IanHenry Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Hi, I've never had a professional technician set up any of my guitars before, but recently I've been thinking that maybe my 2010 ES335 would benefit from this. When I spoke on the phone with a respected local guitar tech, he was talking about performing a fret dressing despite being told that the guitar was like new and had no fret wear. Is this normal? It just seems a little excessive to me on what I would consider a new guitar. Ian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Hello Ian! I think so. The luthier who checks/adjusts my guitars always does that, after setting the neck relief. He checks for high frets, files them, reshapes the crowns and polishes them. Gibson frets seem to be made of very soft alloy, they wear much quicker than those on my Fender. So, I assume (with my playing style, at least) doing it once a year is advisable. Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 A complete setup here means: 1.) Setting the neck. 2.) Levelling the frets. Shaping the crowns and fret polishing. 3.) Cleaning of the instrument. 4.) Filing of the nut. 5.) Restringing. 6.) Adjusting string height. 7.) Adjusting pickup height. 8.) Setting the intonation. Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauloon Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Every guitar I have ever bought...Gibson or no...goes to my guitar tech for it's first set-up...plekked or not the frets are always dressed..(even plekked frets usually need dressing if you want a low action)...plekked nuts are usually fine..(not always!). Always found it money well spent. Just my experience though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Not necessarily. A setup includes only what's necessary. You can't tell what needs to be done until you go through the setup. Most setups don't include fret dressing, so if somebody tells you it needs to be done without even looking at it, you ought to be a little suspicious. To do a setup, the guy needs to get the neck adjusted right, get the action right and get the intonation right. You don't want somebody dressing your frets until it's necessary. The frets don't need to be dressed until they're uneven or you're catching your fingers on them. You might want to have to guy do a basic setup first and see if he does that properly before you let him mess with the frets. Once he upsets the fret profile that was PLEK'd at the factory, it'll probably never be as good as it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Hi, I've never had a professional technician set up any of my guitars before, but recently I've been thinking that maybe my 2010 ES335 would benefit from this. When I spoke on the phone with a respected local guitar tech, he was talking about performing a fret dressing despite being told that the guitar was like new and had no fret wear. Is this normal? It just seems a little excessive to me on what I would consider a new guitar. Ian. It really depends what you've said to him. If you've said you've got fret buzz despite the action being high then he is probably right to assume you need a fret dress. What is the reason you're looking to get a setup done? If you're not sure about the guy, and depending on where you are, try Joe white guitar workshops in Ash Vale (nr Guildford). Top bloke, just got my R8 back from him last week. Plays better than ever now. Actually, I am so impressed by what he gives you on collection I'm going to do a thread about it but have been too tired to take pics in the evenings this week due to some family problems and work being hectic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanHenry Posted November 21, 2013 Author Share Posted November 21, 2013 It really depends what you've said to him. If you've said you've got fret buzz despite the action being high then he is probably right to assume you need a fret dress. What is the reason you're looking to get a setup done? If you're not sure about the guy, and depending on where you are, try Joe white guitar workshops in Ash Vale (nr Guildford). Top bloke, just got my R8 back from him last week. Plays better than ever now. Actually, I am so impressed by what he gives you on collection I'm going to do a thread about it but have been too tired to take pics in the evenings this week due to some family problems and work being hectic. Thanks for all the replies. Farns, the reason I'm thinking about having this done is because I get a little fret slap is I start to play aggressively (the action is not very high). The bloke that I spoke to claimed that every Gibson needs a fret dressing from new, and unfortunately I'm in the North West of England, so Guildford is quite a distance away. Ian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauloon Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Thanks for all the replies. Farns, the reason I'm thinking about having this done is because I get a little fret slap is I start to play aggressively (the action is not very high). The bloke that I spoke to claimed that every Gibson needs a fret dressing from new, and unfortunately I'm in the North West of England, so Guildford is quite a distance away. Ian. How far from Richmond in Yorkshire, ian?...I know a good chap there...done work on Elliott randalls' 63 strat.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanHenry Posted November 21, 2013 Author Share Posted November 21, 2013 How far from Richmond in Yorkshire, ian?...I know a good chap there...done work on Elliott randalls' 63 strat.. Not that far, Richmond is just the "other side of the border" (I'm a Lancastrian!). Ian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauloon Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Not that far, Richmond is just the "other side of the border" (I'm a Lancastrian!). Ian. A red huh!....I've inboxed ya. good luck. paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 name='IanHenry' timestamp='1385045055' post='1452066']Thanks for all the replies. Farns, the reason I'm thinking about having this done is because I get a little fret slap is I start to play aggressively (the action is not very high). The bloke that I spoke to claimed that every Gibson needs a fret dressing from new, and unfortunately I'm in the North West of England, so Guildford is quite a distance away. Ian. I think he's just behind the times. It used to be said that Gibsons fret work was poor. This changed before they started pleking every guitar, now the fretwork is better than good enough. A plek machine is consistent but not great. If your frets have a good crown and are level, and you are happy with them it probably means they're OK. Certainly he can't say it needs a fret dress before he has looked at it. Sounds like a bit of a chancer, steer clear. Aggressive playing, low action and requirement of zero buzz don't really mix. One has to change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauloon Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 As many good...as many bad.... http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/custom-shop/77993-gibson-giving-plek-bad-name.html http://vintageamps.com/blog/guitar-fret-plek/ http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/custom-shop/97306-fret-problems.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar_randy Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 This isn't probably helpful to your situation really but just felt the need to say that I paid for a professsional guitar set up one time as so many people recommended it ,saying it is well worth it ,yadda,yadda,yadda. I will NEVER do it again. It was terrible. He did a ppor job and I could and have done much better myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 This isn't probably helpful to your situation really but just felt the need to say that I paid for a professsional guitar set up one time as so many people recommended it ,saying it is well worth it ,yadda,yadda,yadda. I will NEVER do it again. It was terrible. He did a ppor job and I could and have done much better myself. Hello! It's useful to check the reputation of the person (of any profession) You are about to work with. I choose my luthier, after browsing through the site of the National Chamber of Luthiers... Made sure He has decades of experience and a Master's degree in His profession. Also, asked the shops arounds for their recommendations... Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauloon Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Hello! It's useful to check the reputation of the person (of any profession) You are about to work with. I choose my luthier, after browsing through the site of the National Chamber of Luthiers... Made sure He has decades of experience and a Master's degree in His profession. Also, asked the shops arounds for their recommendations... Cheers... Bence +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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