Yes, I am just a man but… I strongly believe anyone who plays a guitar (or any instrument) should understand how it is put together and how it should be maintained in order to get the most out of it. Whether you need to upkeep your “billion dollar most significant other for life” or the cheap little Strat copy you found in a garbage bin, you should know what you’re working with.
There are obvious, hugely impressive differences (which I won’t get into details about here) between $5000 “custom shop” guitars and $300 lower quality, mass production starter types, but the truth is, most of us can only afford the latter. Fear not, however, dear slinger! The possibility to transform a “cheap” mass produced guitar into your own customized battle-axe of the gods lies in the ability to properly set up, upgrade (if necessary) and maintain your guitar to achieve it’s highest level of performance. The best part is, there are people (lots) on the www that provide guidance, tips and expertise on how to get ‘er done.
Before you begin, you’ll need to know what all the parts are for and how they can be tailored, within their limitations, to suit your needs. For the most part, lower end guitars are copies or similar style versions of Gibson Les Pauls and Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters. By this I’m referring to the bridge types, nuts, tuning pegs, pickups, electronics, bodies and neck types. If you learn about the basics for each of these three guitar types, you’ll be able to confidently setup almost any guitar - whatever quality - which can upgrade your axe from completely useless to incredibly amazing. (There are exceptions where more complicated hardware and electronics are used - i.e.: Bigsby Vibratos and Floyd Rose tremolos, etc…)
Here are some links from the “big guys” I use most which I think are both very useful and educational:
Really basic starting point: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/parts-of-an-electric-guitar.html
Gibson style guitars with tun-o-matic bridges: http://www2.gibson.com/Support/Tech-Tips/Basic-Guitar-Setup.aspx (there are also links at the bottom of this page to very useful resources)
Fender Stratocaster types: http://www.fender.com/en-CA/support/articles/stratocaster-setup-guide
Fender Telecaster types: http://www.fender.com/en-CA/support/articles/telecaster-setup-guide
Other Fender guitar types (Jazzmaster, Jaguar, Mustang, etc…): http://www.fender.com/support/articles/fender-guitar-setup-guide
For Bigsby Vibratos: http://www.bigsby.com/vibe/products/vibratos
Floyd Rose tremolos: http://www.floydrose.com/catalog/tremolos
For pickup height adjustments there are too many opinions mostly because it depends on what guitar the pickups are in, the types of strings on the guitar, electronics and the personal preference for the type of sound you’re after. Most pickup and custom guitar part manufacturers do offer guidelines on their websites so check them out.
Once again, hope this helps and let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.
Thanks!!!
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