Tips before sending guitar to the tech?

Wattage · #1 04-17-2010, 03:05 PM

Hey everybody,

So, I've decided to go and get my Strat set up for D'Addario chromes .012. However, I don't go to the tech very often. Should I do something with my guitar (i.e. remove strings or keep them on) before dropping it off at Sam Ash?

Thanks!

billkath · #2 04-17-2010, 03:33 PM

I wouldn't do anything to it. Leave it as it is.

derek · #3 04-18-2010, 11:47 AM

Agreed.

#4 04-18-2010, 02:53 PM

As dopey as this sounds, I suggest making sure the guitar is not really dirty.

When faced with a pile of guitars needing work, I would tend to avoid the one with dried turd around the frets. Not for any practical reason, but we are all human,...

So give your luthier (even a Sam Ash luthieroid) a reason to see your guitar as a valued instrument.

EDIT: Some Guitar Centers (and presumably Sam Ashes) have GREAT luthiers in-house, so I do not mean to over-generalize by suggesting that all large chain stores with have careless luthieroids in them.

msr13 · #5 04-18-2010, 08:06 PM

And, just a cautionary suggestion. A few times over the years I have gotten my guitars back with a small ding that I swear wasn't there when I dropped it off. So, now, I always take pictures right before dropping them off and check them over at the shop before leaving. I don't mind me dinging them (ok, I do) but it annoys me to no end if someone else does it-- especially when input it in their hands and care.

mongrel · #6 04-18-2010, 08:29 PM

One of the best ways to get more intimate with your guitar is to experiment adjusting it yourself instead of taking it to someone else. All you need is the truss rod allen wrench that came with the guitar new and a set of smaller ones for the saddles. You can get a set of feeler gauges from any auto parts stores for little money. There is some much available on the internet about everything including adjusting neck relief, string height etc. that is free to all with a computer and web hookup. A Strat is a real basic instrument with a bolt-on neck and is built like a tank. If I needed adjustment on my antique Gibson archtop, I would take it to someone good. My Strat, I just play with the allen screws until it is where I like it. I've had from .09s to .14's on it and the only adjustment needed has been less than a turn on the truss rod.