Small setup adjustments = big results

Yeah. My tele was nearly perfectly intonated, or so I thought. I was having trouble playing some harmonics so a few days ago I got the tuner out and set the intonation, less than 1/2 turn per saddle later and I get wonderful harmonics all over the fret board. I've never played a guitar as vibrant as my tele is right now. It really is amazing how such little things can so drastically change a guitar. Just goes to show that you can't judge a guitar until it has been properly setup.

 

pickup height is very sensitive as well

 

I assume pup height on individual guitars depends on many factors.

Are there any general indicators of right and wrong pup height?

What are things to look (listen) out for?

 

Thanks to TDPRI I now take ownership of my guitar set up and I'm no longer scarred to make adjustments, even the mysterious truss rod. And I'm with you, turn an average instrument into a great instrument with a little patience and tweaking.

 

I think because a tele is such a durable instrument, sometimes we forget about the little things, and just how sensitive they really are.

 

Always wondered why my Tele was more comfortable than my Strat. Thought it was the neck profile. However after 2 days playing with the saddles, a little higher here a little lower there etc., it now plays like a dream. Saddly I still don't.

 

nope...whatever sounds good. Supposedly you don't want too close or you'll get wolf tones or stratitis but I keep mine pretty close around 1.5mm for the neck PUP with no problems.

 

Don't know what wolf tones are...But it sounds cool!

I've adjusted my pups so that the volume is the same when I switch from neck to bridge or back. I've noticed the bridge pup gets more distorted than the neck. The same thing happens on my 2 Squier Teles, one with P90s and the CV. is this usual? If I want more break up from the neck do I have to raise it so it sounds louder?

 

raising any pickup will, to a point, increase output just a bit. But it also affects clarity. And if you raise it too high and then strum right over the pickup, you may cause distortion within the pickup itself. And, you may cause the strings to hit polepieces and that sorta thing. So it's a game. up, down, again until it's right.

 

Pup height is important too.

 

And some guitars seem to have a much wider "groove spot" as well. Some guitars can be adjusted all over the place and still sound about as good. The next guitar sounds good in one tiny, hard to maintain spot but if you find that spot, you are a happy man indeed.

This makes it so hard to find the right guitar while just shopping, because they don't want you setting up guitars in there. But I've been known to "fix" em just a bit before buying, if I'm almost certain I will buy it anyway.

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This is a great thread, but I hope it doesn't start everyone chasing their truss rods. I don't touch it unless I have to, as once you do, you best put the guitar down and go back to it the next day. Let the adjustment take hold. Wood needs time to respond.