Setups Fretwork »

Includes fret levelling - Electric, Acoustic and Bass

All my setup work includes a fret levelling procedure – the neck and frets are the very heart of any guitar or bass and they must be level for the optimum setup to be achieved. Many will be disappointed, perhaps taken aback, that I am saying the expensive guitar they just purchased has underlying neck or fret issues. It does not mean that you bought a faulty instrument – in the majority of cases it simply means that a certain tolerable but undesirable amount of shrinking or swelling in the wood of the neck has taken place, leading to uneveness along it’s length. As long as this is within a certain tolerance, the issue is resolved with a fret levelling procedure and the guitar is back to as good or better than new.

Some (usually but not exclusively, used) guitars may need new parts fitting e.g. a new top nut, acoustic bridge saddle etc. No extra work will be done without your consent and I can usually see and advise of potential issues when I first assess the guitar.

I am very happy to work on a wide variety of guitars and basses but I no longer work on Floyd Rose or similarly equipped guitars – they are the work of the Devil and I would rather be lovingly installing or levelling frets on another guitar.

The strings are slackened off prior to cutting to avoid damage to the guitar (and my eyes!)

The fretboard is cleaned and oiled. Lacquered boards should only be cleaned with polish - never oil

The guitar body and hardware is cleaned - much easier with the strings off!

Machine heads and string trees are tightened as they invariably work loose over time

New strings are fitted, tuned to pitch and 'stretched in'

Neck relief is set using the truss rod

The nut slots are cut to optimum depth and lubricated

The 'action' (string height) is set at the bridge for each string

The pickups are adjusted to optimum height under the strings

The 'intonation' is set. This step is crucial for the guitar to play in tune