Guitar MechanicsWhether your guitar is worth $300 or $3000, having it set up properly is essential. A guitar that’s not correctly adjusted makes it harder to distinguish between issues with your technique and issues with your instrument. In short, it’s difficult to play effortlessly if you’re fighting your instrument the whole way! You don’t have to be a luthier to get the most from your guitar, but it’s important to be aware of common problem areas. Guitar maintenance involves more than just changing strings every so often. Basic adjustments to the guitar neck, string height, and intonation will have a notable impact on your technique, tuning, and tone. Learning to recognize the sound and feel of potential issues ensures that your instrument doesn’t interfere with your playing. You may have heard it said, A poor craftsman blames his tools. Perhaps a better sentiment is that a true craftsman never gives himself a reason to blame his tools. Although each guitar is different, below is a brief overview of some key things to be mindful of. Note: If you’re uncertain how to adjust your guitar properly, be sure to get it serviced by an experienced guitar tech. Neck CurveTo compensate for movement, guitar necks have a metal truss rod running through their center. The tension of this truss rod varies the neck between two general positions. If it’s too tight, the neck will bow outward (toward the strings). If it’s too loose, the neck will bow inward (away from the strings). Neither extreme is ideal. If the neck bows out too much, it interferes with the natural vibration of the strings, resulting in excessive fret buzz and a lack of clear sustain. If the neck bows in too much, it creates tuning issues and becomes harder to play around the middle of the fretboard. Generally, it’s preferable to have the guitar neck set relatively straight, with a small amount of relief. This means keeping a slight natural curve to compensate for the midpoint where strings vibrate the most. Action & String GaugeThe height of the guitar strings relative to the fretboard will greatly impact a guitar’s playability. If the action of the strings is too high, the guitar becomes difficult to play and is prone to intonation problems. If the action is too low, there’ll be excessive fret buzz and notes won’t sustain clearly. These issues can be corrected at the guitar bridge. Setting the exact string height is largely a matter of preference, but it’s also affected by your choice of string gauge. Lighter strings are easier to press down and require less pressure to bend. However, they’re often considered to have a thinner, less desirable tone. In contrast, heavier strings usually provide a fuller, louder sound and allow for a lower action. However, the increase in tension means they require more effort to play. Fortunately, the various thicknesses available make it easy to find a comfortable match for your setup preferences and playing style. Intonation & TuningFor a guitar to be relatively in tune across the whole fretboard, the 12th fret must be the tonal center point for each string. Setting the intonation at the guitar bridge alters the string length to compensate for this. When this adjustment is off, a string won’t align properly with its tonal center point. If the string length is too long, notes will sound flatter as you move up the guitar neck. If the string length is too short, notes will sound sharper. While it may seem logical to set the bridge consistently across all strings, intonation is calibrated by a string’s pitch, not its length. This means that the bridge must be adjusted to compensate for the variables of each individual string. These include the curve of the guitar neck, the radius of the fretboard, the tension of the string, and the string’s proximity to the frets. Nut, Frets & BridgeWhen you’re playing, the nut, frets, and bridge are all critical points of contact with the guitar strings. Over time, these surfaces are susceptible to general wear and tear. If any of the nut slots, fret wires, or bridge saddles develop inconsistencies or become overly worn, they’ll likely cause issues with intonation, fret buzz, and string breakage. Alternatively, if the nut or bridge of the guitar have never been adjusted properly (even if the guitar is brand-new), they’ll often increase playing difficulty and cause tuning issues. It’s important to be aware of the impact these key factors have on the tone and playability of your guitar. Copyright © 2016 Luke Zecchin
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