Opinons needed on this setup please

IbanezGirl · #1 08-04-2006, 08:20 AM

Hi guys/gals,

Well, after mucking around with the RG 750 for awhile and not been able to loosen the set screws too lower the action, and also not being brave enough to adjust the truss rod, i decided to put her in for a pro setup and got her back today. I must say i'm not very happy with the end results, the action still feels too high. There feels like there's too much tension in the strings, the tremolo doesn't look like it's been touched, let alone adjusted properly? The trem also feels like it doesn't have much movement with dives and pullups.

After spending AU$100 for this, it feels like i've wasted my money and i'm bitterly disappointed.
I'm going to ring them tomorrow to discuss my concerns, but first off i'd love to get your valued opinions before calling

BTW, my neighbour took these pics, so sorry for quality (or should i say, lack of quality). He also added a coin under the strings so you can get an idea of distance.

http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/9987/1003620cp3.jpg

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/8581/1003624wr7.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/6734/1003627pf6.jpg

http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/6546/1003621yx7.jpg

*edit* Sorry mods, just realised i put this in the wrong section.

Silverburst · #2 08-04-2006, 09:15 AM

Hi, at first sight the Edge trem angle looks okay to me. Action looks indeed a tad high. I went twice to a guitar shop myself to have it set up, but it came back twice with a similar setup as your guitar. Pretty high action, even intonation wasn't done well. The neck had way too much bow etc... The second time they even guaranteed me that their tech was the only one in Belgium that was allowed to touch Eric clapton's guitar when he was around for his Tour (blah blah blah). it's like the only thing they want to avoid is fret buzz so they just raise the action enough.

That's when I decided to start tweaking my guitars myself, and JEMsite's tech section was of course a tremendous help. At the time rich's Tech stuff wasn't available, so I'm planning to recheck everything whilst reading his stuff. Setup is also a pretty personal thing, so it's the best thing to do, except if you have a luthier around who really knows Ibanez and cares about the way an Ibanez-enthousiast likes it set up.

You shouldn't be afraid of a truss rod, but I know the feeling ,it's like the spine of your guitar. If you do as advised : "don't adjest too much at a time and let your guitar get used to the new bow/relief", you can't really do anything wrong.

As for the set screws, check http://www.ibanezrules.com/tech/setup/action.htm if you already didn't. (you can free the set screws a little)

ibanezcollector · #3 08-04-2006, 09:33 AM

is it me or does that neck look like its got a whole matchbook for a shim under it..

Did the person doing the job have any qualifications or referals for you to go to them or did you just pick anyone? I do all my setups myself but if I had to let someone do it, I know of one person in a 100 mile radius I would let touch my guitars. Its sad but most so called guitar repairmen are exactly the opposite there usually guitar salesmen trying to do repairs.

Aris_T · #4 08-04-2006, 09:40 AM

First of all you should check the tech section in Rich's site.
The first pic is a little blurry, but as far as I can see the angle seems ok.
You can check if your truss rod needs to be adjusted with a big ruler. You place it on the 1st and 24th fret and check if all the frets touch the ruler (there shouldn't be any curve). If adjustment is needed, don't be afraid to do it yourself. Just be gentle and don't turn the screw more than 1/4 of the turn. Let the neck get used to the new setting and check again.

I agree with pmike that you should do the job yourself, as the enthousiast always cares more.

Good luck

IbanezGirl · #5 08-04-2006, 09:42 AM

pmike, thanks for the reply. Yeah, i had read Rich's setup and also Jemsite's but i was stuck with a few things so decided to get her setup, so she'd be easier for me to maintain.

Ibanezcollector, it's funnny you mention about a shim. I actually asked them to check this, but by the looks of things it appears as though they didn't.

Well, the person i spoke with said their Luthier had 30 yrs experience, so i was happy with that. Today when i picked it up, i was told by another sales person that the original person i spoke with did the setup. I have no idea of his qualifications, i didn't ask, as i thought the Luthier was doing the job.

guitarslinger213 · #6 08-04-2006, 09:45 AM

ouch. I had a bike shop "true" my wheels once. When I got them back with nothing changed, I decided to do my own work forever.

1. get a good set of metric allen wrenches
2. get a trussrod tool
3. don't mess with the trem studs until you know what you're getting into.
4. start checking to see if the frets are all the same height. do this with a metal ruler (or measuring stick, whatever you would call it in AUS.)

IbanezGirl · #7 08-04-2006, 09:58 AM

guitarslinger, i have number 1 & 2.
With the trem studs, i couldn't feel the set screws using a 1.5mm Allen key. This was one of the reasons for taking it to the shop, i wasn't sure if the set screws are there, so i didn't want too mess with the trem studs.
I just measured all the frets and they seem to be the same height.

guitarslinger213 · #8 08-04-2006, 10:02 AM

actually, if you unscrew the tremstuds all the way, you can see through if there's no set screw.

guitarslinger213 · #9 08-04-2006, 10:03 AM

are you using 3 trem springs in parallel fashion?

IbanezGirl · #10 08-04-2006, 10:09 AM

I don't want too touch the guitar at this stage, not until i've spoken with them tomorrow.
I've just had a thought on the high action and mentioning shims, could these not only be under the locking nut but under the saddles too?

Yep, using 3 springs in parallel.

guitarslinger213 · #11 08-04-2006, 10:14 AM

I think people are referring to a shim in the neck pocket. hence the angle the neck points down when the guitar is on its back.

the nut and saddles can both have shims, but saddle shims on an edge are pretty rare. The nut might have a slick looking brass shim.

bikeman · #12 08-04-2006, 10:19 AM

That action is way too high, and the bridge looks a little too angled for me.

I would take the guitar back, explain what you want it to be like, and let them rectify their error. If they can't get it how you would like it, they need to explain why (eg neck is warped, bridge is faulty etc) and how much it would cost to rectify. You would then need to get a second opinion.

IbanezGirl · #13 08-04-2006, 10:22 AM

Oh ok. I didn't even consider a shim in the neck pocket.

guitarslinger213 · #14 08-04-2006, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IbanezGirl

Oh ok. I didn't even consider a shim in the neck pocket.

it might be fine where it is. plus, taking the neck on and off can be hazardous to the connection. make sure you know exactly which screw goes in which hole, plus, there's a ton of leverage with the long neck. if you have one screw left connected, and you bump it, it can be very dangerous for the body

guitarslinger213 · #15 08-04-2006, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibanezcollector

is it me or does that neck look like its got a whole matchbook for a shim under it..

which makes me wonder how the bridge can be at normal height. I'm thinking, trussrod too loose, too much neck shim, bridge too low in relation to the shim.