Cost of a guitar set-up.....................?

[cosmo115]

I just called a place and was told it would be $85 for a guitar set-up and it might be more since I have a Kahler tremolo system. I "assume" at that price it will include gold plated strings and all I can drink while I wait

 

Does anyone else find that set-up price absurd or is that the going rate??

 

Please let me know the going rate by you and let me know if you know any good place in Northern Virginia to take my Gibson Les Paul in for a set-up.

 

THANKS!!!

 

Gary

[mstreck]

Here's something to compare it to:

 

I had my guitar routed out for my Floyd Rose trem, the action adjusted, new strings, and a nut adjustment for $50. The guy even painted where he routed.

 

Methinks that $85 is a bit wee high for just a basic guitar setup. Is this a chain store or locally owned?

 

By the way, if anyone is within 50 miles of Delmar, DE and needs some custom guitar work done, then call Jim Ennis at Jim's Electronic Service - 302-846-3227. This guy ROCKS! And he's one hell of a nice guy! I hope he doesn't mind me advertising for him.

 

Mike

[daddyelmis]

Really depends on location. For a very basic strat set up (basic intonation, action, some adjustment to trem), my experience has been $35-50.

 

A very good set up, by a guy that does strats all the time, was $100 and worth every penny. Great intonation all over the neck, trem perfectly floating mid-point, cleaned pots, etc. etc. I still take my strat to this guy.

[cosmo115]

I have to move to Delaware

[mstreck]

Originally posted by cosmo115:

I have to move to Delaware

May I suggest that you move to Maryland and commute?

 

Mike

[cosmo115]

Thanks for the insight, daddy.

 

This place is an authorized Gibson dealer, so it might be worth it, although I'm really just doing this so I can some last licks in and sell it. FYI the guitar hasn't been set-up for over 15 years, but the place doesn't know that.

[cosmo115]

May I suggest that you move to Maryland and commute?

I actually considered moving to MD, but it was too close to Delaware Joke! Kidding! (I still have to drive through Delaware to visit family and friends in New York)

[Werewolf by Night]

Well, if the Kahler was properly adjusted to begin with- and hasn't been changed since- and you stay with the same string-gauges, the "set-up" shouldn't involve much more than neck-relief, intonation, action, maybe new strings (of same or similar gauge), some (Gibson?) fretboard-oil, cleaning and polishing, possibly a little lube here and there...

 

Now, if any fretwork is involved, even just a leveling and polishing, I'd say that $85 was a great deal for a complete set-up and fret-dress; the guitar will look and olay soooo much better, that you might just give up on selling it!

 

(If you lived around here, and bought new strings for it already, I'd do everything but the fretwork for ya for free! I'm weird; I enjoy setting-up a guitar...)

 

Find out exactly and specifically what you would be getting for that $85. On the one hand, it seems a little bit steep; but on the other, sometimes "you get what you pay for"!

 

Just be glad you don't need a total re-fret and a neck re-set! With all that binding, and the "nibs" on the fret-ends... You could buy yourself a copy of The Guitar Player Repair Guide and just a few specific tools, and do it yourself...

[antimatter]

I brought my Strat into a local shop a month ago. Small shop, carries lots of Fenders. The owner looking guy, said for $35, they'd give my guitar a complete work over. Said he'd have it ready in 2 days. Great.

So after 5 days, I call and ask if it's ready. The kid that answers the phone, puts me on hold, then comes back after 5 minutes and says I can "pick it up in an hour, uh, make that 2 hours."

 

So I pick it up, and I get my guitar with new strings and lots of polish. No adjustments at all. I called the Kid out on it; and he starts giving me this "Dude, that guitar is Ace. And look how clean it is!"

 

Ace. Clean.

 

This is the second local shop that will not get my business again.

[cosmo115]

More good points, Caevan O'Shite. Thanks!!

 

I called the place and spoke to the actual guitar technician. He said it would be around one hour of bench time or around $80, possibly less. FYI the first person who said $85 was a secretary or salesperson, so I trust the $80 price coming from the tech himself. He said he would discuss my concerns or problems (which my only problem is that it hasn't been set-up in over 15 years since the guitar still plays great, even though I don't) and address those concerns, including fretwork leveling etc., if necessary.

 

So it seems like it might not be as bad as I thought. He even made the comment "I can clean it up, set-up so you can sell it on eBay stating a reputable guitar tech worked on it". I guess this isn't so uncommon

 

Only problem is he said he has a 4 to 6 week backload, but he can probably get this job done in about 2 weeks.

 

Thanks again!

[Stratasaurus]

Personally I find guitar setup to be kind of a personal thing.

 

I'd suggest getting Dan Erlewine's excellent book on guitar repairs which covers setups and much more. Most basic setup chores you really can handle yourself with basic tools. I mean $85 bucks could get you the book, the tools including proper metal rulers, feeler gauges etc. and still leave enough leftover to buy dinner.

 

I'm also the first to get in line at the shop if it needs real work on frets etc.

[skipclone 1]

I would love to be able to do it myself, would save some dollars-I`ve never paid more than $50 but all my guitars are in pretty good shape.

[NMcGuitar]

cosmo115 -

I suggest giving the Guitar Center in Rockville a call. You'll need to talk to Walt, he does all their repair/setup work. He is an old friend of mine, and I know he does top-notch work.

I'm honestly not certain what he would charge for what you need (being an old friend, I get a big discount - he usually doesn't charge me for anything but parts). I'm sure his rates for regular customers are pretty reasonable, and I'll guarantee that he won't try to "take" you on this.

 

BTW - Where in NoVa?

[Stratasaurus]

Skipclone, its really not an intimidating job.

 

The basics that I/you can do:

 

- Cleaning

- Adjusting the trem

- Setting the neck relief

- Adjusting the bridge height

- Setting the intonation

- Adjusting the pickup heights

 

Things I would take to someone qualified:

 

- Nut adjustments or cutting

- Fret dressing or replacement

- Resetting fixed necks

- Necks that won't go into proper relief

- Broken stuff that scares me

 

My suggestion to Skipclone and others is to start by buying or borrowing from the library Dan E's book and figure out what you feel comfortable doing. If nothing else at least you will know what work is involved when you have someone else do it. Then you can evaluate whether your being charged appropriately.

[cosmo115]

Sad story, antimatter, but at least it's clean You should sit out in front of the place with a picket sign and warn everybody walking in too.

 

Thanks, Stratasaurus. If I played regularly and planned on keeping the guitar, I would consider buying the book and doing it myself, but since this will be a one-time deal, it's not worth the time and effort (and risk of screwing things up).

 

Thanks, NMcGuitar! Unfortunately Rockville is too much of a hike from me. I'm out near Gainesville and Haymarket in Prince William County. In addition, the now "$80 or less" place is an authorized Gibson repair center and I don't feel like I'm being hosed after speaking to the tech himself.

[Guitar Geezer]

see...you're gonna get it fixed up....then you're gonna buy a Marshall....then you're gonna spend all your free time here dicussing arcane guitar stuff.

 

BTW..did you guys notice our new member. he just posted over on the VEE thread as earlybird. Some guy named Dan Erlewine

[NMcGuitar]

Originally posted by cosmo115:

Thanks, NMcGuitar! Unfortunately Rockville is too much of a hike from me. I'm out near Gainesville and Haymarket in Prince William County. In addition, the now "$80 or less" place is an authorized Gibson repair center and I don't feel like I'm being hosed after speaking to the tech himself.

Yeah, I guess that would be a bit of a hike for you. The fact that the place near you is authorized is certainly a good sign. The fact that the tech is inspiring confidence in you is also good. I wish you the best of luck!

[cosmo115]

see...you're gonna get it fixed up....then you're gonna buy a Marshall....then you're gonna spend all your free time here dicussing arcane guitar stuff.

Been there, done that and bought the Marshall... When I got the guitar in 78/79 I bought a... (don't laugh, but you probably will laugh if you heard of it) Stage 65 amplifier to go with my Les Paul (FYI the budget was obviously blown for the Les Paul). Then a couple years later I bought a Marshall stack, then the stack was a pain to get around to gigs and I got a Galien Krueger amp and I "retired" and hung up my Les Paul a couple years after that. Now I'm going to sell it.. sniff sniff

[Werewolf by Night]

Originally posted by cosmo115:

see...you're gonna get it fixed up....then you're gonna buy a Marshall....then you're gonna spend all your free time here dicussing arcane guitar stuff.

Been there, done that and bought the Marshall... When I got the guitar in 78/79 I bought a... (don't laugh, but you probably will laugh if you heard of it) Stage 65 amplifier to go with my Les Paul (FYI the budget was obviously blown for the Les Paul). Then a couple years later I bought a Marshall stack, then the stack was a pain to get around to gigs and I got a Galien Krueger amp and I "retired" and hung up my Les Paul a couple years after that. Now I'm going to sell it.. sniff sniff

Familiar stories...

[JimZulu]

I've got a great guy here in Phoenix who gives me a basic setup for about 30-40$ depending on guitar. Plus he'll go out of his way to make my guitars sound the best they can. Like custom-building me a 50$ nut made of bone for free. I don't know what your basic setup includes but 85$ sounds a bit high. I would search around and get some other estimates from different guitar shops. But sometimes you are paying for quality, so don't go entirely on price.

 

That's my two cents.

[NMcGuitar]

Originally posted by cosmo115:

see...you're gonna get it fixed up....then you're gonna buy a Marshall....then you're gonna spend all your free time here dicussing arcane guitar stuff.

Been there, done that and bought the Marshall... When I got the guitar in 78/79 I bought a... (don't laugh, but you probably will laugh if you heard of it) Stage 65 amplifier to go with my Les Paul (FYI the budget was obviously blown for the Les Paul). Then a couple years later I bought a Marshall stack, then the stack was a pain to get around to gigs and I got a Galien Krueger amp and I "retired" and hung up my Les Paul a couple years after that. Now I'm going to sell it.. sniff sniff

Damn, cosmo. You're breakin' my heart here. What can we do to convince you that you've just got to keep her??? Get her fixed up again, maybe get a small practice amp, and just enjoy the music again.

 

Come on forumites! Start the subliminal chanting.

Keep it.

Keep it.

Keep it.

Keep it.

Keep it.

Keep it.

Keep it.

Keep it.

Keep it.

Keep it.

Keep it.

Keep it.

Keep it.

Keep it.

[Werewolf by Night]

"Maybe if we all wish real HAAARD-

 

NO SALE! NO SALE! NO SALE! NO SALE!"

 

(Apologies to Neil Young)

[cosmo115]

Thanks guys! Actually the boss (aka my wife) would love if I kept the Les Paul, since she never wanted me to sell it. Then on the other hand, she would hate it if my playing interfered with the endless "honey do" list.

 

Are there any good "and reasonably priced" practice amps out there that have decent distortion??? I'll do anything to get out of work!

[skipclone 1]

Originally posted by Stratasaurus:

Skipclone, its really not an intimidating job.

 

The basics that I/you can do:

 

- Cleaning

- Adjusting the trem

- Setting the neck relief

- Adjusting the bridge height

- Setting the intonation

- Adjusting the pickup heights

 

Things I would take to someone qualified:

 

- Nut adjustments or cutting

- Fret dressing or replacement

- Resetting fixed necks

- Necks that won't go into proper relief

- Broken stuff that scares me

 

My suggestion to Skipclone and others is to start by buying or borrowing from the library Dan E's book and figure out what you feel comfortable doing. If nothing else at least you will know what work is involved when you have someone else do it. Then you can evaluate whether your being charged appropriately.

Stratasaurus

I have tried setting the intonation and pickup height before, with mixed results. It`s a matter of practice for sure but as my guitars have gotten more expensive or appreciated in value, I`ve gotten more paranoid. I know how at least some of this stuff is done in theory but if things get worse rather than better from my tinkering I`ll end up taking it to someone anyway. Still, I`m gonna lok around for that book.

[cosmo115]

Please take my poll if you get a chance:

 

http://www.musicplayer.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=19;t=008264

 

I should probably create a poll to get opinions on whether I should sell or keep my Les Paul.

[RBLA]

I just had highway 1 strat done yesterday at a local small shop. Cost was $75. I thought that was a little high, but I had bought some gear there and trust the shop. It was a used strat that was a buzz monster on the first 5 frets of the the low E. Included adjusting the bridge height, intonation, neck relief, adjusting the tuners and the pick up heights for volume. The action is really high now, but there are no buzzes and guitar is much louder acoustically. I noticed something really weird when I got home. The a and g strings were making a really weird noise that sounded like some loose metal rattling. I took the back plate off to listen if the springs were making this sound, but that wasn't it. After a while I figured out that the saddles were barely touching each other. I jammed a pick between them to space them out a bit and that did the trick. Weird! This is my first strat. Anyone ever have this problem?

 

The guy who set it up says that if I go with heavier gauge strings, buzz will be less of a problem. I'm using D'Addario XL .009 to .042 right now. If I go with a heavier gauge, would that mean that I could go back to a little lower action? He said I could come back and he would switch gauges and adjust for free.

[Stratasaurus]

I hear you Skipclone.

 

I didn't start off on my favorite, but I was determined that I was going to learn how to do this.

 

On the other hand.

 

1) - We're talking about nothing more than turning a few screws here. At worst you still pay yer 50 clams and the guy at the shop sets it up for you later.

 

2) - The setup instructions for a "factory" setup are easy and repeatable. If you can use a ruler and a tuner your good to go. It's mechanics and instruction not black art. A bit of patience will go a long way though.

 

My first suspect if after your done and it just sounds bad. Assuming the intonation and tuning are right is that the pickups are too high. Lower them a bit. I find the factory settings are a bit close for comfort.

 

We could probably start a whole thread on setup tricks alone.

 

In any case this shouldn't be a stressor in anybody's life. If it's going to make someone unduly nervous then find a reputable shop to do it. I'd rather be playing than wrenching and tweaking as well.

 

By all means rock on.

[Werewolf by Night]

Originally posted by RBLA:

"I just had highway 1 strat done yesterday at a local small shop. Cost was $75. I thought that was a little high, but I had bought some gear there and trust the shop. It was a used strat that was a buzz monster on the first 5 frets of the the low E. Included adjusting the bridge height, intonation, neck relief, adjusting the tuners and the pick up heights for volume. The action is really high now, but there are no buzzes and guitar is much louder acoustically. I noticed something really weird when I got home. The a and g strings were making a really weird noise that sounded like some loose metal rattling. I took the back plate off to listen if the springs were making this sound, but that wasn't it. After a while I figured out that the saddles were barely touching each other. I jammed a pick between them to space them out a bit and that did the trick. Weird! This is my first strat. Anyone ever have this problem?

 

The guy who set it up says that if I go with heavier gauge strings, buzz will be less of a problem. I'm using D'Addario XL .009 to .042 right now. If I go with a heavier gauge, would that mean that I could go back to a little lower action? He said I could come back and he would switch gauges and adjust for free."

Yeah, anything that can move and buzz, will.

 

Strats really need as straight a neck, with as little relief, as possible to sound good, which means that the action must bear more of the load when it's set-up adjustments vs. acceptable fret-buzz.

 

That is, instead of dialing in more relief- like I do with my Les Paul (which has a shorter, angled-back neck with a single cutaway and a glued-in neck-joint)- to lessen string-buzz, on a Strat you need to dial in less relief and higher action to do roughly the same thing.

 

Heavier-gauge strings will have a slightly narrower amount of "excursion" (the amount of room they swing around in when vibrating), and thus will let you get away with a slightly lower action before buzzing against the frets. However- too heavy, and too low of an action, will let you fret more easily but at the expense of easy bendability. Funny, years ago NOBODY but B.B. King seemed to do a lot of bending ( ), but now almost everyone does!

 

If you move up to "tens", it should be a nice medium between too light and too heavy, and should sound and play great. I, personally, like either .010s or .011s on a Fender-stylee, and definitely .011s and up on a Gibsonish-axe. "Nines" are waaay too light for me, and "eights"... crazy!

[skipclone 1]

yeah, I`ve gone from .009 to .010 for the electrics, don`t think I`d go back to the lights.

 

Here`s another thing, has anyone noticed, when playing certain notes, a kind of sympathetic resonance, like a `ghost` note? what the heck is that?

[Dak Lander]

Originally posted by skipclone 1:

yeah, I`ve gone from .009 to .010 for the electrics, don`t think I`d go back to the lights.

 

Here`s another thing, has anyone noticed, when playing certain notes, a kind of sympathetic resonance, like a `ghost` note? what the heck is that?

That's exactly what it is, a sympathetic note.

It's very similar to the sympathetic note you hear when tuning. You know, the note on first pluck versus that same note after resonating for just a bit? One of the things you have to decide when tuning, first hit or final tune tone.

 

Oh, by the way, that $85.00 ain't bad if it's more than just a basic setup.