18 years playing guitar and I'm finally taking the dive into my own repair and setups. Mainly because I'm mechanically sound now. And this video nailed what I needed to fill some gaps. thank you!
I thought I was the only one lol But I played for about 10 years before even knowing what a setup was. I would just raise any saddle if I heard the string buzz 😂
This young man did an excellent job explaining the subject matter. He also did a pro job with the Stew-Mac sales pitch. I’ve purchased some of the Stew-Mac set up tools and they work as advertised.
Absolutely the best video and most practical ever on the internet. Seriously this makes alot more sense then some of the ridiculous videos out there. Nice Job thank you.
Thanks tuh UA-cam I is buhcumin a gitar mekanik ! Seriously. I got my first guitar exactly 61 years ago and never knew any of the stuff I've learned on UA-cam this past 6 months. It's a whole new hobby at the age of 73 to repair, adjust and modify my guitars, both acoustic and electric.
For setting the distance of the string above the fret I use the plain end of a drill bit.They are available in steps of 0.1mm, are very accurate and don't cost much.
I’ve used drill bits for “feeler gauges” for many different measurements. They also come in steps of 1/64th of an inch as well as the 0.1mm you mentioned.😊
This is the most thorough tutorial I´ve ever seen, including some paid courses on learning platforms. Other videos miss many important details on each step. I would definitely sign up for a paid course with this guy.
Something to consider: I've been checking out other videos on using the String Action Ruler (as I'm new to using them personally). I believe the reason why your measurements may not be correlating with your calipers is because of Fret-height compensation. From what I can tell, the String Action Ruler is made to sit on the top of the Frets, not down in the Fretboard. Again, just a thought, and definitely don't hold me to it. :)
@@aldalesandro the reason why he made the string buzz onto the metal gauge thing is because if it’s not touching the gauge then it’s too high, he’s not measuring on a fret so that’s why he had ot make sure it has a slight buzz, so that the string is barely touching the gauge and they have the correct curve to the neck
Stew Mac always has such great information. I purchased both of Mr. Dan's books, and they gave-me-the necessary information to do all my own maintenance & set-ups = Much Happier now with the playability of my guitars. Stay Safe.
Is it really that thorough? His approach is to pick any non-bowed-relief that you want, any string height you like and then aim for about .020" of a gap at the first fret. If I was a beginner at setting up guitars, I wouldn't find that very helpful. I recommend that people aim for the factory specs for their guitar, and then mess around from there. A $3 feeler gage and two allen wrenches are the only tools needed.
@@esmeraldo7887 WDYM?? .040 at the 12th fret is literally factory specs for Fender. His method for checking relief is universally accepted as the standard method: Check for 1st fret clearance, check for the relief gap at the 7th/8th/9th fret by depressing first and 15th (whichever fret meets the body). You could put a capo at the first and use your free arm to put a feeler gauge at the gap, but the method above is how everyone and their mom does it. A little gap, perfect. Want it straighter? Then do it like this video and remove the gap by tightening the truss-rod. From there, just use any String Action Ruler to measure both outside E strings (.030 to .040) and then use a String Radius Gauge to match the remaining strings to the neck radius. How's this a problem for beginners?
I've seen a lot of guitar repair vids in my time and this is very good. And I am amazed (or embarrassed) that I have only just discovered StewMac. Greetings from Australia.
You observe the nut height by fretting on the 3rd fret and looking at the gap between the bottom of the string and the top of the first fret. Then at 6:35 you show the ideal clearances at between the strings and the first fret. Are those numbers with the string fretting on the 3rd fret, or with the strings open?
Under MCO, gives me a lot of time to do things. This is one of my biggest challenging project. Without any basic knowledge, I hope I can make it. Thanks Blake!! Your tips is awesome and appreciate it.
Thanks for the video! Nice to see someone else who appreciates the great open chord intonation afforded by the compensated Earvana Nut on your Telecaster: absolute magic on Fenders!.
Very very nice information video. Thanks for that. I play a guitar which is ESP AX-50 LTD, a clone of B.C.Rich Warbeast without the tremolo bridge. It has a t-o-m bridge. I am from India, a small city without any guitar resources except local acoustic strings and picks. So, I have to do all my repairs, servicing by myself and I do not get the right tools for the job. Just 2 days back I found guitar string height tool on amazon and soon I will order that curved set of keys with different radius. I have been using the last trick of using old strings for height check, I am a recycler! It's good to know you use that. I play from Rock to thrash metal rhythm at 72 to 180bpm and lead as needed but at 50-75% bpm of rhythm and do heavy tapping on all strings above and near 12th fret mostly with legatos. If your string height as shown in the last part near nut cannot be adjusted without using nut filing, I have to check it by actually tapping between 3rd and 7th frets while playing. If I get a buzz, I just adjust the truss rod. Well in absence of proper tools what could I? I hope to know more about bridge adjustments etc as well. Thanks again. Keep on delivering that information in simple language.
You are the only one who wasn't in hurry for a novice. Good work man. You taught me the chapter well. Tell your boss that I have asked him to give you a raise. If he denied, then tell him/her that he would be getting a warning from the white House soon.
I usually place the radius gauge saddle on top and just take a look at looking down towards the bridge. If I see any gaps where the string isnt touching it, then I know I need to raise that saddle. Never figured I could just strum the string as well so I’ll definitely try that next time!
I’m a beginner and when I bought my guitar it was quite high. Today was the first time I adjusted mine and it worked well. I adjusted it to 1.5-1.75 mm on the thickest E string then 1-1.25 on the thin E string. no fret buzz and much more easier to play 😁
was noting the color of each wrap you chose for the feeler gauges. guess there's no universal standard on that yet. kudos' to the "most composed" stew mac team!
Another great Stew Mac video. I had one question though and it was about what was said about holding the guitar in playing position because measuring a guitars string height while lying on its back causes an inaccurate measurement due to GRAVITY ? ? I'm pretty sure the tension of a tuned guitar string would more than compensate for gravity. Maybe you could clarify this for me. Thanks ! !
Yeah I think the gravity difference is pretty negligible there. The reason to do that though would be so that the guitar's neck would be laying in the pocket in the ways it is while played (also pretty negligible difference - but who knows - he's the pro). Odd that there is no mention of standard neck relief and string height measurements/factory specs. A zero relief neck sounds fun, but I it takes some pretty perfect fretwork to make that possible. I'd love to get there some day. For me, feeler gages work pretty well to get relief, string height and 1st fret actions spot on.. They cost about 3 bucks as well. Anyway woo!
Using used strings as feeler gauges is a great idea. What I do is take the string and cut it to the length I want and glue the ball end to a popsicle stick. Then take a felt tip pen and a right what gauge string it is on the wooden stick. This makes them easy to find in your tool box.
Hey, someone with a lower action than mine, what doy you know, I also have a light touch. Great video, can't believe many players don't setup their own guitars.
WOW!! Thanks so much for making this video. Production quality is great with simple, concise explanations. Bought the tools (solid- will recommend to a friend) and setup my very unusual guitar and it plays better than ever! I will say that learning to play cleanly on a poorly setup guitar really helps when you get the thing setup right! Thanks y'all!! . . . PS- Might actually go for a higher cut nut after figuring this stuff out for my goofy rig. Another day though. Going to enjoy this accomplishment!
hi. on time 2:38 you said put the finger on 15th fret. why not on the last fret? (22nd-24th)? also do we need to adjust the pickups as well? what is the ideal gap between pickup and strings? thanks
I hope you have already realised the answer to this. He says whichever fret meets the body; this is because the pocketed section of the neck is not free to move. Being coupled with the body, the truss rod cannot influence a curve on this section. I hope this helps clear up why the last section is disregarded. There is also a special approach to levelling this section, as it can cause buzzing, just because it doesn't move. You might need to remove a small amount of fret material on the dusty end for optimum setup.
Kindly answer this question/scenario...I tried the 1st fret action trick you showed (@5:48) where you push down on 3rd fret on low E string to see what height is left at 1st fret. When I did this on my acoustic guitar there was no clearance...the E string was touching the first fret with therefore no clearance. Without pushing down on third fret...my low E string height appears to be at 0.020 inches on the feeler gauge. The rest of the strings at first fret have the same 0.02 except high "e" which is 0.010 inches. Is this height considered too low? and are my only options to adjust the truss rod to loosen tension and create upbow relief...and will that adjustment work on first fret height? I assume the truss adjustment would work better for mid neck frets as opposed to first fret? And/or finally is my other (only) remaining option to have a new nut installed giving the first fret strings strings more height? Also are acoustic guitar heights different than electric? Sorry for the convoluted questions and thank you in advance...
I have a different approach/philosophy to height at the nut. Fretting a string at the 3rd and observing the height at the 2nd to me should be no different than the height of the string unfretted at the first fret. The fret is suspending the string just as the nut is. I've done lots of setups on guitars that would pass the 3rd to 2nd test, but that still have too much height at the nut.
best tip was setting height of two outside E strings and set others from there. I had been trying to do the reverse and that's how I ended up here. makes sense.
Hmmm. Mine are at .008" at the first fret and I'm getting fret buzz sometimes. Going to attempt to replace the nut this weekend with a Graph Tech Black Tusq XL that will be the same exact size with a little sanding. It's already the right shape so hopefully it's just a matter of sanding to dimensions and installing. If not, I'm sure I can always put the original back in, right? 🤷♂️
3:09, I don't want to be that guy (but I am) and I have extensively studied physics at University and it's not necessarily that that gravity is pulling the strings down towards the neck, it's the reactionary force (the force from the surface due to the weight of the guitar that pushes on the guitar neck) that causes a misreading of string height. That force causes internal pressure (or stress) which causes deflection (strain) which is observed by something called a 'bending moment.'
Great video and excellent information. Does the same information and corrections of the truss, strings and saddles apply to Electric ukulele's to? Thanks
Okay please explain something: At 3:18 you say to measure at the 12 fret, and then something about "outside the E strings??". Then at 3:33 you start measuring at the 12th fret, the next clip you are suddenly at the 1st fret and the next clip "cool thing about the string action gauge" you are back at the 12th fret. What?? I'm somewhat confused. And WHY is it supposed to be .010 at the 1st fret and .040 at the 12th fret?
Very nice! just ordered some good stuff from you guys. I have a question about the 1st fret action: you say good clearances for all the strings are .025 .022 .020 .016 .014 .011 so are these measurements with the first finger pressing the third fret or without pressing the strings at all? A last question if you don’t mind. Do we must keep our guitar in playing position for all the steps 1-4? Or just for the first step? thank you and wish you happy new year :)
Measurements you mention is without pressing the strings. In metric I use 0.5mm (bass E) to .25mm (high E) so pretty similar. Ideally the guitar would be in the playing position when filing a nut but, practically speaking, this is only possible with the Stewmac beck jig.
Great advice my friend. Thank you so much. I am a beginner so I have to learn a whole lot of tricks to set up my two guitars. I have a les Paul and a semi accoustic guitar. Question. Is the measurement the same between Accoustic and Electric guitars. Hope to read the answer. I I made mistakes in my spelling, I am sorry, I am Dutch so my first language. Well, I gave you a big thums up and was already a subscriber. Greetings from me ( Bert) and wish you a nice day. Until the next comment. Bye
The radius neck gauges will work just as good as the next tool you showed so you really wont need both at all. And you can use them both under or on top of the strings they gonna show the same reading in both cases. I would not trust just the string height gauge I would double check with a feeler gauge.
Each guitar is uniquely different!!! Don’t think you can set each up the same way! Set- up is everything, and a Master Luthier’s experience goes a long long way to YOUR Success. Not all Luthiers are created equally! Shop around for someone you trust that makes the set up tailored to what YOU Feel is the right set up for YOU! PeAce ☮️ Dana E💫
In the section for straightening the neck, you saw a gap between the string and the fret while holding down on the 1st and 15th frets. The gap lead you to making a small adjustment in the truss. What was the end goal? A straight neck, but you didn't show how you knew it now correct.
This was quite helpful, thanks for the tips. However at 3:34 you were checking the action of higher E string at a different fret instead of the 12th fret, why is that so ?
I bough my StewMac action gauge years ago because I wanted an accurate measurement of the action. However maybe I have been using it wrong all these years because I can see the .020 black line but no space above it just below the low E string along with the .010" black line with all the space between the two lines when you initially measured it about 1:37 into this video. So being I can see the .020" black line below the E string I would say the action for the low E string is .020". Why are you saying the action or clearance of the low E string and the top of the fret is .010"? Am I missing something here?? I'll take your word for the .010" action on the high E string because I can't clearly tell with of the angle of the camera. I am confused. I thought the measurement is based on the line directly below the string being measured vs. the next line down after the space. Am I wrong? So again I ask is the action for the low E string .020" because we can see that .020" line under the string; or is it actually 'just about' .010" because we can see all of the .010" line and all the space above it along with the .020" black line but none of the space above it?
Love all of your videos! Are the measurements for 1st fret string height you gave in the video checked by fretting at the third fret or with open strings? You showed both ways so I am not sure Thanks
at the stew mac website they reccoment to adjust electric guitar strings as a Bas e 0.78 treble e 0.63 Action at the 12. fret. But ruller don’t shows that inches they just have 0.70, 0.60 how can we mesure 0.03 and 0.08 difference? Sorry if my english is not good but I hope you can understand what I’m I trying to ask and I hope you can answer me ;)
This is the best guitar action setup video described in 8 minutes that you'll find online. Thank you!
18 years playing guitar and I'm finally taking the dive into my own repair and setups. Mainly because I'm mechanically sound now. And this video nailed what I needed to fill some gaps. thank you!
I thought I was the only one lol
But I played for about 10 years before even knowing what a setup was. I would just raise any saddle if I heard the string buzz 😂
This young man did an excellent job explaining the subject matter. He also did a pro job with the Stew-Mac sales pitch. I’ve purchased some of the Stew-Mac set up tools and they work as advertised.
I´m so glad to live in a country where we use the metric system.
Absolutely the best video and most practical ever on the internet. Seriously this makes alot more sense then some of the ridiculous videos out there. Nice Job thank you.
Mack like goldie. Go back like the oldie. But the goodie.
Agreed 👍👏
Thumbs up for using an old string as a feeler gage! That's brilliant!
Thanks for actually showing how to actually read the string height gauge. Others just talk about it and expect you to know. .
I am just now starting to try and set up my own guitars. IMHO the best video I have seen so far. Thank you. for taking your time to post the vid.
Listening for string buzz on under-string radius gauge is the tip I needed. Thanks!
Thanks tuh UA-cam I is buhcumin a gitar mekanik ! Seriously. I got my first guitar exactly 61 years ago and never knew any of the stuff I've learned on UA-cam this past 6 months. It's a whole new hobby at the age of 73 to repair, adjust and modify my guitars, both acoustic and electric.
For setting the distance of the string above the fret I use the plain
end of a drill bit.They are available in steps of 0.1mm, are very
accurate and don't cost much.
I’ve used drill bits for “feeler gauges” for many different measurements. They also come in steps of 1/64th of an inch as well as the 0.1mm you mentioned.😊
I like this guy. Easy to understand and he looks relaxed.
I like people that look like they have been hopped up on white snow. Ya know snappin' their teeth and all.
Dude, there's a saying, “If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough”. You nailed it! Bravo! 🙂
This is the most thorough tutorial I´ve ever seen, including some paid courses on learning platforms. Other videos miss many important details on each step. I would definitely sign up for a paid course with this guy.
Something to consider: I've been checking out other videos on using the String Action Ruler (as I'm new to using them personally). I believe the reason why your measurements may not be correlating with your calipers is because of Fret-height compensation. From what I can tell, the String Action Ruler is made to sit on the top of the Frets, not down in the Fretboard. Again, just a thought, and definitely don't hold me to it. :)
@@aldalesandro the reason why he made the string buzz onto the metal gauge thing is because if it’s not touching the gauge then it’s too high, he’s not measuring on a fret so that’s why he had ot make sure it has a slight buzz, so that the string is barely touching the gauge and they have the correct curve to the neck
They make them with cut outs so they sit on the feet board also
Stew Mac always has such great information. I purchased both of Mr. Dan's books, and they gave-me-the necessary information to do all my own maintenance & set-ups = Much Happier now with the playability of my guitars. Stay Safe.
Dan's books are great resources! We're always here to help. Hope you're staying safe as well!
The best and most thorough video on this topic.
Is it really that thorough? His approach is to pick any non-bowed-relief that you want, any string height you like and then aim for about .020" of a gap at the first fret. If I was a beginner at setting up guitars, I wouldn't find that very helpful. I recommend that people aim for the factory specs for their guitar, and then mess around from there. A $3 feeler gage and two allen wrenches are the only tools needed.
@@esmeraldo7887 WDYM?? .040 at the 12th fret is literally factory specs for Fender. His method for checking relief is universally accepted as the standard method: Check for 1st fret clearance, check for the relief gap at the 7th/8th/9th fret by depressing first and 15th (whichever fret meets the body).
You could put a capo at the first and use your free arm to put a feeler gauge at the gap, but the method above is how everyone and their mom does it. A little gap, perfect. Want it straighter? Then do it like this video and remove the gap by tightening the truss-rod. From there, just use any String Action Ruler to measure both outside E strings (.030 to .040) and then use a String Radius Gauge to match the remaining strings to the neck radius.
How's this a problem for beginners?
Excellent vid. Clear, concise and to the point without all the stupid nonsense you find elsewhere. Blake did a great job.
Stewmac has such a great employee! Great tips man! Greetings from Singapore!
Thank you for the instruction, Blake! StewMac is definitely the goto authority for instructions for quality guitar work!
Hands down the most important guitar setup video on your channel. Thanks a bunch
This video helped me understand how to check my action the best out of all the other videos. Thanks, Blake!
Got radius tools with a ruler I bought and never knew what they was for. Glad I found this vid
This is the video I’ve been looking for! Also, props for having working man hands.
I've seen a lot of guitar repair vids in my time and this is very good. And I am amazed (or embarrassed) that I have only just discovered StewMac. Greetings from Australia.
You probably save a truck load of money by not finding them earlier.
This is my new favourite channel
Wow, thanks!
@@stewmacwhat's the low you can go on the low E string and high E string? Is
20 thousands of inch lower than 2:64ths?
You observe the nut height by fretting on the 3rd fret and looking at the gap between the bottom of the string and the top of the first fret. Then at 6:35 you show the ideal clearances at between the strings and the first fret. Are those numbers with the string fretting on the 3rd fret, or with the strings open?
Open strings
Very helpful! Can we have one on setting up pickup heights ? More complicated I am sure but the basics would be good.
Check this video out: ua-cam.com/video/ROML4xsQK60/v-deo.html
Excellent tutorial. I own over 10 guitars now, so I’m going to order these tools out of necessity....
Been playing bass for over 15 years and i had no idea about all of this, thx alot ! really interesting !
Still the best setup tutorial on youtube.
Honestly this is the best video I've seen on this. Made sense. Thank you 👍
Glad it was helpful!
Under MCO, gives me a lot of time to do things. This is one of my biggest challenging project. Without any basic knowledge, I hope I can make it. Thanks Blake!! Your tips is awesome and appreciate it.
Outstanding. Great info. Well presented without all the stupidity and nonsense of so many other sites. Well done. Thanks a lot.
Thanks for the video! Nice to see someone else who appreciates the great open chord intonation afforded by the compensated Earvana Nut on your Telecaster: absolute magic on Fenders!.
Very very nice information video. Thanks for that.
I play a guitar which is ESP AX-50 LTD, a clone of B.C.Rich Warbeast without the tremolo bridge. It has a t-o-m bridge.
I am from India, a small city without any guitar resources except local acoustic strings and picks.
So, I have to do all my repairs, servicing by myself and I do not get the right tools for the job. Just 2 days back I found guitar string height tool on amazon and soon I will order that curved set of keys with different radius.
I have been using the last trick of using old strings for height check, I am a recycler! It's good to know you use that.
I play from Rock to thrash metal rhythm at 72 to 180bpm and lead as needed but at 50-75% bpm of rhythm and do heavy tapping on all strings above and near 12th fret mostly with legatos.
If your string height as shown in the last part near nut cannot be adjusted without using nut filing, I have to check it by actually tapping between 3rd and 7th frets while playing. If I get a buzz, I just adjust the truss rod. Well in absence of proper tools what could I?
I hope to know more about bridge adjustments etc as well.
Thanks again. Keep on delivering that information in simple language.
You are the only one who wasn't in hurry for a novice. Good work man. You taught me the chapter well. Tell your boss that I have asked him to give you a raise. If he denied, then tell him/her that he would be getting a warning from the white House soon.
I usually place the radius gauge saddle on top and just take a look at looking down towards the bridge. If I see any gaps where the string isnt touching it, then I know I need to raise that saddle.
Never figured I could just strum the string as well so I’ll definitely try that next time!
Thank you StewMac ... always appreciate these videos. Just another reason why I get all my parts from you guys.
I’m a beginner and when I bought my guitar it was quite high. Today was the first time I adjusted mine and it worked well. I adjusted it to 1.5-1.75 mm on the thickest E string then 1-1.25 on the thin E string. no fret buzz and much more easier to play 😁
Absolutely fantastically made video great info and so visually clear to understand. Best video. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
was noting the color of each wrap you chose for the feeler gauges. guess there's no universal standard on that yet. kudos' to the "most composed" stew mac team!
Great advice if I am unsure always head for this channel.
Another great Stew Mac video. I had one question though and it was about what was said about holding the guitar in playing position because measuring a guitars string height while lying on its back causes an inaccurate measurement due to GRAVITY ? ? I'm pretty sure the tension of a tuned guitar string would more than compensate for gravity. Maybe you could clarify this for me. Thanks ! !
Yeah I think the gravity difference is pretty negligible there. The reason to do that though would be so that the guitar's neck would be laying in the pocket in the ways it is while played (also pretty negligible difference - but who knows - he's the pro). Odd that there is no mention of standard neck relief and string height measurements/factory specs. A zero relief neck sounds fun, but I it takes some pretty perfect fretwork to make that possible. I'd love to get there some day. For me, feeler gages work pretty well to get relief, string height and 1st fret actions spot on.. They cost about 3 bucks as well. Anyway woo!
The picture in the wall of you with Dan is amazing. great, great, great.
Using used strings as feeler gauges is a great idea. What I do is take the string and cut it to the length I want and glue the ball end to a popsicle stick. Then take a felt tip pen and a right what gauge string it is on the wooden stick. This makes them easy to find in your tool box.
Great video. I have an idea that some of these tools my show up as presents for our boys! (plus a link to the video)
This is a great video. Feels very professional, very straight explanations. Thanks
Hey, someone with a lower action than mine, what doy you know, I also have a light touch. Great video, can't believe many players don't setup their own guitars.
WOW!! Thanks so much for making this video. Production quality is great with simple, concise explanations. Bought the tools (solid- will recommend to a friend) and setup my very unusual guitar and it plays better than ever! I will say that learning to play cleanly on a poorly setup guitar really helps when you get the thing setup right! Thanks y'all!!
.
.
.
PS- Might actually go for a higher cut nut after figuring this stuff out for my goofy rig. Another day though. Going to enjoy this accomplishment!
hi. on time 2:38 you said put the finger on 15th fret. why not on the last fret? (22nd-24th)? also do we need to adjust the pickups as well? what is the ideal gap between pickup and strings? thanks
I hope you have already realised the answer to this. He says whichever fret meets the body; this is because the pocketed section of the neck is not free to move. Being coupled with the body, the truss rod cannot influence a curve on this section. I hope this helps clear up why the last section is disregarded. There is also a special approach to levelling this section, as it can cause buzzing, just because it doesn't move. You might need to remove a small amount of fret material on the dusty end for optimum setup.
Kindly answer this question/scenario...I tried the 1st fret action trick you showed (@5:48) where you push down on 3rd fret on low E string to see what height is left at 1st fret. When I did this on my acoustic guitar there was no clearance...the E string was touching the first fret with therefore no clearance. Without pushing down on third fret...my low E string height appears to be at 0.020 inches on the feeler gauge. The rest of the strings at first fret have the same 0.02 except high "e" which is 0.010 inches. Is this height considered too low? and are my only options to adjust the truss rod to loosen tension and create upbow relief...and will that adjustment work on first fret height? I assume the truss adjustment would work better for mid neck frets as opposed to first fret? And/or finally is my other (only) remaining option to have a new nut installed giving the first fret strings strings more height? Also are acoustic guitar heights different than electric? Sorry for the convoluted questions and thank you in advance...
Just set up my home-made George Harrison Rocky-a-like with help from you guys and it plays real nice now - so as ever a Big Thank-You 🙂
What a brilliant video ,do all these measurement sizes applies to a Les Paul. Many thanks
This video is pure Gold ! Thank you for this!
I have a different approach/philosophy to height at the nut. Fretting a string at the 3rd and observing the height at the 2nd to me should be no different than the height of the string unfretted at the first fret. The fret is suspending the string just as the nut is. I've done lots of setups on guitars that would pass the 3rd to 2nd test, but that still have too much height at the nut.
Such a great informative video. The measurements were exceedingly helpful.
Thanks for not rushing In the old days they did that
I am new to guitars & find this video very informative.
best tip was setting height of two outside E strings and set others from there. I had been trying to do the reverse and that's how I ended up here. makes sense.
Will you please do a similar video on a classical guitar action setup and measurements?
Hmmm. Mine are at .008" at the first fret and I'm getting fret buzz sometimes. Going to attempt to replace the nut this weekend with a Graph Tech Black Tusq XL that will be the same exact size with a little sanding. It's already the right shape so hopefully it's just a matter of sanding to dimensions and installing. If not, I'm sure I can always put the original back in, right? 🤷♂️
Excellent Video Blake!
The way a video should be, great job!
Absolutely top video and top tools!
Cheers from germany Eric
Q : How do you reduce string tension on a Clapton Strat ? Strings are 9-42 . Tuned half step down . Thank You . 🎸🇺🇸🏆✨✨✨✨✨🎼🎼🎼
Excellent video! Blake is a great instructor
3:09, I don't want to be that guy (but I am) and I have extensively studied physics at University and it's not necessarily that that gravity is pulling the strings down towards the neck, it's the reactionary force (the force from the surface due to the weight of the guitar that pushes on the guitar neck) that causes a misreading of string height. That force causes internal pressure (or stress) which causes deflection (strain) which is observed by something called a 'bending moment.'
Great video and excellent information. Does the same information and corrections of the truss, strings and saddles apply to Electric ukulele's to? Thanks
This is very informative. Thank you! Just what i needed.
Very nice video, also while checking the string height at the 12th fret, the video showed you looking at the 3rd fret. Editing error I suppose.
Are those measurements with pressing or using a capo on the 3rd fret? or open string?
Okay please explain something:
At 3:18 you say to measure at the 12 fret, and then something about "outside the E strings??". Then at 3:33 you start measuring at the 12th fret, the next clip you are suddenly at the 1st fret and the next clip "cool thing about the string action gauge" you are back at the 12th fret. What?? I'm somewhat confused. And WHY is it supposed to be .010 at the 1st fret and .040 at the 12th fret?
Bad video editing…?
Very nice! just ordered some good stuff from you guys. I have a question about the 1st fret action: you say good clearances for all the strings are .025 .022 .020 .016 .014 .011 so are these measurements with the first finger pressing the third fret or without pressing the strings at all?
A last question if you don’t mind. Do we must keep our guitar in playing position for all the steps 1-4? Or just for the first step? thank you and wish you happy new year :)
Measurements you mention is without pressing the strings. In metric I use 0.5mm (bass E) to .25mm (high E) so pretty similar.
Ideally the guitar would be in the playing position when filing a nut but, practically speaking, this is only possible with the Stewmac beck jig.
@@eugemcl thank you ;)
Best instruction video on here ❤
3:31 - > why did you look at the first fret when checking the high E 12th fret action??
Knowledge makes everything better 👍🏻
Got a Dean Dave Mustane Zero. Now it's perfect. Thanks!
Love that gauge. Ha my tele is twice the height in action. Goes to show- to each their own! Great video
Great advice my friend. Thank you so much. I am a beginner so I have to learn a whole lot of tricks to set up my two guitars. I have a les Paul and a semi accoustic guitar. Question. Is the measurement the same between Accoustic and Electric guitars. Hope to read the answer. I I made mistakes in my spelling, I am sorry, I am Dutch so my first language. Well, I gave you a big thums up and was already a subscriber. Greetings from me ( Bert) and wish you a nice day. Until the next comment. Bye
The radius neck gauges will work just as good as the next tool you showed so you really wont need both at all. And you can use them both under or on top of the strings they gonna show the same reading in both cases. I would not trust just the string height gauge I would double check with a feeler gauge.
Best video on this subject.Clear and understandable,thank.you...Respect...
Each guitar is uniquely different!!! Don’t think you can set each up the same way! Set- up is everything, and a Master Luthier’s experience goes a long long way to YOUR Success. Not all Luthiers are created equally! Shop around for someone you trust that makes the set up tailored to what YOU Feel is the right set up for YOU! PeAce ☮️ Dana E💫
Excellent vid. This is a keeper.
Best video, simple clear information. Thank You
In the section for straightening the neck, you saw a gap between the string and the fret while holding down on the 1st and 15th frets. The gap lead you to making a small adjustment in the truss. What was the end goal? A straight neck, but you didn't show how you knew it now correct.
This was quite helpful, thanks for the tips.
However at 3:34 you were checking the action of higher E string at a different fret instead of the 12th fret, why is that so ?
I believe it was the 12th fret only.
Love the scramble wound strings!
I bough my StewMac action gauge years ago because I wanted an accurate measurement of the action. However maybe I have been using it wrong all these years because I can see the .020 black line but no space above it just below the low E string along with the .010" black line with all the space between the two lines when you initially measured it about 1:37 into this video. So being I can see the .020" black line below the E string I would say the action for the low E string is .020". Why are you saying the action or clearance of the low E string and the top of the fret is .010"? Am I missing something here?? I'll take your word for the .010" action on the high E string because I can't clearly tell with of the angle of the camera.
I am confused. I thought the measurement is based on the line directly below the string being measured vs. the next line down after the space. Am I wrong? So again I ask is the action for the low E string .020" because we can see that .020" line under the string; or is it actually 'just about' .010" because we can see all of the .010" line and all the space above it along with the .020" black line but none of the space above it?
Best video on setup I've found so far! Thanks for the knowledge.
Simple and comprehensible. Thanks
At 6:35, are those measurements while holding down string at third fret? Or strings free ?
Is there a recommended workflow for guitars with a compound fingerboard radius? 😎🤙🏻
having ur neck straight surely gives u higher action towards higher frets? i like to give relief for even playability up and down the neck
Love the vid, love the pic of Jerry in the background.
Love all of your videos! Are the measurements for 1st fret string height you gave in the video checked by fretting at the third fret or with open strings? You showed both ways so I am not sure
Thanks
Without pressing on the 3rd string.
I wonder how is possible to adjust radius on tune-o-matic style bridges. Do you have to file them down to radius?
at the stew mac website they reccoment to adjust electric guitar strings as a Bas e 0.78 treble e 0.63 Action at the 12. fret. But ruller don’t shows that inches they just have 0.70, 0.60 how can we mesure 0.03 and 0.08 difference? Sorry if my english is not good but I hope you can understand what I’m I trying to ask and I hope you can answer me ;)
This is super informative. Thank you!
Please do a video on how to install a telecaster pickup with those wood screws, because I'm afraid I might go on the other side