Setting Up

One of the hardest things to get into my head for the first few years of playing was the importance of correct setup of my guitar.  I figured, like most people, that guitars came like most anything else: ready to go.  Unfortunately, that can't be further from the truth.  Guitars, bass guitars, ukuleles, and most instruments need a qualified luthier or technician to do some adjustments to the instrument to make it ready to play.

Most manufacturers will do there best to make them playable out of the box.  But, when you ship an instrument and bump it around a bit, the parts are going to get a little squirrely.  Even more, weather and climate changes can literally change the shape of an instrument.

So, I can't express the importance enough of finding a luthier or tech that you can talk to, develop a relationship with, and keep bringing stuff to.  It is so very, very important.

That said, there are a few things that you can do to setup yourself or at least evaluate the setup of your instrument:

1. First and foremost, if you don't know what strings are on it or when they were last replaced, get new ones.  If you don't know how to restring a guitar, have a luthier do it (it's not that expensive).
2. Oil the tuners.  I like sewing machine oil, but it can be messy.  I do this at least once a season on my instruments.
3. Polish it up, make it shiny.  Grime and gunk not only looks bad, but can potentially harm the longevity of the guitar.  Every restring should get a polished fretboard to boot.  Keep a microfiber cloth in your case or music bag and wipe it down quickly after you are done playing.
4. Check the frets.  Sometimes they come loose or pop out a bit.  Do this by playing each string at each fret all the way up and down the neck.  Fixing this is usually a luthier duty, but you can at least find the fret and narrow his search.

In the long run, having a qualified repair tech evaluate the instrument is the most important part of getting to know your new guitar.

~DB