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== String Gauge ==Most stock guitars come in standard E tuning with 9A lot of people think action has little impact on tone, other than the amount of fret buzz. That might be true on a low-quality instrument or one that hasn't been set up properly because by the time you get the action low enough so that it affects tone, it's (already getting quite a bit of sustaining buzz.009-With a great instrument well set up to allow a really low action with virtually no sustaining fret buzz, ''action has an impact on tone''.042). These are easy At higher action, the strings don't have as much twang or pop to bend their attack and are sustain a strong bass response. As you lower the action, the strings will occasionally hit the frets. This pop during attack can be regarded as good for lead workor bad. It tends to add a little brightness to the tone, but I find them a bit lacking and '''emphasizes pick attack strength'''. My advice here is not to try to basically EQ your guitar tone through the action. And if you want have a heavy rhythm sound. Because they are relatively loosestrong bass response, you can always EQ it out later, whereas youcan't EQ it in if it wasn'll get a strong attack on them that quickly fades t there to begin with. A boost pedal does a whimper. In my mind, that sounds kind much better job of vintage, not modern and heavyfiltering out too much mud than a low action. For standard E tuningreference, I prefer 10Petrucci's tech said in some forum that he runs a super-low action: ~1mm at 12th fret for all strings (~1.0102 -1.0463mm @24th fret). If you like You can hear how much pop and how little bass (and how much buzz) this gives the tone in the intro solo to play in drop D, you may prefer strings with a heavy bottom (Hollow Years on the Live at Bukokan DVD.010-Petrucci's setup has been said to be absurdly low.052)Most low action shred setups are around 1. The heavy bottom is nice, even if you don't play in a drop tuning 5 - you generally don't need to make as strong bends on your thicker strings as you do 2mm on the thinner oneshigh E string at the 24th fret. Given that I'm a Petrucci nutFor more on this, I basically use the see [http://www.johnpetrucciibanezrules.com/geartech/setup/action.htm exact Ibanez Rules action setup page]. == Fret Buzz ==Fret buzz is the bane of most guitarists' existence. As such, there is so much stigma and strong language around it, that more novice players can be misled about what to expect from their instrument. This section is simply designed to clarify a few things. Fret buzz is ''not'' the same thing as '''fretting out or choking'''. Fretting out is completely unacceptable - it means the string gauges] doesn't even have enough clearance above one or more frets higher than the one you're fretting to make a sustainable vibration. This can be caused by having your action too low, too much truss rod tension (Scroll down making the fretboard side of the neck convex), or unlevel frets. A bit of fret buzz, on the other hand, is acceptable; as long as it isn't having a little and therestrong impact on your tone. You should gauge the amount of fret buzz you are getting by playing through an amp using a clean tone, not simply listening to the guitar when it's not plugged in. All electric guitars tend to have a chart little buzz, but that won't necessarily be heard by the pickups. Some people may try to completely eliminate all acoustic buzzing, making their instrument near unplayable for all his tunings with the gauges used)''absolutely no'' tonal benefit.
AlsoEliminating ''(reducing)'' fret buzz uses multiple points of attack. First, thinner I want to make sure I'm using '''thick-enough string gauges''' for the tuning I'm using (and the playability I desire). See above. The more tension on the strings are easier to mute, the smaller their vibrational amplitude for a given volume, and the less fret buzz they'll produce. This is mostly why If I like them can accept a little more buzz for lead work - you are less likely to have an unwanted string ring outease of play, I use a guitar with lighter strings. And when I find say a desirable amount of buzz, I sometimes like mean just a touch of it on the sharper very initial part of my attack too, but not always. You will also have an easier time playing legato I don't want it to occur through (hammer-ons and pull-offskill) with thinner strings. my attack, and I ''definitely'' don't want it continue as I have two guitars tuned to standard Esustain. One has 9'sAnd again, the other 10I don'st use that guitar for metal.
If you are tuning all Next, make sure your '''neck is virtually flat'''. You need to adjust your guitar ''truss rod'' to counter-balance the tension the strings downexert on one side of the neck, but you still want the neck to have a little bow to it for the frets closest to the nut to avoid fret buzz. Again, [http://www.ibanezrules.com/tech/setup/action.htm Ibanez Rules action setup page] is a good reference. '''Be careful when doing a truss rod adjustment''' - you don't want 9to turn more than a quarter turn without giving the neck time to adjust to the new tension. Make sure you'sre turning the right direction too. If this is your first time, have an experienced friend or even 10commercial technician demonstrate the process for you. Or do lots of internet research. Also, be sure to re-tune to ensure the neck is receiving the right amount of tension after adjustments. Finally, I want to '''raise my bridge'''s(either adjusting the saddles or the entire bridge depending on the type of bridge). I find I need 'll raise it a bit at a time, retune at least 11's one string to play in standard Dtest, and see how much buzz I get playing a medium amount of pick strength across at least a couple frets from 1-12'. Make sure you retune after any bridge adjustment. If you raise the bridge, you may be tightening the string(s ), resulting in less buzz...until you actually tune to play in standard Cthe proper note. Or vice versa. If you are adjusting via individual saddles, and be sure to ''keep the saddles at least 13the same relative heights as the fretboard radius''s to play in standard B. If you are additionally going already have the saddles fit to the fretboard radius, it's usually best to drop adjust the 6th string a full steptwo bridge posts when possible. Also, I highly recommend getting watch out for how floating trem bridges make contact with the posts. You generally want the knife edges to hit at a set perfect 90 degrees. This will vary with the bear claw tension in the back cavity of heavy bottomsthe guitar as well as the string gauge, tuning, bridge height, saddle heights. You basically have to adjust ''everything'' at once, slowly moving closer and closer to the ideal setup. Again Beyond those adjustments, see the chart on only way to get your action lower with the same amount of buzz is to have the Petrucci site linked above, '''frets re-leveled''' or [http://wwwthe '''nut filed down'''.surveyor.com/guitar/stringtension.html visit this website], which has I would get a Java Applet professional to calculate string tension using gauges and tuningsdo such modifications, although there are plenty of tutorials on the web that can help you. Here I'd try to find several of them, as some may make them sound way easier than they are . Filing and/or replacing your nut is the values I use for most far simpler of my guitars: notice the two, but you can specify 'll need precise tools to do it at a professional level. == Intonation ==Intonation is basically how in tune the scale length, tuning, guitar is at different frets and type of strings. The first If a guitar is Dintonated poorly, it will '''sound out of tune'Addario EXL120's' when playing notes higher on the fretboard. Chords will be notably dissonant when they shouldn't be. Most people don't pay much attention to intonation, then Dyet it is ''absolutely crucial'Addario EXL110'sto sound good, then D'Addario EXL110-7especially in a band or recording environment. It's with an additional .080 nickel wound string (for my Ibanez RGA8 8 string). Notice the 8 string has also a longer scale lengthfairly simple and risk-free adjustment, but I tune although it down may take a half step, acheiving roughly the same string tensionlittle time.
E4 EMG recommends you to put them ''as close as possible''.010" PL == 16I followed this advice when I had these pickups and never noticed any problems with doing so.21# B3 Of course, don't put them so close the string ever hits the pickup or it interferes with your picking stroke.013" PL == 15.38# G3 .017" PL == 16.57# D3 .026" NW == 18.41# A2 .036" NW == 19.54# E2 .046" NW == 17.48# total == 103.59#
len 27" E4b For SD Blackouts, this is where things get a little interesting.010" PL == 16The pickups seem to have some kind of buffer, so they will not output above a certain level.2# B3b So it's like a limiter effect.013" PL == 15If you raise them close, you will actually reduce the dynamics to your attack.36# G3b I prefer to keep a medium distance on these pickups.017" PL == 16They work pretty well at a distance.55# D3b I actually have them as low as possible on my custom Jem (which actually isn’t THAT low).026" NW == 18Even with some distance, they still have a higher-than-normal output.38# A2b But if you go too low, you’ll notice you can’t get good artificial harmonics or softer notes to sound good.036" NW == 19.51# E2b .046" NW == 17.46# B1b .059" NW == 16.46# F1 .080" NW == 16.55# total == 136.49#
Another point on string gauge - the thinner == Bridge ==I can't tell you much about how this type of bridge material will affect your stringstone, the less tension they'll have which means the more you'll stretch them when you pick them. This but I do know that a fixed bridge will cause them to go sharp initially best maximize your frequency response and gradually lower their pitch until they find their natural sustaining volumesustain. The harder If you pick them, the sharper they'll go. For metalhave a floating bridge, where you often have may lose a little brightness (or some thickness) - something to play fast keep in mind for pickup selection and aggressively, picking hard will cause tone editing. You can use a Tremel-no or put a block of wood under the initial attack bridge to be sharper than keep it from floating. I recommend the note Tremel-no – it allows you desire. This is another reason to use thicker strings for aggressive music like metal switch on the fly by turning a thumb- otherwise, you can sound out of tune, even when you aren’tscrew.
Lately much ado has been made about balanced tension between Also, if you have a Stat type bridge (whammy dives only) or floating bridge, I recommend '''stuffing the strings - basically each string having near identical tension when tuned up. Therebear claw cavity'''s nothing wrong in the back of the guitar with unbalanced tensionKleenex or cotton balls or gauze. Of courseThis will keep the springs from making any noise, so that they do not ring after you play a wide imbalance note. This is going essential for hard rock and metal, where you use lots of compression/distortion and have to feel awkwardplay punchy rhythm or lead sections that require you to quickly mute all the strings. I consider balanced tension This is a good idealcommon technique, but I find most commercial sets are close enough not to nitpicksome ill-thought-out hack. DSimilarly, 'Addario actually took notice ''mute the strings between the nut and makes true balanced tension sets now, but the price is a bit too high right now for me to switch tuners''' to prevent themfrom ringing. Keep in mind I like to use sticky-tack (earthquake putty), but you can also that the link above to the tension calculator is not perfect and should only be used as use foam or a rough estimatewristband.
And == Nut ==The nut is an often overlooked area of the guitar. It needs to be '''positioned properly''' for the guitar to '''intonate correctly'''. It has a final point - thin strong affect on the action. '''An improperly filed nut can cause tuning and sustain issues or cause buzzing/ringing on open strings .''' I recommend having a professional adjust your nut. To file it correctly it is best done with specialized filing tools, which are more likely too costly to justify a one-time use. I like my nut to be like the 0th fret - providing a similar clearance over the 1st fret for open strings as they have over the 2nd fret when fretting the 1st fret . Any lower and they'll buzz . Any higher and intonation is off and action is unnecessarily high. The strings should make firm contact with the attack. As I just mentioned, nut right where they will stretch more leave the nut and thus travel over the fretboard. The grooves should point directly towards the tuning pegs. They should be more likely wide enough to slap against frets above fit the one you are fretting. This can sound kind of nice for blues work, where you arenstring in easily and so that it doesn't always picking aggressively - it really emphasizes pinch when you dotuning or bending. For metal, where you are constantly picking quickly It also has to be smooth so the string slides easily over it and aggressively, doesn't break. But it will make your playing sound like noise; it will can't be near impossible so wide as to hear allow the desired note pitch. This also depends on your.string to '''rattle in the groove'''.They have to be deep enough so the strings don't pop out, but shallow enough so the strings can easily fit into and out of the nut.
High action is often regarded to have "better" tone (see below)Of course, this has limitations. If you're thinking about buying a guitar that sounds really dull, but you won't achieve great results by getting really bright pickups. You can be more difficult 't EQ in frequencies that never existed to playbegin with. This My main point here is mainly due to poor setup in other areas, which causes a lower area to have too much fret buzzdon't sweat the small stuff. It can also be more difficult to You'll likely get relatively larger tonal improvements by properly setting up your guitar and using good pickups than by spending a good intonation (making you sound out of tune)fortune building a 100% custom guitar. Low action runs the risk of fret buzz, especially when other aspects of And your setup are bad or guitar will only get you pick aggressively and use a thick pickso far. For metal, fret buzz is Even a no-no (too noisy). I great guitar still sounds like a medium crap going straight to low action across the board . You need the compression, EQ, and distortion that only post- high enough so that I don't get a strong buzz when I pick the strings at a low to medium stengthguitar processing/amplifiers can give you.
A lot of people think action has little impact == My Advice on tone, other than the amount of fret buzzDIY vs. That might be true on Pay a lowPro =====DIY===* Raise or Lower Bridge Posts* Raise or Lower Bridge Saddles* Adjust Truss Rod* Tighten the Bear Claw Springs* Change to Different String Gauges/Tuning* Raise/Lower Pickups* Move the bridge saddles towards/away from the nut -quality instrument or one for intonation===Call the Guy===* Level and Crown the Frets* File the Nut* Anything I Don't Feel I Fully Understand* Anything that hasnRequires a Tool I Don't been set up properly because by Have to be Done Correctly===Special Considerations===* If you have a floating bridge, changing string gauges or tunings can be a pain to do all the adjustments - if you are impatient, pay a pro* Some bridges have a 3rd or more screws/posts connecting the time bridge to the guitar body. Make sure you get know how these operate before adjusting. Raising or lowering the action low enough so that it affects tonemain posts may put extreme tension on these, it's already getting quite a bit causing them to rip out of sustaining buzzthe body or break the bridge, etc. With * If you have a great instrument well set up to allow floating bridge, you may also have a really low action with virtually no sustaining fret buzzdouble-locking metal nut, action has which cannot be filed down like a strong impact on tonenormal nut. At higher action, the strings don't You actually have as much twang or pop to their attack remove the nut and sustain a strong bass responsesand down the part of the neck it connects to. As you lower Definitely call the actionguy.* If your instrument is old and valuable, you may want to leave it to the strings will occasionally hit pros - Simply slipping with a screwdriver and scratching the fretsguitar could be a costly error. This pop during attack * If you live in the middle of nowhere, and there is no guy; you can be regarded as good look to ship it to notable luthiers or bad. It tends you will have to add a little brightness to the tonebuy tools and do things yourself.
My advice here is not to try to basically EQ your guitar tone through the action. And if you have a strong bass response, you can always EQ it out later, whereas you can't EQ it in if it wasn't there to begin with. A boost pedal does a much better job of filtering out too much mud than a low action. {{top}}{{Gear Crumbs|1}}{{Tone Crumbs|4}}
For reference, Petrucci's tech said in some forum that he runs a super-low action[[Category: ~1mm at 12th fret for all strings (~1.2 - 1.3mm @24th fret). You can hear how much pop and how little bass (and how much buzz) this gives the tone in the intro solo to Hollow Years on the Live at Bukokan DVD. Petrucci's setup has been said to be absurdly low. Most low action shred setups are around 1.5 - 2mm on the high E string at the 24th fret. For more on this, see Guitar]][http[Category://www.ibanezrules.com/tech/setup/action.htm Ibanez Rules action setup pageGear]][[Category:Setup]].
→String Gauge
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This page contains enough information for intermediate setup tweaks to your guitar. Any advanced setup alluded to here should be more thoroughly researched before being attempted.
== New Strings and String Gauge ==See [[Strings]]. == Action == You should Action can generally be changing described as the ''distance between your strings every 2-3 months at the very least, more often if and your frets'' when you play are not fretting them a lot, usually measured as the distance between any string and the top of the 12th (or sometimes 24th) fret. GenerallyThis depends on your ''nut height'', your ''bridge height'', itand your 's a good idea to change them once a month'truss rod tension'' (balanced against your string tension, which depends on string gauge and tuning). Many popular artists with dedicated guitar techs will put a new set Properly setting up your action is way beyond the scope of strings this guide; we are only focusing on after every show! New strings will stay in tune betterhow action affects your tone, assuming whether you can set up your guitar correctly for your desired action. High action is often regarded to have longer sustain, produce a richer and brighter "better" tone(see below), and but can be easier '''more difficult to play'''. If you want I disagree - I think this is mainly due to poor setup in other areas, which causes a lower action to have too much ''fret buzz''. It can also be more difficult to get more life from your stringsa good ''intonation'' (making you sound out of tune). Low action runs the risk of ''fret buzz'', wash especially when other aspects of your hands before playing setup are bad or you pick aggressively and wipe use a thick pick. For metal, fret buzz is a no-no (too noisy). I like a medium to low action across the board - high enough so that I don't get a strong buzz when I pick the strings down with some rubbing alcohol every now and then. You don’t want them at a low to get covered in dirt and corrosive materialsmedium stength.
The easiest way to intonate the guitar is by '''comparing the pitch of the 12th fret harmonic vs. the fretted note'''. If the fretted note is sharper than the harmonic, the string must be lengthened, which usually involves moving the individual bridge saddle away from the nut. If it is flatter, then the string must be shortened by moving the saddle closer to the nut. len 25Be sure to re-tune the guitar after each adjustment - this is ''especially'' important with a floating bridge, where string tension affects action.5" Once all your strings are intonated, you'll notice it will sound much better across the fretboard, especially for chords. E4 Note that '''intonation is also dependent on the rest of your setup''', particularly your action. If you have a high action, you have to press the string down a significant distance to fret it, which is adding tension (and possibly length) to the string. This is why it is difficult to intonate a guitar with high action. You can match the 12th harmonic to the 12th fretted note, but other spots on the fretboard may not be consistently in tune. The same principle applies to a guitar with a high nut height.009" PL == 13You have to exert more tension on the frets close to the nut to properly fret them, causing them to be sharper than other areas of the neck.13# B3 Thus, I like to '''intonate using at least 2-3 comparisons'''. I'll start with the 12th harmonic vs 12th fret, then I'll try the 7th fret vs. 19th fret. If that's off, maybe I need to lower my action a little. Then I'll try the 2nd fret vs. 14th. If there's a discrepancy there, it tells me how much impact my nut height is having on getting a proper intonation.011" PL == 11If I can't get all of these 3 tests perfect, I'll '''compromise''' and get all 3 as close as possible rather than have one perfect and the other 2 way off.01# G3 Keep in mind that lower quality instruments might have issues with the nut or possibly even with the fret spacing. Unlevel frets can also throw off intonation, making it impossible to intonate. Technically, perfect intonation is impossible - the best you can do is a compromise to get all the notes as close to in-tune as possible.016" PL == Pickup Height == 14.68# D3 .024" NW == 15=Passives==='''Too low''' and you lose SNR and your dynamic response gets messed up, '''too high''' and you get input clipping on your device, as well as "pole pull", which can screw up your intonation and kill sustain. I recommend allowing them to have a safe distance. Also, don't confuse output level with SNR. Raising your pickups will increase their output level, but it is probably not improving their SNR unless they were very low (or extremely weak) to start.77# A2 .032" NW ===Actives=== 15'''This depends on the type of active pickup'''.77# E2 .042" NW == 14Some have weaker magnets and need to be placed closer to the strings.77# total == 85Others will suffer similar problems as above, or introduce new issues.13#
The simplest and easiest tweak to help fix a nut is to '''draw in the grooves with a pencil'''. The graphite will lubricate the string's movement in the groove, so it doesn't pinch. This helps keep your strings in tune better. == Action Body/Fretboard/Tuners/Neck-through == Action can generally be described Some people claim all the "tone" is in other parts of the guitar. I've had people tell me I gotta get such-and-such tuners, or this kind of fretboard, or a neck-through design, or a body made of this kind of wood, or this kind of paint job, etc. etc. While all these things certainly will affect the tone, I don't think they have nearly as much impact as the distance between things I mentioned above. ''Very'' popular artists that have all achieved highly desirable tones ''throughout the ages'' have used a very wide variety of such things. Most fretboards are rosewood, but EVH played a maple one mostly. Jimmy Page used a 10+ lb. Les Paul, yet Steve Vai's Jem's are like 4 lbs. Get tuners that help best tune your strings guitar. Set the guitar up properly. Worry about body weight and your frets when bridge setting for sustain rather than tone. Paint the guitar the color you are not fretting them, usually measured as the distance between want. If any string and the top of these things really adversely affect the 12th (or sometimes 24th) frettone, you can generally use pickups that help counter these affects. This depends on your nut heightFor example, if they make your bridge heighttone bright and thin, and your truss rod tensionuse pickups that are a bit darker. Properly setting up If your action tone is way beyond dull, get bright pickups. Yes, you may lose a bit of potential tone; theoretically, you should maximize the scope richness of this guide; we are only focusing on how action affects the tone towards your desired tonefor every component. But you're not a rocket scientist, assuming whether nor are you can set up likely going to be able to build your guitar correctly for your desired actioncomponent by component.