the change of pickup height makes a huge difference and that was a perfect example! I used to just sell a set of pickups if I didn’t like the way they sounded, but they probably just needed some height adjustments. This is great stuff as usual, Paul.
When Paul said he likes the action LOW, I knew: he's a true man of culture.
But like many guitarists he sometimes takes whatever action he can get. 👹
Great video Paul. In Spanish we call the truss rod "Alma", which means "Soul", because it's like the fundation of the guitar.
Paul is psychic. Not only did I hit the like button at 12:15 - I also added this video to my bookmarks! I'd never seen a clearer demo of how to properly setup an adjustable bridge than this. Thanks, Paul! Nice!!!
I've been wanting to make my own Guitar setups for years and now I'm finally able to. Thanks a bunch!
Thank you Paul for this extremely useful guide. Being able to do these things myself has not only improved the playability of my instruments, but has also saved me from the frustration and cost of having to rely on the mercy of my local music store for help. An unexpected result is that I have a more intimate relationship with my guitars. That may sound a bit odd, but as a result, I get more enjoyment out of my practice sessions which means my playing has noticeably improved.
-Thanks again.
I agree 100%
Someone said this guy is like the Bob Ross of guitars and that’s one of the best analogies I’ve heard all year
Honestly this comment made my year. He should have that as his slogan.. 'the Bob Ross of the guitar world'. I couldn't help but picture Paul with Bob's hair as a result.. thank you for this 😂🤘🏻
Paul, this is a great rundown on the fundamentals, thank you so much for that. I can play, but I'm always very scared of touching the guitar, afraid I'll ruin it even though I can feel and see eventual issues. That gave me more confidence. Another topic that might sound trivial - but is not - is the proper way to change the strings. How much of a space you should give them to coils around the head, etc. It would be great to hear about that from you. All the best!
awesome. super clear video. best tutorial on this subject I have ever seen. thank you!
On guitars with bolt-on necks, always ensure that the screws are snug: DO NOT over tighten, however! Loose neck screws can cause a whole host of issues.
Loose necks cause wrecks
An important note, is that you're checking that they're not loose, you're not tightening them. Many people will tighten them a little bit every time they check, which just leads to stripping them out eventually.
The term 'bolt-on neck' annoys me! They invariably use woodscrews. Ideally, the neck socket should have threaded (bronze, brass or stainless steel) inserts allowing machine screws (or bolts) to be used. Best practice would be to tighten to a torque figure in in*oz or hundredths of N*m.
BTW, when re-inserting woodscrews and even small machine screws, it is important not to 'cross thread'increases
@@TheAlanSaunders I believe I've seen a few bolt-ons with proper machine screws, though I never removed those necks to confirm. I had a cheap bolt on myself where one of the wood screws snapped one day, and the 3 screws that remained allowed a full step of tuning adjustment just from pushing the neck up or down...
@@nwimpney You mean if they are Duffi (plural of Duffus). Here's an idea, If they're not loose, don't tighten them. Only a Duffus thinks you have to make the screw turn every time you put a screwdriver on it. So, don't be a Duffus.
Paul, great video. You explain things in a way everyone can understand. Well done sir! I wanted to just mention how a surprising amount of issues can be caused by the nut. You mentioned that but I think it’s one of the most common problems and one of the harder ones to deal with. The height, angle, width, at which the strings enter and exit the nut are SO key to a good setup. Intonation becomes seriously impossible if the strings do not exit onto the fingerboard at the correct height. If you intonate and chords sound out of tune still, this is absolutely the issue. Some players feel comfortable doing filing work on the nut but it is a bit advanced because of how finicky of a process it is and how many variables matter. I would recommend having a guitar tech do that part if you don’t know how or don’t have the correct tools. Don’t try to shortcut it with the wrong tools!
Love this channel, Paul wins best UA-camr of all time in my mind. It’s reinvigorated my childhood love of guitar over the last couple of years. I just bought my first electric guitar and this video helped me set it up. Thank you Paul!
Thanks for the video. You covered all very nicely! Thank you for making it understandable and easy.
After years of trawling through UA-cam guitar tutors and experts, finally I’ve found the ‘go-to guy’. And if all Dutch spoke English as smooth as him ... :-)
Being inside nowadays, I think learning to be more creative and more skills is a really great thing, especially learning how to improve a guitar. Cheers!
You are everywhere I go
@@trevelyanjoelpakkari1720 Ahh ye haha
@@trevelyanjoelpakkari1720 yes he is
Me too ;)
You are by the the best Guitar Guru on UA-cam. I have been playing for over 20 years and still learn something new from your videos. Thanks so much! Keep up the good work!
Paul. I am very much enjoying becoming acquainted with your guitar, music expertise and journey. Your technical expertise and the personal building of your studio are mind-blowing. I plan to join your Acoustic Aventure courses. Thank you for all of your UA-cam instruction. Your information and the development of your skills are highly contagious. Regards!
Great video, all very useful tips, essential even. One thing I would add is taking care of a binding nut. Especially on cheap guitars with plastic nuts, wound strings can dig into the plastic and bind to it, leading to unstable tuning that's impossible to dial in just right. You can tell if your guitar is doing this if the wound strings make pinging noises as you tighten them. This can be remedied by taking the string out of the string slot, using an old string of the same thickness, and rubbing it back and forth in the nut slot like a string file. This will smooth out the grooves left by the wound string, and will allow you to tune the guitar more accurately.
For avoiding string binding and ensuring smooth tuning, you can try lubricating the nut slots. For a quick fix you can just use a regular old graphite core pencil or mechanical pencil, just rub the graphite into the string slots generously. But that won't last very long, and what I really suggest to do is grind the graphite to a powder in a separate container, and put in a small dollop of vaseline and mix them together, then use a toothpick to put a little bit of this graphite paste you've just made into the nut slots. In addition to making tuning slicker and more accurate, it will help to prevent the strings from binding again as the graphite-vaseline mixture is filling the texture of the wound strings.
Have you tried "dry" lube spray....it's made for pad locks and machines that you want to keep clean while lubed.
Also, even just using a pencil in the nut slots can help with this.. the graphite lubricates them.
Hey paul for the past 9 months i couldn't get my guitar to play well the strings were too high or too low i even gave it to the luthier but he said that this guitar is cheap and theres no reason for me to pay money and it's better when i learn it myself . I watched your video and tried for 4 hours straight to get the guitar to play like i want to and it helped . Now i am super satisfied how it turned out . Thank you soo much for this tutorial 😁😁😁
This guy helped just me a lot ..all my doubts been cleared ...as a person just starting on electric guitar this video is the perfect for me and to all those out there . Thanks a lot.
Thanks Paul! Keep on rocking in our not so free world!. I recently put thicker string on my guitar 🎸, and didn't really put much thought into it changing the action. But oh boy does it ever. I'm using your technique right now. Thanks b again! 🤘😝🤘
Great video, with one additional point about intonation: if you have a guitar with a floating tremolo, don't check the intonation with the guitar laying on the workbench. You need to check the intonation in playing position, because picking up the guitar and turning it sideways causes the bridge to shift slightly.
And not with the headstock resting on the bench. It can bend the neck forward enough to pull everything slightly flat, depending on the weight/geometry of the guitar.
One thing I like to add when you set the string height is that you also bend as many steps as you normally do, because the radius of the neck can kill the tone if the action is to low even if it sounds perfect without the bending. Great video! :)
Whether this is an issue depends upon the guitar make - Fenders, especially old ones, tend to have a smaller radius which is what causes the problem. Generally not so much of a problem with acoustics, as they tend to have a large radius to make using capos easier, amongst other reasons, and who bends much on a acoustic; you don't usually go for a whole tone bend, just a bit of a tweak.
A treasure trove of valuable information! Thanks so much for your videos you’re really helpful and knowledgeable, top man 👌
Very useful! Thank you. The way you broke down each step. Best video I’ve seen
after 26 years playing, finally i understand. thank you, thank you, thank you.