5 Guitar Setup Tips & Tricks You NEED To Know

Keeping your guitar properly maintained will not only make it play better, but SOUND better too. In this video Dave Onorato from Dojo Guitar Repair in Atlanta GA gives you 5 guitar setup tips and tricks every guitar player should know.
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[@RhettShull]

My first video course, The Tone Course, is now available. Check it out here! flatfiv.co/collections/rhett-shull/products/the-tone-course

[@1bienaventurado]

Guys could you please someday talk about guitars with bigsbys and propers set ups for staying in tune playing it???

[@johnnorris1983]

You didn’t mention that dude with the drill driver using it on the axe!😭

[@gdkopinionator4356]

Dave needs his own channel. Time for an intervention, Rhett!

[@vausemike]

GDK Opinionator look at Dave’s world of stuff. That’s exactly what you are looking for

[@SomeJustice19k]

Or a weekly, by weekly, or monthly guitar setup like videos.

[@troyoswald5683]

I agree ! 100 percent!

[@PragmaticDany]

@@vausemike lmao that’s not even him 😂 another guitar Dave

[@colonnamike1]

TOTALLY AGREE THAT DAVE NEEDS HIS OWN CHANNEL...but the dude is so fuggin busy doing repairs and making gitars remarkable, that that would taper off if his mojo hit a speed bump like feeling pressure to create content. I'll take any/all "guest spots" available where this guitar Jedi shares his secrets, though...just sayin.

[@shawnvitt]

Dave Onorato sure knows his stuff. Not only that, he explains it well. Thanks, Rhett, for having Dave on your channel.

[@MikeHilbun]

I've been spending my quarantine time trying to setup my guitars (because why not) so this couldn't have come at a better time haha

[@StringsOfCrossroads]

Mike Hilbun wish I could send you 30 of mine to do! I’m a key worker so working 60hours per week! Stay safe Mike!

[@zoltannemeth8864]

Quarantune

[@MikeHilbun]

Catherine Faulkner I’m still doing some teaching so I wish I had a bit more time but send them on over! Haha you stay safe out there too! 🤘🏻

[@Condor512]

Then you better watch some other videos like from 'Dave's World of Fun Stuff'. All his videos are on Setups & repairs. Info's A LOT better imho.

[@BadazzShovelhead]

@@StringsOfCrossroads I feel you- I run a global financial intelligence and cybercrime investigations group with offices all over the world. I used to be able to hop on a plane to Singapore or London or Tokyo and work with my teams now I do it all via Google Hangouts and it has added many hours to what was a long day anything. That said, I am thankful that I still am working and that I have 150 cool people working for me that help make this all easier- thankfully travel will start up again soon.

[@thesmellycatjazz]

I just want a Dave repair channel. Between that and Dave's World of Fun, the two Dave's could corner the guitar repair KZbin market.

[@jarodreddig63]

Funny how from 93 when I first started playing until early this year, I never could set my guitars up good. No one wanted to teach or show you back then. Got into learning on KZbin from the pandemic, spent $200 on tools etc., and now thanks to y’alls vids I can do it now! It’s fun too!! And my guitars are now exactly how I like them👍🏻

[@bdcornblower2570]

At about 8.57 Dave was going into more detail on cutting the Nut Slots low and something about "an easy fix " balancing height of strings on frets or such, as he walks over to work bench on left - then recording is cut - jumps to Rhett asking Dave what tools are needed ... Sure wish we could have seen the rest of what Dave was about to say ... Grateful to see this, just looks like there is so much more to hear from Dave , that's all ! Be great if Dave had his own Channel ?

[@ncd1967]

It’s insane how similar guitar and bicycle tuning and tools are.

[@Ninjametal]

As a player who's maintained my own instruments for decades, I think Dave's advise is solid, and I was especially happy to hear his take on setting pickup height. Many sources state measurements that admittedly give a "ballpark" idea, but the best way I've found is to set height while listening with headphones (with clean and dirty tones) until pickups and/or pole pieces reach an obvious sweet spot. ...Great content 'round here.

[@leonkaack6869]

A full setup tutorial with dave going through the process of balancing the trussroads and the string height would be SO AWESOME!!

[@2dazetake]

Dave's the man,out of all the fix your axe guys on yt, he's the easiest to understand,always innovative and fun to watch, loved the velcro tip,saving all videos with Dave in them for quick reference,thanks for another great video Rhett. 😊👍

[@TheAxeman2112]

You 2 are awesome. I have seen you on Rick's channel. The love of music and guitars is very obvious. I appreciate you taking the time to give us guitarist your experiences and great info about these Fabulous instruments.

[@JeremyLeech]

I set up my guitars all the time. I finally got those radius gauge and wow what a difference!

[@icasiano7]

Thank you to both of you for this very informative guitar maintenance video.

[@maleake56]

What a great tip on the pin puller. I've always used the notch on the string winder to pull the pins up, but it can be kind of dicey, as Rhett mentioned. I've ordered one of these and will probably end up getting one to keep in each of my steel string acoustic cases so that I have ready access whenever needed.

[@scottenosh4548]

Wow, that camera shot looking down the neck is very impressive. Ive never seen someone pull off that focus effect so perfectly.

[@michael_caz_nyc]

This is great Rhett ( and Dave ). I've been Learning to do-my-own maintenance on my guitars = Always comes out Better. Stay Safe guys and Thanks for sharing.

[@tubadylan]

I love the good, cheap, fast poster on his wall. So true in every way!

[@thomasmcgill6918]

This is great! Im the worst with guitar maintenance, this put the much needed guilt on how important it is to maintain my guitar.

[@MCPerez]

Number 2 & 3 Is something I never realized that was my problem good thing this video is here, it helped me a lot

[@BarouyrSarkissian]

man I have so much appreciation for guys like Dave, people who know how to take care of instruments and actually explain in details, learned a lot about maintaining and operating guitars from guys like him, it's really cool. Would be a killer to see his rendition of installing a soldered pickup system like Dimarzios and such... if ever haha Anyways keep it up guys, really enjoy your vids!

[@BadazzShovelhead]

Gents- thanks for providing and sharing great info to the community- Very cool and generous.

[@lroscinski5046]

THANK YOU !! currently building my first kit guitar and its coming along well, just hoping i didnt mess anything up. In process of setting action and pickup heights now, thisvideo was amazing ! Thanks again !!

[@peterdebad1]

Thanks guys for this one. Good to know I'm not too far off. Be safe and have a great week!!

[@asslord]

Just wanted to say that these videos are not only very helpful and informative but also very well recorded. I went from playing a couple hours a day to almost none at all and selling all my electric guitars. Recently, a friend gave me an old 90's Squire Strat with a bunch of issues -- basically not even the neck was attached right. Your videos helped immensely in setting up the axe to a point that I'm now really happy with. :) So thanks a lot. Your guitar tech friend Dave is a legend, too. Such a smart and sympathetic person! So much to teach! I really appreciate him a lot. Just wanna say that he needs to take better care of his thumbs. Take care, both of you. Thanks to both of you!

[@williamknell864]

The velcro sandwich,to keep the strings aligned and together is zen perfect logic. I have never seen that before. Excellent, Dave.

[@jimmy_jamesjams_a_lot4171]

BIG plus on the Velcro straps!! My buddy’s vintage Fender tube amp literally had a short with something in the circuitry as a string got snarled within the amp while he was re-stringing his guitar! It cost almost as much as a change of tubes. THANKS FOR SHARING!!

[@tomburahz4141]

Thanks guys..great info on this one! Radius gauge ( had just got a set ), velcro hack, pin puller, nut hack, all new ideas for me.

[@TheGlassasylum]

Oh yeah Rhett, Thanks a lot man for putting this one together. preciate it. Good show.

[@jeffyoung2890]

Thanks for this informative video Rhett. Dave, you are the man!

[@droliver]

A+ video. Dave makes this kind of thing so simple

[@riccovrea841]

Another great video Rhett. I contacted Dave about a month ago he replied promptly and was very helpful. I would highly recommend him I ended up not needing him otherwise I would’ve traveled a distance to have him work on my guitars.

[@kevinpatton108]

Thanks for the great tips, I usually reach into the soundhole to loosen bridge pins from the bottom after the strings are out of the way.

[@johnhurtt977]

Great tips....I knew some of these tricks, but learned a couple more. Thanks Dave and Rhett! Two items, kind of tough, but how to shape a bone nut and how to refret or dress frets.

[@gmr2048]

Please get Dave to host his own KZbin channel! He seems cool as hell. I'd watch him guitar-tech'ing all day long.

[@stevenp.sparks2953]

This one and the 10 Guitar Hacks vid are SO awesome; Great job, guys!!! Sparks in Daytona

[@RC32Smiths01]

I would love to see the three amigos get back together! A really important video for anyone trying to make the guitar process more convenient and fun!

[@Old_Sailor85]

The velcro trick is a great one. Thanks.

[@donald-parker]

I gave up trying to sight down the neck to check bow/relief years ago. The string under tension will be straight. So just put a capo on the first fret, and hold the string down at about the 15th fret for an acoustic, and check how much space there is between the string and the neck at about the 9th fret. Lots of space = too much relief = tighten the truss rod. No space = back bow = loosen the truss rod. But before mucking with the truss rod, test both the low and high E strings. Sometimes necks twist a bit. As far as intonation testing goes, I find I get better results comparing 7th fret harmonic with 7th fret fretted on acoustic or 19th fret harmonic with 19th fret fretted on electric.

[@troyoswald5683]

Love Dave! Love Rhett! We are so lucky. Thanks guys.

[@jochen970]

more of this plz. very informative. bring this guy back on the regular !

[@RhettShull]

Dave is the best!

[@ryanakahoward5246]

Thanks DAVE and Rhett!!!!

[@c.g.curtis9480]

Very helpful. Thank you so much. Straight facts and no real wasted time.

[@GuitarOverdrive]

This was super useful. Packed full of very useful tips. The nut height trick was one, I was missing in my library - and it might just solve an issue I have with a LP Jr. I upgraded the nut on. So thanks!

[@donaldryder5534]

Good video and I’ll try some of these but to be honest due to my lack of skill the best lesson from this video for me is now I know when to bring my guitar to an expert!

[@simonsmith9363]

Do the video you were talking about making, take a reasonably priced guitar and upgrade it to make it a real gigging guitar, changing the pots etc. Great video again chaps, always a pleasure to see your work.

[@t.sewell1513]

Great info! I would definitely be bringing my guitars to Dave if I lived there.

[@CliffCunningham]

Great tips! Velcro string trick was a new one for me!

[@colonnamike1]

DAVE IS THE GURU!!! Rhett, of course you kick ass, too, bruddah...no shade at all intended! This "toot" really makes alotta' sense-regardless of your repair expertise or confidence level. THANK YOU BOTH!

[@jpeterman57]

Great content thanks. Even after 50 years of playing I learned a hack or two today. Keep it up!

[@saschabeck117]

Great Video! Helpful Tipps- Thanx 🤘

[@ringosteve21]

Great video! Super informative. Thanks guys!

[@vintagebikes4215]

I appreciate this video...I learned stuff. Rhett does a great job.

[@zanderday4466]

thanks a bunch! You guys are the best.

[@MrUltraworld]

Thanks for the videos! It's helping with the monotony.

[@Liquormans]

Great video I like his work ethic and style. Good tips

[@tim05519]

Thanks guys - gr8 stuff!

[@harlarmarranrogammfinlehpa7189]

Using a capo to hold the strings in place works as well as an alternative to the Velcro method. Good video!

[@coltmerrifield1019]

Omg this video was soo helpful! Thanks so much!!

[@mr.fisher3973]

I am really loving these videos - Dave seems like an extremely knowledgable guitar tech. You are very lucky to have him in your area. So are you gonna do the "fixer upper" video?

[@harqalada65]

Thanks a lot for this video, very informative!

[@YMESYDT]

I'd like to see you and Dave do a pre-tour gear check on ALL your gear, see what he would look for in checking over guitars, amps, board, etc.

[@electroKrunch]

Very good info, guys! Thanks a ton for the vid!

[@djrbfmbfm-woa]

excellent info. thank you both. j.

[@bullwinklemoose8291]

Great channel. Thanks. As far as ideas for another set-up video, I'd love to see Dave start from scratch with changing a nut, but most importantly the process he uses to get the nut slots all cut to the proper depth for a real low action setup. I've cut two nuts and both times I cut one of the slots just barely too deep and had to use the super glue/baking soda trick to fix my mistake.

[@JonathanHiller]

I usually buy nuts that are pre-slotted... they're usually a little too tall, so I just sand off the bottom side of the nut rather than working the top side down, it saves time, but I'm not gonna lie, changing a nut and getting it right takes some time and definitely some patience. I don't remove the strings from the tuners when I change a nut, I just loosen them and put them off the sides of the neck, taping them down with painter's tape if need be, to keep them out of the way, but I've got to say, Dave's velcro strip trick would be really handy in this situation to keep them out of the way, too, I think.

[@briangurnett]

SO HELPFUL!

[@xonbearofgummylol2260]

Your cab sims are soo good, tbh you saved me with them

[@gabrielbrito6641]

Nice video and thanks from Brazil!

[@ajdoesbass]

A video of a fret wire guitar build! I’m considering getting a bass from there to build my own Fender style P bass. Dave would probably have awesome tips in a process like that

[@guitarfeelslike1395]

I agree, Dave needs a channel for sure.

[@fran6b]

Very insightful, and much needed ! Thanks ^^

[@JonathanHiller]

Also, I'm glad Dave touched on nut height, that's something often overlooked. Lots of budget guitars have nuts that are a little too high when new. I swapped the plastic nut on my Epiphone LP for a bone one and after getting it adjusted to my liking, it's got more sustain and sounds SO much better on open strings.

[@harveymccluskey3270]

Love your stuff!!!!! Thank you so much 😊

[@Hikaru109Ichijyo]

dave is awesome; also my friend is in a ramones style punk band, and all his guitars are trashed and equipped with multiple pick reloaders on the the front and back of head stock and body, and he loves to frisbee pix over the crowd.

[@Skypie61]

Great video for all guitar players. I also have a Dave Tech whom I bring my gig guitars to every 6 months for full adjustments and/or repairs as I play every day practising, then rehearse, then gig, all for fun. I change strings every month, so I clean fretboard but thats about it. I also keep a dryer cloth handy and wipe every 2weeks or so on pickups/pick guard to eliminate any static. 👍🎸🎵🎶🎼😃

[@markntexas8265]

Cool static tip.

[@TheTaulusPaulus]

And you're right back to just melt face! Best ever! 🤘

[@honigdachs.]

Extremely valuable video!

[@johnny6148]

learned a lot. thank you.

[@Radnally]

I really need to do this. Thanks. I.moved to an area where we use swamp coolers in the summer. My action came way down and was buzzing.

[@mkcclub]

Cool seeing a Roy Smeck signature. Roy was Elliot Randall’s teacher when a Elz was a kid in NYC.

[@briwood]

Dave is the man!

[@projectonestar]

Love these DIY tech videos!

[@BoltRM]

GOLD 🥇in a 20 minute video!

[@w.l.h.]

Man, that's one of the prettiest Les Pauls I've ever seen. Some good tips too.

[@mikelawrence4849]

Thanks guys this is great. I live in BR, Ga. I need to come down.

[@BrettSennett1495]

Please keep these coming while we all sit inside!

[@rickr7333]

Love that velcro trick Dave!

[@NytronX]

Please do more videos with Dave Onorato.

[@Garythefireman66]

Dave is literally the Mr Wizard of guitars. Great video.

[@dimesciple1652]

The Velcro trick on the strings was brilliant!!

[@BString2330]

this was good to know thank you 👍

[@terrycolletti8645]

Very helpful!

[@Mannyaoliver]

great video. Could you make an in debth video for the more complicated adjustments... I know its alot of work. Thank you. You are awesome!

[@stevewarren4813]

Thank you for sharing this. Now, follow through Rhett!

[@richatlsomm833]

yeah....my neighbor uses his rack tuner to intonate his f-100 Yamaha he got at GC w a gift certificate..... lol I had to call Dave out on that...love the channel Rhett.

[@chuckwike5053]

Thanks guys. These videos are always helpful and entertaining. Do you have specific tips for bassists?

[@jamesholmberg3158]

When I had to remove stubborn string pegs I reached inside the sound hole and pushed on the tip of peg with a quarter or a thick pick

[@lodiwish]

A plastic fuse puller works to remove the pins if your in a bind too. great video guys, thanks.

[@riniones]

Great video! always useful advice from Dave! I would like to see how to set up a floyd guitar for maximum tone performance... not necessarily speed and low action but how to set it up for the best possible cleanish tone... (I'm very late to the Floyd game, used to hate them as Rhett does, but I think they have a sound and they deserve to be reconsidered beyond the shred-marshall-high output humbucker realm). Cheers!

[@bowelrupture]

Great vid!!