How to Set Up a Guitar the Sweetwater Way | Advice from Our Luthiers

From the masterfully crafted Custom Shop showpiece to the wallet-friendly workhorse, a guitar is only as good as its setup. We here at Sweetwater should know — we set up hundreds of brand-new guitars in the Sweetwater Guitar Workshop every day for our customers! There’s a world of difference between a 6-string fresh out of the factory box and an instrument precisely dialed into your personal playing preferences. However, even if you wisely choose to purchase a setup on your next Sweetwater guitar order, an initial setup is not permanent and can drift over time. So, we had an idea: Why not give our customers the means to replicate our Sweetwater setup on their own time?

While you may have read or watched videos about guitar setups online, our setup method comes courtesy of luthier Chad Fitzpatrick — Sweetwater’s guitar training specialist and a 20-plus-year veteran of the guitar repair world who formerly helmed the repair departments of some of Chicago’s most renowned vintage guitar shops. The techniques and tips shared in this article are the same processes our Guitar Techs follow when setting up your instrument, and, if followed to the letter, these procedures will have your guitar performing at its peak.

Tools You’ll NeedHow to Use This GuideStep #1: Setting Your Neck’s ReliefStep #2: Setting Your Bridge/Saddle ActionAdjusting Your ActionStep #3: Setting Your Nut ActionStep #4: Setting Your Pickup HeightStep #5: Setting Your Intonation

Tools You’ll Need

Disclaimer: The Sweetwater setup method is rather tool intensive. We’re not telling you that you need these tools so that we can make tool sales — the method described hereafter is the exact method we use in our Guitar Workshop. Purchasing a set of nut files or feeler gauges might sting at first, but with some knowledge and experience, they’ll keep your instruments in top shape for decades.

An action gaugeA digital nut slotting gauge (optional but recommended)Feeler gaugesUnder-saddle radius gaugesA capoNut filesA very accurate tuner to set intonation (preferably a strobe tuner)A neck cradleA guitar matA pencilAssorted hex keys/screwdrivers/nut drivers/etc.

Luckily, we carry most of these tools on the Sweetwater site. If you want to start building up a specialized guitar-repair tool locker, then we strongly recommend using brands like StewMac and MusicNomad.

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How to Use This Guide

Before continuing, let us emphasize that the order of operations in setting up a guitar is critically important here; skipping steps or taking shortcuts will result in a subpar setup. Setting your relief, action, and nut action is a balancing act of sorts, where modifying one component can drastically impact another component. Our process isolates each of these three elements as much as possible for the utmost consistency and accuracy.

Also, we’re assuming that your guitar is in reasonably good repair. If you complete this process correctly and your guitar still doesn’t play right, then there may be an underlying issue that needs to be addressed by a Guitar Tech in our Guitar Workshop.

All our “closed measurements” are taken with a capo on the first fret, thus allowing us to measure every string’s action in isolation from the nut. Also, we strongly recommend printing this chart out at the start of the setup process, as we’ll be frequently referring back to these measurements throughout the guide.

Step #1: Setting Your Neck’s Relief

In simplest terms, neck relief is the amount of bow in your guitar’s neck. This concept is tricky to wrap your head around without a visual aid, so here are a couple of handy diagrams to drive the point home.

An exaggerated example of backbow in a guitar neck.

An exaggerated example of relief in a guitar neck.

And, of course, the middle point between these two extremes would be a completely straight neck. Backbow is always wrong, and a dead-straight neck is not preferable for most guitar players. Ideally, we want the slightest relief possible, with concessions for a player’s style and technique. If you’re trying to diagnose a relief-related issue, then a quick rule of thumb is that too little relief in a neck will often cause issues in the first five frets, while too much relief can cause problems from the ninth fret upward.

Relief is adjusted via the instrument’s truss rod, the location of which can vary depending on the model. Even the slightest turn of the truss rod can make quite a difference in playability, so be gentle.

Tune your guitar to pitch, gently stretch out the strings, retune, and repeat the process until the strings do not shift after being stretched.Place a capo on the first fret and your finger on the last fret of the low E string (for most electric guitars) or where the body joins the neck (for acoustic guitars and certain irregular electric guitar neck joints).Using a feeler gauge or a digital gauge (we use the latter, as it’s a much more accurate tool), measure the distance between the top of the fret and the bottom of the string at the midpoint of the string’s travel. On most electrics, we take this measurement at the 10th fret. On acoustics, it will usually be at the seventh fret.Consult the Sweetwater Guitar Workshop Setup Specifications Guide (pictured above) for the proper relief for your instrument/style, and then compare it to your current relief.Turn the truss rod clockwise (less relief) or counterclockwise (more relief) in increments of about an eighth to a quarter of a turn.Tune up, and then remeasure the relief.Repeat Steps #2 through #6 until you’ve reached the proper relief.

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Step #2: Setting Your Bridge/Saddle Action

Next, we need to take care of the saddle(s). These are located on the instrument’s bridge near your picking hand and can range from individual metal pieces, like on a Fender Stratocaster, to 1-piece bridges where the saddles cannot be height adjusted without modification.

The curvature of the strings should match the curvature of the fingerboard — which is easily accomplished on adjustable saddles but not so easily adjusted on a fixed-saddle bridge. If you have a bridge with nonadjustable saddles, then they should ideally match the curvature of your fingerboard radius, but that’s not always the case. You can check how closely they match by using this method:

Determine the radius of your fingerboard (the most accurate method here is by using a radius gauge, as posted measurements are not always accurate).Place a capo on the first fret.Slide an under-saddle radius gauge that matches your fingerboard’s radius under the strings where they exit the bridge/saddle.Check to see if the curvature of the strings at this point matches the curvature of the radius gauge.If the radius of the strings — and therefore the radius of your nonadjustable saddle — differs from the radius of the gauge, then consult a professional tech. This is not an uncommon issue, but it does involve permanent bridge modification beyond this article’s scope.

Also, you might be wondering why we keep the capo on when measuring string action, especially since almost every other technique online measures the open string from the 12th fret. The following scenario will explain why.

Say you’ve perfectly adjusted the action of all your strings, and then you decide to adjust the nut slots. If you set your action to a certain height, then file the nut slot after you’ve effectively lowered the string’s overall height. Nut height will always impact the open action height of your instrument. So, by placing a capo on the first fret, we effectively remove the nut from the equation. When the capo is removed after properly setting the relief, saddle action, and nut action, then everything falls into place.

Adjusting Your Action

After properly setting your relief and with your guitar tuned to pitch, put your capo back on the first fret.Adjust the two outermost saddles to the height corresponding to your preferred style on the Setup Specifications Guide. For most guitarists, this will be around 3.5/64ths to 4/64ths on the bass side and 2.5/64ths to 3/64ths on the treble side.Using a radius gauge that matches your guitar’s fingerboard radius (an understring gauge is preferable here), set the height of the inside four strings to match the curve of the gauge. If performed correctly, all six strings should have a natural transition from the slightly higher action on the bass side to the slightly lower action on the treble side.Test all fretted notes for clarity and comfort. Your setup is 75% done!

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Step #3: Setting Your Nut Action

Note: While nut filing is an integral part of our setup method, it’s a thoroughly advanced technique that can go wrong quickly if you’re not careful. Unlike the previous steps, this one is not instantly reversible with the twist of a screw. Approach this section cautiously and be 100% certain that you’re ready before taking a file to the slot.

First off, you need proper nut files — this is nonnegotiable. Plenty of at-home hack methods are proposed online to circumvent the necessity of nut files, but a hack technique may leave you with a hack result.

Because of the somewhat high skill floor and cost of nut files, many guitarists who otherwise perform their setups will not adjust the nut. This is a big mistake because the nut is crucial to the playability of your instrument in the open position, otherwise known as “the position you’re probably going to be playing in the most.” Saddles may adjust your overall action, but they’re on the opposite end of the instrument — lowering them will not rectify a stiff-feeling string caused by high nut slots. Additionally, nut slots that are too high can negatively impact intonation in the guitar’s lower register.

Tune your instrument to pitch.Stack a couple of pieces of low tack tape directly in front of the headstock side of your nut to protect the guitar’s finish from accidental file strokes.Pick a string (generally, we start on either the low E or high E and then move horizontally across the fingerboard), and then measure the distance from the top of the first fret to the bottom of the string using a feeler gauge.Compare the measurement to our Setup Specifications Guide.If the slot is too high, then detune the string and remove it from the slot.Choose the proper-sized nut file (ideally 0.002 inches greater than the string you wish to use in the slot).Use a pencil to fill in the bottom of the slot with graphite. This will be a visual aid for correcting the shape and height of the slot.Holding the nut file at the same angle that the string travels toward the tuning post, file in one smooth motion toward the headstock. You don’t need to apply much pressure; let the file do most of the work.As your file removes material from the nut slot, it will wear away the graphite you applied in Step #7. This reveals where your file isn’t contacting the nut slot. The ideal nut slot is a smooth slope from the headstock end, with a sharply defined plane (known as the “takeoff point”) right as the string exits the nut (demonstrated in the figure below). Reapply graphite as needed to check the shape and takeoff point of your nut slot.Place the string back into the slot, bring it back up to pitch, and then remeasure to check your progress.Repeat Steps #7 through #10 very slowly and methodically until you’re near the proper height. It’s very easy to over-file the slot, so if you’re not yet confident in your technique, then it’s better to undershoot the height than go too low. You can always remove more material; putting material back is more difficult.Repeat Steps #3 through #11 for the rest of your guitar’s strings.

Tip: When you get to about 0.001 inches away from your target nut action, hold off on filing for a moment. The string will often relax and drop around 0.001 inches within the next few minutes.

When filing the slot, it’s vital to keep your nut file at the same angle as the string travels toward the tuning peg.

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Step #4: Setting Your Pickup Height

Now, it’s time to set your pickup height. When taking pickup height measurements, you first depress the string at the last fret, and then measure from the top of the pickup’s pole piece to the bottom of the string.

While holding down the low E string at the last fret, set your bass-side pickups’ height to 6/64 of an inch.While holding down the high E string at the last fret, set your treble-side pickups’ height to 4/64 of an inch.Play through an amp to ensure the string volumes are balanced.Adjust to taste if necessary.

Pickup height highly depends on the type of pickup your guitar has and your personal taste; our measurements are simply a good starting point.

Step #5: Setting Your Intonation

Intonation is the very last step of the setup and is easy if you have a high-quality strobe tuner. What is intonation? You may have noticed that certain strings on certain frets sound more in tune than others. Intonation is how “in tune” each note is, and it’s always a compromise on traditional fretted instruments.

By adjusting the saddles so that the 12th fret note (the midway point of your guitar’s scale length) is as close to “in tune” as possible, an acceptable intonation compromise across the rest of the instrument’s register is achieved.

Pick a string (generally, we start on either the low E or high E and then move horizontally across the fingerboard).Play the 12th fret harmonic and ensure that the note is as in tune as possible with your tuner.Fret the string at the 12th fret, and then use your tuner to gauge how sharp or flat the note is. The attack of the note is what you’re measuring here; the note may fluctuate as it trails off.Choose the appropriate screwdriver/hex key/etc. tool to adjust your guitar’s respective bridge/saddle system.If the note is flat, then bring the saddle toward the headstock end to decrease the overall length of the string.If the note is sharp, then push the saddle away from the headstock end to increase the overall length of the string.Retune the string. Double-check that the 12th fret harmonic is accurate.Repeat Steps #2 through #7 until the note played at the 12th fret is as close to the open harmonic as possible.Repeat Steps #1 through #7 for all the other strings.

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All Set Up & Ready to Go

Now, while our setups include a meticulous cleaning and maintenance routine after the proper setup, we’ll leave that portion to our comprehensive cleaning article.

How to Clean a Guitar — Everything You Need to Know!

But apart from the minor details of cleaning and polishing, your guitar should be playing better than ever before. If not, or if you’d rather have a professional handle this process, then call Sweetwater at (800) 222-4700 to experience firsthand the world-class expertise of the Sweetwater Guitar Workshop!
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