Biddlin's foolproof setup method

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waiting for truss rod to settle......
 
kevinpaul said:
I know metal is instant and wood varies. I have a very old Fender neck that reacts really slow. Death slow.
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So regardless of the setup procedure (measuring or not), you are going to need to let it settle to know whether you have the desired amount of relief or not. I think Biddlin's method is the best thing since sliced bread & use it exclusively. It is the quickest & easiest way to get the guitar set up to suit your personal requirements. Cheers
 
ivan H said:
So regardless of the setup procedure (measuring or not), you are going to need to let it settle to know whether you have the desired amount of relief or not. I think Biddlin's method is the best thing since sliced bread & use it exclusively. It is the quickest & easiest way to get the guitar set up to suit your personal requirements. Cheers
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I help out a Luthier colleague sometimes with basic setups in his shop. I can change strings, intonate and set action with my ruler before he is done noodling around with adjustments - strum - readjust - strum again...
 
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ivan H said:
So regardless of the setup procedure (measuring or not), you are going to need to let it settle to know whether you have the desired amount of relief or not. I think Biddlin's method is the best thing since sliced bread & use it exclusively. It is the quickest & easiest way to get the guitar set up to suit your personal requirements. Cheers
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I agree to all most all degrees. Ever do a beautiful set up and the action is great. A hump, just one hump can end it. Opps the truss rod is not working. I always spray some WD 40 in it for the next guy.
 
I noticed something when I was setting up my new Firebird that I had never realized before.

While setting it up I decided to change strings on several of my other guitars, and while doing it just got curious about the string heights on all of them. See, I don't measure anything at all when I set up a guitar. I've always felt that doing it by feel and sound is the only way to go, and that's what I always do with a new guitar and for seasonal changes: adjust for feel.

So when I dropped a string height gauge onto 3 guitars and every one was at exactly .060" on both the bass and treble side, with virtually no relief in the necks, I was a little surprised. Surprised enough that I pulled out the remaining three guitars to check them and sure enough 2 of those were also at exactly .060" on both sides. The last one, my '79 Custom, is at .055 on the bass side and a C-hair lower on the treble side, but I attribute the lower action to the fact that that guitar has those super low, wide frets they used back then. All necks basically dead straight with almost no relief.

Kind of an interesting thing to know.
 
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gball said:
I noticed something when I was setting up my new Firebird that I had never realized before.

While setting it up I decided to change strings on several of my other guitars, and while doing it just got curious about the string heights on all of them. See, I don't measure anything at all when I set up a guitar. I've always felt that doing it by feel and sound is the only way to go, and that's what I always do with a new guitar and for seasonal changes: adjust for feel.

So when I dropped a string height gauge onto 3 guitars and every one was at exactly .060" on both the bass and treble side, with virtually no relief in the necks, I was a little surprised. Surprised enough that I pulled out the remaining three guitars to check them and sure enough 2 of those were also at exactly .060" on both sides. The last one, my '79 Custom, is at .055 on the bass side and a C-hair lower on the treble side, but I attribute the lower action to the fact that that guitar has those super low, wide frets they used back then. All necks basically dead straight with almost no relief.

Kind of an interesting thing to know.
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Same here...I set all mine to .070"

If I set it by feel they end up at .070"
 
gball said:
How about the truss rods? I never really consciously thought about it, but I apparently prefer a very straight neck with no relief and what seems now like silly low action.
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Don't laugh....

When I flatten the neck with a straight edge for leveling, I never change it. When I string a flat neck, i always seem to get .008" to .010"...
 
Do your electrics have any degree of fret buzz acoustically?

I mean, do they buzz unplugged, even though they sound ok through the amp?
 
I too use this method have for a very long time--
remove strings flatten neck-- drop saddles (or bridge) -- then "build up" till I get an action and feel I like when in tune and leave it --- many times (with bass especially) the string tension will ad "just" the right tiny bit of bow for very low action without buzz (un less your SLAPPING DA BASS MON) and great feel
 
Sérgio said:
Do your electrics have any degree of fret buzz acoustically?

I mean, do they buzz unplugged, even though they sound ok through the amp?
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None of mine have any buzz at all. Every once in a while I need to touch up a fret to get everything playing right without buzz, but that's pretty rare.
 
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