windhoek Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Now that I've got a good guitar, I should probably learn how to do a basic setup, but would appreciate some advice on what book to get (fwiw, Youtube has been useful so far) and what basic tools I should have. I'll probably have a go on my other guitars before tackling my 175, but as I hope and expect to have them all for the rest of my life, I'd like to be the only one who goes poking around inside them as it were What's the best book to buy and what tools will I need? Fwiw, I just bought D'Addario flatwounds for the 175, so I'd like to be able to setup the guitar when I change strings: two stoned birds and all that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 I don't know anything about literature on guitar maintenance in English, and to be honest, even not much about German one... My typical impression over the years has been the following: There are comprehensive books dedicated to vocational education, and some flawed and incomplete "amateur" guidebooks. After more than thirty-five years my approach still is doing all the adjustments myself and leaving all the abrasive operations to a luthier. Besides a durable string cutter and a good electronic tuner, you'll need just a handful of tools to perform a successful setup after restringing your ES-175. A Phillips head screwdriver for removing the truss-rod cover screws - I think it's a #1 sized -, and a thin-walled 5/16" hex key wrench for the truss-rod nut. The Gibson truss-rod tool contains them both, however, an extra Phillips screwdriver can be more handy. Finally you may need an appropriate flat-head screwdriver - a #2 I guess - for intonation adjustment screws. In case you remove all the strings at once which I do not recommend, a tape measure for reading and taking down the bridge position before you begin is very helpful. A certain amount of patience can be required though. I always have been and still am a follower of applying a "gentle persuasion" method for neck adjustments and reject any rude attempts. Anyway, I think your guitar is in a fine condition and won't give a reason for the latter. The workflow will mainly depend on previous and future string makes and gauges. If you post them here, this will make it easier for me to give you helpful advice on how to find your setup both quickly and safely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 I scribe a faint line to mark my bridge location on the guitars that have movable bridges. As mentioned, screw drivers and truss rod wrench My favorite tool is shown below. I use it to set my nut slot depth, neck relief and saddle height. Plenty of books to show you everything or use You Tube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windhoek Posted December 30, 2015 Author Share Posted December 30, 2015 I've got screwdrivers and a whole range of allen keys, so should be good on that front, but it looks like I'll need: 600mm Steel Rule Feeler Gauge Set (metric/imperial) String Action Ruler Hopefully with these tools, I'll be able to tweak the tweakables and if any physical modifications are ever required (nut filing, saddle filing, re-fretting etc), I'll use one of the local luthiers. As it turns out, Moon Guitars are based within a mile of where I live in Glasgow (as the crow flies), and apart from being a manufacturer of expensive guitars and mandolins, they offer luthier services too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windhoek Posted December 30, 2015 Author Share Posted December 30, 2015 And the bizarre thing is, I've walked past, cycled past and drove past Moon Guitars a hundred times or more and only found out about them a few days ago after I Googled to find guitar luthiers in Glasgow. Even if I don't need to use their luthier services, I plan on dropping in after the holidays to see what the shop's like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 To get a feel for what you might need, go to stewmac.com and spend some time browsing. Dan Erlewine's tutorial videos--free to access and subscribe to--are worth their weight in gold, no matter how much or little of your onw work you do. Click on the "how to" tab on the website, after you stop drooling over the tools and materials. stewmac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 +1 on the previous comment, and on all the tools mentioned in the posts above. Then, You will need a notched straight edge, a fretboard rocker, radius fret leveling beam and gauges, crowning files. To purchase all this can be expensive, but by the third setup it will return. Especially, if You own more guitars. The book that I started with is Dan Erlewine's "How to make Your electric guitar play great". It explains how a guitar functions, how to evaluate it's condition and shows how to perform basic setup. It does not cover fret leveling and dressing. On that subject, there's another book written by Mr. Erlewine. Both can be purchased at Stewart-MacDonald's site. Alternatively, You can also browse through the pages of the Repair section here. There a couple of step by step demos as well. Good luck... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windhoek Posted December 30, 2015 Author Share Posted December 30, 2015 Uncanny, the Dan Erlewine book, Guitar Player: Repair Guide, was just recommended to me by a friend and as I'm in the UK, I'll pick up a local copy. I'm confident to tackle truss rod adjustments on all my guitars and bridge placement and saddle height adjustment on my 175 when I get the string action gauge and feelers, and with the help of Dan's book, will build on that in due course. Thanks for the suggestions thus far :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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