Ask most guitarists what inspires them to buy a particular guitar and if they're honest they'll admit that the look plays a huge part in their decision. Be it a guitar played by a particular guitar hero of theirs or simply the colour of the instrument that sparks their interest, in most cases the sound and feel comes secondary to the aesthetics of the instrument.

In reality of course the sound and feel should be much more important deciding factors. So far so what? Well, if you pay your hard earned money for your dream guitar but discover it plays like a real dog due to a high action or general lack of set-up does it still make it the right guitar for you?
The truth is that it could still be a perfectly good guitar but lacks the attention to detail that a final 'set-up' can offer.

For those of you not in the know a 'set-up' consists of the sometimes minor, sometimes extensive tweaks and adjustments that influence the overall playability and feel of an instrument. These include:

• setting the truss-rod/neck relief
• cutting the nut slots to the correct shape, size and height
• shaping and polishing the fret ends and if necessary dressing (levelling and profiling) the frets
• Setting the action and bridge saddle heights to suit
• setting the intonation
• correct pickup height adjustment

Without these adjustments even a £2,000 guitar can feel cheap and unplayable. It's also easy to understand why the majority of production line guitars leave the factory with the minimum of these adjustments carried out. These factories are turning out thousands of units per day, so for them to employ specialised staff to individually set-up each guitar to its best would add significantly to the price of any instrument purchased. The best they generally do is a simple check over - based on their own unregulated quality control standards - and the guitar is boxed and sent to its intended location in most cases, far around the globe.

It must be emphasised that most guitars arrive from the factory in the same state that they leave the production line…

Were you to try a guitar in a shop and realise that it felt terrible you would no doubt put it back on the rack and pick up another. But what if you are buying unseen?

With the advent of mail order and more recently internet-based 'e-shops' offering discounts on 'boxed' guitars, buying a guitar has changed - The temptation to buy a guitar unseen because of a discounted price tag is huge and for many the end result is disappointment.

Guitars (even electric guitars) are acoustic by nature and predominantly made of wood. Now, every piece of wood - even if it's the same type of wood - sounds slightly different due to its grain form and density. When wood is formed into an acoustic, resonating instrument these differences play a fundamental part in the eventual sound of the instrument - try playing two seemingly identical guitars one after another and you will notice a difference in tone. So, without trying a guitar before you buy how can you be sure that it will sound as you imagined? It's simple, you can't.

The differences are even more prominent in purely acoustic instruments - there are some general rules in guitar making that will help predict an end tone but the basic principle that every guitar sounds different still applies.

Guitars are not inert objects like TV's and DVD players. They are meant to change, mellow or mature over a period of time so in buying one that suits you it is crucial that it sounds how you would like it to and also has been set-up to feel and play in a way that's comfortable for you as a player.

Below are examples of standard maintenance work that a GOOD guitar workshop will carry out for you.

Standard set-up

Every instrument needs a set-up of some sort in its lifetime. Regular set-ups and maintenance will actually prolong the life of your beloved instrument. Whether it requires work to improve its 'out-of-the box' feel or needs more extensive adjustment to suit your specific playing needs, dramatic improvements are possible with a standard set-up. This standard set-up should include:
• Truss rod adjustment
• Frets cleaned and polished - fret ends rounded and smoothed
• Fingerboard nut slots cutting and adjustment
• Pick-up and pole piece height adjustment
• String playing height/action set to suit
• Intonation setting. The guitar should be set with your preferred gauge of strings to ensure tuning stability and consistency.

Fret dress and set-up

If your guitar suffers from uneven 'fret buzz' or string rattle which compromises your desired action setting (or there is significant wear in the frets) then your guitar requires a fret dress. This is the preferred job for most (even brand new) guitars and allows us to set any action that you can play to. This job includes:
• Initial levelling of the frets to remove any wear or uneven fret height
• The frets are then re-profiled, smoothed and polished to a mirror-like sheen
• The guitar is then set-up as above.

Re-frets

There are three main reasons for performing a re-fret:
• The existing frets are worn to the point where there is no longer enough fret to successfully level and re-profile during a fret dress. The majority of customers enquiring about re-frets are relieved to discover that in 80% of cases a simple fret dress and set-up solved their problems...
• The fingerboard is twisted and or the truss rod can no longer adjust the neck to the correct shape. This often happens if a neck is not adjusted for many years and the wood finds its own either too convex or concave shape. In this instance, the frets are removed and the fingerboard is planed level (also known as 'shooting' the board) and new frets are then installed. The process is the same if the fingerboard requires some repair, modification or a new radius.
• The customer simply requires bigger, taller or wider frets. A huge selection of fret wire is available.

Replacement top nuts and bridge saddles

Often over-looked but crucial to your guitars performance. Solid bone is by far the best material for acoustic guitar nuts and saddles. They should be hand carved, finished and fitted to each individual guitar.

General/Specialist Repairs

Broken headstocks and necks, cracked or split bodies on acoustic guitars, raised bridges, broken saddles and nuts, loose fingerboards and binding, non-working vibrato systems, twisted necks and fingerboards, broken pickups and many more ailments are all daily repairs undertaken in a good, busy workshop. Before assigning it to the bin, have it looked at by a pro repairer - you will amazed at what can be repaired.

Customising

Why pay out huge sums of money for a custom 'hand made' guitar when your existing guitar can be up-graded to suit your needs? Dramatic improvements in tone and feel can be achieved - from a straightforward replacement pickup to a complete upgrade to pro spec hardware and components. Solid body guitars can be re-shaped or have comfort contours added. It is also possible to modify the profile of your guitar neck to create a bespoke feel - remember, everyone's hands are different so why suffer a badly shaped 'fence-post' neck when your existing neck can be modified to suit you. Get the feel and sound that you desire at a fraction of the cost of a one-off built instrument...

 

www.southendmusicschool.co.uk
www.martinphelpsmusic.com