JohnnyBGoode Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 I just purchased a brand new (2012) Gibson Les Paul Studio from Musician's Friend. To my shock, when it arrived, it was not set up. In fact the strings were touching the first fret and the bridge tuners were at very differents levels. (Otherwise, the guitar was beautiful.) When I telephoned them, Musician's Friend claimed that Gibson does not set up their new, out-of-the-box, guitars. Can anyone confirm that this is Gibson's policy? I am now left to have the guitar set-up at my own expense. Thanks much, Johnny B. Goode Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Hello Johnny and welcome to the Forums! When it comes to lower range instruments: yes, that's the practice (in my experience). Take it to a good luthier for a complete setup, and You'll forget about this inconvenience in a minute! Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarusvt84 Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 I like MF...but I wonder if Sweetwater would have sent a better set-up (and price-matched) guitar? Just sayin'..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitmore Willy Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 JBG, Welcome to the forum!!! Do it or have it done. I live in Michigan and have to "setup" or adjust my guitars at least twice a year due to humidity and temperature settings alone. It comes with the seasons. Simple fact is that it is best to buy a couple of tools and learn to do it. Guitars get shipped all over the world. It's amazing that they are playable at all when new. As long as the nut is slotted correctly and the frets are level, everything else is easy...(and fun). Anyway, have a look at these and keep in mind..."Nothing is written in stone". http://mysite.verizon.net/jazz.guitar/guitarsetup.htm http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/96629-dot-action-recommended-measurements-for-nut-height-and-relief/page__p__1311613#entry1311613 Best of luck, Willy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Gibson DO NOT ship guitars with the strings touching the first fret. All Gibson dealers should be doing a basic setup before shipping. This behaviour from any company is contemptible. I would return it out of principle. All that said, now you have a guitar with a horrid setup, a perfect opportunity to learn how to do it yourself. You're not going to make it worse after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarzan13 Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 This is why I love Sweetwater!! Also a free 2 year on everything and candy in the box too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 I just purchased a brand new (2012) Gibson Les Paul Studio from Musician's Friend. To my shock, when it arrived, it was not set up. In fact the strings were touching the first fret and the bridge tuners were at very differents levels. (Otherwise, the guitar was beautiful.) When I telephoned them, Musician's Friend claimed that Gibson does not set up their new, out-of-the-box, guitars. Can anyone confirm that this is Gibson's policy? I am now left to have the guitar set-up at my own expense. Thanks much, Johnny B. Goode Gibson sets up the guitar (or they're supposed to) at the factory when it's finished up. Then the dealer is responsible for double checking the condition of the guitar and making sure that the customer is happy with it. Sometimes Gibson messes up and sends something out that's no good. That's when the dealer is supposed to catch the problem, handle it and deal with the customer. MF generally does not inspect the instruments, and therefore really never fulfills their obligation to Gibson and the customer as the dealer. They just ship 'em out and hope they don't come back. What happened to you is that Gibson messed up at the factory and then MF did not fulfill their obligation to you and Gibson to double check the instrument and make sure that the customer is happy with it. Your issue is with MF, not Gibson. If it was me and I didn't know how to set it up myself (I am good at this stuff), I'd just return the guitar and have them send me another. That's why MF has a liberal return policy. If you don't want to return it, then you'll have to pay somebody to set it up. But once they start filing down the nut or something besides "adjustment", you may affect the warranty or you may end paying for all the work. Returning it is safe. If the strings are touching the first fret, as you say, like the nut is cut too low, then the guitar has a big problem. You don't want to have to fix that yourself. And what happens if the guy who fixes it ends up messing it up? Then you're in big trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarzan13 Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Also.... have you checked the neck relief? If the truss rod is to tight, it will cause a buzz at the first fret. It most likely is not a nut issue.Sight down the neck using the low E as a visual guild. If the neck is flat or bowed backwards, then you have a truss issue. EASY fix! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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