Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Do-It-Yourself Setup!!! You can do it your own!!!

You'll need few basic tools: Tuner , Some allen keys and some screw drivers , good to have : WD40 ( or spray lube ) , Guitar Polish ( car polish will do fine, although controversial wit its silicone content etc , any good repair/service person should have silicone removal right?? At least I have... ) So dont worry the bullocks , car polish works fine !

We're gonna do some basic cleaning up , Clean up the dirt on the fretboard with 2 options . 1-Lighter fluid , 2 - If dont have lighter fluid , use the worlds best solvent. Saliva!!! Yes, I said it... Air Liur!!

Of course , we need to remove the strings first... Off the strings go!

After cleaning up the grime with fluids , I mask the fretboard up with some masking tape .. those rm2.50 ones in hardware store .

One look... and you know this guitar belongs to a shredder.. The wear is ALWAYS above 7 frets... Darn Eminor Pentatonic .. Gonna smoothen the frets!!

I use some 280 grit sand paper to sand them down.. Look at the scratch dissapering from above to below... Dont do too much... Just enough for the scratch to dissapear...

After 280 , you go 400 , then 600 then 800 grit . Then Steel wool . Wala!


Bling bling

Of course... I'll need to check if the frets are all flat..

Last fret needed some work...


The few steps on frets are not important for beginers workers.. Lets move on to the next part.. I wanna know whats the radius of the fretboard so that i can adjust the pole pieces of the pickups... This LP is a 14" radius..

We're gonna do a 12" on the pole piece. See that the poles are not in touch with the white plastic piece? i'm gonna adjust it to so,

Touche!

Yeap .. Its a different guitar , but the process is the same.. TUNE UP!!!

Gonna do some easy work first . Adjust the Bass (E string) by touching the last fret . and adjust the pickup to 2.5mm to the base of the string. the picture tells all..

2mm on the treble

Here's my guide i use . You dont need to follow my guide.. its just a guide for those who have no idea.. I myself adjust them by ear at the end of the process.. but for those who have no idea where to start.. here it is..
Neck Pickup : Bass side - 2.5mm , Treble Side , 2 mm
Mid pickup: Bass side - 2.0 mm, Treble 2.0mm
Bridge pickup : Bass - 2.8mm , treble 2.5 mm

Lets do some truss rod works ( some know it as "neck action" Lube up the truss rod with some lube... yes...cooking oil also can...

Make sure the allen key is PERFECT size.. if not.. PLEASE buy a PERFECT size one. Allen key-RM5 a set , new truss rod RM500 . do the thinking!!

Some rules... You facing the guitar where the neck is nearest to you ... Turn left ( Anti clock) for loosening the rod

Turn right (clock wise) for tighten.. NEVER turn more then 45 degrees a turn . Take your time..

Every turn you make.. Check. Here's how to check. Press the first fret

THe other hand.. press the 12th fret

Heck the distance of the gap between the fret of the 8th fret and the string... If there is NO gao ( string touching. you need to loosen the rod ) , if you think your action is too high .. Tighten the rod) I like my action to be similiar to a nice thin name card to slip right thru.. bout .5mm

This is an example of too high action...

See what i mean?


Here's what you do.. its VERY simple.. Tune your guitar up to pitch. EADGBE. then press the 12'th fret of the string you wanna intonate..It should point to E.. if your tuning the E string. just an octave higher.. But in most cases.. you'll end up something like this.. A slight sharp... Or maybe flat.. Here's what you need to do.. You need to adjust your bridge..

FLoyd rose, non floyd.. All the same..If the reading on your tuner is "too sharp" Increase the distance of the string (pull the saddle BACK or away from the nut) . Do it slow.. then Tune up again, try again. untill you get it perfetly on E this time (pressing 12th fret of course )


Too flat... SO!!! Closer the distance of the nut!

WHere now gonna adjust the Bridge height .. so u can get a nice High register action!!

But a quick jump to floyd rose bridge... Here's a "dive" .. This case.. you'll feel like the floyd has very little room to "bent up" ..




How to do it? Easy .. Take out our screw driver ... If the bridge dives , means too much tension on your spring. First step. Tune up , Loosen the spring. tune again ( you'll realized it ran out of tune... normal..) Do it again and again until the brdige plate is parrallel to your body


Lets get back to bridge height... I like the height on the treble 17'th fret to be around 1.5mm ...

The bass.. bout 2.mm

Of course... Always check using the bend up and down test... I like to use.. :gary moore's - Still got the blues.... Always heats me up... Test all strings... Not all guitars can do a 1.5mm ,, if it buzz's or sustain loss.. increase the height of the bridge.

Here's a common case... THis problem.. you'll have not enough space to "dive bomb"

You want it like this... enough to screeech up , enough to dive ... Parrallel to the body




Polish up!

Back polished!

Good to go! Test it up! Any questions.. u may send me an email..
john@munkeemusic.com . Cheers!

For more info , Call/sms us at 012-2666450 . Or send your guitars to No.58a Jalan SS2/4a 47301 PJ Selangor. "The John Lau Guitar repair center "