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Basic Guitar Setup

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Changing Strings

Tuning the Guitar

Adjust the Action

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Changing Strings

Tuning the Guitar

Adjust the Action

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Acoustic

Classical

Electric

Electronic

Reference

Relative

Truss Rod

Bridge (Nut)

Bridge (Saddle)

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Changing StringsLook at the strings on your guitar. What shape are they in? Strings do wear out. They lose their tone, lose their sustain and break. So, if your strings look discolored, quickly lose their tone or simply are not there, its time for a string change.First, you need to decide which type of string is needed for your guitar. If you own an acoustic guitar, you will need “acoustic guitar strings”. If you own a classical guitar, you need “classical guitar strings”. Electric guitar needs “electric strings”.Once you have determined which type of string is needed for your guitar, you will need a few tools to get the job done.• Wire snips• Pliers• A “string winder”You are now ready to begin. Just click on the type of string you are changing for instructions or the next button.

Acoustic

Classical

ElectricSite Map Exit

Acoustic1. Replace the Sixth String2. Pull the Sixth String Toward the

Headstock of the Guitar3. Slide Sixth String through the

Tuning Peg4. Tighten the Sixth String5. Wrap the Sixth String6. Stretch the Sixth String7. Repeat process for remaining five

strings

The following site is an excellent resource on how to change strings on your acoustic guitar.

Changing Strings on an Acoustic Guitar

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Classical1. Feed String over the Bridge and through

the hole – Leave about two inches of string

sticking out2. Take the two inches of string and curl it

over the Bridge base then tuck it under the string

3. Insert the end of String under the loop you just created

4. Curl String around again tuck it under again – This double loop insures it will not

come loose

The following site is an excellent resource on how to change strings on your classical guitar.

Changing Strings on a Classical Guitar

Changing Strings

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Electric1. Loosen and Remove Old String

– Only remove one string at a time2. Feed the New String Through the Back of

the Guitar3. Pull the New String Through the Bridge4. Bring the String up the Neck of the Guitar

– Leave extra length, about one-and-a-half inches, to wrap around tuning peg

5. Slide the String Through the Hole in the Tuning Peg and Crimp– The end of the string should point

outwards, away from headstock6. Wrap the Guitar String On the Tuning Peg7. Cut Excess String

The following site is an excellent resource on how to change strings on your electric guitar.

Changing Strings on an Electric Guitar

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Tuning the GuitarThe process of manipulating tuning pegs on a guitar so that each string rings at the proper pitch, is known as Guitar Tuning.There are many different notes a guitar can tune to, therefore; there are many alternative tunings based on musical styles or fingerstylings. However there is a standard guitar tuning. This tuning is, low to high, E, A, D, G, and E.While the process for tuning a guitar is the same regardless if it is electric or acoustic, there are three principal ways for tuning a guitar:• Electronic Tuning• Reference Tuning• Relative Tuning

Electronic Tuning

Reference Tuning

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Electronic TuningElectronic Tuning is often considered the easiest form of tuning a guitar. Electronic Tuners approximate whether the pitch of the note played is lower, higher, or approximately equal to the desired pitch. Electronic Tuners generally have two distinct modes: automatic and manual. Auto mode is often used by more advance users. Auto mode assumes that your strings are reasonably close to being in tune and allows for “chromatic” tuning.Manual mode allows the user to select the string they want to tune. The user would play the string repeatedly to see if the tuner is indicating the note is flat or sharp.Using an Electronic Tuner, one would play the note while adjusting the tuning peg of the string with your free hand until the tuner indicates the string is in tune.

If interested, you can find a wide variety of Electronic Tuners at the link below.

Electronic Tuners

Tuning the Guitar

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Reference TuningReference Tuning is tuning the guitar’s strings to another source such as a pitch pipe, piano, or another guitar.(www.squdoo.com/guitar-setup) A reference pitch is played and then a the corresponding pitch is played on the guitar. For example, the reference pitch would be E below middle C on the piano, this would correspond to the first string on the guitar, or the E string. You would then adjust the tuning pegs by turning them either to the left or right, moving the pitch up or down until the pitch of the guitar matches the pitch of the reference instrument.

This method is difficult because it relies on the users ability to hear and match pitch. It may take you a while to get the hang of tuning your guitar using this method, but is useful in aiding the user to develop an ear for pitch.

If interested, in a good online tuner, you can click the link below.

Online Tuner

Tuning the Guitar

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Relative Tuning

Relative Tuning is the process of tuning the guitar to itself (www.squdoo.com/guitar-setup). You first need to tune the sixth string (E). You can do this either with an ‘Electric Tuner’ or by using ‘Reference Tuning’. Once you have the sixth string in tune, you can use some basic music theory to tune the remaining strings. Standard tuning is based on the six open strings being E, A,D,G,B and E. Using this , one can count up the sixth string (which is tune) to the fifth fret, which equals the note of A. You would then use this as a reference pitch for the Fifth string, which is A .

Tuning the Guitar

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Relative Tuning

About.com (http://guitar.about.com/od/beginners/ss/how_tune_guitar_3.htm ) provides the following steps for using Relative Tuning :• Make sure your sixth string is in tune ( use reference

pitch)• Play the sixth string, fifth fret (A), then tune your

open fifth string (A) until it they sound the same.• Play the fifth string, fifth fret (D), then tune your open

fourth string (D) until they sound the same.• Play the fourth string, fifth fret (G), then tune your

open third string (G) until they sound the same.• Play the third string, fourth fret (B), then tune your

open second string (B) until they sound the same.• Play the second string, fifth fret (E), then tune your

open first string (E) until they sound the same.

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Adjust the Action“For an acoustic guitar to work properly, it is very important that the gap between the strings and the frets (called the ‘action’) is set correctly.” (www.sheehans.com/acoustic-guitars/help/acoustic-guitar-setup#details) . While playing your guitar you get a rattle against the frets and a horrible sound, then your strings are set to close to the fret board. If you have to push down so hard that it makes playing uncomfortable, then the strings are set to far from the frets. In order to adjust the action (spacing between the frets and strings) along the guitar’s neck, several adjustments must be made . The three basic adjustments are often made to the following:• Truss Rod• Bridge/Nut (the block of bone or hard plastic at the end of the fingerboard)• Bridge/Saddle (the strip of bone or hard plastic where the strings join the body of

the guitar)Since set-up of the action requires special tools, accurate measurements, and expert knowledge, it is recommended to have the action adjusted by an experienced guitar technician. This section is intended as an overview of the process.

Truss Rod Bridge (Nut)

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Truss RodThe Truss Rod is a long metal rod built into the neck behind the fingerboard to counterbalance the tension of the strings. There should be a small bit of relief or clearance in the middle of the fingerboard so that a vibrating string has enough clearance to vibrate freely. This is achieved by setting the curvature of the neck or adjusting the Truss Rod. To increase the curvature of the neck, one would loosen the Truss Rod. Tightening the Truss Rod makes the neck straighter. Every guitar should be set up to meet your playing style. The following is a rough guide for setting the action:

Source: http://mysite.verizon.net/jazz.guitar/guitarsetup.htm#Adjusting the intonation

Style of Play Action Desired Relief in Inches

Rock & Roll Medium-Low 0.010Jazz Medium-Low 0.013Acoustic-electric Medium-Low 0.013Classical-electric

Medium-Low 0.023

Electric Bass Medium-Low 0.020

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The Bridge (Nut)The first part of the Bridge is the block of bone or hard plastic at the end of the fingerboard (the Nut) and affects the guitar’s string height, particularly on the frets closest to the Bridge. The Bridge will have grooves cut into to it where the strings sit, therefore, if the Bridge is not cut deeply enough this will make chords in the first few positions difficult to play. If the grooves are cut too deeply, it will cause a buzzing and make the guitar sound like a sitar.

For more detail information on the Bridge(Nut) click on the following link:

http://www.theguitarfiles.com/guitarfile97.html

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The Bridge (Saddle)The second part of the Bridge is the strip of bone or hard plastic where the strings join the body of the guitar (Saddle) and is curved in two directions. According to www.sheehans.com, “this curvature should correspond to the camber of the fingerboard, so that when the action is set correctly for the 1st and 6th strings, it’s correct for all the other strings too.” Adjusting the ‘Saddle’ height is the final adjsutment to set the gap between the frets and strings. This is accomplished by measuring the distance between the bass(6th) and treble(1st) strings from the 12th fret. “For a good general purpose playing action that suits fingerpicking and strumming styles of playing, the ‘action’ at the 12th fret should be a little under 3mm for the 6th string, and around 2mm for the 1st string.” (www.sheehans.com)

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