Ajustments and setup specifications

[Isaac]

I recently picked up my new Heritage H-550 lefty.And I'm very happy with my purchase. I really injoy the low action and ease of play. It's all most time to get new strings and have my action and setup checked. Does Heritage have a standard that I can have my setup guy go by?(Factory setup standards) Or are ajustments and setups done according to feel and taste? There's not a Authorized dealer of Heritage guitars in Fort Wayne Indiana. I imagine a good guitar tech could keep my guitar in near perfect intonenation. I was just wondering does Heritage have company specs on ajustments and setups ect that I can give to my local guitar tech for proper ajustments on my H-550. Any and all help on this matter is greatly appreciated

[Guido]

Hi!

 

Actually I don't believe Heritage has such setup standards.

You could use the standards provided by Gibson. http://www.gibson.com/backstage/index002.htm (left column: setup tips)

But remember that the standard setups are for 10'' strings.

Personally I use 11''. You should try to do the string change and setup by yourself.

It's really easy. You can't do anything wrong.

The lowest action is not always the best one. Just lower the strings as far as it goes without string buzzing.

The bass E-string side must be a little bit higher than the high E-string side. That's because the lower E-string vibrates more.

Intonation is easily adjustable with the tune-o-matic bridge and a good tuner.

 

Good luck!

[Isaac]

Hi!

 

Actually I don't believe Heritage has such setup standards.

You could use the standards provided by Gibson. http://www.gibson.com/backstage/index002.htm (left column: setup tips)

But remember that the standard setups are for 10'' strings.

Personally I use 11''. You should try to do the string change and setup by yourself.

It's really easy. You can't do anything wrong.

The lowest action is not always the best one. Just lower the strings as far as it goes without string buzzing.

The bass E-string side must be a little bit higher than the high E-string side. That's because the lower E-string vibrates more.

Intonation is easily adjustable with the tune-o-matic bridge and a good tuner.

 

Good luck! Poll thanks for your very needed information.Now my guitar will sound and play just as great as the first day I played it. Thanks again!!!

[pegleg32]

My Luthier tells me that most use the 3/5 rule. I don't understand it, but it seems to work. I just got my two Heritages back from a professional setup and I am totally blown away at what he found that I missed. I have done all of my own setup for years and called it "good enough". When he got done setting them up correctly, it was apparent what an idiot I am. He had the tools and the knowledge to make them play beautifully. I could always play them after my setup, but his was so obviously superior to mine that I have learned a lesson I will never forget. I am now in the camp that strongly recommends a professional setup for any guitar that is new to you, and then tweak it occaisionly from there.

[Steiner]

My Luthier tells me that most use the 3/5 rule. I don't understand it, but it seems to work. I just got my two Heritages back from a professional setup and I am totally blown away at what he found that I missed. I have done all of my own setup for years and called it "good enough". When he got done setting them up correctly, it was apparent what an idiot I am. He had the tools and the knowledge to make them play beautifully. I could always play them after my setup, but his was so obviously superior to mine that I have learned a lesson I will never forget. I am now in the camp that strongly recommends a professional setup for any guitar that is new to you, and then tweak it occaisionly from there.

 

I've experienced the very same effect Pegleg!

[Isaac]

My Luthier tells me that most use the 3/5 rule. I don't understand it, but it seems to work. I just got my two Heritages back from a professional setup and I am totally blown away at what he found that I missed. I have done all of my own setup for years and called it "good enough". When he got done setting them up correctly, it was apparent what an idiot I am. He had the tools and the knowledge to make them play beautifully. I could always play them after my setup, but his was so obviously superior to mine that I have learned a lesson I will never forget. I am now in the camp that strongly recommends a professional setup for any guitar that is new to you, and then tweak it occaisionly from there.

Pegleg all the guitars I've every had has a factory standard for proper setup for your instrument either in a how to booket that comes with the warranty. I have a setup tech thats very professional. But without the factory specs he will be actually doing my setup by feel or by maybe gibsons or gretsch specs. It might well work. I just like factory specs as a starting point

[TalismanRich]

At PSPII, Ren was talking about the action. His statement was that they set the guitars up for 3/32 and 5/32. Or as he put it, a nickel and a quarter.

 

That's got to be the 3/5 that Pegleg's luthier was talking about. From there he said you can have your local shop do a lower setup for faster action.

[Guido]

Poll thanks for your very needed information.Now my guitar will sound and play just as great as the first day I played it. Thanks again!!! biggrin.gif

 

Do I read some sarcasm here?!

I just wanted to help. You left the impression that you don't know how to setup a guitar.

Which is no shame at all.

Of course you can go to a good guitar tech and pay some money. I think that's not the same as doing it by yourself. Learning by doing.

And all those rules won't help you, because everybody has his own preferences. The only way to find your preference is try and error.

If you wanna learn and understand your guitar running to guitar techs is not very helpful!

[pegleg32]

Hey Guido, no sarcasm intended. I was just making the point about how dumb I felt about my own setup abilities. I talked to my Luthier to clear up the 3/5 rule and this what he told me:

 

"The 3/5 rule refers to "3/64" from the top of the 12th fret to the bottom of the string for the high E and 5/64" for the low E. This the factory action spec for Fender, Martin and Gibson."

 

As I understand it, lots of folks use a lower action, but as you lower it, the guitar becomes more susceptible to changes in temperture and humidity, etc.

 

I think even my setup abilities would be much improved if I invested in the proper measuring equipment, I was just going by how it felt.

 

The difference that my luthier brought to the process was that he could determine if any of the nut slots were too low or too high, and whether any of the frets were too low or too high, and was able to correct any of those problems even if they were minor to begin with. It really made a difference.

[FrankV]

I'm not decided on this one. I got a brand new 535, and I wanted to get it right (perfect!) so I brought it to a respected and talented luthier for a setup. After that I brought my Strat to him. The Strat I got second hand, and it did have a bit of fret wear, some slightly flat spots on a few. The Strat he crowned and leveled the frets, which I could not do myself, I'm sure I'd ruin it if I tried. The rest of the stuff to both guitars I could have done myself. In fact, the Strat I had played with a lot, changing string gauges until I got what I liked, setting the intonation, setting the neck relief, pickup height, etc. The manuals are available on line, and if you take your time and go slow, it's not brain surgery.

I'm left feeling I spent some dough I didn't have to for the 535 setup, and the fretwork is all I really needed on the Strat. I guess if there had been some manufacturing defect with the 535, like the neck being slightly twisted or something he would have picked it up, but except for a couple of frets he said were not 'dead on', that he took down slightly, it really didn't need his attention. It seemed perfect to me, but I was going with the "bring a new guitar to a tech for an initial setup" philosophy.

I think unless something horrible happens to them, they'll never see a tech again. The setups are dead easy if you proceed slowly and methodically.

[Steiner]

Nope no sarcasm here either.

 

I pay a professional to cut and set the height of the nut, level and crown the frets. Some of this I can do but haven't the time (I'd Much rather be playing). Other tasks, like leveling to 128th of an inch, I haven't the tools accomplish.

 

I do this for the same reason that I purchased the guitar rather than building it from raw materials.

[jaywolfe]

Heritage's setup measurements, along with their thinking in that area, are from the 1940's. It's a good 'starting" place, however we find that players today prefer lower action & less buzzing. Not knocking them- just stating proven facts.

 

Jay Wolfe

[Guido]

Hey Guido, no sarcasm intended. I was just making the point about how dumb I felt about my own setup abilities. I talked to my Luthier to clear up the 3/5 rule and this what he told me:

 

Hi!

 

I didn't mean you. I meant Isaac. He quoted my message and added the sarcasm line.

 

I know about all those rules. And they are just factory setups. So they can say every guitar is setup the same way.

We are talking about handmade guitars here. Sometimes the top curvature varies a bit, sometimes the neck angle.

But all this influences the setup. Personally I really think doing easy things like this on your own helps to understand

guitar construction and how things interact (neck angle, bridge height, top curvature, etc.).

If something is wrong or needs the work of a good tech (like fret leveling) than of course you should go and get the help.

I'm just talking about the basic stuff.

There are a lot of people who can play their guitar, but don't understand it!

[smurph1]

I can usually set up my guitar "well enough" to get through a gig..but when it come right down to it, I give it to someone I trust and let them do it..My "perfect" setup is probably higher than most players..I tend to bend a lot and play quite aggressively sometimes..To each his own I say..My 2 cents..

[Isaac]

Poll thanks for your very needed information.Now my guitar will sound and play just as great as the first day I played it. Thanks again!!! biggrin.gif

 

Do I read some sarcasm here?!

I just wanted to help. You left the impression that you don't know how to setup a guitar.

Which is no shame at all.

Of course you can go to a good guitar tech and pay some money. I think that's not the same as doing it by yourself. Learning by doing.

And all those rules won't help you, because everybody has his own preferences. The only way to find your preference is try and error.

If you wanna learn and understand your guitar running to guitar techs is not very helpful!

Guido...I asked a question that I had concerns about and I got advises with different points that I can consider. I don't setup my guitar's I have a tech that does my work. But, then don't have to suck up or have a biggrin either to appreciate advise. further more it seems to me that it would be Poll or any of the person(s) that answered my question(s) having concerns about my appreciation. I just hope my question(s) and the answers that were given helped others as well. Fakism is not my line of thinking ever. Thank You!