Sam - thanks for an awesome video. I’m a 54 year old player from America and been playing for about 30 years. I learned a lot, no doubt … and some of it was about guitar setup! Yes, I learned a lot just from your spirit and love of guitar. The honesty you show and level of comfort you have for your value is inspiring. As I’m just a few years off retirement from my government job I’ve thought about having a side hobby/business in guitar setups. I do my own but maybe in retirement I might do some for others. If I could fly my guitars to you right now, I would for a setup! Love your videos!
@trill19638 ай бұрын
Sam it’s been a pleasure watching your detailed set up online. I now fully understand the level of accuracy and diligence you apply to fulfilling your brief. Yours is truly a labour of love I feel and the enthusiasm you show is infectious. I have already endorsed you to friends as a go to for the best set up around. As a new guitar player I feel privileged and inspired Thank you🤟 Troy.
@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars8 ай бұрын
1963 was a good year wasn't it? :D You're very welcome, my pleasure to be able to do what I love!
@voyagersa22Ай бұрын
Thank you so much brother. I have a similar Epiphone Cheap LP. With this video I managed to make it sound much better and lower action to E1.5mm e1.3 mm. I am in Colombia 🇨🇴 😂❤😊
@martynharveythepoet51148 ай бұрын
Very succinct and important little "motto" at 1:16:00 (or thereabouts) Sam! "If you can't tell the difference, then I haven't set it up yet" Exactly!! Another great vid - thanks Sam! 🙂
@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars8 ай бұрын
Thanks Martyn. It's cheesy so I never 'used' it in anger in a marketing sense, but for a long time I've used it as a 'touch-stone' for what I do - and sometimes, at an appropriate moment, I'll use it in conversation with a customer.
@jeffersononetwoАй бұрын
Wanted to say again, what an outstanding video. I really learned a lot- many thanks - your methods are just fantastic!
@SamDeeksRelovedGuitarsАй бұрын
Thanks for the kind comment :D
@AntonioCavicchioni8 ай бұрын
This is the MASTER CLASS!!!
@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars8 ай бұрын
That’s kind of you :) I do think I covered just about everything I need to in this one video!
@legoarmo8 ай бұрын
You're so great at explaining things, you make me feel like I could even do some of these things myself. Any must have tools you recommend?
@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars8 ай бұрын
Thank you for the feedback! I do recommend my eBook - shows you how to make and use the levelling beam seen here and do all other aspects of the set up using very very inexpensive tools! facebook.com/relovedguitars/posts/pfbid0dU5qfMArBQwpu3Ek2YXwJ6M3nS9xTzBAFXDrRJaUguevJJyPxWXqJPh47Yh1jNhYl (Forgive me for double-plugging this in the same comments stream!) :)
@Parrollo8 ай бұрын
I love the variety of guitars you’re working on. I have a Les Paul Special 2 and came to your channel a few years back to watch you install new pick ups on one and stayed. Love the content and that you allow us to peak into your method.
@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars8 ай бұрын
Thanks for your support & kind comments! I love seeing all the different instruments that come in too. One of two I get severe hankerings after… thankfully I then get distracted quickly so I forget them and my wallet doesn’t get raided!
@scooby21428 ай бұрын
I'm a long term watcher and view all your videos for the full length Sam. I have learnt many things from you. I cant thank you enough for your content. Many thanks - Mike. I just bought a PRS SE CE and managed to set it up properly with the relief and string height from your tuitions.
@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars8 ай бұрын
That's good to hear Mike - and thanks for your kind feedback message. PRS's are pretty good 'off the shelf' too. It's no surprise that I've only seen a couple of them through the workshop. The last one a customer brought over for a check-over went home with him with a "see how you get on for a couple of months and IF you want the action lowered, you know where I am" advice. :D
@ericcrawford98277 ай бұрын
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars I'm trying, even now. But surely that's the point of online tutorials, there's always someone somewhere who's had a lot more experience making musical instruments more 'playable'.
@yetimatzenightcat87028 ай бұрын
Hello Sam, thank you very much for your fantastic videos. Sometimes when I have a problem with one of my guitars, I always find the best solution on your channel 👌👍
@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars8 ай бұрын
You're welcome - as always, and thanks for your long-time support!
@andimurer41468 ай бұрын
Hello Sam! Another unique work from you! Your customers will now also understand your ability to A-Z, use correctly! It's nice to see the feedback you get, hey My guitar wasn't as easy to play when new as it is now. She is now a completely different caliber of play! Wonderful feeling... (tune stable)..Nice Work Have a nice weekend from Lake Constance, Healthy greetings, Andy M.🎸🎸🎸
@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars8 ай бұрын
Thanks Andy! I’m just arriving at the workshop to do some spraying; the only down side is that the nice weather that’s good for spraying is also good for lying in the hammock! :D
@mikehudgins5764Ай бұрын
Excellent video, thank you!
@salort29343 ай бұрын
I moded mine with P90s and PRS SE tuners, paid $18 for the P90s pair and 25 for the tuners, and this is the best playing guitar I’ve had.
@oldtimer99Ай бұрын
Sam - great video as usual. Just to see if I understood correctly: 1st fret measurement, is it the same for all strings? And what should it be? Also if I change the string gauge, do I need to replace/mod the nut? Pardon the basic questions but struggling with one guitar setup; as you said techie does not seem to follow your excellent approach. I cannot get rid of a G string buzzing around the middle or somewhere else depending attempts to solve it. Thanks
@AnnemarieStanton2 ай бұрын
I have les paul 100, and that has a Bolt on kneck, and that's a really good guitar, though the epiphene LP 100 is hard to find ...I recomend getting one if you find it !
@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars2 ай бұрын
The 100 is fun, simple package:)
@AnnemarieStantonАй бұрын
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars they are difficult to find !...meaning they are good they most certainly feel like a les paul and sound like them!...theas new squier affinitys (the ones that don't say affinity on top of the headstoock)...are advertised as "fender voiced pickups ...the fender stratocaster sound is the sound of "surf guitar "wich is what fender specialised in working closely with those players (the man who invented surf wrote ghost riders in the sky !..when leo fender asked him to play the fender strat he took a right hand guitar and turned upside down to the laughter of leo fender he started to try and transpose right handed chirds upside down on his left hand and in the process the uniqe sound of surf guitar was born in that instant!....thats the true fender strat sound ...try a set of 10s on a squire affinity (not the ones that say strat ) the new ones with the full "stratocaster" logo and give it a slap back delay and try a bit of surf ... Only then will people realy understand what" fender voiced " means !!
@TheMerlinshawk6 ай бұрын
Sam thanks for this video i hope i can remember all this
@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars5 ай бұрын
Luckily the video doesn't go away and you can consult it over and over!
@MrDalorian7 ай бұрын
Hello Sam, another great video. I’m your fan since 3 years ago when I did my first guitar setup. Thanks to your guides it ended up beyond my expectations. I have a question for my current setup, if I may. Using 9s or 10s string I have slight backbow near the headstock. With 11s I get dead flat neck. Truss rod (single action) is completely loose. I have read about 2 possible solutions a) tighten truss rod to back bow, level frets and then release back the truss rod, b) clamp the neck to up bow and heat fretboard, then let cool down and hope it will keep the relief (c) sell the guitar) What would you do? Many thanks for your time and reply Or if you already have a video/guitar where you dealt with this kind of issue, I would love to watch it.
@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars7 ай бұрын
Hi MrD. Glad to hear my set up approach has worked for you. Sorry for the late reply. Sooo.... yes, heavier strings is the simplest (but less desirable) approach. You're forcing a reluctant neck to bend since there's no alternative with a one-way (tighten or slack) truss rod. Since you're a time-served Banana operator here's a trick I have used in the past in that situation: calibrate the Banana on your almost flat neck - then manually dial in a little more curvature into the tool than exists in the actual fretboard. Applying this very lightly with a lot of repetition (and limited side to side movement) i've found can 'scoop' a tiny bit of space out of the middle frets.... it's incredibly subtle ie. how much metal is removed but it HAS created that required bit of 'spin space' for the strings in such a situation in the past. Ideally, a stiffer Banana i.e. a U-Channel rod BUT they've changed the way they manufacture these and they need some grinding to prep them properly.
@TheWGLOVER8 ай бұрын
I have one of these, and used your banana method on it a few years back. Plays a treat.
@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars8 ай бұрын
Hi William, good to see you here :) thanks for your support; living proof that the banana method works!
@patotasfern8 ай бұрын
Really been learning so much watching your vids. Just one question, where can i get a leveling bow?
@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars8 ай бұрын
Hi - couple of ways to do it - my eBook '5 Steps to Guitar Set up Heaven' facebook.com/relovedguitars/posts/pfbid0dU5qfMArBQwpu3Ek2YXwJ6M3nS9xTzBAFXDrRJaUguevJJyPxWXqJPh47Yh1jNhYl Shows how to make and use the 'Banana' tool* - including all other aspects of set up, using the least expensive tools throughout. Or I sell a kit for £80 + P&P which includes: • 1 Download of '5 Steps to Guitar Set up Heaven' (price £24.99) • 1 Download of '6 Steps to Guitar Build Heaven' (price £24.99) • Premium 445mm U-Channel Truss rod (same as I use in my videos) • 6 strips of 400 grit self-adhesive paper (1 on beam, 5 spare) • 3 brass dome nuts • Rubber / plastic string spreader * Banana shown in eBook features the simpler truss rod which is cheaper (or can be removed from any broken guitar neck), narrower but slightly more flexible. This does a great job and I used it for the first couple of years of doing fret levelling with this method. I've since moved up to the U-Channel style rod for its extra stiffness, however it is more expensive. Email me at samdeeks@gmail.com for info how to buy either eBook or Premium Banana package :)
@mikerauter18598 ай бұрын
Your videos are like watching an artist. Can I ask are a fan of zero frets Sam?
@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars8 ай бұрын
Hi Mike - zero frets are good in so far as they set a beautifully low 1st fret action (thanks to the basic geometry of an averagely low set up) but the down side is that the constant pressure of the strings on the metal causes it to notch very quickly. This isn't often a major problem - but becomes annoying if you like to bend strings down near the nut as you get 'clicks' that you can feel and hear as the string rides up and out of the notch. Zero frets seem to notch even if they're made of stainless steel; the 24/7, 365-days-a-year pressure of string on nut is relentless. Because of notching, I don't use zero frets in my own builds - but this is also because I'm used to getting great 1st fret actions with Tusq nuts so the zero fret doesn't give me anything that improves on that.
@mikerauter18598 ай бұрын
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars thanks for that great response to my question, I first heard of them many years ago when Tony Iommi had john birch make him a custom SG and he basically said he couldn't understand why Gibson didn't use zero frets.
@An_inquisitive_thinker8 ай бұрын
Burns London and Rapier guitars love zero frets it seems.
@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars8 ай бұрын
@@An_inquisitive_thinker As do Brian May guitars - I had one from new and the zero fret notched just hanging on the wall hanger. Mind you, Brian May apparently has never changed any of his frets - zero included - and they’re rutted like crazy. But I still stick with Tusq nuts 😊
@An_inquisitive_thinker8 ай бұрын
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars I say one needs to know how to replace fretwire anyway and do it himself if zero fret worn out. It's a simple skill really and lots of fun as with all things guitar repair.
@sacalait592 ай бұрын
What was the part number for the nut?
@ronnielopez19688 ай бұрын
If Gibson used the banana and first fret action then they would be justified in charging what they do!!! Right? 👍
@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars8 ай бұрын
Some companies do have their guitars Plek’d and that treatment seems to be 95% effective… I’ve used the banana technique to get that extra 5% on already-Plek’d guitars.
@BlueberryStinkFinger627 ай бұрын
Frets don't need to be pleck if put in right in the first place
@sacalait592 ай бұрын
Can you give the part number for the nut?
@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars2 ай бұрын
Luckily I keep a list of some of the nut I use - so it was this one PT-6061-00 :) An alternative is PT-6439-00
@An_inquisitive_thinker8 ай бұрын
It's funny how the same people who rubbish bolt-on necks on Gibson sing praises to Fenders that are all bolt-on. Go figure.
@mikerauter18598 ай бұрын
Exactly. Play a Gibson sonex 180 deluxe and be blown away