Please take note that some adjustments (mainly neck relief and intonation) are more accurate if performed with the guitar in playing position rather than laying on a bench due to some potential neck bending produced by gravity. In practice this is infinitesimal and I've seen countless reputable luthiers setting up guitars on a bench with perfect results but, if you want the maximum precision possible, thats the way to go.
@@InspiringTracks Following up, I just installed compensated saddles, and followed your advice for loosening the strings, etc. Worked out great. Thanks for this video and your response to my question.
Excellent tutorial. I am a Luthier and I didn't learn anything new here BUT I would recommend this video to all my clients because 95% of them, even if they are really good player, usually don't have a clue on how to set up their guitar the right way. This is a good video and it is well produced. Bravo!
I just started a small business doing set ups and mods etc. I cant believe how many people pay me $20 just to change their strings for them! That was the last thing I expected, I'm happy for the business,just shocked. I dont know if people are just lazy or what!?!?
@@12south31 i think it's just that alot of people are not do it yourself minded along with fear of breaking or messing something up not realizing how simple it can be once you learn how to do it properly
@@12south31 I like going to shops and having my guitars set up for me. I tend to not take my time and I’m not as savvy in the experience, so I’d rather spend my money having someone get the heights and adjustments to my playing style, which for me is basically the strings resting right above the frets. Eventually I’m going to buy the tools to diy, I’m just not confident in my skills compared to someone who does it on a daily basis.
I just actually realized that I drunkenly bought a beginners guitar tool set a few months ago, but I never took the time to understand all the different things. So this video has been very informative. Thank you!
This was a very good instructional video. Thank you. I kinda feel like a complete idiot but I'm gonna share this experience in case anyone is having a hard day & could use a laugh. I had to turn down my volume to absorb the information from this video. Took me two & a half attempts at rewatching it & trying to follow along before realizing that I can just turn the volume down & just watch it all the way through one more time.
CAN'T BELIEVE YOU MADE EVERYTHING SO SIMPLE AND EXPLAINED A FULL TELE SETUP IN ONLY 10 MIN. WASN'T FINDING A VIDEO LIKE THIS IN CZcams AND YOU JUST AS GAVE ME ALL I NEEDED. LOVE YOU DUDE XD
Thank you for this video. I may have been playing on and off for 30 years but I've never had to do an intonation setup... until today. You video nailed it, everything I needed to do.
This knowledge was enough (in the '70's), to get me the job of guitar tech for Earth, Wind & Fire! Since then I;ve had 5 strokes! I can still play most chords, but my fingers no longer listen to my brain's wishes, and I can't even change my own strings! Might locking tuners help?
How are you doing now? 5 strokes is a lot. Did you manage to stop them happening after the 5th one? Changing strings with locking tuners is easier, but it all depends on exactly how unresponsive your fingers are, and we don't know that, so hard to reply. I'm guessing that's why your question has been hanging here for 2 years.
I got my first Tele this week and it was a bit off on string action and intonation. I've been looking through Google and YT for a good video that could explain to me how. Most of them just went through their guitars, and if nothing was wrong. THey didn't do anything. But you showed me how, even though you didn't have too. Thank you, now I can finally get my new Tele up to par :)
Thank you so much. I have been playing for decades but was too intimidated to set up the guitar myself until I watched your excellent video! Not so intimidating now.
Thanx guy! Finally a video without silly talking and the a shown attitude „I know everything and you are stupid.“. I was looking for a video like yours to solve the problem of the 3rd and 4th string with the vintage tuners. Thanx again!
Thank you for the video sir, direct to the point no bs. I’ve been playing half of my life but but had no idea on how to do proper setup aside from changing strings and cleaning.
You can press the strings on the first fret with your hand instead of using a capo, is pretty uncomfortable but doable. Also you can ask someone to help you
Excellent, many thanks for a top video! Just bought my first Tele and will do a proper set up soon. So this video is more than helpful and massively informative, I appreciate.
Thank you. your backing tracks on the tutorials are excellent. Nobody has tried a fake live back track, played with a live feel and room for solo as well as a very rowdy back round. Blues bros scene with raw hide as an example. fake backing tracks for comedy and even fake public speaking can be very interesting.
In my opinion, This set up video for a Tele, is the BEST! To the point set-up that's on CZcams! I saved it and will use it over & over until I remember all the steps! Thank You so much!
Thanks for the clear and easy to follow guide! I'm a newbie and was just able to adjust the saddles on my new Tele. The low E string was driving me nuts and now it's perfect!!
Very informative and well put together, thank you. Two products I can vouch for are 'Gibson Pump Polish' for cleaning and polishing the body, and Fender 'Fretboard Remedy' to treat any fretboard in need of nourishment.
Great video thank you! Am currently building a telecaster kit and have been looking for action numbers for a starting point to set up once complete. You've explained it all excellently
Some types of contact cleaner dissolve the carbon tracks in the pots. To be on the safe side, it may be good to opt for a type that is not destructive to carbon.
Cool Vid 😁. 50 year player and I'm my own tech ... I do setups by feel and eye since there was No CZcams and fancy gauge tools back in the days ... Nope, No little battery 🔋 tuner either .. LoL .. Made an excellent living playing guitar that wasn't percise in various setup measurements .. 😮😮 LoL So enjoy the vid, and stop with the negative comments on this and that ...
I always wondered why the telecaster doesn’t come with individual intonation adjustments. I put them on my Fender Tele and they came on my Suhr version of the tele. When you are playing through a very chimey amp like a clean Vox with Tung-sol’s, the intonation really needs to be spot on :)
When the Tele was released having the hability to adjust intonation even in pairs of strings was a huge deal, also back then the 3rd string used to be wound like on an acoustic so the difference wasn't so notoriuos. Suhr Teles are AMAZING, congrats and enjoy it!!
Leo Fender realised that problem himself and put individual intonation adjustments in his later G&L Asat (G&L Telecaster-style model)... The problem is, that many guitarists glorify products that were far from perfect when they came out first and do not allow the producers to correct the faults or upgrade the products. Many people simply would not buy, say a Les Paul with straight string routing or a Tele with individual intonation adjustments, just because these would not be "vintage specced". i.e. every innovation Gibson came up with in the last 4 decades flopped on the market, because players wouldn't give it a chance. Leo Fender himself could not understand, why people prefered the old Fender models over his new G&L range of guitars, because to him the latter were far superior guitars (with lots of problems of the Fender-time models solved and technically lots of innovations included...).
Very good video just perfect I have the American Professional 2 tele that comes with the compensated saddles and they work great also you can get the aftermarket ones made by Wilkinson that are awesome I have used them several times before thanks
Thank you for this video! I just bought a Telecaster, and you have answered some of my questions. I liked and subscribed, too! I like your no-nonsense approach. Use what you have.
I had no need to watch but I found myself sitting through it, it was done very well. One thing I do differently, for extra safety, is when stretching the strings is that I put finger pressure over the nut slot of the string being stretched. It has never happened to me but I have heard of nuts being blown out whilst doing it, better safe than sorry. 😎🎙🎸✅
Wonderful instruction. It would been better though if neck radius was considered in the set-up. I tried using the same specs as you did, but it did not work with my guitar. It’s my first time to set-up an electric guitar, so I really did not know what’s the problem why I can’t do to my guitar your set-up, specifically the neck relief test. After researching further, I found out that my guitar’s neck radius is 9.5 and 0.25mm gauge should been used in the neck relief test, not 0.4. Also, measuring the gauge in a playing position is more preferable as it can accurately show how string lies on the fretboard. Still. i appreciate your video. I learned some good stuff from it. Thanks! :)
Thanks!, I'm glad you liked the video! There's a little disclaimer about doing the final adjustments in playing position in a pinned comment at the top. And you are right, not all guitars need the same relief, I gave the most common and universal value but some need a little less, I'll also add that to the disclaimer. Thanks and enjoy your Tele!!
Thanks for this! I"ll definitely follow this after I level and crown my frets. We have the same guitar. Mine is a candy apple red sx vtg tele. Greetings from Philippines :)
@@one-minutemetal1290 Hmm yeah I remember seeing First Act guitars in front of the shelves as you checked out but that was a long time ago, they used to sell them at Toys R Us too...
You need to use those over under radius gauges setting the radius of your bridge is extremely important also instead of using guitar picks and pieces of paper for your check your relief get some automotive feeler gauges in for seven between 7000 and 10,000 depending on how much relief you want you cannot eyeball your bridge radius without radius gauges because it about $25
Hi! This is a tutorial for beginners to learn how to do it with the things you got at hand in any home, if you don't have a set of gauges the daddario package method works just as good and you get perfect results. And setting the radius at the bridge with a gauge sounds great on paper, in reality it only works in a brand new guitar or recently leveled fretboard. As soon as you got some fret wear this doesn't work anymore. If you follow this method the radius at the bridge forms naturally following the real curve of your fretboard and you get the lowest action possible for your own guitar. Cheers!!!
Excellent tutorial…….👍 I was going to criticise and say when I was taught it was a fag packet thickness ……. but as I haven’t smoked for 6-7 years. I go along with you 100% Well done and thanks for sharing this one. All the very best from the Guitar Sanctuary ………. Ian ❤️🎸
Great music man. I have a big problem after intonation. Sixth string, first fret (F note) way, way out of tune. Can it be a problem with nut height? Thanks
Plastic nut, untreated fretboard edges, string entry from back of saddle, not sure about tuners Gotoh or Korean/Chinese made; such aspects of entry level t-style guitar. THis tutorial shows a love for guitar is a must, regardless its level of craftmanship or production. I salute you Sir.
I've heard it said that these type of saddles create a "symbiosis" between the two strings when played but given the difficulty of getting the intonation, I don't get why people still use them.
Thanks for the video and the channel. Greetings from Entre Ríos, jaja!! Tengo una SX casi igual, mi primera eléctrica, que compré usada hace poco. Está muy buena, pero no me convencen mucho los clavijeros, es como que no son muy precisos y de repente la nota pega un saltito y se afloja demasiado al ir desajustando, no se si te ha pasado... BTW, liked and subscribed!
Great demonstration! Thx. Any hint about how to get the angle of the A-, D- and G-string nearly like the others without installing another string tree? With my G&L Asat these strings leave the nut at a much flatter angle to the headstock in comparison to the other strings. I tried to compensate this with more windings, but that's a lot of guess work and not very consistent... I'm considering to change the tuners to Wilkinson E-Z-Lok which offer two holes and one can use the lower hole for the purpose of getting a steeper angle on the nut.
It isn´t an issue at all, some people even says that less angle helps with tuning stability. If you want to increase the angle without adding another string tree you can put staggered tuners. They have a different height for each string and shoud help with that. The two holes tuners you mentioned should also work
Muy bueno che super claro. Pero la cejuela ya la tenias ajustada? Compre una tele igual a la tuya que vino con la cejuela plastica bastante alta. Creo que eso me jode la afinacion de los acordes abiertos puede ser?
Por suerte estaba bien de fábrica y no tuve que hacerle nada pero si, es normal que vengan altas de fábrica. Si no tenes las limas especiales para ajustar los canales donde pasan las cuerdas lo más fácil es sacar la cejilla y rebajarla del lado de abajo con un papel de lija sobre una mesa o superficie plana asegurándose de hacerlo de manera pareja. Hay varios tutoriales si buscas en YT, en el futuro planeo hacer alguno pero por el momento no tengo nada
Great info thank you. I have a three saddle version (each saddle has grooves for the strings) and have found when they are angled to the neck radius (two outer ones angled), the string spacing at the bridge is uneven. Is this normal?
Is it recommended to use a real tuner? im just using a guitartuna app and when im trying to fix the intonation it still sharp even though i twist it many times
i have sx telecaster too (sx stl50) but my guitar head like a strat head. how is possible your guitar head like a telecaster? did you do it yourself or you buy it already telecaster head.
Alcohol is a big no on guitars. You can try on a small patch a little of automotive polish to see if it works fine. It is mildly abrasive and if the damage is superficial it can remove that layer and expose fresh lacker. Good luck!
Thanks! Yeah, I missed that part. This video is somewhat old and I'm thinking about re shooting it now that I have a better camera and lights and also include the pickup adjustment. Maybe this next year. Cheers!
Also, saddle screw height, some people hate when the saddle hardware is up too high, and it gets in the way of your pick/strumming hand. I also had a saddle screw pop out of my newish Telecaster, but I easily fixed that and replaced it. My Tele has a newer 6-string saddle/bridge so each string has two screws to its saddle. I noticed you have to be careful tightening or loosening it, or the saddle will not be level, and will throw the whole setup off.
Hi! The bridge pickup is super easy, it's height is adjusted with the screws surrounding it and the neck pickups depends on your particular guitar. Some models, like mine, have the pickup mounted on the pickguard and the mounting/adjustment screws are accessible from the outside. Other models have the pickup mounted to the body and you need to remove the pickguard to access them. It's super easy and you don't need to even take the strings. Just unscrew the pickguard and slide it and you'll see the screws
I just spent 5 hours searching online + another 3 hours calling stores but couldn't find a single can of that ''Subscribe'' electronics cleaner spray anywhere
Man! I don’t know what’s the problem with my guitar. I already almost made a bow out my guitar, but I can’t get that space in the 8th fret. I did not have a choice but to turn it back a little.
Be careful not to take the truss rod setting to the extremes. If you can´t get the recommended relief that can be several things, maybe the neck is a little warped and in a kind of S shape, maybe the treads on the truss rod are stripped and it doesn't work properly, it's impossible to know without seeing it in person. I STRONGLY reccomend you to take your guitar to a luthier. There's some things that simply cannot be diagnosed remotely and an experienced lutier can figure out whats going on in a minute just by feeling the truss rod and seeing how it reacts to the adjustements. Hope that helps and good luck with your Tele!!
Hi, I would like to ask you something. My 3rd and 6th string is in tune, open and 12th fret, but on 2nd,3rd fret they are sharp. Is this because of neck relief or something else? Thanks!
So wait, when intonating one string on a saddle, to other string on that saddle will be off a few cents? That does not make it perfect, unless I get compensated saddles, right? So do you only check the tunning on 3 strings? (I've been thinking of buying a tele, but I am put off by this)
Teles are awesome! Don't let that put you off, is one of those things that looks pretty bad on paper but isn't a big deal in everyday use. You check tunning on all 6 strings but work on pairs. Since for example the high E and B share the same saddle you intonate both strings at the same time and try to get to a point where both are as close as posible to perfect intonation. Indeed compensated saddles solves that and lots of Fender and Squier Teles comes from the factory with 6 individual saddles like a Strat
Inspiring tracks I was put off by the Tele for years...but, it finally won me over to just buy one. And I love it! I’m now a “Tele evangelist” :) I hated the look of a Tele but now I totally love it!
1/8" (3.2mm) is a good starting point, but really is something of personal preference. Best thing to do is plug the guitar, set the amp as usual and tweak them until find the sweet spot for you
Please take note that some adjustments (mainly neck relief and intonation) are more accurate if performed with the guitar in playing position rather than laying on a bench due to some potential neck bending produced by gravity. In practice this is infinitesimal and I've seen countless reputable luthiers setting up guitars on a bench with perfect results but, if you want the maximum precision possible, thats the way to go.
Should I loosen the strings before I adjust the saddle height?
Yes, otherwise the adjust posts will be much harder to turn and you'll put unnecessary stress on the treads
@@InspiringTracks Thank you.
@@InspiringTracks Following up, I just installed compensated saddles, and followed your advice for loosening the strings, etc. Worked out great. Thanks for this video and your response to my question.
I read on the fender website the neck relief is 0.25 mm ?
Excellent tutorial. I am a Luthier and I didn't learn anything new here BUT I would recommend this video to all my clients because 95% of them, even if they are really good player, usually don't have a clue on how to set up their guitar the right way. This is a good video and it is well produced. Bravo!
That's awesome! I'm really glad you liked the video. Its aimed exactly at the kind of players you named. Thanks a lot for sharing it!
I just started a small business doing set ups and mods etc. I cant believe how many people pay me $20 just to change their strings for them! That was the last thing I expected, I'm happy for the business,just shocked. I dont know if people are just lazy or what!?!?
@@12south31 i think it's just that alot of people are not do it yourself minded along with fear of breaking or messing something up not realizing how simple it can be once you learn how to do it properly
@@12south31 I like going to shops and having my guitars set up for me. I tend to not take my time and I’m not as savvy in the experience, so I’d rather spend my money having someone get the heights and adjustments to my playing style, which for me is basically the strings resting right above the frets. Eventually I’m going to buy the tools to diy, I’m just not confident in my skills compared to someone who does it on a daily basis.
I just actually realized that I drunkenly bought a beginners guitar tool set a few months ago, but I never took the time to understand all the different things. So this video has been very informative. Thank you!
Best tutorial I have seen about setting up a tele. Concise, convenient and not a lot of unnecessary talking. Thanks.
Wow thanks!! Glad you liked it!!!
This was a very good instructional video. Thank you.
I kinda feel like a complete idiot but I'm gonna share this experience in case anyone is having a hard day & could use a laugh. I had to turn down my volume to absorb the information from this video. Took me two & a half attempts at rewatching it & trying to follow along before realizing that I can just turn the volume down & just watch it all the way through one more time.
this is like the most clear and concise video on anything guitar-related period i really appreciate this video
Wow thanks! I'm glad to hear that!!
Inspiring tracks no problem! thanks for making such quality videos
My thoughts exactly
Excellent. No BS and straight to the point. The cardboard flap sure beats a $159 nomad tool kit.... Just what I needed. Thanks!
Thanks, glad you liked it!!
Can't you just go buy a $25 setup card kit at Guitar Center? If just checking action is what you need for a setup?
5 stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pickup height is the only additional adjustment
CAN'T BELIEVE YOU MADE EVERYTHING SO SIMPLE AND EXPLAINED A FULL TELE SETUP IN ONLY 10 MIN. WASN'T FINDING A VIDEO LIKE THIS IN CZcams AND YOU JUST AS GAVE ME ALL I NEEDED. LOVE YOU DUDE XD
_"I've watched too many videos about this before finding this video. Finally I understand. Thank you."_ 👍
*"This video is clear and concise."* 🏆✨
Glad it helped! Thanks for your comment!!!
I agree, awesome, fast and to the point. Can't wait to get to work on my two babies tonight. Thank you mate 👍
Thanks Martin, I'm glad you liked the video!
Thank you for this video. I may have been playing on and off for 30 years but I've never had to do an intonation setup... until today.
You video nailed it, everything I needed to do.
Glad it was helpful! Cheers and have a great 2022!
Brilliant! I've never seen the Tele set-up process explained so clearly. Thanks. Fantastic.
Thanks! Glad it was helpful!
This knowledge was enough (in the '70's), to get me the job of guitar tech for Earth, Wind & Fire! Since then I;ve had 5 strokes! I can still play most chords, but my fingers no longer listen to my brain's wishes, and I can't even change my own strings! Might locking tuners help?
How are you doing now? 5 strokes is a lot. Did you manage to stop them happening after the 5th one? Changing strings with locking tuners is easier, but it all depends on exactly how unresponsive your fingers are, and we don't know that, so hard to reply. I'm guessing that's why your question has been hanging here for 2 years.
I got my first Tele this week and it was a bit off on string action and intonation. I've been looking through Google and YT for a good video that could explain to me how. Most of them just went through their guitars, and if nothing was wrong. THey didn't do anything. But you showed me how, even though you didn't have too. Thank you, now I can finally get my new Tele up to par :)
This was BY FAR the BEST Tele setup vid on CZcams! Thanks bud!
Just got my first Telecaster...this will help! Cheers!
Awesome! congrats on your new Tele and glad you liked the video!
Thank you so much. I have been playing for decades but was too intimidated to set up the guitar myself until I watched your excellent video! Not so intimidating now.
Thanx guy! Finally a video without silly talking and the a shown attitude „I know everything and you are stupid.“.
I was looking for a video like yours to solve the problem of the 3rd and 4th string with the vintage tuners. Thanx again!
Thank you for the video sir, direct to the point no bs. I’ve been playing half of my life but but had no idea on how to do proper setup aside from changing strings and cleaning.
Great to hear that, hope you find the video helpful!
Hi Sir, i forgot to ask but can you adjust the truss rod without the use of an capo? If so, how do you do it? Thank you🙏🏻🙏🏻
You can press the strings on the first fret with your hand instead of using a capo, is pretty uncomfortable but doable. Also you can ask someone to help you
Excellent, many thanks for a top video! Just bought my first Tele and will do a proper set up soon. So this video is more than helpful and massively informative, I appreciate.
Great to know that! Congrats on your new Tele and good luck with the setup!!
Thank you. your backing tracks on the tutorials are excellent. Nobody has tried a fake live back track, played with a live feel and room for solo as well as a very rowdy back round. Blues bros scene
with raw hide as an example. fake backing tracks for comedy and even fake public speaking can be very interesting.
My second time using your page as a reference. Love those tracks too
Awesome! Glad you also like the tracks!!
In my opinion, This set up video for a Tele, is the BEST! To the point set-up that's on CZcams! I saved it and will use it over & over until I remember all the steps! Thank You so much!
Awesome to hear that. I'm glad you liked it!!
Thanks for the clear and easy to follow guide! I'm a newbie and was just able to adjust the saddles on my new Tele. The low E string was driving me nuts and now it's perfect!!
Very informative and well put together, thank you. Two products I can vouch for are 'Gibson Pump Polish' for cleaning and polishing the body, and Fender 'Fretboard Remedy' to treat any fretboard in need of nourishment.
Thanks!! I'm glad you liked it and also thanks for the info on the cleaning products, I'll check them out. Cheers!
Great video thank you! Am currently building a telecaster kit and have been looking for action numbers for a starting point to set up once complete. You've explained it all excellently
Glad I could help! chaeers!
Another amazing video where you actually have a close up of what is being set up. Usually video's are shown from a distance and you have to guess.
The best setup video I’ve ever seen. Thank you
Wow thanks!! I'm glad you liked it!!
Thank you dude. Your clip was very informative and helpful. It will help me get my Tele up to (near) perfection.
Some types of contact cleaner dissolve the carbon tracks in the pots. To be on the safe side, it may be good to opt for a type that is not destructive to carbon.
Excellent video, very clear and easy to follow, now the great musical accompaniment that was just cream on the very delicious cake thank you.
Thanks a lot! I'm glad you liked it! All the background music is available free here in the channel. Cheers!
Tuve el agrado/privilegio de tocar con ella. Excelente trabajo. Saludos amigo!
Ella tuvo el privilegio de que la toque usted genio! Gracias y un abrazo grande!!
Me parece que es el mejor video que he visto. Mil gracias y Aguante el rock y los Heroes del silencio
Me alegro mucho que te haya gustado! Aguante Héroes, gran banda!!! Saludos
@@InspiringTracks saludos y gracias de Santiago de Chile.
Cool Vid 😁. 50 year player and I'm my own tech ... I do setups by feel and eye since there was No CZcams and fancy gauge tools back in the days ... Nope, No little battery 🔋 tuner either .. LoL .. Made an excellent living playing guitar that wasn't percise in various setup measurements .. 😮😮 LoL So enjoy the vid, and stop with the negative comments on this and that ...
te agradezco un monton, no tengo ni idea por donde empezar asi que voy a replicar todo jajaja
Really good tutorial with awesome original tunes playing 🎸
Thanks! Glad you liked the video and the music!
Dude! I keep watching this because I really enjoy your music. Do you have a CD that is available or something that can be downloaded? Thank you 🎸
Great video easy to understand and to the point no needless tapping
Gracias por tus vídeos y gracias por hacerlo subtitulado, para personas que no entendemos bien el ingles nos va perfecto, repito gracias
De nada, me alegro que te haya sido útil!!
Thank you so much. Exactly what I needed.
That's great. I'm glad to help!!
Best video👍 by far for this type of bridge- no BS-it’s all you need!
Thank you!
Thanks! I'm really appreciate it!
True. I’ve seen some videos where the guy sounds like a prima dona, thinking he is Tom Cruise explaining how to fly a F-14 in Top Gun.
Hey there, just got my first guitar (a tele) and this was extremely helpful. Thank you.
me too lol. got a japanese one last thursday
Excellent video. Thank you.
Glad you liked it!!
Excellent tutorial, very good step by step explanation. Thank you
Glad it was helpful!
I always wondered why the telecaster doesn’t come with individual intonation adjustments. I put them on my Fender Tele and they came on my Suhr version of the tele. When you are playing through a very chimey amp like a clean Vox with Tung-sol’s, the intonation really needs to be spot on :)
When the Tele was released having the hability to adjust intonation even in pairs of strings was a huge deal, also back then the 3rd string used to be wound like on an acoustic so the difference wasn't so notoriuos. Suhr Teles are AMAZING, congrats and enjoy it!!
Leo Fender realised that problem himself and put individual intonation adjustments in his later G&L Asat (G&L Telecaster-style model)...
The problem is, that many guitarists glorify products that were far from perfect when they came out first and do not allow the producers to correct the faults or upgrade the products. Many people simply would not buy, say a Les Paul with straight string routing or a Tele with individual intonation adjustments, just because these would not be "vintage specced".
i.e. every innovation Gibson came up with in the last 4 decades flopped on the market, because players wouldn't give it a chance.
Leo Fender himself could not understand, why people prefered the old Fender models over his new G&L range of guitars, because to him the latter were far superior guitars (with lots of problems of the Fender-time models solved and technically lots of innovations included...).
@@Sturmsaenger thank you for that insightful reply 👍
Very instructive. Thanx
I'm glad you found it useful!
I ordered the Harley Benson te-52 and will need to adjust action , I guess👍
That was great demonstration. Thanks a lot!
I'm glad you liked it!!!
Very good video just perfect I have the American Professional 2 tele that comes with the compensated saddles and they work great also you can get the aftermarket ones made by Wilkinson that are awesome I have used them several times before thanks
¡Best video than others! 😉
Thanks for this setup tutorial! I´ve just setup my guitar!
That's awesome! I'm glad to help!
Thank you for this video! I just bought a Telecaster, and you have answered some of my questions. I liked and subscribed, too! I like your no-nonsense approach. Use what you have.
Thanks Brian! I'm glad you found the video useful. And thanks a lot for subscribing!
I had no need to watch but I found myself sitting through it, it was done very well. One thing I do differently, for extra safety, is when stretching the strings is that I put finger pressure over the nut slot of the string being stretched. It has never happened to me but I have heard of nuts being blown out whilst doing it, better safe than sorry. 😎🎙🎸✅
Really excellent video - on point and helpful. Thank you!
Thanks!!!
thank you for uploading this video.
Great video! Thanks for sharing!
Glad you liked it!
@@InspiringTracks I've just bought a Japan lawsuit Tele, but I need to change the neck. I will follow ur clip step by step! 😁
Thank you
Wonderful instruction. It would been better though if neck radius was considered in the set-up. I tried using the same specs as you did, but it did not work with my guitar. It’s my first time to set-up an electric guitar, so I really did not know what’s the problem why I can’t do to my guitar your set-up, specifically the neck relief test. After researching further, I found out that my guitar’s neck radius is 9.5 and 0.25mm gauge should been used in the neck relief test, not 0.4. Also, measuring the gauge in a playing position is more preferable as it can accurately show how string lies on the fretboard. Still. i appreciate your video. I learned some good stuff from it. Thanks! :)
Thanks!, I'm glad you liked the video! There's a little disclaimer about doing the final adjustments in playing position in a pinned comment at the top. And you are right, not all guitars need the same relief, I gave the most common and universal value but some need a little less, I'll also add that to the disclaimer. Thanks and enjoy your Tele!!
Inspiring tracks thanks! It’s Tagima tele may be that’s why.
Good vid. I would just add that I will intonate to the flat side rather than sharp when dealing with vintage saddles.
Really detailed video. Thanks!
I'm glad you liked it!
check tuner make sure everything is tight before strings
Nice vid mate, you would benefit from a string winder though! Never find one when you need one eh?!
Excellent, thank you
Im glad you liked it!
Hey!!! You saved me! Haha
Thanks... Brazil
Cheers m8
Cheers!!
Thanks for this! I"ll definitely follow this after I level and crown my frets. We have the same guitar. Mine is a candy apple red sx vtg tele. Greetings from Philippines :)
We almost got the same guitar lol, SX, red and black, except mine has a P90 pick up at the top :P
They are absolutely great guitars for the money!
@@InspiringTracks Indeed, better than my 10 year old $100 dlls guitar from walmart
@@Gentamoru walmart sell guitars? Wowie
@@one-minutemetal1290 Hmm yeah I remember seeing First Act guitars in front of the shelves as you checked out but that was a long time ago, they used to sell them at Toys R Us too...
@@Gentamoru wow thats good to know, im in the uk not sure why i asked xD
You need to use those over under radius gauges setting the radius of your bridge is extremely important also instead of using guitar picks and pieces of paper for your check your relief get some automotive feeler gauges in for seven between 7000 and 10,000 depending on how much relief you want you cannot eyeball your bridge radius without radius gauges because it about $25
Hi! This is a tutorial for beginners to learn how to do it with the things you got at hand in any home, if you don't have a set of gauges the daddario package method works just as good and you get perfect results. And setting the radius at the bridge with a gauge sounds great on paper, in reality it only works in a brand new guitar or recently leveled fretboard. As soon as you got some fret wear this doesn't work anymore. If you follow this method the radius at the bridge forms naturally following the real curve of your fretboard and you get the lowest action possible for your own guitar. Cheers!!!
think fender say the relief should be around 0.25mm or (010 ) ??
Great tutorial! Many thanks! Very appreciated.
What is the cleaner you use for electronics?
Excellent tutorial…….👍
I was going to criticise and say when I was taught it was a fag packet thickness …….
but as I haven’t smoked for 6-7 years. I go along with you 100%
Well done and thanks for sharing this one.
All the very best from the Guitar Sanctuary ………. Ian ❤️🎸
Awesome, thanks man!!!
I'm glad you liked it!!!
Great video! Thanks!!
I'm glad you liked it!
Great music man. I have a big problem after intonation. Sixth string, first fret (F note) way, way out of tune. Can it be a problem with nut height? Thanks
Plastic nut, untreated fretboard edges, string entry from back of saddle, not sure about tuners Gotoh or Korean/Chinese made; such aspects of entry level t-style guitar. THis tutorial shows a love for guitar is a must, regardless its level of craftmanship or production. I salute you Sir.
👍👍👍👏👏👏so helpfully, thanks!!!
I'm glad you found it useful. Cheers!!
I've heard it said that these type of saddles create a "symbiosis" between the two strings when played but given the difficulty of getting the intonation, I don't get why people still use them.
Never hear about the symbiosis thing. In my case I just like the look, there's something that doesn't look right on a Tele with individual saddles
@@InspiringTracksI agree. I took the individual saddles off mine and put brass compensated ones on with a Wilkinson bridge.
Thanks for the video and the channel. Greetings from Entre Ríos, jaja!! Tengo una SX casi igual, mi primera eléctrica, que compré usada hace poco. Está muy buena, pero no me convencen mucho los clavijeros, es como que no son muy precisos y de repente la nota pega un saltito y se afloja demasiado al ir desajustando, no se si te ha pasado... BTW, liked and subscribed!
Great demonstration! Thx.
Any hint about how to get the angle of the A-, D- and G-string nearly like the others without installing another string tree? With my G&L Asat these strings leave the nut at a much flatter angle to the headstock in comparison to the other strings. I tried to compensate this with more windings, but that's a lot of guess work and not very consistent...
I'm considering to change the tuners to Wilkinson E-Z-Lok which offer two holes and one can use the lower hole for the purpose of getting a steeper angle on the nut.
It isn´t an issue at all, some people even says that less angle helps with tuning stability. If you want to increase the angle without adding another string tree you can put staggered tuners. They have a different height for each string and shoud help with that. The two holes tuners you mentioned should also work
agree with the other reply . get yourselfe a set of staggered tuners , problem solved .
Interesting and informative but you forgot pickup height
Muy bueno che super claro. Pero la cejuela ya la tenias ajustada? Compre una tele igual a la tuya que vino con la cejuela plastica bastante alta. Creo que eso me jode la afinacion de los acordes abiertos puede ser?
Por suerte estaba bien de fábrica y no tuve que hacerle nada pero si, es normal que vengan altas de fábrica. Si no tenes las limas especiales para ajustar los canales donde pasan las cuerdas lo más fácil es sacar la cejilla y rebajarla del lado de abajo con un papel de lija sobre una mesa o superficie plana asegurándose de hacerlo de manera pareja. Hay varios tutoriales si buscas en YT, en el futuro planeo hacer alguno pero por el momento no tengo nada
I would like to buy a setup kit. The tolls to set it up with
Weird that a higher end guitar such as a G&L doesn’t have a string through bridge .
Great info thank you. I have a three saddle version (each saddle has grooves for the strings) and have found when they are angled to the neck radius (two outer ones angled), the string spacing at the bridge is uneven. Is this normal?
What about height of pickups?
Is it recommended to use a real tuner? im just using a guitartuna app and when im trying to fix the intonation it still sharp even though i twist it many times
Guitar tuna doesn’t work, it just lets you tune the open strings, not an octave up like you need for the intonation
Top top!!!👏👏👏
Thanks! Muchas gracias!!!!
i have sx telecaster too (sx stl50) but my guitar head like a strat head. how is possible your guitar head like a telecaster? did you do it yourself or you buy it already telecaster head.
what about checking the string height at the nut ?
i cleaned with alcohol and now the shine is gone what can i do? please help me
Alcohol is a big no on guitars. You can try on a small patch a little of automotive polish to see if it works fine. It is mildly abrasive and if the damage is superficial it can remove that layer and expose fresh lacker. Good luck!
@@InspiringTracks yep i learned my lesson the bad way haha. thanks a lot!
think i would use locking tuners so much better
You can't go wrong with a nice set of locking tuners. They're awesome in a lot of ways
Do you really not use a string winder ?
If we happen to have feeler gauges, then instead of using the cardboard from the string package, what measurements are we looking for on neck relief?
0.2 mm works great
string height ?? u have those way to high
Nice video but you should intonate with the guitar in playing position.
Great tutorial. One thing you missed is pickup height otherwise a great job....
Thanks! Yeah, I missed that part. This video is somewhat old and I'm thinking about re shooting it now that I have a better camera and lights and also include the pickup adjustment. Maybe this next year. Cheers!
Also, saddle screw height, some people hate when the saddle hardware is up too high, and it gets in the way of your pick/strumming hand. I also had a saddle
screw pop out of my newish Telecaster, but I easily fixed that and replaced it. My Tele has a newer 6-string saddle/bridge so each string has two screws to its saddle. I noticed
you have to be careful tightening or loosening it, or the saddle will not be level, and will throw the whole setup off.
Where do you buy that brand? It days "SX vtg handmade" on the headstock
I'm from Argentina, IDK if it's available worldwide. The are good price/quality relation guitars and a fantastic base for some mods
Hey! How can I fix the height of the pickups I my telecaster? Regards !
Hi! The bridge pickup is super easy, it's height is adjusted with the screws surrounding it and the neck pickups depends on your particular guitar. Some models, like mine, have the pickup mounted on the pickguard and the mounting/adjustment screws are accessible from the outside. Other models have the pickup mounted to the body and you need to remove the pickguard to access them. It's super easy and you don't need to even take the strings. Just unscrew the pickguard and slide it and you'll see the screws
@@InspiringTracks thank you very much !
I just spent 5 hours searching online + another 3 hours calling stores but couldn't find a single can of that ''Subscribe'' electronics cleaner spray anywhere
Man! I don’t know what’s the problem with my guitar. I already almost made a bow out my guitar, but I can’t get that space in the 8th fret. I did not have a choice but to turn it back a little.
Be careful not to take the truss rod setting to the extremes. If you can´t get the recommended relief that can be several things, maybe the neck is a little warped and in a kind of S shape, maybe the treads on the truss rod are stripped and it doesn't work properly, it's impossible to know without seeing it in person. I STRONGLY reccomend you to take your guitar to a luthier. There's some things that simply cannot be diagnosed remotely and an experienced lutier can figure out whats going on in a minute just by feeling the truss rod and seeing how it reacts to the adjustements. Hope that helps and good luck with your Tele!!
Hi, I would like to ask you something. My 3rd and 6th string is in tune, open and 12th fret, but on 2nd,3rd fret they are sharp. Is this because of neck relief or something else? Thanks!
It's normal, guitars are imperfect in nature. Search true temperament guitar on Google and you'll know what I'm talking about
Thanks! I will 😄
So wait, when intonating one string on a saddle, to other string on that saddle will be off a few cents? That does not make it perfect, unless I get compensated saddles, right? So do you only check the tunning on 3 strings? (I've been thinking of buying a tele, but I am put off by this)
Teles are awesome! Don't let that put you off, is one of those things that looks pretty bad on paper but isn't a big deal in everyday use. You check tunning on all 6 strings but work on pairs. Since for example the high E and B share the same saddle you intonate both strings at the same time and try to get to a point where both are as close as posible to perfect intonation. Indeed compensated saddles solves that and lots of Fender and Squier Teles comes from the factory with 6 individual saddles like a Strat
Inspiring tracks I was put off by the Tele for years...but, it finally won me over to just buy one. And I love it! I’m now a “Tele evangelist” :) I hated the look of a Tele but now I totally love it!
what's the pickup height?
1/8" (3.2mm) is a good starting point, but really is something of personal preference. Best thing to do is plug the guitar, set the amp as usual and tweak them until find the sweet spot for you
0.04 mm ? 👏