New Guitar Question

Hello, all,

Just a question about my recent experience buying a new electric guitar. While the experience hasn't been bad, it hasn't gone as smoothly as I'd like, and I want to learn from it.

I just bought a Stagg G300GC from a nearby guitar store. This is the first time that I've ever purchased an electric guitar, so I went greatly on the recommendation of the clerk at the store .

Well, first I notice that my low E string is buzzing on first fret, so I have to take it in so they can raise the nut on that string (fill the groove and then file down). They do the repair free and I'm happy.

Then I go to show it off to a friend, and she notices that, while it is in tune when the strings are open, chords sound really off. I took it in today, and they were really nice about it, said that they needed to do some fine-tuning on the bridge (he said that he had to get the harmonic and the 12th fret note to match). He spent about 30 minutes doing the adjustments, and sure enough, when he finished the chords sounded really nice.

I guess my question is, do you have to go through this every time you buy an electric guitar?? I love the Stagg, the sound is pretty sweet, and I think it looks awesome. Now I know to plug in and spend more time diagnosing these things when I buy. Just curious, is my experience the norm or an abberation.

That's about it. I'm gonna go and play my newly-set-up axe for a bit. Just looking for comments, and to see if I can learn a bit from this experience.

Peace,
Tom

[FONT=Comic Sans MS]"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (even learn how to play this silly instrument!! ;) )[/FONT]

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Norm...unfortunately. :( it is called "intonation adjustment", if a person gets a new guitar with it "intonated" they are pretty lucky ...you may need the intonation done again once you have the nut work done.

Well, Js, thanks for your reply. Actually I was pretty lucky, because they did the nut work before I realized that there were intonation problems. I am actually pretty happy with the store, they had a great attitude and were very helpful. My only disappointment with them is it would have been nice if they'd said, "Would you like us to make the fine adjustments for you?" I was just too ignorant to ask, as I'd never purchased an electric guitar before. Now I know next time (which won't be for years, but I have a good memory) :) to check those things before leaving the store.

Well, gotta go.

Peace,
Tom

I would say that guitar store is pretty good because most stores will not adjust intonation and you would have to go to a luthier and that can cost $100-$200 ...I wish we had a store like that where I live. :(

With a good electronic guitar tuner with a needle display ( seiko or epiphone ), you can learn to set up the bridge yourself.

yea I'm afraid that is the norm...all guitars need to be set up. You'll usually need to set up an old guitar every few months as well, depending on how it reacts to changes in weather and what not.

It's great to learn from things like this. Soon you'll develop a relatioship with the guys at the store, and once you have that, you can hook lots of things up.

I will say the guys at the store were awesome. They did the setup for me, didn't charge me a dime, and were very friendly about the whole thing! Kudos to them for that! My only comment was that I wish they had told me before I discovered it myself, otherwise I woulda just thought I had a really crummy guitar!!!

Next time (years down the road) I'll know more what questions to ask, and how to evaluate the guitar more fully before leaving.

Peace,
Tom

If you ever want to learn more about intonation, our good friend Kevin Taylor made a lesson about it :)

http://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=9407

Originally Posted by: BenoitIf you ever want to learn more about intonation, our good friend Kevin Taylor made a lesson about it :)

http://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=9407

ahem.. our 'good looking friend who's totally amazing'...to be completely accurate

And yup, you had a decent experience at a guitar store. They did the intonation for free so that's a definite plus.
The thing with guitars is that they're made out of wood and are under very high tension. Therefore, due to humidity and temperature changes, it's almost impossible to 'perfectly' set up a guitar for life. That's why they only do the basics at the factory, cause everybody has their own setup that they like (ie, raising the string action means you have to do the intonation again) and they'd never get it right because they ship all over the world.
(Not to mention the time and skill involved would probably double the price of the guitar.)

Best bet is go out and get yourself a decent book on guitar maintenance.
You can use the web too, but it's always nice to have something professionally written that you can take with you and quickly thumb through.
Something like the 'Guitar Player Repair Guide' is a good start cause it takes you all the way through set up and maintain the guitar plus a few basic repairs. (taking it into a store every time you need the intonation done will cost you a fortune and it's extremely easy to do yourself)

Originally Posted by: GramboWith a good electronic guitar tuner with a needle display ( seiko or epiphone ), you can learn to set up the bridge yourself.

You don't even need that with a well-trained ear. Just touch your finger to the string over the 12th fret (without fretting it) then pick the string, then fret it again and pick the string and compare the two. Most bridges adjust with a screwdriver (though I've heard of allen wrenches). Quite frankly I don't see why tuners actually sell (every time I've used one its always sounded awful so I can only tune by ear to a song)