PROFESSIONAL SETUPS - Includes Fret Dress !!
If you would like to book your guitar in for a setup, please call us on 01252 520 911
** Strictly by appointment only **
Prices' ... its not a cost,... its an investment! '
Acoustic Guitar - 6 String
Electric Guitar - 6 String
Bass (inc fretless bass)
Banjo
Mandolin
Ukelele
Guitars with more than 6 strings
£100 + Strings
£100 + Strings
£100 + Strings
£100 + Strings
£100 + Strings
£100 + Strings
£110 + Strings
Tremolo systems do not change the price (inc. Floyd Rose Tremolo systems)
The 'J. White Guitar Workshops Pro-Set Up' uses D'Addario strings (where we can)
Taking Care of Your Guitar...
The Setup; ... the 'guitar service' if you will. Much like a car a guitar requires servicing on a regular basis, but unlike car servicing, near enough is not good enough. Guitars are musical instruments, not implements.
Guitars must be setup/calibrated on a regular basis in order for the instrument to remain in tip top condition and musical perfection. ... If your car is only firing on three out of four cylinders it will still do its job and get you from A to B, but for a guitar... it would simply be wrong. There is no room for error in music.
There are many reasons to have your guitar Setup...
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The Action of your guitar is too high - A common problem, you have to press the strings a long way before they touch the neck / frets. This often makes playing the guitar hard work and is not very enjoyable. All fixable with the J. White Professional Setup.
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The Action of your guitar is too low - Another common problem, this often causes fret buzz sounds when playing the guitar.
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The Dreaded Fret Buzz - Another very common problem, this can be caused by a number of reasons... The nut is too low, the bridge/saddle is too low, the amount of neck relief is incorrect, the frets are not level, a new set of strings are required etc.
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Guitar is out of tune - Once the guitar is tuned with open strings, it is a common problem for the guitar to be out of tune when the frets are used. Again there could be a number of reasons for this, the nut may require re-cutting correctly, the intonation may require adjustment or the frets need crowning.
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Dodgy Electrics - Crackling volume knobs to intermittent outputs / switches. Most of these problems just require a little TLC to bring them back to life.
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Yes, it may simply be that time for a string change. Strings are charged at an additional cost.
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And much much more !!!
Here is a step by step walk-through of what the J. White Professional Setup process involves
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Test - As Received
Your guitar will be tested / looked over upon receipt for obvious faults and areas that require attention.
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Measure and Record Action & Relief
Upon receipt of your guitar the neck relief, action at the 1st & 12th fret is recorded.
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Remove Old Strings
Your old strings are removed and disposed of, J. White Guitar Workshops never reuse old strings.
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Remove Scratch Plates and Covers
The Scratch Plate and any other covers are removed to gain access to any electronics or other moving parts for inspection and servicing / cleaning.
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Clean Electronic Contacts
All 'pots' (volume / tone controls etc.) and switches etc. are cleaned using a special electronic cleaning solution. this will eliminate 'crackly ' and intermittent switches.
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Check Battery
If you have a battery in your guitar, the voltage will be checked and recorded. The battery may be replaced if needed. (additional charge for new battery). The battery is also checked for any visible signs of leaking.
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Clean & Tighten Output Jack
If you have an output jack/s on your guitar the contacts will be cleaned and adjusted to ensure good contact with your guitar cable. The jack socket will also be tightened.
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Lubricate Moving Parts
The shaft of the machine heads, the gears of the machine heads (if open) and all bridge adjustments are lubricated with a special oil. This will prolong the life of all moving parts.
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Adjust the Truss-Rod for a Flat Neck
The truss-rod is adjusted so that the neck of your guitar is straight so that the frets can be levelled.
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Record the Neck Radius
The neck radius is used for stoning the frets (next stage) and string setup later.
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Stone the Frets
The Frets are 'stoned' (filed, to remove undulations). The frets of your guitar are filed to take out any wear on the frets and to ensure that all of the frets are level with its adjacent frets. The frets are stoned to match the radius of the fingerboard and are also stoned into an elliptical pattern to match the natural oscillation of the strings.
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Crowning the Frets
Crowning the frets is one of the most important parts of setting up your guitar and is done in multiple stages...
The stoned fret is filed either side of the fret to create the crown, whilst the height of the fret is not adjusted any further.
Once the frets are filed either side, the apex of the fret is slightly rounded. (the frets are now 'crowned').
The frets are then 'sanded' with various grades of paper. This will remove any scratches from filing the fret and will start to polish the fret.
The frets are then rubbed with ultra fine wire wool.
Finally the frets are 'stropped' with leather to polish and shine the frets.
NOTE:
The above procedure is very similar to the PLEK®machines procedure for crowning frets where you may pay in excess of £200, but we do everything by hand and its all included in the Professional Setup price!
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Clean the Fingerboard
On Ebony and Rosewood fingerboards the fingerboard face is carefully cleaned and degreased, and then rubbed with ultra fine wire wool to ensure that it is clean. Once clean, the fingerboard is oiled. Not only does this add lustre to the fingerboard but also reapplies natural oils to the wood to minimise shrinkage.
On guitars with maple necks, the fingerboard can only be cleaned using a mild polish.
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New Strings
During the professional setup, your guitar will be fitted with a new set of strings (except bass guitars which will only be fitted with new strings upon your request).
We will always fit new strings to your guitar that have been provided by J. White Guitar Workshops unless, you specifically request otherwise. Due to the wide variation and cost of guitar strings, strings will be charged at an additional cost.
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Tune Guitar
Your guitar is initially tuned to bring the head, neck and body of your guitar up to the correct tension.
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Adjust the Truss-Rod
The Truss-Rod of your guitar is adjusted to give the correct amount of relief to the neck. The Truss-Rod will counter act the pulling/bending force that is being applied by the strings. The neck will still have a slight 'bow in the neck, this ensures a good action and improved playability of your guitar.
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Adjust the Bridge
The string height at the 12th fret is adjusted at the bridge to give a optimum playing action. The optimum height is different for different types of guitar. The strings are also adjusted to match the radius of the neck (measured and recorded earlier). Saddles on Acoustic Guitars may need raising or lowering.
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Adjustments at the Nut
The action at the1st fret is checked and adjusted to the optimum height (if required), this also help correct the intonation. If the action is too low, the nut will be raised. If the action is too high, the nut will be filed so that the string sits lower in the nut. If the string sits too low into the nut, the nut will be adjusted accordingly, this will reduce strings breaking.
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Re-Check the Action at the 12th Fret
The action at the 12th fret is re-checked and adjusted as required.
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Intonation
The intonation of the guitar is checked and adjusted (where possible).
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Final Checks
Now that the guitar is all back together and set-up, final checks are made by playing the guitar, feeling the action, checking for fret buzz, checking the electrics etc.
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Final Tune
The guitar is again tuned to ensure that the correct tension is applied to the neck and of course... it sounds good when the customer plays it.
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Final Measurements
The action at the 1st fret, the 12th fret and the neck relief are all recorded to the nearest thousandth of an inch (0.001").
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Adjust and Balance Pickups
On Electric Guitars each pickups height is adjusted and balanced against the other pickups.
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Report Before and After Measurements
All before and after measurements are supplied to the customer when the guitar is collected.
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Guitar Clean. (complimentary clean)
Your guitar will be cleaned for you, ready for your collection.
'How often should I get my guitar Setup?'
The frequency that your guitar requires a setup all depends on how much you play the guitar. The professional musician who plays on stage multiple times each week, will probably have their guitar setup each performing night. That is generally far too much for most people.
If you play in a band and have weekend gigs, we would recommend that your guitar is setup every 3-6 months.
If you just play at home, but are quite a serious player. We would recommend that a setup is performed every 9 months.
If you just play at home and only pick up the guitar every now and again, we would recommend having your guitar setup at least every year.
The J. White Professional Setup is an excellent service that provides excellent value for money. It keeps your instrument performing to its full potential.
The J. White Professional Setup is probably one of the best Setups in the world. Your guitar is 100% setup by hand (no machines involved - except the machine head winder, if you can call that a machine?)
Initially we will discuss your guitar on a one to one basis and will talk about what can be done to fix your problems etc.
Your guitar will then be setup in usually about 2-4 days (unless otherwise stated).
You will receive a full set of before and after measurements.