A good setup where players personal style is taken into consideration can make almost any guitar sound and feel much better. Some procedures might seem easy from a distance, but they require precision, correct tools and very strict order of operation.
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We do a full setup for every single guitar we sell, because we know how important this is.
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Most of the time, small things make a big difference.
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For example, correct string break angle at the nut can improve both the overall resonance and tone and also intonation on the first several frets. Pickup distance from the strings can affect the sustain and richness of the sound. Truss-rod position will change the neck angle and most of the time will help with string buzz, but saddle height adjustment will affect intonation.
We've been asked to swap the tuners and the pickups way too many times when a guitar actually needed a different nut, shielding and pickup height adjustment. We've been asked to change pots when they actually just needed cleaning. So before you decide to throw away your unplayable Squier or get 250 pounds worth of pickups for it - bring it over and let's get the maximum playability and sound out of it. You will have a much clearer picture of whether you like it or not and if it is worth upgrading. If you decide to sell then keep in mind that a pro setup can make any guitar sale much quicker.
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We pull every guitar apart in order to be able to examine the structure of the body and discover any problematic spots. We clean every guitar thoroughly and over the years have become experts on gunk removal from 40-year-old Fenders.
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Our full setup costs £55 and includes:
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1. Body clean and wax polish
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2. Neck deep clean, frets clean. Lemon oil treatment for rosewood fretboards.
3. Tuners oiling (vintage-style tuners only) and tension adjustment (modern style tuners only)
4. Full electronic check - we will make sure that every single connection in your guitar is reliable, we will resolder anything that could fail you and offer some custom wiring solutions, where possible.
5. Truss-rod adjustment
6. Action and intonation adjustment - saddle height
7. Nut, saddles and string tree lubrication - the key to stable tuning is to eliminate friction
8. Restring with a gauge of your choice. We usually have 10-46 or 11-49 nickel-plated steel on most guitars we sell.
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Get in touch on guitargaragelondon@gmail.com and help that guitar of yours really sing!