Now that we have built our custom made guitar, we should dial it in and set it up to play the way we want it to.

We need a starting point regardless of how we want it to play. The bridge saddles should all be even at 25.5" from the nut and the tremolo (if applicable) should be flat and tight to the body. Even if you to not want the tremolo flat in the final setup, we should start there.

After the tremolo is set in the aformentioned neutral position, tune the strings to A440 and tighten the tremolo springs as needed to keep the tremolo remaining flat and the strings in tune. Now hold the guitar up to your chin so that the rear strap button is resting directly on your chin. Stare straight down the neck while holding the guitar in this position. Do the frets look flat and even? Kind of like the strings are running down a perfect set of train tracks? If yes then move on, but if no your truss rod needs adjusted. If your frets look like they are ramping upwards your neck is bowed, if it appears to be ramping downward and your view of the lower frets diminishes towards the headstock, then you are back bowed.

The old adage "lefty loosie, righty tighty", is what you need to keep in mind here. If your neck is bowed like the upward ramping described earlier, then the truss rod is too tight and needs to be loosened. If you have the back bow, then just the opposite. The truss rod is too loose and needs tightened.

While our neck is straight and our bridge is in the neutral position, it is a great time to adjust the action. The action is the string's height above the fretboard. Most players prefer a low action, but it is all a matter of taste and often depends on string gauge. You can adjust action with overall string height by raising or lowering the bridge. You can adjust it individually by each saddle. If all of the strings are too low start with raising the bridge. Play each string on each fret and make sure there is no buzz. If only certain strings buzz raise that individual saddle. Generally the wound strings will need more tweaking at the saddles. Repeat all of these processes until every note plays on every string.

Once you get this dialed in we can move on to intonation.

Intonation is making sure your guitar plays the same note everywhere it is supposed to on your fretboard. The best way to explain this is, your open E should be the exact same note as an E played on the 12th fret. You can dial in intonation with your bridge saddles. The best way to do this is plug in a chromatic tuner to your guitar. Make sure your volume is turned up. Play an open low E and tune it to A440. Then play the octave E on the 12th fret of the same string and see if it also registers an E on your chromatic tuner. If it is a tad above below a true E, then adjust your bridge saddle using the rear saddle screw until it comes into tune. This will require going back and forth a few times between the open E and octave E until the saddle is adjusted to the point where both notes ring true, but with some patience you can dial it right in. Repeat this same process on the remaining 5 strings and we are ready to go to the next step.

Finally is pickup height. You can raise pickups by tightening the screws on either side of the pickup or lower them by loosening them. There is no proper method for this other than your personal taste. Try different heights in different positions until you find the combination that sounds best TO YOU. Anything goes as long as the height does not interfere with the strings.

Here you go! If you follow all of these tips then your guitar should be playing like a champ by now. Remember to be patient and take your time on each step. It is well worth it in the long run!

Thanks again and feel fre to ask any questions you may have

MSM