If you’ve recently purchased a new guitar, you may be wondering; do I need my guitar setup? After all, there’s a lot of chat online about having the correct ‘setup’, but what does this actually mean? And how does it relate to your new guitar?
Well, simply put, having your guitar suitably set up means it will be performing at its optimum capacity. This relates primarily to the action and intonation. A comfortable action for your playing style with the intonation on point will culminate in your guitar being ‘set up’.
Now, in regards to your guitar’s action, what works for one player will most likely not work for another and it’s a completely personal taste. Don’t get us wrong, there certainly is too high action, where it will feel like you are wrestling with high gauge chicken wire, and there’s certainly too low action, where your notes will be buzzing out. However, everything in between will come down to your personal taste and playing style.
Those who are a bit more heavy-handed and put real oomph into strumming chords will benefit from a slightly higher action than the player who has a much lighter touch who is likely to appreciate a really low action. If you are a bit heavier-handed, having a high action will allow you to dig in and play really hard without encountering string buzz. Whereas, a player with a light touch, who plays quickly up and down the neck will most likely want a low action so they have the least resistance possible. There’s no right or wrong, just whatever will work best for your playing style.
Intonation is less individualistic. Intonation refers to the pitch of the note you are playing on the fretboard. If a guitar is correctly intonated, when you fret a note, the note you play will be at the correct pitch (tuning). If your guitar isn’t intonated, when you fret a note, it will sound slightly too sharp or flat.
When we receive a guitar at Kenny’s Music, we conduct thorough checks to make sure that the guitars are set up correctly. Although the setup can change due to changes in temperature and transportation, every guitar we accept from the suppliers will be within the realms of an acceptable setup. If you have specific requirements, please feel free to get in touch with your local store and we can put you in contact with one of our independent in-store guitar technicians to discuss what will work best for you.