Luthier Tips du Jour - Acoustic Guitar Set Up

[@wildernesswordsmith]

This is the absolute best. My 35 year old Yamaha FG345 II is now perfect! Thank you, W.

[@OBrienGuitars]

Thanks for watching. Glad you found the information useful.

[@expat2010]

Precise, clear, no stumbling or mumbling, no bs, no wasted time. 5 stars, mate. Thank you.

[@ezmuzik9647]

The best tutorial for setting up an acoustic. Im Always coming back to this video each time I set up my guitar.

[@OBrienGuitars]

Thank you. Glad you found the video useful.

[@waltersguitars3336]

Best guitar teacher on the Internet!!!!!

[@OBrienGuitars]

Thank you sir for the compliment. Happy Building!

[@thomaschin3841]

This is some quality video man 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻 Full of info that every guitarist should know

[@OBrienGuitars]

Thank you. Glad you found the video useful.

[@thomaschin3841]

Thank you for replying sir! I've been playing guitar for only 2 months, I tried to measure my guitar at 12th fret low E string is around 3.5mm and high E string is 2.5mm, is it too high? My neck has slight relief.

[@undryoasis]

the most outstanding video on guitar set-up. felt i have struck gold...

[@MRMR-ss8el]

Best video I have seen on this topic! The only one that covers the critical detail that for a desired change in height at the 12th fret, you need to double that number for the change to be made at the saddle. Well done!

[@OBrienGuitars]

Thank you. Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@rafaelbezerra5041]

Best setup video on the KZbin. Thx from Brazil. Made the ajust at my Cort MR600F. The neck came flat, no curvuture at all, lots of rattling on power chords. the tesion rod adjustment fixed the problem

[@OBrienGuitars]

Obrigado por assistir meu video. Fico feliz em saber que achou útil. Abraços de Colorado.

[@PoppinPortraits]

I never knew it was bowed centre of the neck but I’ve now checked it and it’s perfect. Great tutorial

[@thewabisabicollective7170]

This is the best setup video on KZbin. Thanks so much! ~Beauty & Peace~ Kyle-

[@henriquemeira3432]

hello friend First congratulations for your videos'm sure you already helped many people with his kindness I always had the dream of being luthier who are sometimes discouraged by lack of access to information but now I will take this forward and be a real luthier

[@Josiahjjr]

Well explained. Adjusting intonation is much easier than I thought. Needed this, thanks!

[@FrenchyBunnyStudio]

Thanks a lot! It's just nice to listen and learn from a true professional! Pascal, from Paris,-)

[@Txikibuda]

I've seen A LOT of setup videos and this one is by far my favourite. I'm only thinking about your setup order but seems pretty well for the "most reasonable" scenario so... well done!

[@redrock1963]

In vids like this I see many comments about rip of guitar techs or poor workmanship from guitar shops etc. I'm glad to see there are many "how to" vids on YT like this one from Robert that, with a little basic ability you can do all you need for this basic setup. In these set up type vids, there are no specialty tools or yrs of experience needed to get a great reult and best of all (unless you are a total dill) everything here is reversible. Even if you don't want to do the work yourself, these vids give you conversational knowledge so when you talk w a tech he can't BS you.

[@OBrienGuitars]

@Yeractualpatience Glad you found the video useful. I keep a humidifier in a room with my guitars. You can get a small one room humidifier from a box store and it will keep a room at a constant RH. This is much better than a case humidifier.

[@blackdogxx]

Good point. For those who want to know what to use a scale, look elsewhere and skip luthierie that specifies measurements in smidgens and skoshes. Most all luthiers use MM or 1/32 or 1/64 of inches of measurement.

[@sundar5537]

Thank you very much master Luthier..Best wishes sir..

[@swagner3105]

one of the best instruction videos for acoustic guitar setup. thanks!

[@OBrienGuitars]

Thanks for watching!

[@howemusictuition]

Brilliant video on setting up an acoustic guitar.

[@OBrienGuitars]

Thank you. Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@mikelavictoire5665]

thanks for this. I am retired and trying to teach myself. I think I will bring my new guitar in to have this adjustment done. I don t feel comfortable doing it myself.. No wonder my fingers hurt i can put 3 quarters under the strings on mine. Thanks again. There are lots of things to learn. Also it helps if it doesn't hurt.

[@wdcustomguitars5336]

Your videos is always very good, Robert.

[@OriginalZach]

I haven't tried your guitars but they look very impressive. Thanks for the info.

[@OBrienGuitars]

I am glad you found the information in the video useful.

[@jamesrrodgers]

you are a great teacher, very clear instruction

[@laurentbesnard2669]

my first guitar was a nightmare to set up, buzz appearing and disappearing at many frets . I eventually did it. I've just finished my second guitar and the set up 5 min ago. Your video made it effortless, no buzz, great action for fingerpicking. Luck ? will see for the 3rd one !! thanks so much !

[@OBrienGuitars]

Glad to hear the information worked for you. Happy Building!

[@OBrienGuitars]

@Cypherdude1 You did a good job of explaining the process. If the note is sharp compared to the harmonic then you need to increase the scale length and vice versa

[@OBrienGuitars]

@undryoasis Thanks for the compliment. I am glad you liked the video.

[@tyfude]

@OBrienGuitars Hey great. It works now. It must have been my connection. Thanks for your time. Great video too. Very helpful!

[@60ndown]

im developing a deep love for guitars, i have been wondering how to correctly set up acoustics, thank you...

[@Pluckyxo]

This video is going in my favorites and if I can find the right tools I may adjust my intonation

[@naturesuphoria]

I am being serious! Excellent content and quality video...

[@Cypherdude1]

Thanks for your informative video. It was very helpful. I don’t quite understand the “Check Intonation” part starting at 6:50: “This is done by playing the ‘harmonic’ of each string at the 12th fret and checking the note to make sure it is in tune.” “Then play the actual note at the 12th fret on each string and see if it is the same pitch as the harmonic.” Could you further explain the procedure?

[@OBrienGuitars]

I use bone for the nut and saddle and wood for the bridge pins.

[@OBrienGuitars]

@valuedcustom3r Ideally you need to keep the instrument in a more constant enviornment. A small room with a humidifer/dehumidifier works better than trying to control the entire house. A set up is only a symptom of a dry/humid guitar. Other issues can occur. Treat the cause rather than the symptom.

[@OBrienGuitars]

@Sunambra You would really have to adjust the saddle a great deal to make a difference at the nut. If you find yourself having to adjust the saddle that much then you probably have other issues to worry about.

[@OBrienGuitars]

@buckethead777 You need to remove the saddle and sand the bottom of it but I only do this after first checking the truss rod and adjusting if needed and then checking the action at the nut. I then adjust the saddle height if needed.

[@Mirko1957]

Thank you Mr. Obrien for very good explanation! I was searching only for that distance in milimeters between 6-th and 1-st string and 12-th fret and I couldn't found it only in inches.

[@kamak5678]

use conversion calculator on link : www.google.com/search?q=convert+inch+to+mm&oq=convert+inch+to+mm&aqs=chrome..69i57j6.4631j1j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 Examples: 1/10th = 2.54 mm, 1/12th = 2.117 or rounded to 2.2 mm & 1/16th = 1.587 rounded to 1.6 mm.

[@OBrienGuitars]

@ElectricTurkey1 All they have to do is touch the next fret. They don't necessarily have to hit the fretboard. If you are getting buzzing and need more pressure then get a different capo.

[@cornholioliolio3668]

Terrific video! Answered most all of my questions. My only (small) complaint would be the use of the word skosh in several places rather than an actual number or range. But with that said, I've researched this topic quite a bit and this video stands out as one of the very best if not the best. Thanks much.

[@OBrienGuitars]

Thanks for the compliment. Glad you found the video useful.

[@OBrienGuitars]

Thank you for the compliment. Happy Building!

[@f1948s]

I was always told to set the string at the 12th fret by sanding the bottom of the saddle prior to adjusting the nut. The nut should be the last thing done prior to setting the intonation. The reason was if you adjusted the nut height first and then adjusted the height of the string at the 12th fret by sanding down the saddle you might get buzzing at the first fret . What do you think.

[@OBrienGuitars]

I suppose that could happen but the opposite is also true. Since a larger adjustment is usually necessary at the 12th fret instead of the nut I choose to adjust the action at the nut first.

[@OBrienGuitars]

Glad the video helped. Happy Playing!

[@OBrienGuitars]

@REX05011 In this case, usually nylon string guitars, the maker has carefully thought out things like neck angle, relief etc during the construction phase. Also, there is not as much tension on these guitars so a truss rod is not necessary. If you happen to have a steel string guitar without a truss rod then you could experience relief issues.

[@DelTangBrav]

@ElectricTurkey1 In addition to what ObrienGuitars has said may I add that when using a capo it should be placed as close to the required fret as possible (without muting) I have noticed many capo users wrongly place the capo mid fret or too close to the previous fret.

[@Andrea-fw9rw]

Ottimo grazie...

[@OBrienGuitars]

@MrAndcruz You are welcome. Yes, you can use this trick on electrics. CA glue is cynoacrylate glue, also known as super glue

[@OBrienGuitars]

Many people do this but the action adjustment is secondary. If you adjust the truss rod you will affect the action but the purpose of the truss rod is to dial in the correct relief in the neck not the action of the strings

[@lewisfirth6502]

I was going to adjust my acoustic bass that ive just bought 2nd hand with bow and a rubbish action but I now realise that an an experienced luthier is going to be money well spent , great vid.

[@OBrienGuitars]

@RUREDICULOUS2 The glue is called Cyanoacrylate glue or CA glue. It is sold under names like super bonder etc.

[@brianwalsh2945]

excellent, so well illustrated

[@OBrienGuitars]

Sim, é importante a ordem. Seria primeiro o tensor, segundo a altura das cordas na pestana e teceiro a altura das cordas nas casa 12 regulando a altura do rastilho. Por útlimo seria a intonação. No video falo das medidas. Pode usar uma lima faca para regular a pestana mas prefiro as limas apropriadas para esse trabalho.

[@MrAndcruz]

@OBrienGuitars i thought so... thanks again and great vids....lots of info to learn from Thanks

[@woodbox50]

Buy O'Brien DVD on Set up, I bought it a few years ago and still use these procedures on all of our acoustic guitars.

[@OBrienGuitars]

Thank you.

[@OBrienGuitars]

@Txikibuda Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@f1948s]

Thank you. Very good presentation.

[@OBrienGuitars]

@TeleTubeee You are welcome. I am glad you enjoyed it.

[@OBrienGuitars]

@archtopp1 You are probably correct. The action I give is a middle of the road set up. I have heard it is too low. I have heard it is too high and I have heard that it is just right. This gives you an idea of how many opinions there are about action. Find something that works for you and party on!

[@OBrienGuitars]

@bridgeplatepuller If that is what works for you then use that method. If you have to substantially adjust your saddle then you should dial this in better during your build process. Happy Building!

[@OBrienGuitars]

I believe that was Cobalt Blue. Laurence Juber said I could use any of his original music and I think that is what I used for this video.

[@blessedwithchallenges9917]

Love it! Tempted to come make a guitar under your instruction...

[@OBrienGuitars]

Let me know when you are ready.

[@Ivorymandingo]

good clear instruction, nice video , thank you

[@OBrienGuitars]

Thank you.

[@valuedcustom3r]

Great tips thanks. I live in the midwest where it is HOT and HUMID in the summer but COLD and DRY in the winter. Is there a preferred time to do a setup? Thanks

[@tentacruel5297]

This is really informative. Thank you for sharing.

[@OBrienGuitars]

@Cypherdude1 Do a google search to understand what a harmonic is. To play it just touch the string at the 12th fret and then pluck it. The pitch you hear is a harmonic. Then play the fretted note at the 12th fret. Th pitch should be the same as the pitch of the harmonic. If it is then there is no need to adjust the intonation. There are many great sources for info on this.

[@saulurena7681]

You have my dream job. Thanks for the informative video

[@tyfude]

I'm glad I got to see your video after all. I am interested adjusting my action at the 12th fret and this is exactly what I wanted to see. Thanks again!

[@OBrienGuitars]

Ola Henrique, Obrigado por assistir meus videos. Fico contente que você está gostando. Manda a sua pergunta em Português mesmo que consigo entender melhor a sua dúvida. abs.

[@henriquemeira3432]

obrigado você tem alguma vídeo aula sua? ou só mesmo os videos no youtube? e com todos os videos seus do youtube da para se fazer um violão? gostei muito das suas informações porque são bem detalhadas com fácil entendimento posso contar com a sua ajuda para qualquer dúvida? ate mais

[@OBrienGuitars]

@chriss869 Yes, changing the string gauge means you need to do another set up. It changes everything.

[@verydab1]

Thanks for a really clear an concise video of a set up. The only things I was not clear on was when setting the relief how thick is a skinny business card? And on the nut height action, I know how much a 1/64" is at the 6th string but how much is a "scoash" above the 1st string?

[@MrAndcruz]

@OBrienGuitars thanks!! when you filed the bridge, did you did grooves like you would do on nut?? cheers

[@OBrienGuitars]

@HeroicOaf haha! Thanks. I am glad the information I provided was useful.

[@bbmusgrove58]

GREAT VIDEO , I LEARNED A LOT

[@nocaster51]

This is the most intelligible instruction on KZbin PERIOD.

[@OBrienGuitars]

Thank you!

[@nocaster51]

Yes it is! Thank you for being an asset to the KZbin community too!

[@wizardwithguns1]

Amazing detail!!!

[@OBrienGuitars]

@johntrik I have no idea. Scale length, string gauge and tension, top stiffness etc. all play a factor in playability

[@TeleTubeee]

Thanks for sharing! Presentation was well done, too, BTW. Doug San Francisco, California

[@bridgeplatepuller]

Please note: presuming the relief is satisfactory, cutting the nut slot depth before having a preferred saddle height can easily lead to buzzing (if the saddle needs substantial reduction in height) or leave you with a stiff action if the saddle needs to be raised. When you fret any string, the first element eliminated from the equation that contributes to buzz is the nut. The proper order of adjustment is: neck relief, saddle height, nut slot depth and then intonation. Period.

[@AllenPinchloaf]

Great! Question: What material do you recommend for bridge saddle?And how bout the pins? Some say man made tusq or bone.

[@wildwestpoint]

hi there, do you have a tutorial on how to adjust scale length, nut & saddle compensation? what is the correct length of each string from nut to saddle? because when i pressed down some string, it isn't in tune

[@henriquemeira3432]

vi aqui no site que você também tem um curso em dvd esse curso seria o mesmo do curso on-line?

[@MrFlintwalker1]

Robbie, hey man hows it going? I haven't talk to you in a while. Glad all is well. Ive been looking all over for the vacuum clamp setup thats in your video. Can you post a link of the manufacture, please?

[@OBrienGuitars]

The vacuum clamp setup I use is from Luthiers Mercantile International. www.lmii.com Happy Building!

[@MrFlintwalker1]

@@OBrienGuitars the two clamps I saw attached to your work bench, have two levers attached to the swivel base. The LMI mounting base is different.

[@TSC369]

Could you please tell me whether you use a capo at the 1st fret while taking measurements of the action at the 12th fret? Thank you. Love from Nepal

[@henriquemeira3432]

a respeito da régua que você usa no vídeo é alguma especifica? e a lixa que usa para dar acabamento no rastilho é uma lixa normal de madeira?

[@MontiKRK]

This is the best video about adjusting guitar ever made and on youtube! Thank you so much! I finally set up my guitar.. Sounds really nice E6 - 2,5mm, E1 - 2,1mm. Wondering if to work on E1 to bring it to 1,6 but I don't know if it's gonna change much ... What do you guys think?

[@OBrienGuitars]

Outra coisa, vou estar no brasil dando um curso de uma semana e Julho desse ano. Procura Luciano Borges para reservar o seu lugar

[@OBrienGuitars]

@RedLedZep Ideally you want to know what the RH is where the guitar is stored. Your approach doesn;t allow you to know that. Keep the guitar between 40% and 50% RH and that should do it. However, I think you have bigger issues at this point.

[@MrAndcruz]

thank you, thank you , thank you for the info, you make this vid very easy to understand..... can you do the same baking soda and CA glue on electrics?? what is CA glue cheers

[@FranklinArtSite]

In setting the bridge on a classical guitar with a 650 scale and normal tension strings, the reference I am using tells me to use a bridge stick cut to 651 and butt the bridge up against the end (centered on the fretboard). My question is that since the saddle is 1/8" thick, that will make the front of the saddle back another 3.1 mm because of the wood in the bridge OR if the stick contacts the nut only the center of the nut will be 1.5 mm longer than the 651mm of the stick. Help! Is that a correct setting or should it be 651mm to the center of the nut to the face of the nut? There wasn't any drawing to clarify that part of the build. So any help would be greatly appreciated. Frank in Arlington, Texas

[@OBrienGuitars]

I add 2mm to the overall scale length on my classical guitars. This is measured from the front edge of the nut to the front edge of the saddle. Hope this helps.

[@henriquemeira3432]

na verdade são muitos videos com boas explicações acho que posso fazer um violão com seus videos minha duvida maior também é sobre materiais quais materiais e ferramentas comprar primeiro e assim por diante?

[@RUREDICULOUS2]

You mentioned using baking soda and (CA Glue?) build more mass. What type of glue does one use for the nut/baking soda material issue?

[@Dvox_]

Thanks for answering I really appreciate it.there is some relief on the neck. Also if I put a straight edge on, it touches the 16f and not the last fret. Is that ok? I don’t have an align key to make adjustments.when I got my guitar,it had medium gauge strings.I don’t know the size.I’m using light strings on the advice from a music shop. will the extra tension from medium strings be enough to bring the relief back?This is the first time iv setup a guitar and want to get the best sound from it

[@gwloo]

Great videos. I love them. Say if I put on a thicker gauge strings and the guitar bows a bit more and action becomes slower. In order to get back the action, Is it OK that i only adjust the truss rod? Or is it better to file the nut? Thanks.

[@DavidLaFerney]

Great video! This is just what I do to make a $100 guitar player like a $1000 guitar. I file down to a stack of feeler gauges for a nearly foolproof nut adjustment - but same result. If you have never adjusted a truss rod then by definition you do not know what you are doing. How are you going to learn? First get a cheap guitar for your first subject. You probably have one. Then LOOSEN the truss rod first - 1/4 turn or so - even if you need to tighten it. Now as you tighten it if it suddenly gets really hard to turn (after going that 1/4 turn) you know it is bottomed out and not just a little tight.

[@henriquemeira3432]

obrigado por toda atenção! então amigo,queria saber se existe alguma regra de qual das três regular primeiro:o tensor, a pestana ou o rastilho? e também queria saber a distancia das cordas para os trastes,das regulagens de cada um deles.sobre as ferramentas,que régua é essa que você usa no vídeo,é alguma específica? Tem alguma coisa que pode substituir as limas de pestana?

[@chriskaprys]

great video! many thanks!

[@buckethead777]

So if the action on the guitar is too high, you need to remove the bridge and file the underside of it?

[@REX05011]

@OBrienGuitars yeah weird right i looked inside the hole where the truss rod nut is supposed to be and i saw the rod but not the nut .

[@cirodiesel1980]

very good video!