This guide will provide you with a step by step on how to setup your guitar properly.

Please note that action and pickup height should be adjusted to your taste. This guide will apply to most stringed instruments.

Step 1: Replace your strings.

This is the first thing that should be done to prevent a bad setup. If your strings are old and worn, you will probably not be able to intonate properly, and will find that your guitar goes out of tune easily. Make sure you stretch each string several times (give it a slight pull) and retune. Once the strings are stretched your guitar should stay in tune. If your guitar is still going out of tune, please check the “Staying in tune” section of this website.

Step 2: Tremolo angle.

If your guitar doesn’t have a tremolo, and has a fixed bridge instead, you can skip this step. However, if it does have a tremolo, read on…

If your guitar came with instructions on how to adjust your particular type of tremolo, please refer to those before moving onto step 3.

Most tremolos should be adjusted to sit parallel with the body of the guitar, with the exception of some non-floating tremolos like the vintage Strat trem (which has 6 screws instead of pivot posts).

To adjust the tremolo angle on most guitars we would first tune it to pitch, and check the angle of the bridge plate. If the bridge is tilting towards the neck we would tighten the cavity springs in the back of the guitar (clockwise with a screwdriver), and then retune, and recheck the angle. Keep doing this until the bridge plate is perfectly parallel to the body. Of course if the bridge was tilting away from the neck, we would loosen the screws (anti-clockwise).

On vintage Strat style trems or non-floating trems, it is acceptable to adjust the bridge angle so that it isn’t parallel with the body. This allows you to also be able to pull up on the tremolo. This should be adjusted to your taste.

This method can also be used on non-recessed Floyd Rose tremolos.

Step 3: Truss rod.

Right, the first thing I am going to say about this step is that if you are unsure of what you are doing, please stop here, and either get a friend who knows what they’re doing to help, or take it to a shop to have it set up properly. The reason behind this is that adjusting a truss rod is perfectly safe IF you follow these instructions exactly how they are written. If you do not, you could possibly damage your neck permanently. I am not responsible if this happens. Anyway… let’s get started.

The purpose of a truss rod is to enable you to make minor adjustments to the straightness of your guitars neck. This will mainly need adjusting when either using a different string gauge or if the guitar is subject to temperature changes. Don’t worry, we all have to do it now and then. Adjustment of the truss rod can make a guitar play miles better than it did before.

Now I will briefly explain what happens when we turn the truss rod clockwise or anti-clockwise. Turning the truss rod clockwise will tighten the neck, and therefore bring the strings closer to the frets. Turning it anti-clockwise will loosen it, creating what we call “relief”. Not many guitars that I know of have a perfectly straight neck, so you will get the best results by having a bit of relief. Don’t bother tightening the truss rod any more when it is perfectly straight, as this will cause “back bow”, which is completely useless and renders your guitar unplayable.

Now, to adjust the truss rod you will most likely need an allen wrench (yours may or may not be the same). What we need to do is check the amount of relief. To do this, place your finger on the first fret low E string, and your other finger from your picking hand on the last fret low E string. Now look to see how much distance there is between the top of the 8th fret and the bottom of the low E string. You should be looking at about half a millimetre (no need to measure it, just eyeball it). If you have more than half a millimetre, tighten the neck (clockwise) and recheck. Only turn the truss rod a little bit at a time (about a quarter of a turn) to avoid damage to the neck. It is unlikely that you will need loosen the truss rod, but if you do, remember to only make minor adjustments.

That wasn’t so hard now was it?

Step 4: Adjusting the action.

Here comes the straightforward part. You will need either an allen key, or screwdriver (depending on your bridge type), and an idea of what sort of action you like. Most tutorials like this assume you want the lowest possible action. Some people however (including me), prefer a high action, for better tone, sustain, and grip, so it really depends what your idea of a great playing instrument is.

Tune-O-matic style bridges, and many floating tremolos such as the Floyd Rose, are easily adjustable as they only have a post either side of the bridge to higher or lower the action. Strat style bridges and tremolos however (amongst others), have to be adjusted a saddle at a time. Although the latter takes longer, it allows us to fine tune the action, particularly if the fingerboard is quite curved (small radius). Whichever type of bridge you have, the principle is the same.

What I usually do is lower the action fully on every string (if applicable), so that it is nice and even, and then bring the low E string up to roughly where I want it, counting the turns as I go. Then I repeat that amount of turns for each string. I then have a nice flat action, of which I can then fine tune to suit my fingerboard radius, and the feel I want.

Please note that you will have to retune after you have adjusted your action.

If you would rather do it to the millimetre (although I strongly recommend going with what feels best), you can just measure it with a metal ruler. Common measurements for guitar are usually between 1.2mm and 2mm at the 12th fret.

Step 5: Adjusting pickup height.

Adjusting pickup height depends on a few things. What type of magnets your pickup has, and more so what kind of sound you like. It is important to not set the pickups too close to the strings (with the exception of some active pickups), as this can interfere with string pull, and can affect intonation, tuning, harmonics, sound, and sustain. As a general rule, I usually have the bridge and neck pickups about 2mm away from the strings (whilst pressing down the top and bottom E strings at the last fret). From here I can then fine-tune the height of the neck pickup for equal volume to the bridge pickup, and adjust further if needed.

Step 6: Intonation.

For any guitar to stay in tune all the way up the neck it needs to be intonated. This basically means adjusting the length of each string in relation to the scale length of the instrument (the distance between each fret and the distance between the nut and the bridge saddles). To achieve this all we need to do is make some minor adjustments to the saddles.

First of all make sure that you are in tune, and play an open harmonic at the 12th fret. This should read the same as playing an open string on your tuner. Now fret the same string at the 12th fret and take a look at your tuner. If the intonation for that string is correct, it should read exactly the same as the 12th fret open harmonic. If not, the saddle needs to be adjusted slightly.

If the fretted note is sharp (higher than the open harmonic), you will need to lengthen the string. We can do this by moving the saddle backwards. If the fretted note is flat (lower than the open harmonic), you will need to shorten the string by moving the saddle forwards. The way in which you will do this depends on the type of bridge you have, but the same principle applies. Repeat the above steps for each string, retuning each string as you go. Only make small adjustments at a time, as even a small adjustment can make a big difference.

There you have it! If you have followed the above steps correctly you should now have a very playable guitar. If you are still having trouble with fret buzz, your guitar might have uneven frets. In this case I recommend taking it to a proper luthier.

Thanks for reading.

If you want to play fast you need to learn to relax.

I’m serious. To be specific, this means your shoulder, elbow, wrist, fingers, and mind! A previous guitar teacher told me once that you could compare it to running a 100 metre sprint, stamping every footstep. I hadn’t realized just how guilty I was of this seemingly obvious fact until I read an article very similar to this one on another website.

I had hit a brick wall in my playing that no amount of metronoming could dismantle. I was noticing that my mucles would ache and throb after practicing, and I was becoming increasingly dissapointed with my lack of progress.

On reading the article I made a point of doing two things from that point onward.

1. Filming myself playing something I was having trouble with.
2. Freezing myself mid-lick to check how much I was tensing up.

If you have any tension in your muscles when you play, you can tell by looking at it. Which is why I used to film myself. Also if you stop concentrating on what you are playing and start concentrating on how you are playing it, any tension becomes immediately apparent to you.

There are plenty of ways you can ease tension whilst playing, some people just imagine calm things, some people visualize their arm relaxing, some people swear by massaging their arms on a regular basis. I’m sure you are capable of your own finding ways to relax. The important thing to stress here is the discovery of subconscious tension. If you know its there, you can do something about it.

As always the hardest thing to do is break the habit of tensing up! So good luck to you.

See you soon

Features:
Alder body, Maple neck, Rosewood fingerboard, 21 Frets, 2 Single coil pickups, 2 Volume, 1 Tone, Fixed bridge.

Playability:
All I can say about this bass is that I set the action and the intonation to Fender’s official specs, and it was spot on. Balance is great and it plays well.

Sound:
I love the sound of it. It might not cost a lot but it definitely has great tone. The bridge pickup is good for slap bass, although I tend to use the other pickup with the bridge pickup turned off. This gives me thundering bass sounds (no pun intended).

Durability:
Feels ok to me. Nice and sturdy. Doesn’t feel like it will break or anything.

Comments:
A timeless design, and a great sounding, great playing one too!

Conclusion:
This bass is a good choice, regardless of cost. Don’t waste your money on expensive stuff!

Features:
Alder body, Maple neck, Rosewood fingerboard, 24 Frets, 1 Split humbucker, 1 Single pickup, 2 Volume, 1 Tone, Fixed bridge.

Playability:
Was not able to get the action as low as I’d hoped so was a bit disappointed. Even after shimming the neck I got quite a bit of fret buzz. The balance is ok though.

Sound:
I’d say that this bass has an acceptable sound, but lacks any real character. Probably better for heavier styles.

Durability:
Seems pretty durable. Solid parts, and appears to be fairly well made. Nicely finished also.

Comments:
Not bad for a beginner but that’s about it.

Conclusion:
If you are lucky enough to get a good one then you might be ok, but unless you either like a fairly high action or fret buzz, you might be disappointed as I was.

Features:
Maple through-neck, Maple wings, Rosewood fingerboard, 24 Frets, 2 Humbuckers, 2 Volume, 1 Tone, Steinberger fixed bridge and headpiece.

Playability:
Overall, this bass plays beautifully. It has perfect balance, and is ideal for travelling. The fingerboard feels very smooth. After a small adjustment of the saddles I was able to get the action pretty low.

Sound:
This thing has loads of punch, and is very versatile. Suitable for all styles. The EMG Select humbuckers do their job well and I see no reason to replace them.

Durability:
Like all Steinberger guitars and basses, you’ll find it hard to break this one. The finish is excellent and the hardware is built to last!

Comments:
Also features the fold-out leg rest.

Conclusion:
Playability, sound, balance, and portability. This bass has it all!

Features:
Mahogany body, Maple neck, Rosewood fingerboard, 22 Frets, S-S-H pickup configuration, 1 Volume, 1 Tone, 5 Way switch, Floating non-locking trem.

Playability:
Balances perfectly, and has a more modern strat-like feel, with a flatter fingerboard radius and easier fret access. Easy to get a nice low action on this guitar. Very fluid and a joy to play. The neck is thicker than an RG however.

Sound:
Brilliant sustain! This is probably due to the mahogany body. Nice fat tone from the humbucker and very glassy neck and middle pickups, with many other usable in-between sounds. Excellent!

Durability:
I love this guitar. The finish looks beautiful and the overall guitar is pretty solid. Good quality hardware also.

Comments:
I particularly like where the jack socket is on this guitar. Out of the way and wont work loose!

Conclusion:
Need I say more? This guitar sounds and plays as good as it looks! Perfect for most styles of music, and with a good quality trem.

Features:
Basswood body, Maple neck, Rosewood fingerboard, 24 Frets, H-S-H pickup configuration, 1 Volume, 1 Tone, 5 Way switch, Licensed Floyd Rose.

Playability:
As with most Ibanez guitars, it plays very well indeed. No detectable fret buzz and super low action. The Wizard II neck is super thin for effortless playing. Nice string tension, and good access to the higher frets.

Sound:
A whole palette of usable sounds with the H-S-H configuration and 5 way switch. Punchy high gain pickups for heavier styles, and also the single coil is good for cleaner sounds.

Durability:
Although basswood is generally a light wood, this guitar is well made and feels solid. Will probably last a very long time if looked after. Now for the Licensed Floyd… This thing just sucks! One of the worst licensed Floyds I have ever used. The metal seems to be made of butter and wont last very long at all, so be prepared to replace this for a decent one. Secondly, the trem arm actually seized inside the barrel! This particular guitar had the Lo-Trs II Floyd on it, and I think Ibanez may have fixed this issue now.

Comments:
Good balance also, and very comfortable to play.

Conclusion:
Apart from the absolutely crap Lo-Trs II Floyd, this guitar is brilliant. Stays in tune perfect after a trem change, and plays like a dream. Highly recommended for lead players.

Features:
Basswood body, Maple neck, Sonokelling fingerboard, 22 Frets, 3 single coil pickups, 1 Volume, 2 Tone, 5 Way switch, Vintage 6 screw tremolo.

Playability:
For a budget guitar it plays quite well. It actually plays better than some other guitars I’ve owned for more than twice the price. I can get a low action with little to no buzzing. Stays in tune fairly well too!

Sound:
The high output single coils do their job. Nice punchy sounds, with some usable in between sounds. Some hum but they’re single coils right? Not a big fan of single coils personally but they sound nice and twangy for clean sounds.

Durability:
It’s a Strat, it’s built like a tank! Apart from the usual loose trem arm after a while, I can see nothing to wear.

Comments:
Very nice finish for such a low cost guitar.

Conclusion:
I would recommend this guitar to all beginners, and even the pro looking for a cheap guitar. Good construction, sound, and playability.

Features:
Agathis body, Maple neck, Rosewood fingerboard, 24 Frets, 2 Humbuckers, 1 Volume, 1 Tone, Fixed bridge.

Playability:
I have to say I am less than impressed with this guitar. I could not get a low action, and when I tried I got fret buzz everywhere! The neck felt nice and chunky though…

Sound:
Despite the action issues, this guitar sounds very nice. I think it is aimed at mainly metal and I couldn’t seem to get much of a usable clean sound from it.

Durability:
Fairly solid guitar, however the finish on the body isn’t very good. You can see where the different bits of wood are glued together if you tilt it into the light.

Comments:
A fairly nice guitar, if you are lucky and get one of the good ones.

Conclusion:
A good guitar if you like a high action, but other than that, try one before buying.

Features:
Alder body, Maple neck, Rosewood fingerboard, 22 Frets, H-S-H pickup configuration, 1 Volume, 1 Tone, 5 Way switch, Vintage 6 screw tremolo.

Playability:
Good balance, good action, and a joy to play! Love the feel of the neck! Fingerboard is fairly flat and doesn’t fret out when you bend notes, but still retains the comfort. Magic!

Sound:
Excellent tone. I’m very pleased with the stock Yamaha pickups. They have a lot of power without being over the top. Neck pickup is beautiful for lead runs. Try different pickup selections for a range of tones!

Durability:
The whole guitar feels solid. I don’t think for one minute that it would break unless you’re careless. The finish is of excellent quality and the hardware seems as though it will last.

Comments:
In my experience, you can always rely on Yamaha for good quality products.

Conclusion:
Good all round guitar for any skill level. Novice to Pro. Don’t be fooled by the price, as this one will knock your socks off!