Easy. Build a guitar with 1m in rare materials like diamonds and platinum etc. OR take 1m in currency and some resin and cast it for the body. Next challenge!
Man, I picked up the guitar at about the age of 14 and I started gigging in bars when I was 16 years old. I am now 28 and you are the first person to really take the time to explain all of this in a way that I could understand. So my intonation has been off for nearly 15 years now, but not anymore lol. My cheap electric guitar sounds so much better now! Thanks so much. Liked and subscribed
Aw u just made my day. I'm 29. I mean this wasn't the first video I heard of these things personally it's just been a struggle for me to get everything 100% perfect !
I get asked about guitar setup a lot! - So here's how I do it! Here's what I cover in today's video: Polishing nut - 1:45 String trees - 6:27 Fret ends - 9:04 Action - 12:11 Saddle radius - 15:46 Intonation - 20:00 Playing test - 21:20 Enjoy!
Just bought a cheap Glarry electric that I want to teach myself on... this is the first video I have watched that hasn't assumed I am an expert (even on beginner titled videos) or just consisted of some dude playing riffs over and over again. Thank you for being accessible to all levels and helping me feel a bit less helpless!
I went and got a Glarry just to see if a cheap guitar could be modded into a descent guitar. I just ordered #10. These things are amazing and can get 10 of em for the price of a MIM Strat. Sand of the Glarry and get a decal off ebay, whala it's a Fender 67 Strat that your nieve friends won't believe you own! Here's to Glarry! ~Cheers!
I just bought a Cozart of of Ebay which will arrive next week and I'll begin my guitar journey with it. Good luck on your journey. Hopefully you're still practicing!
@@andrewyoung9516 I had COZARTS when they first emerged. They are made in VietNam and now the IYV guitars are as well, cheap to buy, and are rather nice!
There’s already to many people playing guitar. Do something else. You’re just gonna end up fantasizing that you’re some rockstar anyways . You’re going to be driving down Street sounds going to come on and you’re going to Act like it’s you playing to a large crowd of people. Just stick to watching TV. It doesn’t look cool playing guitar with short hair.
Doesn't matter how little money you spend or how expensive the guitar is... the point of this video is clear. Guitar maintenance is a MUST! You've earned a subscription.
The string trees tip worked WONDERS on my Tele, after removing it from the 3-4th strings and putting it to replace the 1-2nd's one I was able to lower my action a lot and remove the slight (but noticeable) fret buzz it had! Now it plays like a dream, holy hell, thanks a bunch Darrell!
@@fake_tourist Sorry I never answered, my Tele has always been pretty stable tuning-wise and doing the string trees swap did not affect that at all, even with the stock american tuners. If that's the one concern you have, I'd just say go for it, it's an amazing tip fr.
I was looking for a guutar case on Amazon. I ran across a telecaster style guitar by sawtooth. 159.00 out the door. I figured what the heck, decent case with a 59.00 guitar. So I bought a new nut from graphtech, new tuners wilkensons, roller string trees, roller saddles, alnico pickups with western flower engraving bridge and control panel, which all came with 3 contact switch, alnico 5 pups, and large pots, and a new scratch gaurd perloid, along with nice leather strap. Everything cost 114.00 and the guitar went from blah to holy crap, in playing and looks. This is my second cheap guitar build up. Thanks to videos like this one really make it possible. I have two wonderfully playing guitars, all for half the cost of a MIM guitar all done in about 10 hours of work and a very small upgrade price. Thanks videos like these give so much info and joy to watch and put into practice.
I've never pain more than $129 for SKB or Gator cases off Amazon. One is a TSA approved Flight case for my 57 P bass. Good deals if you look for them. GC charges more for crap.
I know this is an old video now already, but I found you by coincidence through researching for my first guitar and am watching all your videos now. This channel is just gold, especially for all newbies like me! (If you are reading this and new, too, and about to buy your first one, go for " 5 Things to Check BEFORE Buying a Guitar! ") Thank you very much Darrel!
Thank you for making videos like this, cheap guitars can sound good if you make an effort to change, replace with decent parts that don't have to break the bank(unless you want to!), and my favorite, simple understanding instructions on how to fix,tune, and setup popular
True! I have a vintage V6 reissued(strat) that I love lil more than my American special strat...I just have to put the work into the v6 and it would be killer!
Man, I remember watching this video when it came out and being so broke I couldn't afford a guitar. I have a full blown studio in my house now, a drum set for recording and all. It gets better people
This is why I’m subscribed to this channel. Your knowledge and expertise on guitar and your ability to teach it is simply unparalleled. Can’t believe after hours of searching for these answers you’re the only one that helped me fully understand how to set up a guitar. Ty!
Thanks for the video! I still have my first electric from over 10 years ago, a squier strat in sunburst. I didn’t want to get rid of it, but of course never played it. I saw a mix of your videos on updating cheap guitars along with this video and fell in love with it all over again! I rounded the neck better, bought vintage style locking tuners, Tex-mex pickups, upgraded wiring and pots, bone nut, string tree, and gave it a good set-up. Then exaggerated the already many dings and scratches found on any old high-school kids guitar (some relic) and BAM! It has new life! I had sanded off the squier logo back then so I also added some cheeky 60s style American strat waterslide decals. It looks and plays better than some of the high-ends if owned. Incredible! Considering shielding the body and upgrading tremolo next.
All these years I never realised the additional role of the string tree - to stop the Sitar buzz. Thanks man - now my guitar no longer sounds like a Sitar with a silent H ;-)
My compliments. No waste of time and straight to the point, as well as, a clear presentation. I have, through a number of guitars and much time and experimentation, worked out most of the procedure, but for acoustic guitars. Here I learned the smoothing of the nut and fret ends. I never thought of lubricating the nut. I also learned how the mechanical system at the bridge works. Thank you. I'll be watching more.
You just totally motivated me to learn about guitar set-up and maintenance. I've been happy to toss Guitar Center 65 bucks every time an ax was in need. But now I want to start diving into this myself. Thank you!
If you made model cars or RC airplanes as a kid, you have the hands to do this stuff. It is not complicated, but takes basic tools and learning how. The best method is be pals with a real pro guitar builder or setup guy and ask questions and follow his example!
From Leo: Pretty helpful. Even though I have every size fret file StewMac sells, most people cannot justify that much money. Those wire gauge "files" can be found in a hardware or welding supply store as welding tip cleaners ($7.00). Cheap. Wrap a little strip of 400 grit sandpaper around one if you want more material removed. I found tiny tubes if graphite grease in the gun shop called gunslik for triggers. I have lubed maybe 150 guitar nuts a year for a couple of years from the same tube and it works great. Also hobby shops that sell RC models have moly grease in tiny tubes. I use a feeler gauge set from the auto parts store ($6.00) to measure 1st fret string height and neck relief at the 7th fret . A 6" stainless steel machinist scale ($4.00) is great for string and pickup height. I agree with you, a lot of "ok" guitars can be made to play nice with at least a basic setup. You did a great job teaching the basics.
I have a set of those torch tip cleaning files, they work well enough for occasional use. I removed the bulky pressed metal cover they came in (to avoid scratching the guitar). The thin ones bend easily, they need a very light touch. I use both hands to steady these tools. Good tip about the moly grease, I have some and will give that a try, the tiniest amount under the string (it is a rather messy black grease).
Art: Wouldn't knock anyone for trying to pass on knowledge to anyone, but wow what a superb basic instructional video set up for the guitar. So simply explained and got all the content across. The intonation where I have struggled to get in the past went straight in.( maybe i'm a bit thick). I know a few tuition videos are out there which I may not have seen and are good, but I really enjoyed this and what a nice gent. Look forward to seeing more.
This is an awesome video not just for cheap guitars, but any guitar you get out of a box or whatever. As a kid I just didn't understand why the action or tuning was never quite right, this information just wasn't accessible - this video & your fun presentation helped me a lot and I realized what was not setup right with my Strat back in the 90s.
Great advice! Every guitarist should know the basics, how to adjust the neck relief, the action at the bridge and the nut, set the intonation, and adjust the pickups to balance the string output. I own a number of guitars and I live in a place that's hot and humid in the summer and very cold and dry in winter. All my guitars need adjustments from season to season, even my acoustics, in order to play their best. This video covers electric guitars very well. For my acoustics I have two saddles for each guitar, one for summer and a lower one for winter when the action gets higher because of the drying out of the fingerboard. Great instructional, Darryl!
Me either but these damn fenders keep ending up on my wall and my bank account is always missing money... Its damn annoying yesterday a new wah pedal appeared on my floor smh... If it keeps it up ima have to learn how to play this stuff eventually.
I just bought a cheap Harley Benton "T-Style guitar kit" just to have something to test new stuff on. Turns out it's an amazing guitar! Sure, the electronics are cheap and it needs a bit of adjustment but I'm floored by how good it is :D
Dear Darell, Thank you for putting so much effort into this video series, it's been a blast to watch and I've learned a lot more from you in a 23:07 minutes video than in years of searching by myself and being "taught" by some friends on how to setup my guitar. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with everybody, I can really see the passion you put into the making of this video and your channel in general, I can't believe I wasn't subscribed to your channel since I watch every single one of your videos, but you definitely earned a new subscriber today! Congratulations on having such a successful career in youtube, you truly are one of my biggest inspirations on pursuing a career in music, and also one of my top favorite youtube guitarists and youtuber in general, kind regards from Mexico! P.S: I'm sorry if my english wasn't very good.
About 7-8 months ago I decided to pick the guitar back up again, with that being said this video was one of the first ones I watched regarding maintenance, great video and thank you 🤙
Definitely one of the best easy set up videos I have seen. Many are people that either can't communicate at all or do it wrong in the first place. You tube has a lot of good stuff but sometimes you have to wade through a lot of crap to get the good stuff. Yours is good stuff!
I bought this same guitar. Did a set up put locking tuners and cut the pick guard installed a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge and a 500k volume pot. The neck and fretwork were fine right out of the box! Blocked the bridge and thats it. For roughly 200 bucks it is an absolutely wonderful guitar! I love it! I can’t wait to build another one! These are perfect mod platforms!
@@DarrellBraunGuitar Until you are facing your 60th Canadian prairie winter, then its charm has long since worn off! ;( I noticed that when you moved the string tree over, the angle of the tree made the string only contact the leading edge of the tree. Does that cause any problems with snagging and making a sitar type sound? If your turned it 180 degrees, it looks like it would make contact all along the underside of the tree and provide a smooth and robust surface for the strings. Also, why not just use a roller style tree? They are so inexpensive (about $5.00 for 4 roller trees) I think everyone should just chuck the trees and use the rollers. I like the idea of lubing the nut slots and also of saving a short length of your old strings to use as a make-shift file to smooth out the slots in the nut! Very clever and economical!
I’ve got to say it’s great that there are guys like you sharing these set up Tips!!! I was quite intimidated when I first started setting up my guitars...wish we would have had TH-cam when I started....
In the middle of "Fixing" a squier affinity 20th anniversary I bought for cheap on ebay. When I tried it originally it had very bad hum. Like 60 cycle hum on steroids, strings buzzed, it was just bad. This wasn't an "ebay" problem, it was just a cheap Chinese manufacturer problem. So here's what I've done so far. 1: Replaced the nut. The original nut had a minor chip in the middle, but mostly the 3rd string notch wasn't cut all the way through. The string basically rested on top of the nut. The original owner just had absurdly high action to make up for it, which was causing some of the other strings to buzz at the bridge end. 2: Neck, just sanded the frets to remove rust, and oiled it up. No fret end issues. 3: Truss Rod: Had to turn it a fair chunk to get it straight. And then backed off about a quarter turn to get a tiny gap (for initial setup). One tip I found useful. Put a lamp or torch behind the straight edge. It's much easier to see light shining through the gaps than the gaps themselves. 4: Replaced the pick guard (it had a lot of cracks). Which lead to a whole host of other problems. After opening it up, there was no shielding at all, and the solder job looked like they just poured solder on everything. (combined most likely the cause of the worst of the hum) 5: Adding shielding. (aluminium plate, copper tape) -------------- Above are the steps I've taken, below are the steps I still need to go through. Just waiting on some solder wick ---------- 6: Redoing the solder job. It was honestly terrible. Some parts were mountains of solder, other parts you could sneeze and the wire would fall off. 7: New strings 8: Fix bridge heights and radius (they were all set way too high to make up for the 3rd string issues) 9: Fix intonation (same deal) And on the intonation front. I had a thought. If it's effectively a setup from scratch (which this might as well be) wouldn't it be easier to pull the intonation as far bas as possible, and then gradually back it off? You wouldn't need to constantly loosen the strings that way, just get it in tune, check 12th, back off until 12 is in tune (or slightly flat early on) and then retune and repeat.
Bro. Let me tell you. I’ve been playing on the same Fender Squire for at least 10 years now and I’ve never touched any of this. It wasn’t much but I made it work but I never knew what the screws on the bridge did until now. After tuning them correctly and getting a new neck, my guitar sounds infinitely better!! Thanks so much for the video
Maybe a cheap guitar but that guitar from what I’ve seen in your videos over this one, seems like it may not be just marketed to beginners but to those who may want to get a decent cheap one to modify. LOVE THE COLOR!!
Nice work, Darrell. Pickup height should be addressed at some point as well. I love setting up guitars. It's so much nicer doing it yourself versus paying someone and it's remarkably easy after a little practice.
I'm dyspraxic and have aphantasia so I often find a lot of the videos I've watched difficult to follow but this was really well shown/spoken. I'll be checking more of your videos out.
I learned this stuff nearly 25 years ago when I first learned how to play. I came across this video because my guitar started coming out of tune on me. Thank you for the good refresher. It was very helpful.
I just bought that guitar . I came to set up nice , intonation was spot on. Stays in tune with lite use of tremolo .Needs better tuning KEYS and PICKUPS .Going to buy a MIM LOADED pick guard
I have my Indio Retro DLX Plus coming this week. Can’t wait to get started learning again. My last instructor failed me. I have already learned more about guitars with your videos than he told me in months.
You don't need to detune the strings to set intonation, just tune to the note after each adjustment. The bridge height adjustment screws probably don't need detuning either. This is much more of an issue for basses.
Yes. I realized I have all of these simple tools.. Like the radius tools... I had no clue what they were for.... Also the sanding sponge /block. I have one and now I know how easy it is smooth those razer sharp fret edges Thank u. Best video for sure, strait to the point
Low budget guitars are good as you see in this video not everybody can afford high end guitars most of us go according our wallets video's like this are awesome thanks for sharing
I've found on a couple of guitars I can't move the 6th string saddle back far enough to intonate properly because the saddle bolt was starting to hit the string. So I unscrew the saddle bolt completely, and put a small washer or 2 on it before screwing it back in. It effectively makes the bolt shorter (by the width of the washers) allowing you to pull that saddle back further.
I ended up doing this exact build for fun but with the white strat and man am I happy I did. I followed the three videos almost to the t, replaced all the parts (as well as the nut), set it up as instructed and it doesn't dissappoint. I feel bad that I almost enjoy playing this guitar more than my american tele. Almost but not quite lol. Thanks, Darrell!
Had it been an ordinary ambulance I would just have said "wrong nuts", obviously! Being a padded one, maybe next time you just shouldn't tell everyone near you about your venture......they just don't understand your urge to obtain perfectly smooth nuts.....LOL!
I just got an American Strat and there’s so much I need to learn about maintaining it. Watching this little Guitar’s journey is really helping me feel better about getting to know it well and forming the relationship I’d like to have with it. Thank you for sharing.
Old video but finally got my old purple squier strat set up properly for the first time in the 20ish years I've owned it. What a difference! I always just played my schecter because it came with a good setup but now I almost prefer the strat. The neck was backbowed a TON! The guy that owned it before me stripped a few screws out so I assume he just tightened it all the way. The action was set high enough to mitigate the fret buzz lol. This video along with a few others really helped me get it done with no drama. Better tone and easier to play for a couple hours (it was my first time) of time.
Dude your video has been my project. I did most of that to a Donnor strat style. They are actually pretty good as you know but i did have the rough fret ends. I bought a guitar tool kit and used the sanding block. Cleaned out the nut with the little files that are size of the strings. Put on some D'Addario 10s, which i think feel too heavy. Set intonation on my effect box tuner. Im kinda lost on my string height. Measuring things are confusing. I guess i just need to wing it by eye. I needed to get back to my days in the 80s. Im almost 60 an wanna get my chops back, but just working in um has been fun. Im gonna build a pedal board too, i don't know why..lol But thanks man, your a big help. All the videos you can do on repair and equipment is appreciated !
Intonation adjustments should be done after checking pickup height since the magnet can pull the string toward it if it's too high. Also, with the guitar laying on it's back gravity can have an effect on the neck and strings giving a a slightly different tuning reading :)
I bought everything HENDRIX was using and for some reason I still can't play exactly like him dunno y... I think I need his Strat he used at Woodstock that would probably give me the ability to really play like him.
Hands down the best guitar tutorial on TH-cam by far. I was so discouraged when I saw the prices of some of my dream guitars, it wasn't about the brand so much as the sound. I got a cheap guitar a while back and could never understand why it always gave me such a headache! I trashed it for various reasons, now i am off to buy another one with a new found hope. I love the hands on DIY factor, gives me the chance to connect with my gear. Thanks dude, you rock!
This video is essential. Like I didn’t even realize this was my problem the whole time. Can’t wait to get home so I can level up my tone game with these simple fixes.
My cheap guitars are no longer realistically playable as they are. They’re both about 18 years old and definitely need some work like this. Hopefully that’s all they need. Thank you!
Check your first fret action. They should be around .020 but .018 is as low as you should go. Cut the slots a little at a time. It made my old beater sound great.(take your time, file a little, check it, file s little check it.) My old beater is acoustic, but it sounds great now. Depending on guitar Fender scale is 4/64" at 17th fret, Gibson scale is about the same but measure at 12th fret. For an acoustic it should be around .090 or 5/64 at low E at 12th fret High E around .080 or a little above 4/64". To lower the action measure at 12th if it's 6/64 at low E & say 5/64 at high E, double the difference, so if you're 1/64 too high take off 2/64, 1/32 from your saddle bottom. Take your time, it'll bring your guitars to life. Note electrics are easier to adjust action/string height, just raise or lower your saddles. On Tune o matic bridge you can only measure low & high E.
Once in a great while, I catch a video that delivers EXACTLY what I came for, without any self fellatio or excess fat. Clean, concise, to the point. Excellent video.. 5*
I bought a strat copy of unknown origin (no name on the headstock) for $8 at Goodwill. It had no strings, the pickup retaining bolts were MIA, the guitar was so dirty it totally hid the metallic flake, the bridge was really narrow and flimsy. I reworked everything according to Daryl's videos, MIM bridge and trem parts, locking tuners, refinished the neck (ground in dirt what a mess) gave it a complete set up after polishing the jagged fret ends added D'addario string. $60 in parts and it plays awesome. Thanks Daryl
I bought a china fender strat clone and upgraded it. I managed to find a complete pick guard with all of the electronics from a 2020 fender strat squire for $20 on eBay, and a complete set of fender tuning machines for $35 on eBay. Couple that with finding a 65 watt Peavy Express 112 amp with transtube for $150, it sounds really good, but there's a couple of pedals I still need to get the sound I want out of it. I wouldn't have done the upgrades myself if I hadn't watched your video first.
Those round fret files are really torch tip cleaners. You can get them at most hardware stores for around $.50 or order them from any tool company like Granger or Mc Master - Carr for like a quarter.
As Darrell says, the round files are not really suitable for deepening the fret slots (the larger sizes may remove some nut material, if pressed heavily into the slots) If you wrap a piece of wet and dry sandpaper around these files (they are actually sold for cleaning welding torch tips) you will get a smoother surface in the fret slot. Just fold a small piece of 400 grit paper around the wire, and hold in place as close to the wire as you can while cleaning the slots. And remember to angle the 'filing' direction downwards, at a slightly steeper angle than the string makes when leaving the nut and going to the tuning post: the string should only touch the very front edge of the nut slot (the side towards the fretboard).
what I do is remove all strings and put it in my hot garage for 2 years then before I jam I spritz it with water and this part is important only plug your instrument jack in half way then you will sound exactly like nickelback
As a nearly 60 year old new comer to the guitar I found all this advice so useful. Many thanks my friend. I am mainly a drummer and keyboardist so appreciate setup advice :)
I've been following your videos for a few months now and I really like how well you explain things. I just learned how to setup a Floyd Rose and my next string change, I'm definitely going to try this. I got my Schecter SLS Elite black fade burst from watching your videos. Thanks for all your tips.
Excellent info. I’m just starting to learn to play at 46 and I have all the problems on my $150 guitar that you addressed. I’ll be trying these fixes this weekend. Thanks!
Now try making a million bucks sound like a guitar
Thats easy, just buy a line 6 spider III amp and shoot it with a 12g
Give it to me I can make you a guitar
Hai rudy sensei
It's you... again 😂
Easy. Build a guitar with 1m in rare materials like diamonds and platinum etc. OR take 1m in currency and some resin and cast it for the body. Next challenge!
I can make a million dollar guitar sounds like a cheap one.
Ditto! I hear that.....lmao
Why would you want to
It’s ok buddy...😁👍
Lol. Made me chuckle 🤭
Me too 😆😆😆😆😆
"The nut is one of the most important areas on your instrument"
Can't argue with that
And don't forget to lubricate them regularly
the nut on the guitar, or the nut holding it. Me, the nut.
I nut on my guitar
And you never wanna just a nut!
@@destianpatrianagara1119 what the hell you doing with your nuts to be having to lubricate them
Man, I picked up the guitar at about the age of 14 and I started gigging in bars when I was 16 years old. I am now 28 and you are the first person to really take the time to explain all of this in a way that I could understand. So my intonation has been off for nearly 15 years now, but not anymore lol. My cheap electric guitar sounds so much better now! Thanks so much. Liked and subscribed
The Internet was full of this stuff when you were 14 I'm sorry to tell you
@@bonkeydollocks1879 15 years and no purchase of a better guitar
@@clammaster4 what? I was replying to Brock
Aw u just made my day. I'm 29. I mean this wasn't the first video I heard of these things personally it's just been a struggle for me to get everything 100% perfect !
Wow u got gigs just playing for 2 years? U must be really good or the people in the bar must be trash
I saw the “i can make a million dollar guitar sound like a cheap guitar” comments from a mile away
I know there's one in every crowd....my question is why do you play
Well
It's me
Cus
I'm just learning
And my guitar is older than my dad i think
YaBoiDrake make sure no one subscribes to you cause you have sixty nine subs :p
Commit fully to music 🎶 and you will get better
1.6 kilometers
I get asked about guitar setup a lot! - So here's how I do it!
Here's what I cover in today's video:
Polishing nut - 1:45
String trees - 6:27
Fret ends - 9:04
Action - 12:11
Saddle radius - 15:46
Intonation - 20:00
Playing test - 21:20
Enjoy!
I refrain form nut polishing ; )
@Darrell Braun Guitar Have you ever wanted to start a band?
Darrell Braun Guitar I believe the intonation is around 20:00 not 23, typo! Thanks for the vid
Thanks for the heads up!
What was the tool used to set the saddles for the radius?
Just bought a cheap Glarry electric that I want to teach myself on... this is the first video I have watched that hasn't assumed I am an expert (even on beginner titled videos) or just consisted of some dude playing riffs over and over again. Thank you for being accessible to all levels and helping me feel a bit less helpless!
I went and got a Glarry just to see if a cheap guitar could be modded into a descent guitar. I just ordered #10. These things are amazing and can get 10 of em for the price of a MIM Strat. Sand of the Glarry and get a decal off ebay, whala it's a Fender 67 Strat that your nieve friends won't believe you own! Here's to Glarry! ~Cheers!
I just bought a Cozart of of Ebay which will arrive next week and I'll begin my guitar journey with it. Good luck on your journey. Hopefully you're still practicing!
@@andrewyoung9516 I had COZARTS when they first emerged. They are made in VietNam and now the IYV guitars are as well, cheap to buy, and are rather nice!
How's the playing coming along?
There’s already to many people playing guitar. Do something else. You’re just gonna end up fantasizing that you’re some rockstar anyways . You’re going to be driving down Street sounds going to come on and you’re going to Act like it’s you playing to a large crowd of people. Just stick to watching TV. It doesn’t look cool playing guitar with short hair.
Definitely going to have to delete my browsing history after searching for that nut lube...
ha, ha ha!!! Your womans gonna find out your using graphite on your nuts
Kevin Stones 🤣
Haha lol
pervin'!, @@stkbkr1lmao!
Lol
I've been working on and setting up guitars for 25 years. Spot on Darrell. It's great you guys exist for modern shredders!
Doesn't matter how little money you spend or how expensive the guitar is... the point of this video is clear. Guitar maintenance is a MUST! You've earned a subscription.
The string trees tip worked WONDERS on my Tele, after removing it from the 3-4th strings and putting it to replace the 1-2nd's one I was able to lower my action a lot and remove the slight (but noticeable) fret buzz it had! Now it plays like a dream, holy hell, thanks a bunch Darrell!
You experienced no tuning issues whatsoever after that?
I only have one on my Strat for the 1-2 strings. A second one kills your tone. My S type I built up in 1982 has none and never needed any.
@@fake_tourist Sorry I never answered, my Tele has always been pretty stable tuning-wise and doing the string trees swap did not affect that at all, even with the stock american tuners. If that's the one concern you have, I'd just say go for it, it's an amazing tip fr.
Teaching people to appreciate our instrument... Darrell, I sincerely thank you for reconciling me with my cheap equipment.
Thank you for all this knowledge without asking for a thing!
So may "learn to play" programs miss out on this -- "before you even start playing" set-up. Serious thumbs up.
This was worth watching just for the water freezing thing!
Freezeworks!
i used to watch you years ago playing bo2 zombies
Remember this: you can get a crappy guitar and make it sound great but you can also get an amazing guitar and make it sound crappy
David Segovia indeed
i have many cheap and midrange guitars i make sound crappy
I’m living proof of that statement.
Lol. The best players can play the worst guitars , but the rest of us make good guitars sound cheap lol
Ok😀
I was looking for a guutar case on Amazon. I ran across a telecaster style guitar by sawtooth. 159.00 out the door. I figured what the heck, decent case with a 59.00 guitar. So I bought a new nut from graphtech, new tuners wilkensons, roller string trees, roller saddles, alnico pickups with western flower engraving bridge and control panel, which all came with 3 contact switch, alnico 5 pups, and large pots, and a new scratch gaurd perloid, along with nice leather strap. Everything cost 114.00 and the guitar went from blah to holy crap, in playing and looks. This is my second cheap guitar build up. Thanks to videos like this one really make it possible. I have two wonderfully playing guitars, all for half the cost of a MIM guitar all done in about 10 hours of work and a very small upgrade price. Thanks videos like these give so much info and joy to watch and put into practice.
I've never pain more than $129 for SKB or Gator cases off Amazon. One is a TSA approved Flight case for my 57 P bass. Good deals if you look for them. GC charges more for crap.
Dude, make another and a video. Sawtooth is Michael Angelo Baito,?
I want you to be teacher for everything, not just guitars. So calm, straightforward, and well-spoken. Thanks for the vid
I know this is an old video now already, but I found you by coincidence through researching for my first guitar and am watching all your videos now. This channel is just gold, especially for all newbies like me!
(If you are reading this and new, too, and about to buy your first one, go for " 5 Things to Check BEFORE Buying a Guitar! ")
Thank you very much Darrel!
This is an info packed vid Darrell. You’re a great teacher that doesn’t come off egotistical at all. Thank you so much
100%!
Thank you for making videos like this, cheap guitars can sound good if you make an effort to change, replace with decent parts that don't have to break the bank(unless you want to!), and my favorite, simple understanding instructions on how to fix,tune, and setup popular
100% agreed
True! I have a vintage V6 reissued(strat) that I love lil more than my American special strat...I just have to put the work into the v6 and it would be killer!
My favorite guitar channel for certain.
Out of all the guitar setup videos, this is the only one that actually allowed me to grasp the info. Thank you!
And sir you just created a multi million view video
Yeah, I expect this to become a cult video for those looking to get the most out of their budget instrument.
Ah re que no.
Man, I remember watching this video when it came out and being so broke I couldn't afford a guitar. I have a full blown studio in my house now, a drum set for recording and all. It gets better people
This is why I’m subscribed to this channel. Your knowledge and expertise on guitar and your ability to teach it is simply unparalleled. Can’t believe after hours of searching for these answers you’re the only one that helped me fully understand how to set up a guitar. Ty!
Loved this 3 part series. This is exactly what I do. Modify budget Strats into great instruments. Very helpful information for everyone.
Thanks for the video! I still have my first electric from over 10 years ago, a squier strat in sunburst. I didn’t want to get rid of it, but of course never played it. I saw a mix of your videos on updating cheap guitars along with this video and fell in love with it all over again! I rounded the neck better, bought vintage style locking tuners, Tex-mex pickups, upgraded wiring and pots, bone nut, string tree, and gave it a good set-up. Then exaggerated the already many dings and scratches found on any old high-school kids guitar (some relic) and BAM! It has new life! I had sanded off the squier logo back then so I also added some cheeky 60s style American strat waterslide decals. It looks and plays better than some of the high-ends if owned. Incredible! Considering shielding the body and upgrading tremolo next.
All these years I never realised the additional role of the string tree - to stop the Sitar buzz. Thanks man - now my guitar no longer sounds like a Sitar with a silent H ;-)
Fantastic advice. Took the fear out of adjusting my cheap guitar. The volume and sound are so much improved. Thank you Darrell.
Fear of adjusting sounds like you may have a religious background. 😢 hope you have moved away from that mental block 🚫
@@less2worryaboutreligous background? What? Seems like he was just scared of ruining his guitar lmfao
My compliments. No waste of time and straight to the point, as well as, a clear presentation. I have, through a number of guitars and much time and experimentation, worked out most of the procedure, but for acoustic guitars. Here I learned the smoothing of the nut and fret ends. I never thought of lubricating the nut. I also learned how the mechanical system at the bridge works. Thank you. I'll be watching more.
You just totally motivated me to learn about guitar set-up and maintenance. I've been happy to toss Guitar Center 65 bucks every time an ax was in need. But now I want to start diving into this myself. Thank you!
If you made model cars or RC airplanes as a kid, you have the hands to do this stuff. It is not complicated, but takes basic tools and learning how. The best method is be pals with a real pro guitar builder or setup guy and ask questions and follow his example!
From Leo: Pretty helpful. Even though I have every size fret file StewMac sells, most people cannot justify that much money. Those wire gauge "files" can be found in a hardware or welding supply store as welding tip cleaners ($7.00). Cheap. Wrap a little strip of 400 grit sandpaper around one if you want more material removed. I found tiny tubes if graphite grease in the gun shop called gunslik for triggers. I have lubed maybe 150 guitar nuts a year for a couple of years from the same tube and it works great. Also hobby shops that sell RC models have moly grease in tiny tubes. I use a feeler gauge set from the auto parts store ($6.00) to measure 1st fret string height and neck relief at the 7th fret . A 6" stainless steel machinist scale ($4.00) is great for string and pickup height.
I agree with you, a lot of "ok" guitars can be made to play nice with at least a basic setup. You did a great job teaching the basics.
I have a set of those torch tip cleaning files, they work well enough for occasional use. I removed the bulky pressed metal cover they came in (to avoid scratching the guitar). The thin ones bend easily, they need a very light touch. I use both hands to steady these tools. Good tip about the moly grease, I have some and will give that a try, the tiniest amount under the string (it is a rather messy black grease).
Art: Wouldn't knock anyone for trying to pass on knowledge to anyone, but wow what a superb basic instructional video set up for the guitar. So simply explained and got all the content across. The intonation where I have struggled to get in the past went straight in.( maybe i'm a bit thick).
I know a few tuition videos are out there which I may not have seen and are good, but I really enjoyed this and what a nice gent. Look forward to seeing more.
This is an awesome video not just for cheap guitars, but any guitar you get out of a box or whatever. As a kid I just didn't understand why the action or tuning was never quite right, this information just wasn't accessible - this video & your fun presentation helped me a lot and I realized what was not setup right with my Strat back in the 90s.
Great advice! Every guitarist should know the basics, how to adjust the neck relief, the action at the bridge and the nut, set the intonation, and adjust the pickups to balance the string output. I own a number of guitars and I live in a place that's hot and humid in the summer and very cold and dry in winter. All my guitars need adjustments from season to season, even my acoustics, in order to play their best. This video covers electric guitars very well. For my acoustics I have two saddles for each guitar, one for summer and a lower one for winter when the action gets higher because of the drying out of the fingerboard. Great instructional, Darryl!
This is one of the best videos I've seen that offers those essential tips... Good video work, good voice-over. Nicely done, Darrell.
Thanks so much Marc!
You should of done a before and after sound playing the same cords that show I problems and how they are fixed
*should've
@@senza4591 *should have
@@ks5553 both should've and should have are a gramatically correct
"nut slot" sounds like an insult.
sounds painful
I'm going to hang onto that one.
@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 please don’t hang on to my nut slot
Sounds like something you’d say to degrade a gay bottom or a straight woman
You can just imagine the trailerpark scene:
Him: "I'm going out for a beer."
Her: You better not go to that nut slot again!"
Very underrated guitar channel. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and producing high-quality videos.
I dont even play guitar. This is just interesting as hell
I used to, but i like to feel nostalgic for my 15 yo self
Me either but these damn fenders keep ending up on my wall and my bank account is always missing money... Its damn annoying yesterday a new wah pedal appeared on my floor smh... If it keeps it up ima have to learn how to play this stuff eventually.
I just bought a cheap Harley Benton "T-Style guitar kit" just to have something to test new stuff on.
Turns out it's an amazing guitar! Sure, the electronics are cheap and it needs a bit of adjustment but I'm floored by how good it is :D
Dear Darell,
Thank you for putting so much effort into this video series, it's been a blast to watch and I've learned a lot more from you in a 23:07 minutes video than in years of searching by myself and being "taught" by some friends on how to setup my guitar. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with everybody, I can really see the passion you put into the making of this video and your channel in general, I can't believe I wasn't subscribed to your channel since I watch every single one of your videos, but you definitely earned a new subscriber today! Congratulations on having such a successful career in youtube, you truly are one of my biggest inspirations on pursuing a career in music, and also one of my top favorite youtube guitarists and youtuber in general, kind regards from Mexico! P.S: I'm sorry if my english wasn't very good.
Your english is fine! Better than many natives. My Spanish is awful compared to your english!
Darrell Braun
Thank you for a thorough,calm demonstration. I wish I knew this at 11 or 15.
About 7-8 months ago I decided to pick the guitar back up again, with that being said this video was one of the first ones I watched regarding maintenance, great video and thank you 🤙
Thanks Darrell. You’re an amazing teacher & presenter. One of the best guitar channels around. Subscribed!
This should be compulsory for all guitar students everywhere! Awesome job, thanks!
No doubt!
Bro because of this video i fixed my guitar yoour a life saver
Definitely one of the best easy set up videos I have seen. Many are people that either can't communicate at all or do it wrong in the first place. You tube has a lot of good stuff but sometimes you have to wade through a lot of crap to get the good stuff. Yours is good stuff!
I bought this same guitar. Did a set up put locking tuners and cut the pick guard installed a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge and a 500k volume pot. The neck and fretwork were fine right out of the box! Blocked the bridge and thats it. For roughly 200 bucks it is an absolutely wonderful guitar! I love it! I can’t wait to build another one! These are perfect mod platforms!
Your videos are worth a million bucks! Thanks for all your teachings. ❤
Polar Vortex=No Mosquitos
😂 That's the spirit!
@@DarrellBraunGuitar Until you are facing your 60th Canadian prairie winter, then its charm has long since worn off! ;(
I noticed that when you moved the string tree over, the angle of the tree made the string only contact the leading edge of the tree. Does that cause any problems with snagging and making a sitar type sound? If your turned it 180 degrees, it looks like it would make contact all along the underside of the tree and provide a smooth and robust surface for the strings.
Also, why not just use a roller style tree? They are so inexpensive (about $5.00 for 4 roller trees) I think everyone should just chuck the trees and use the rollers.
I like the idea of lubing the nut slots and also of saving a short length of your old strings to use as a make-shift file to smooth out the slots in the nut! Very clever and economical!
Plus apparently kills emerald ash borer. So I got that goin for me
No mosquitos here in Vegas either.
Ok but in the summer it’s a buffet for the blood suckers
I’ve got to say it’s great that there are guys like you sharing these set up
Tips!!! I was quite intimidated when I first started setting up my guitars...wish we would have had TH-cam when I started....
In the middle of "Fixing" a squier affinity 20th anniversary I bought for cheap on ebay.
When I tried it originally it had very bad hum. Like 60 cycle hum on steroids, strings buzzed, it was just bad. This wasn't an "ebay" problem, it was just a cheap Chinese manufacturer problem. So here's what I've done so far.
1: Replaced the nut. The original nut had a minor chip in the middle, but mostly the 3rd string notch wasn't cut all the way through. The string basically rested on top of the nut. The original owner just had absurdly high action to make up for it, which was causing some of the other strings to buzz at the bridge end.
2: Neck, just sanded the frets to remove rust, and oiled it up. No fret end issues.
3: Truss Rod: Had to turn it a fair chunk to get it straight. And then backed off about a quarter turn to get a tiny gap (for initial setup). One tip I found useful. Put a lamp or torch behind the straight edge. It's much easier to see light shining through the gaps than the gaps themselves.
4: Replaced the pick guard (it had a lot of cracks). Which lead to a whole host of other problems. After opening it up, there was no shielding at all, and the solder job looked like they just poured solder on everything. (combined most likely the cause of the worst of the hum)
5: Adding shielding. (aluminium plate, copper tape)
-------------- Above are the steps I've taken, below are the steps I still need to go through. Just waiting on some solder wick ----------
6: Redoing the solder job. It was honestly terrible. Some parts were mountains of solder, other parts you could sneeze and the wire would fall off.
7: New strings
8: Fix bridge heights and radius (they were all set way too high to make up for the 3rd string issues)
9: Fix intonation (same deal)
And on the intonation front. I had a thought.
If it's effectively a setup from scratch (which this might as well be) wouldn't it be easier to pull the intonation as far bas as possible, and then gradually back it off? You wouldn't need to constantly loosen the strings that way, just get it in tune, check 12th, back off until 12 is in tune (or slightly flat early on) and then retune and repeat.
Bro. Let me tell you. I’ve been playing on the same Fender Squire for at least 10 years now and I’ve never touched any of this. It wasn’t much but I made it work but I never knew what the screws on the bridge did until now. After tuning them correctly and getting a new neck, my guitar sounds infinitely better!! Thanks so much for the video
Maybe a cheap guitar but that guitar from what I’ve seen in your videos over this one, seems like it may not be just marketed to beginners but to those who may want to get a decent cheap one to modify. LOVE THE COLOR!!
That string tree one is very helpful
Nice work, Darrell. Pickup height should be addressed at some point as well. I love setting up guitars. It's so much nicer doing it yourself versus paying someone and it's remarkably easy after a little practice.
I'm dyspraxic and have aphantasia so I often find a lot of the videos I've watched difficult to follow but this was really well shown/spoken. I'll be checking more of your videos out.
I learned this stuff nearly 25 years ago when I first learned how to play. I came across this video because my guitar started coming out of tune on me. Thank you for the good refresher. It was very helpful.
Building a kit taught me SO much about guitars. Everyone really should do it
Go to Warmoth and get better parts than a kit.
I just bought that guitar . I came to set up nice , intonation was spot on. Stays in tune with lite use of tremolo .Needs better tuning KEYS and PICKUPS .Going to buy a MIM LOADED pick guard
If the pickups are brittle sounding you can just add a capacitor to increase the impedance :)
Thank you, Darrell. I wish there were videos like this when I started to learn guitar over 15 years ago. I guess I need to buy one and try it again.
I have my Indio Retro DLX Plus coming this week. Can’t wait to get started learning again. My last instructor failed me. I have already learned more about guitars with your videos than he told me in months.
The intonation on that cheapie was spot on beautiful after the work you did. Very inspiring. Thank you.
This is exactly the video I needed. Just picked a guitar used and needs a setup. Super buzzy, thanks Darrell!!!
Glad to help!
You don't need to detune the strings to set intonation, just tune to the note after each adjustment. The bridge height adjustment screws probably don't need detuning either. This is much more of an issue for basses.
I never learned so much in 23 minutes in my life.
I just got my fender strat. Now i know what to do with it. Thank you sir. You've always been on my top 5 channels.
Yes. I realized I have all of these simple tools.. Like the radius tools... I had no clue what they were for.... Also the sanding sponge /block. I have one and now I know how easy it is smooth those razer sharp fret edges Thank u. Best video for sure, strait to the point
I can't leave this video without put an amazing like for an amazing work Thank you for all the details
Low budget guitars are good as you see in this video not everybody can afford high end guitars most of us go according our wallets video's like this are awesome thanks for sharing
I've found on a couple of guitars I can't move the 6th string saddle back far enough to intonate properly because the saddle bolt was starting to hit the string. So I unscrew the saddle bolt completely, and put a small washer or 2 on it before screwing it back in. It effectively makes the bolt shorter (by the width of the washers) allowing you to pull that saddle back further.
I've removed the springs several times. The saddles don't move.
Thanks, I bought. A cheap one $45 Australian new did exactly what you did there , I like it better than the Squire Affinity I have.
Far and away the best video of this type that I have watched, and... I've pretty much watched them all. Thank you, Darrell!
I ended up doing this exact build for fun but with the white strat and man am I happy I did. I followed the three videos almost to the t, replaced all the parts (as well as the nut), set it up as instructed and it doesn't dissappoint. I feel bad that I almost enjoy playing this guitar more than my american tele. Almost but not quite lol. Thanks, Darrell!
Hey can I ask what guitar this is? Also will you change the pups and/or pots? Thanks!
@@icywalrus4906 its a squier strat if i remember correctly
Hey, I think I did something wrong.
I flossed my nuts with guitar strings, but I got wheeled off in a padded ambulance. Any solutions!
Get lighter gauge strings
nativeboi907 thanks, appreciate it. They tasted really good, but I’m in an even tighter secured cell now. I have to drink my own piss
Did you try doing it in public? That way other people might be able to help.
Had it been an ordinary ambulance I would just have said "wrong nuts", obviously! Being a padded one, maybe next time you just shouldn't tell everyone near you about your venture......they just don't understand your urge to obtain perfectly smooth nuts.....LOL!
Chris Cross thanks, I appreciate it 👌
I just got an American Strat and there’s so much I need to learn about maintaining it. Watching this little Guitar’s journey is really helping me feel better about getting to know it well and forming the relationship I’d like to have with it. Thank you for sharing.
Old video but finally got my old purple squier strat set up properly for the first time in the 20ish years I've owned it. What a difference! I always just played my schecter because it came with a good setup but now I almost prefer the strat. The neck was backbowed a TON! The guy that owned it before me stripped a few screws out so I assume he just tightened it all the way. The action was set high enough to mitigate the fret buzz lol. This video along with a few others really helped me get it done with no drama. Better tone and easier to play for a couple hours (it was my first time) of time.
Dude your video has been my project. I did most of that to a Donnor strat style. They are actually pretty good as you know but i did have the rough fret ends. I bought a guitar tool kit and used the sanding block. Cleaned out the nut with the little files that are size of the strings. Put on some D'Addario 10s, which i think feel too heavy. Set intonation on my effect box tuner. Im kinda lost on my string height. Measuring things are confusing. I guess i just need to wing it by eye.
I needed to get back to my days in the 80s. Im almost 60 an wanna get my chops back, but just working in um has been fun. Im gonna build a pedal board too, i don't know why..lol
But thanks man, your a big help. All the videos you can do on repair and equipment is appreciated !
Intonation adjustments should be done after checking pickup height since the magnet can pull the string toward it if it's too high. Also, with the guitar laying on it's back gravity can have an effect on the neck and strings giving a a slightly different tuning reading :)
top 10 things you can do instead of practicing to give yourself the illusion that youre getting better
0-3-5
@@Johnnysmithy24 0-3-6-5
I bought everything HENDRIX was using and for some reason I still can't play exactly like him dunno y... I think I need his Strat he used at Woodstock that would probably give me the ability to really play like him.
Hands down the best guitar tutorial on TH-cam by far. I was so discouraged when I saw the prices of some of my dream guitars, it wasn't about the brand so much as the sound. I got a cheap guitar a while back and could never understand why it always gave me such a headache! I trashed it for various reasons, now i am off to buy another one with a new found hope. I love the hands on DIY factor, gives me the chance to connect with my gear. Thanks dude, you rock!
In the 23 years i play guitar i never understanded how this works, now i finally get it. Thanks a lot. Awesome video.👍
This video is essential. Like I didn’t even realize this was my problem the whole time. Can’t wait to get home so I can level up my tone game with these simple fixes.
Good tips...i love tricking out old beater guitars...i put a Duncan in a squire...it howls better than my SG!!
My cheap guitars are no longer realistically playable as they are. They’re both about 18 years old and definitely need some work like this. Hopefully that’s all they need. Thank you!
Check your first fret action. They should be around .020 but .018 is as low as you should go. Cut the slots a little at a time. It made my old beater sound great.(take your time, file a little, check it, file s little check it.) My old beater is acoustic, but it sounds great now. Depending on guitar Fender scale is 4/64" at 17th fret, Gibson scale is about the same but measure at 12th fret. For an acoustic it should be around .090 or 5/64 at low E at 12th fret High E around .080 or a little above 4/64". To lower the action measure at 12th if it's 6/64 at low E & say 5/64 at high E, double the difference, so if you're 1/64 too high take off 2/64, 1/32 from your saddle bottom. Take your time, it'll bring your guitars to life. Note electrics are easier to adjust action/string height, just raise or lower your saddles. On Tune o matic bridge you can only measure low & high E.
My second guitar is going to be Squier, so I believe this could help alot, thank you
Once in a great while, I catch a video that delivers EXACTLY what I came for, without any self fellatio or excess fat. Clean, concise, to the point. Excellent video.. 5*
I bought a strat copy of unknown origin (no name on the headstock) for $8 at Goodwill. It had no strings, the pickup retaining bolts were MIA, the guitar was so dirty it totally hid the metallic flake, the bridge was really narrow and flimsy. I reworked everything according to Daryl's videos, MIM bridge and trem parts, locking tuners, refinished the neck (ground in dirt what a mess) gave it a complete set up after polishing the jagged fret ends added D'addario string. $60 in parts and it plays awesome. Thanks Daryl
I bought a china fender strat clone and upgraded it. I managed to find a complete pick guard with all of the electronics from a 2020 fender strat squire for $20 on eBay, and a complete set of fender tuning machines for $35 on eBay. Couple that with finding a 65 watt Peavy Express 112 amp with transtube for $150, it sounds really good, but there's a couple of pedals I still need to get the sound I want out of it.
I wouldn't have done the upgrades myself if I hadn't watched your video first.
Sounds like a Winner, good deal 😎
Those round fret files are really torch tip cleaners. You can get them at most hardware stores for around $.50 or order them from any tool company like Granger or Mc Master - Carr for like a quarter.
Yep, we use em to clean water jetting tips where I work.
As Darrell says, the round files are not really suitable for deepening the fret slots (the larger sizes may remove some nut material, if pressed heavily into the slots) If you wrap a piece of wet and dry sandpaper around these files (they are actually sold for cleaning welding torch tips) you will get a smoother surface in the fret slot. Just fold a small piece of 400 grit paper around the wire, and hold in place as close to the wire as you can while cleaning the slots. And remember to angle the 'filing' direction downwards, at a slightly steeper angle than the string makes when leaving the nut and going to the tuning post: the string should only touch the very front edge of the nut slot (the side towards the fretboard).
@@johnkirkpatrick1778 i have fret files but this is a GREAT tip thanks
I can make my cheap guitar sound even cheaper
Blah blah blah blah blah blah
@@davidledford3522 huh?
Me too!
All you have to do Is sma-
what I do is remove all strings and put it in my hot garage for 2 years then before I jam I spritz it with water and this part is important only plug your instrument jack in half way then you will sound exactly like nickelback
You're a genius,
I was about to sell my cheap strato
until I saw this.
It made me want to record again
and get more out of it..
Thanks dude !
As a nearly 60 year old new comer to the guitar I found all this advice so useful. Many thanks my friend. I am mainly a drummer and keyboardist so appreciate setup advice :)
18:40 Always set the intonation in playing position to do it correctly.
Awesome video! Learned tons! Thanks so much for taking the time to make these and teach other people 🎸 🎼
Liking the beard man. And your playing is nice too I guess lol
😄 Thanks JH!
I've been following your videos for a few months now and I really like how well you explain things. I just learned how to setup a Floyd Rose and my next string change, I'm definitely going to try this. I got my Schecter SLS Elite black fade burst from watching your videos. Thanks for all your tips.
Excellent info. I’m just starting to learn to play at 46 and I have all the problems on my $150 guitar that you addressed. I’ll be trying these fixes this weekend. Thanks!