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You are here: Home / Guitar Setup / The Importance of a Good Setup, Part Two

The Importance of a Good Setup, Part Two

In the first part of this article, I discussed the elements of a basic setup. These include checking the neck relief and the action at the first and twelfth frets, as well as installing new strings and performing a few other basic adjustments.

In part two, I will explain some relatively inexpensive improvements that you may want to consider when taking your guitar in for adjustment.

A more in-depth setup can include making a new bone nut and/or saddle for the guitar. These two small parts of the guitar are quite important to playability and tone, since they affect both the action and the transfer of energy from the strings to the soundboard. The saddle has the additional function of setting intonation, which determines how well your guitar will play in tune up and down the full length of the neck. Every guitar should have a bone nut and saddle to sound its best.

Bone is superior to other commonly used materials found on most factory brand guitars, such as “tusq” or plastic. This is because bone is harder and more dense which means it transmits energy more efficiently. This results in better tone. (There is a reason why the inventors of Tusq gave it a bone-sounding name!) I recommend that most guitars coming to my shop for setups get fitted with a bone nut and saddle if they don’t already have them. Previously I mentioned the subject of intonation; having a new saddle made can improve your guitar’s ability to play in tune if the original saddle was not properly compensated. And a well-made custom nut with low slots can improve string spacing and intonation.

 

A second issue that needs to be checked on every guitar is the condition of the bridge plate. Most players don’t even know what this is, and I was included in that group for many years. The bridge plate is a thin piece of hard wood, usually Maple or Rosewood, that is located inside the guitar under the bridge. The bridge plate serves as a hard surface for the ball end of the strings to ride against, preventing them from ripping through the much softer Spruce top. Because the bridge plate is a part of the “chain of resonance” of the guitar, it is also important to the tone.

An inspection mirror inside of a Gibson Hummingbird show substantial damage to the plywood bridge plate

Unbeknownst to many guitar players, the bridge plate can be slowly damaged each time they string their guitars. Unless the ball end of the string is seated correctly against the plate and oriented properly with the grain of the top, the ball will chew away at the hole in the plate as the string is tightened. Over time this ruins the plate and if not repaired it will damage the soundboard also. I am able to repair the worn bridge plate to like-new condition without removing it. Even better, I will show you how to correctly re-string the guitar so that the plate will not be damaged in the future. A simple check with a mirror will tell me the condition of your plate and if a repair is needed.

In the third part of this article, I will discuss fret maintenance services.

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Exceptional Tonewoods

Fine wood is the heart of every Dogwood guitar. Greg has been collecting rare and highly figured wood for over three decades, and he is always on the lookout for the best sets of both top and back/side wood for his custom guitars. Exotic wood of the … [Read More...]

Blog: Jumbo Neck Set

It is always exciting to arrive at neck setting day when working on a new build. Several weeks of careful work precede setting the neck: Rosette making; bending and boxing; bindings and purflings; inlay work; voicing and tuning; all separate skills … [Read More...]

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"The work you did on the fretboard, frets and bridge of my Les Paul fixed the problem I was having and it plays better than ever. Dogwood Guitars has become my #1 choice for guitar repairs and I'll be sure to recommend you to my musician friends. … [Read More...]

Customer Testimonial: Dogwood Monarch

"I loved my handcrafted Yamaha LX5 until I played my brother's Larrivee. So I bought a Larrivee. The Dogwood acoustic makes my Larrivee sound like my old Yamaha. The Dogwood is superior to my Larrivee D-03R in every way - tone, action - even looks. I … [Read More...]

Customer Testimonial: Taylor Custom setup and upgrades

Greg, when I met you and talked with you, it helped ease my apprehensions. You were very professional and explained in detail what, why, and how you would make my guitar play and sound better. You said that guitars sound what they sound like, but you … [Read More...]

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"I recently completed a rewarding two week twelve day deep dive into guitar building. The course was taught by Greg Maxwell of Dogwood Guitars in Mt. Vernon Ohio. “Course” is inadequate to describe this skill and technique refining experience.  … [Read More...]

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Technical Articles

Bolt-On Necks: High Tongue Frets

I am including this article as a special page in the Services Menu because of the frequency with which the issue of high tongue frets arises. The tongue is the part of the fretboard that extends into the body of the guitar. On acoustic guitars, the … [Read More...]

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