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what is a Set-up exactly? and how many times can you do it?


Andrew

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my new j45 rw is a few weeks old...it had a bit of buzz along the fat E string now it seems to be along the A as well (a brassy ringing that sounds like its coming from the bridge...but it could be the sound hole projecting the buzz...its really hard to pinpoint it....both seem to occur mostly when fretting the E or A between 1st and 7th fret..the goes away above the 7th or so...does that mean the 7th fret might be too high?)

 

anyway i was going to wait for a couple months for the guitar to break in and settle (necessary?) but the buzzing and rattling are totally annoying and i'm going to take it back to the dealer on saturday so they can fix it (ie "set it up"?).

 

i realize i don't even really know what 'set-up' even means exactly!

 

is it normal for a new gibson guitar to have a buzz? what will they do to fix it? is that part of a set up? what IS a set up? what is fret dressing? do i need it? can i lower the action without sacrificing tone and causing more buzz?

 

is there a good "set up" for aggressive playing?

 

and after all this what if down the road i run into other issues..can a guitar be set up over and over again? or is that bad?

 

i love my guitar and when its not buzzing it sounds beautiful! but it obviously has some issues and im not 100% sure what to do (well i know to bring it in and they will know what to do, but i dont want to walk in completely ignorant)

 

i know this is a million questions, the main one being: when i give them my guitar back, what info do they need from me and what will they do to it?

 

thanks!

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Guit tars ought not to rattle or buzz.

 

Take it back, describe and demonstrate the problem.

 

A 'Set-up' is making adjustments to get the guitar to play the way you want it. Gibsons come from the factory with what most describe as somewhat high action. A set-up may involve shaving the bottom of the saddle to get the action low enough to your liking. It may also involve modifying the top of the saddle to lower action or to adjust intonation. This may also involve adjusting the truss rod for the action and strings that are installed on it. And, if the set-up guy is a really good sport, he'll polish her for you.

 

Many players will get to know a new guitar for a few months to a year before having a set-up done to allow her to 'open up'. But a new guit tar, right out of the box, should not buzz or rattle. Get this taken care of forth with.

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But a new guit tar' date=' right out of the box, should not buzz or rattle. Get this taken care of forth with.[/quote']

 

and it literally was right out of the box....i will take it in asap. is a buzz something that is an easy fix or are there simply some dud guitars that buzz no matter what?

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and it literally was right out of the box....i will take it in asap. is a buzz something that is an easy fix or are there simply some dud guitars that buzz no matter what?

 

Depends on what's makein' her buzz. If it's a loose fret, twisted neck, cracked or busted nut / saddle, it's a big deal. If it's loose electricals (aka, Bluegrass contra ban) or other screw on hardware, no big deal.

 

No matter how you slice it on a new guit tar, it's a warranty issue.

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sounds like a truss rod or maybe a pick up wire. i trust the mcquade guy there is knowledable - the guy here in windsor' date=' kevin, is amazing. they'll take care of you.[/quote']

 

I guess I'll find out!

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Depends on what's makein' her buzz. If it's a loose fret' date=' twisted neck, cracked or busted nut / saddle, it's a big deal. If it's loose electricals (aka, Bluegrass contra ban) or other screw on hardware, no big deal.

 

No matter how you slice it on a new guit tar, it's a warranty issue. [/quote']

 

yeah at least it's all covered.

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