dot 335 set-up

[Mandrake Man]

Hi,

 

Can someone tell em the correct way to approach setting-up a Dot 335?

Mine just won't balance across the neck and the bridge being fixed and not having enough play in the screws doesn't allow me to quite get those sharp notes on the 12th fret down to where they should be, without adjusting the height, which of courses causes other issues elsewhere on the neck

 

If someone could kindly give me an A, B, C of what to do 1st i.e. tune here, then adjust there, I'd be very grateful.

It seems ok pretty much now on the 12th, since I've tweaked it slightly, but it is pulling on the 3rd, so if you play an open G chord, it just doesn't sound pretty, even if you tuner says everything is in tune.

 

Cheers

 

p.s. rather disappointed that it came from the factory so poorly set-up, i've wanted one of these for an age they sound and look so good.

[Whitmore Willy]

Mandrake,

 

Try this:

http://mysite.verizon.net/jazz.guitar/guitarsetup.htm

 

Read everything three times before trying. It's not just for jazz guitars.

Welcome to the forum.....pics are a must

 

All setup specs are reference points. (nothing is written in stone)

If you haven't adjusted a truss rod before: check it yourself...but... if it needs adjusting, you may want to take it to a pro the first time and watch him do it. (never more than 1/4 turn on any given day.)

 

You might also try a forum search on set up, adjustment, nut, tuning, pickup height...etc. There is a lot of good information buried in this forum.

[Mandrake Man]

Cheers for that, I'll have a read or three and see how it goes. My old Telecaster, a copy in the style of Prince/Springsteen, was simple, just adjust action and then the intonation via the simple bridge and away you go.

The neck looks good and true, i can take the action down on the Dot 335 to a fairly low height before the A string starts to buzz slighly on the 12th or 13th fret but when it's that low i get the intonation/tuning problems, and of course having the action high means that i'm pulling down on the string a lot around the low frets, so pulling it out of tune slightly, most noticeably when playing an open G or D chord.

Ah balance...

Thanks again.