If your new guitar is playing well, and sounds great, WHY on Earth would you want to spend money on a setup ? Usually, Strat's with a Bi-flex truss rod are very stable, and will rarely, if ever need a tweak. I have 3 and they have had 1 adjustment each in the last 10 - 15 years! As long as the guitar is not exposed to drastic temperature and humidity changes, your Strat will be a set-it-and-forget-it axe Also, as long as you stay with the current string gauge, you should not need much, if any , adjustments. I have other Fender's with the traditional 1 way truss rods, and they seem to need more seasonal adjustments, one in particular ( a Classic Series 60 Strat) needs a truss rod adjustment about 5 times each year!

Play it long enough until (and you will) find its deficiencies and then get it professionally set up; I emphasize, professionally. After this, and has been stated, learn to do it yourself where it will be more of a maintenance thing on your part than an overhaul on someone else's.

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You dig?

I emphasize,professionally = NOT Guitar Center

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"I like the way he puts Yngwie J. Malmsteen on his album covers. You know,....so you don't confuse him with all the other Yngwie Malmsteens in the business"


2008 Fender MIM Stratocaster
2010 Epiphone Masterbilt
2009 Fender Super Champ XD

What he said!!!

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You dig?

But...I already have an appointment with Guitar Center!!!

Thanks for all the advice. I am going to read up on setups, probably try one on my MIM strat, and will bring my new strat for a PRO setup after I have played it for a while and/or it needs one.

Are you sure I shouldn't go to GC? The kid working the register said they have a REALLY GOOD guitar tech there!

Bro' it's up to you where you have your guitar worked on. Personally, I've found GC to be a great place to browse selection and even make a purchase (as long as KNOW what your looking for). On the other hand GC techs aren't known for possessing the skills of a qualified luthier. I actually have an authorized Fender repair shop down the street and around the corner from my house. Literally a five minute walk. That's where I go first. He's been in business for ages and been repairing guitars for just about as long as I've been on this earth.

Unless you are unhappy with the way the guitar plays, I wouldn't touch it. If you DO need someone to work on it, I'd seek out a local mom & pop shop with a qualified tech that has been doing this for some years instead of it being done by some kid just out of high school that just finished wailing out Anthrax tunes with a jackson dinky on a marshall half stack.
Not that there is anything wrong with Anthrax or Jackson, or Marshall.... I'm just making a point.

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"I like the way he puts Yngwie J. Malmsteen on his album covers. You know,....so you don't confuse him with all the other Yngwie Malmsteens in the business"


2008 Fender MIM Stratocaster
2010 Epiphone Masterbilt
2009 Fender Super Champ XD

I was just kidding around - I definitely would NOT get it set up at Guitar Center. I agree with everything you said.

if it aint broke.. dont fix it... play it for a month or so, then re-evaluate

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"When words fail, the guitar speaks."

Which begs the question, how does one find a competent guitar tech? I have a couple of guitars done at my local guitar center, both because of convenience and because I got a recommendation for this guy. The last guitar I had set up there, a new Strat, I swear to God it played exactly the same as when I took it in. I think all this guy did was change the strings.

So, how to find a good one? And if anyone knows of a good Seattle/Tacoma tech, please let me know!

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American Standard Strat, Sienna Sunburst
Gibson Les Paul, Desert Burst
Gibson SG '61 Reissue, Heritage Cherry

I wouldn't be surprised if all they did was change the strings. I've seen this happen more times than I can count with stores even more reputable.

Word of mouth is your best bet. Ask around, especially ask the better players in your area as to whom they recommend and as to whom to stay away from. And if you can't find an immediate answer, don't waste your time or money on hacks who will do more harm than good. Worst case scenario is if your guitar was a complete mess, you'd have to take an extended drive or ship it.

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You dig?

Absolutely.

If it plays in tune, holds tune well and is comfortable. Then thats all you want.

It could come back worse, or even just the same. if it comes back just the same, you've paid someone money for nothing.

If it's right, leave it alone. It ain't rocket science.

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No no and no

To find the best techs in town,see who the pros recommend,lots of those guys don't do their own work.
I've always wondered about that,seems like they don't have the time or something.
Here in Nashville you hear one name alot,Joe Glaser.

go see a few bands play at your local pub. during the break ask the guitar player who he uses. or get the book i mentioned above and get reading. by the time you pay someone to do it for you you could have already bought the good quality tools it takes to do it yourself. with those tools you can do MANY guitars and they will last you for YEARS to come. all around good investment if you ask me. find a cheapy squier strat to practice on. have wife/girlfriend or best buddy to go and mess the guitar up every so often and then you can go behind them and fix it again. its kind fun actually. you never know what kind of shape its gonna be in when they give it back, so its never really the same twice.
i show them how to "mess up" the trus rod so they dont over do it. maybe allow 1/4 turn in either direction but thats it. dont get a complete idiot though lol. you need somebody
thats gonna be careful yet at the same time understands what your goal is at the same time. its a great way to practice and on a guitar that doesnt mean a whole lot to you.
then when you get comfortable with your tools and knowledge, take the whole guitar apart and down to the last screw and solder joint. wait a couple weeks then go have at it.
thats where the fun really begins.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

On a tangent: There are some reading this thread whom I'm sure, balk at the idea of doing it themselves regardless of the collective positive reinforcement given. To those I say, everyone is 'wired' differently. Meaning, if you don't feel you are up to servicing your own instrument, simply don't do it. I'm sure with lots of positive reinforcement I could probably do a successful brake job on my car yet regardless, I'd be to afraid of something going wrong that isn't covered in some "how to" book. Admittedly, I don't have any commanding knowledge where auto mechanics is concerned and frankly, my personal interests don't lean that way. Now guaranteed, there are many here on this forum who are in fact, outstanding all around auto mechanics reading this saying, "What's the big deal about replacing a set of brakes?". Well, I'm not 'wired' that way and wouldn't go near such a task with a 10 foot pole. See, these are specialists in their field who to them, a brake job is child's play. I can appreciate this as I can disembowel a high-end guitar down to one or two pieces of wood and put it all back together just as good or better than new (with all modesty). The bottom line is, if one feels ambitious about attempting to service their own instrument(s) then by all means, go for it. If one is timid about it, don't do it as it doesn't make one any more or less a person or player one way or the other. And yes, problems can arise once in a while with routine guitar servicing too, believe me. Like Dirty Harry said, "A man's got to know his limitations."

As always, this is merely IMO where YMMV.

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You dig?

As usual...well said Martian.
I have worked on my own guitars for many years,but there are still things I learn here everyday because some guys are so good at it....about the worst thing you can do is think you know everything.
I started working on my amps about 10 years ago,and only do some things but when it gets too technical,I have a frend who can take it from there....in the vintage amp section here there's some very knowledgable people.
It's best to start out small and work from there.