iamval Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Really nice of you trying to help iamval - honestly - but as the thread died over 9 years ago I suspect the OP might have already found a solution. Pip. There'll still be someone out there searching for set-up advice and they'll happen upon this thread. It's a myth that the tailpiece should remain lowered to the guitar's body. If more people, especially Europeans set their Gibson's up the American way there'd be less bellyaching from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Dog Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 If more people, especially Europeans set their Gibson's up the American way there'd be less bellyaching from them. I've never heard of an American vs European setup. What's the difference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamval Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 I've never heard of an American vs European setup. What's the difference? Europeans often use the metric system and I've noticed that things sometimes get lost in translation when they're trying to convert imperial units to metric ones. So instead of using an imperial ruler and getting it right, they'll just take a metric one and say "oh well I guess 2mm is close enough..." or they won't even bother at all. Then they'll bolt the tailpiece to the body because they've convinced it "improves sustain" and then they'll make truss rod adjustments around that string action. Raising it higher and higher as they go along. It's not good enough. Every European guitar tech I've used has attempted to give me a looser truss rod and a higher action, every single time, guaranteed. Especially in England. There's something about British guitar techs, they don't seem to understand Gibson guitars. The truss rod should be between .004 and .006 on a Gibson SG. Do you think Tony Iommi has his truss rod at .012 with 2mm+ string action with his 8-32 strings? lol look at how small the frets are on a Gibson SG. They're not designed to have super loose truss rods and super high string action. Gibson guitars are American made. Therefore they should be set up the American way, only. With an imperial ruler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Pip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Europeans often use the metric system and I've noticed that things sometimes get lost in translation when they're trying to convert imperial units to metric ones. So instead of using an imperial ruler and getting it right, they'll just take a metric one and say "oh well I guess 2mm is close enough..." or they won't even bother at all. Then they'll bolt the tailpiece to the body because they've convinced it "improves sustain" and then they'll make truss rod adjustments around that string action. Raising it higher and higher as they go along. It's not good enough. Every European guitar tech I've used has attempted to give me a looser truss rod and a higher action, every single time, guaranteed. Especially in England. There's something about British guitar techs, they don't seem to understand Gibson guitars. The truss rod should be between .004 and .006 on a Gibson SG. Do you think Tony Iommi has his truss rod at .012 with 2mm+ string action with his 8-32 strings? lol look at how small the frets are on a Gibson SG. They're not designed to have super loose truss rods and super high string action. Gibson guitars are American made. Therefore they should be set up the American way, only. With an imperial ruler. Have you ever seen an actual guitar? rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamval Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Gibson set up their SG's to have 5/64 - 3/64 action at the 12th fret for a reason. Even their nuts and frets are plek'd to accommodate this action these days. I've never in my life purchased a brand new Gibson guitar with a neck relief of .012 or .13. That just seems outrageous to me. That'd push the action way up and cause a bunch of intonation and tuning problems. There should be "just a hair gap" between the frets. A human hair is around 0.06mm. That's .0025 on a feeler gauge!!! So .004 - .006 neck relief is more than enough for an SG. If your truss rod was around .006 you'd have no problems achieving 5/64 - 3/64 action at the 12th fret. Then loosen the tailpiece until the buzzing goes away and voilà, your SG will feel live up to its reputation of having the fastest neck in the world. You don't need to level any frets or buy a new nut or hire anybody to do this for you. If it's a brand new Gibson, that is. If it's a second hand one well, that's a whole other can of worms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Dog Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 I just set mine up to Linn County specs. I use leaves and twigs as gauges. Imperial this, metric that, blah, blah, blah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Gibson set up their SG's to have 5/64 - 3/64 action at the 12th fret for a reason. Even their nuts and frets are plek'd to accommodate this action these days. I've never in my life purchased a brand new Gibson guitar with a neck relief of .012 or .13. That just seems outrageous to me. That'd push the action way up and cause a bunch of intonation and tuning problems. There should be "just a hair gap" between the frets. A human hair is around 0.06mm. That's .0025 on a feeler gauge!!! So .004 - .006 neck relief is more than enough for an SG. If your truss rod was around .006 you'd have no problems achieving 5/64 - 3/64 action at the 12th fret. Then loosen the tailpiece until the buzzing goes away and voilà, your SG will feel live up to its reputation of having the fastest neck in the world. You don't need to level any frets or buy a new nut or hire anybody to do this for you. If it's a brand new Gibson, that is. If it's a second hand one well, that's a whole other can of worms. How long have you been playing? rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamval Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Have you ever seen an actual guitar? rct Sure and I've seen guys like you crying because I support Trump. How about that twinkle toes. So now what Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Sure and I've seen guys like you crying because I support Trump. How about that twinkle toes. So now what Alrighty then... rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamval Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 How long have you been playing? rct Can you afford a brand new Gibson guitar with 5/64 - 3/64 factory settings or are you one of those fellas who's only ever experienced hand me down guitars? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Can you afford a brand new Gibson guitar with 5/64 - 3/64 factory settings or are you one of those fellas who's only ever experienced hand me down guitars? I'm guessing you don't do well at parties. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamval Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Pip. lol that picture reminds me of your capital city Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamval Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 I'm guessing you don't do well at parties. rct You nanced up to me with the attitude pal, so don't go playing victim. I'm gonna do you a favor and ignore you from now on. Enjoy your bargains buddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Gibson guitars are American made. Therefore they should be set up the American way, only. With an imperial ruler. No, that's the British way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamval Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 You triggered by Trump's name or something? lol I've been working in the UK for a while and I swear, no one here knows how to set-up a Gibson guitar. They mangle the way they're meant to be set up and then they blame the guitar for their own stupidity, "waah it won't stay in tune waah bad quality waah I want a Fender now waah I'll never buy Gibson again". I think it's because Epiphones are heavily used here so Gibsons are set up to feel and play like something from China, well that's an act of terrorism against an American instrument if you ask me. I have personally reprimanded so many British guitar techs and clerks in guitar stores for the way they treat Gibsons and they all deserved it. 5/64 - 3/64 action at the 12th fret otherwise it's communism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamval Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 It's better to be triggered by Trump than SG specs... Talk about a waste of time here... Why you commenting then? You can't change the fact that Trump is POTUS (and will be again in 2020) But you CAN make your SG great again. Thank me later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamval Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Bottom line is you're the output of a diseased culture and are obviously a victim of low IQ - something Trump doesn't like and has commented on directly, but you probably already know that. Your lil psychic prediction is fascinating and all but I'm still the guy with a SG that plays and sounds better than yours :P Trump 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard McCoy Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 what is the action on your SG? please measure at the 12th fret and give both Low and High E readings, string gauge would be nice to know too, I just want to know if mine is set to high. 0.10 strings 1.9mm high E 2.9mm low E Thanks I find your action to be rather high for any electric guitar, but it also depends on your playing style and how hard you pick. My Les Paul, for instance, is set at 1.25mm (treble) and 1.5mm (bass) at the 12th fret with almost nil neck relief. You can only go low if your frets are perfectly level. I always had problems with sustain upon bending when going any lower than my current specs. PS. Funnily enough, my Ovation Legend acoustic is set at 1mm (treble) and 1.6mm (bass) at the 12th fret (with .012 strings). I can only do that with high-end Ovations, though, that play perfectly evenly across the fretboard and can cope with such low action (not unlike an electric) even if you dig in strumming hard. PS. Never mind. Thread is 9 years old. What a waste of my time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamval Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 He was probably told to set it up that way by someone from Europe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Dog Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 I've been working in the UK for a while and I swear, no one here knows how to set-up a Gibson guitar. It probably takes them about 30 seconds to realize what an obnoxious a$$ you are and they give you a crappy setup, hoping you'll never come back. I wouldn't blame them. Besides, if you know so much about setups, you should be doing them yourself, unless it's too complicated for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamval Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 It probably takes them about 30 seconds to realize what an obnoxious a$$ you are and they give you a crappy setup, hoping you'll never come back. I wouldn't blame them. Besides, if you know so much about setups, you should be doing them yourself, unless it's too complicated for you. With what their psychic powers? lol get over yourself you "obnoxious a$$". I fire guys with your lazy attitude on a regular basis so I'm not impressed by your big boy voice. 0.12 neck relief in a SG, seriously... who even... it's a SG not a god damn Fender. God bless America Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Bill 212 Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 IDC who the POTUS is.....IDC ! BUT I do care about my 'SG's, I love them...and that is why I set 'em up myself. I hear people say "Get a Pro to set-up your Guitar..." or "get a Pro Set-Up..." as if its some type of complicated procedure, and it is not even as difficult as Tuning-Up a car.....there is actually not much to Setting Up a GIBSON Electric Guitar (Tuning up a Car with Points was more difficult, and that was/is EZ)...... I always encourage player's to do their own set-up's....and then when they get rich, like a ROCK-STAR, they can hire someone to do it for them..... so until I get RICH, I set-up my 'SG's, and all my GIBSON's, likka Dis: .46-.09 strings (GHS,D'Ads,EB) Relief @ .005" @ 7TH Fret via Notched-Straightedge Method String Action Low 'E' 1.98MM (5/64TH's) @ 12TH Fret High 'E' 1.25 MM (3.3/64TH's)@ 12TH Fret and My 'SG's (and other GIBSON's) play EXCELLENTLY every time I pick them up...... investing in a Notched Straightedge,Feeler gauges, String Action Gauge were some of the best Dollars I ever spent and I have had these same tools for over 30 years. DIY DIY DIY, OH YEAH, DIY DIY DIY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamval Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 IDC who the POTUS is.....IDC ! BUT I do care about my 'SG's, I love them...and that is why I set 'em up myself. I hear people say "Get a Pro to set-up your Guitar..." or "get a Pro Set-Up..." as if its some type of complicated procedure, and it is not even as difficult as Tuning-Up a car.....there is actually not much to Setting Up a GIBSON Electric Guitar (Tuning up a Car with Points was more difficult, and that was/is EZ)...... I always encourage player's to do their own set-up's....and then when they get rich, like a ROCK-STAR, they can hire someone to do it for them..... so until I get RICH, I set-up my 'SG's, and all my GIBSON's, likka Dis: .46-.09 strings (GHS,D'Ads,EB) Relief @ .005" @ 7TH Fret via Notched-Straightedge Method String Action Low 'E' 1.98MM (5/64TH's) @ 12TH Fret High 'E' 1.25 MM (3.3/64TH's)@ 12TH Fret and My 'SG's (and other GIBSON's) play EXCELLENTLY every time I pick them up...... investing in a Notched Straightedge,Feeler gauges, String Action Gauge were some of the best Dollars I ever spent and I have had these same tools for over 30 years. DIY DIY DIY, OH YEAH, DIY DIY DIY Amen to that brother. When it comes to neck relief I usually start at .002 which is standard for most Gibsons. However my personal sweet spot is between .004 and .006 neck relief on a SG but never, ever any higher. Then I raise the tailpiece a little bit and it'll remain in tune with perfect 5/64 - 3/64 action at the 12th fret and great sustain no matter how hard I play. Raising the action higher than a Gibson's native 5/64 - 3/64 settings isn't the solution to "fret buzz", like a lot of people, especially Europeans seem to believe. It's just a cause for more problems. Gibsons are designed and built and set-up to accommodate low action for a reason. As such they go out of tune and feel uncomfortable to play when this reason is disrespected. It's just common sense. If I bought a sports car and deliberately made it slower and incapable of reaching its maximum potential and THEN blamed the manufacturer when it failed to achieve great speeds it'd be my fault, not theirs... yet too many guitarists mishandle their Gibsons in a similar way. The they blame the company instead of taking any responsibility for how stupid they've been. I've never played or encountered a brand new Gibson guitar in a licensed suppliers store with high action or fret buzz. Used Gibsons are a separate matter.. But a lot of people these days don't use guitar stores, they order online and most of the time it isn't even from an official Gibson supplier. They just think to themselves, "wow I've found a bargain!!! It's cheaper here than elsewhere!!!" and then they blindly charge in Then they learn the hard way why it was cheaper and what happens when you buy from a non authorized Gibson supplier... Also, humidity and temperature changes can wreck an instruments set-up while it's in transit and that's beyond anyone's control. Even Gibson. But returning it to its native settings is easy if you respect what it is. There's guys out there wrapping their strings around the tailpiece and swearing by it. Like it's some kind of mystical solution to a problem THEY have actively created and caused throughout their years of playing. What's the point of going through all that trouble while causing cosmetic damage to your equipment in the process? Just raise the tailpiece instead Gibson themselves also need to stop confusing matters. They need to stop telling people "not all Gibsons are the same...". That's just a sales pitch. They're all built the same and they're all designed to do the same thing So anyone could achieve the exact same action as me too. All this talk about 0.12 neck relief... that myth needs to die hard. It's right up there with "lower your tailpiece for more sustain!" I've assumed command of this operation and I'm here to liberate Europe from bad advice. Like my grandpa did back in WW2. Because God damnit that's what Americans are meant to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamval Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 What planet do you c-um from? Why, you looking for a space ride to awesomeness? Just follow my set-up tips and you'll get there pal. There's two ways of doing things the right way, aka the American way or the European way. That's how we won two world wars for them. The Brits weren't even allowed to play American guitars back in the day, did you know that? Yeah their government put an embargo on 'em. If it wasn't for us Europe probably wouldn't even exist and if by some miracle it managed to survive without our help they'd still be playing lutes and harps in tights because they'd have no electric guitars. We're the greatest nation on earth and we make the greatest electric guitars in the world. Period. So they need to open their ears and pay attention when we're giving them advice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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