Does anyone know where can I get the best setup for my stratocaster in or near milton keynes, I have had a setup done by my regular guy but the guitar does not feel right, ie; radius of saddles & nut, no matter how I try its just not comfortable.can anyone help please ?

Hi Russ.

Milton Keynes, I don't know. However for a short trip along the M40
This crowd have a great rep', never used em myself though.
http://www.freeindex.co.uk/profile(ab-guitar-tech)_285652.htm

Further along the M40/A46 to Coventry this is one of the few people (three total. Two don't undertake work at the moment) I trust with my guitars.

http://www.noise-works.co.uk/
John is great, ex Patrick Eggle.

Other than that theres Charlie Chandlers in Hampton Wick down the M40. Never used em myself. Know someone who has who likes the setup.

http://guitar-xperience.com/onlinestore/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=28

Don't Marshall have anyone who'll do it? They repair amps while you wait so perhaps they'll do your guitar too!

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Before you bring it to someone and pay them to adjust it, try to see if its not something you can't do yourself. I don't know the temps in your area, but in Boston its been getting cold so the heat has been coming on. This is by far the worst time of year for guitars, especially acoustics, but solid bodies also suffer their fair share of wood moving around.

- First off; check your neck and make sure you have enough relief dialed in so you can keep fret buzz to a minimum. Put a capo at the 1St fret, then hold down the low E, and look down the length of the neck, from the headstock toward the body. using the capo'd string like a straight edge, see how straight the fretboard is relative to the string. It should be either straight, or the fretboard should bow away from the string slightly.

- when its straight; forget the ruler, put it away. Set the low E to the height you want it to be. So the action should be as low as you like, but high enough that the string doesn't buzz. This height will vary depending on string gauge, but more importantly how you play. I can have a heavy hand st times so I have to set mine a little higher so I don't get fret buzz. A completely straingt neck will yield the bset tone by far, but you will get fret buzz.

-next, move on to the next string and repeat the step, and do so on all the subsequents strings.

When you're finished, the radius of the strings will most likely follow the necks radius, because its radius will influence fretbuzz, so when you set them away just high enough as to not hear the buzz, it'll still be in the radius.

Like I've mentioned before; I use the recommended specs pretty much oly when I'm setting up new guitars for a couple stores that are part of a chain(they decided to do their own repairs themselves, we were nervouse because we get a lot of work from them, but it only solwed down for a month. Then people found most of the techs (they're not luthiers, and only get like a month. Of training) couldn't do much more than setups, and change pickups). Anyways they required me to fill out a sheet and write down all the measurements and send it with the guitars back to the shop. Other than those, I will start at the recommended specs, but 90% of the time, when I finish it no longer has those numbere.

This time of year, the correct way to setup a guitar is to do a full setup, taken home and play it for a week, then bring it back and have them adjust anything that moved since the initial setup. Things move and the 2ndone will allow the setup to stay setup longer than if you just bring it in, get it done and bring it for another 1 a years later.

Guitars in England don't vary that much because of the temperature.

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Hi Guys,This is the first time that I have ever used a forum for anything and am extremely grateful to you all for taking the time to assist me with your recommendations, I will certainly follow them up and will post the results back, with any luck this may help others in my area, very best wishes to you all.

Even without temp changes, things still move, especially right after a setup. Checking the neck and saddles isfree, even if it is something else. I see so much stuff come in to be 'fixed' that the customer could have easily done ifthey just looked.

Russ (and in some respects Windwalker).

You're obviously not happy and haven't been for some time with how the guitar plays. It reads to me like a generic 'shop' setup. Unfortunately shop setups happen everywhere. Not just in guitar shops.

What you need is someone who will take the time to sit and watch/listen to you play and configure the guitar to suit you. Rather than be subject to the idea of how A.N Other thinks the guitar should be.

Thats what you need mate. John or Charlie will sort you out Ok.

We all want the ultimate playability, with the best sound and no rattle. With no compromise on anything.
If things were always that simple we'd all play the same way. We don't.
That's why sometimes people more than capable of setting up a guitar take it to someone else.

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It is amazing what a talented guitar luthier/tech can do with your guitar...I took a Strat I own that had the tall 6105 frets to a guy to have them lowered and recrowned because I couldn't stand them,he listened to what I wanted,made some suggestions and made that guitar the best playing Strat I own.
I've been doing my own setups and work for many years,but the guy did it better than I ever have,it just shows that there is always somebody better at it,and it's worth seeking them out.
Don't play a guitar you're not happy with.

And doesn't a outside perspective sometimes help!

Even when you know a bit, it doesn't mean you see it all. That's my experience.

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