How to set up a Les Paul

[bbaug14]

I know, there is no way to set up a LP. They will always go out of tune and you will always eventually get fret buzz....

Do any of you know a good resource on the web which gives a detailed tutorial for setting up a guitar (particularly an LP style guitar)? I usually just take my guitars in for a string change and set up, but it's becoming a hassle and if there is a kit with the tools needed and a nice tutorial out there, I'd like to give it a whirl. Thanks!!!

 

[RedRider]

Dave McNaught has a pretty good instructional web page on it...

http://www.mcnaughtguitars.com/index429.htm

THen there are a couple of really good video's of John Ingram showing how to setup a PRS....its basically the same for all guitars in principle...

Or there is a GREAT book on it by Dan Erlewine

https://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Electri ... b_title_bk


Good luck brudda!! Its not anywhere near as hard as guys would have you believe...if you have ANY mechanical ability at all its pretty simple.

 

[killertone]

A lot of it is getting to know your particular instrument; what you can and can't do as far as adjustment goes. I have 4 LPCs and all of them are a tad bit different in how they are set up.

As far as them always going out of tune, a LP with good stable tuners, restrung correctly, and properly set up will not go out of tune all night.

 

[155]

the set up is key.. the right strings for the tuning , the nut cut properly, neck relief set right, good tuning machines, bridge height....ect once you have all that right it will play like a dream...

 

[Badronald]

I had my Les Paul Custom for 4 years and never once adjusted it. It stayed in tune as well as any guitar I've ever played. Solid as a rock.

I do live in Phoenix and the dry air may contribute to the fact that my guitars never need to be adjusted.

 

[thenine]

nut cut properly and well lubed has been the key for me on LP's. Also helps to put 2 90deg angles on the string as they go thru the tuning peg.

 

[RockStarNick]

I know it's been said a million times, but... BONE NUT, BONE NUT, BONE NUT.

It's much, much harder than the stock plastic one. Which means that the strings will not stick in their slots. With a bone nut, properly cut slots, and some graphite lube in there, it'll stay in tune great.

 

[RedRider]

I had my Les Paul Custom for 4 years and never once adjusted it. It stayed in tune as well as any guitar I've ever played. Solid as a rock.

I do live in Phoenix and the dry air may contribute to the fact that my guitars never need to be adjusted.

Go to someplace like Jersey, where the summer is 85 - 90% humidity and winter is 10% and the heater is going in your house all day every day....even where I live, in the winter I setup an humidifier in my office and I have a few guitars that need 2 setups a year...

Phoneiz is pretty stable I would assume...as far as relative humidity...

 

[bbaug14]

I know it's been said a million times, but... BONE NUT, BONE NUT, BONE NUT.

It's much, much harder than the stock plastic one. Which means that the strings will not stick in their slots. With a bone nut, properly cut slots, and some graphite lube in there, it'll stay in tune great.

LOL! I have graphite nuts installed on ALL my guitars.

 

[bbaug14]

I had my Les Paul Custom for 4 years and never once adjusted it. It stayed in tune as well as any guitar I've ever played. Solid as a rock.

I do live in Phoenix and the dry air may contribute to the fact that my guitars never need to be adjusted.

Go to someplace like Jersey, where the summer is 85 - 90% humidity and winter is 10% and the heater is going in your house all day every day....even where I live, in the winter I setup an humidifier in my office and I have a few guitars that need 2 setups a year...

Phoneiz is pretty stable I would assume...as far as relative humidity...

Michigander here.... same B.S.. The huge swings in humidity and temp just aren't good on guitars.

 

[Ventura]

To the OP...

An excellent tech. Period.

 

[LP Freak]

I play LP's pretty much exclusively, do all my own set up, and rarely run into tuning issues. Maybe during and outdoor gig when the humidity is up around 80% but that's about it. I set all my guitars up pretty much the same too. Check out some of the tutorials mentioned and try it yourself. A lot is pretty much trial and error. The set up specs will get you close and it's up to you to fine tune it from there. I can't imagine paying someone to change my strings or do a simple truss rod adjustment

 

[locoed]

Tuners,graphite string saddles,and make sure the strings don't overlap on the tuners,causes slack and then it's out of tune,and make sure you have plenty of nut sauce on hand before each gig. It works wonders

 

[Anonymous]

graph tech saddles for me.

 

[Beret]

Tuners,graphite string saddles,and make sure the strings don't overlap on the tuners,causes slack and then it's out of tune,and make sure you have plenty of nut sauce on hand before each gig. It works wonders

Sorry, I just have to do it.... or you could just play PRS.

All joking aside, living in the midwest is one of the reasons I gravitate toward PRS. They don't swing on me and they stay in tune.

~B

 

[bbaug14]

Tuners,graphite string saddles,and make sure the strings don't overlap on the tuners,causes slack and then it's out of tune,and make sure you have plenty of nut sauce on hand before each gig. It works wonders

Sorry, I just have to do it.... or you could just play PRS.

All joking aside, living in the midwest is one of the reasons I gravitate toward PRS. They don't swing on me and they stay in tune.

~B

Yeah, I agree 100% with this as I played PRS's for years and they NEVER went out of tune. One thing about a PRS though, it doesn't sound like a Les Paul...

 

[glip22]

Each guitar must be set up within the parameters of the particular guitar. Several factors go into each set up. I pride myself on doing good set ups. I never ever touch frets. There are so many so called techs out there. Most of them suck quite honestly. Never ever let anyone touch your frets unless they have a proven reputation with fret work. With Gibson's inconsistencies several things must be considered. Is their the typical Gibson hump in the neck? I have seen quite a few. How is the fretwork? Does the neck have any twists in it? Each set up will be a little different depending on the guitar. I find les pauls very easy to set up. I alway start with .009 at the 7th fret with a straight edge down the entire board length in between the D and G strings checking the space with a feeler gauge. I then set the bridge height. A good neck and frets should allow you to set your action a little bit over 4/64ths at the last fret on the low E and 3/64th on the high E with no buzz, String gauge and tunings need to be adjusted for. Then set the intonation. I use a strobe tuner. After you tune up make sure there is no buzz. If there is adjust for it. A good starting point for pickup height is a little over 3 32nds and 2-1/2 32nds treble side on the bridge pickup and 4 32ds and 3-1/2 32nds neck pickup. Nut sauce in the grooves, a clean fret board and frets. Make sure all tuners are snug. If you here pinging when you tune you need to file your nut a little in the slot that's pinging. The biggest problem in Les Pauls is the G string. It's notorious. Make sure all your strings are stretched out. I do 3x each string while retuning. After some play time do it again.

 

[bbaug14]

Each guitar must be set up within the parameters of the particular guitar. Several factors go into each set up. I pride myself on doing good set ups. I never ever touch frets. There are so many so called techs out there. Most of them suck quite honestly. Never ever let anyone touch your frets unless they have a proven reputation with fret work. With Gibson's inconsistencies several things must be considered. Is their the typical Gibson hump in the neck? I have seen quite a few. How is the fretwork? Does the neck have any twists in it? Each set up will be a little different depending on the guitar. I find les pauls very easy to set up. I alway start with .009 at the 7th fret with a straight edge down the entire board length in between the D and G strings checking the space with a feeler gauge. I then set the bridge height. A good neck and frets should allow you to set your action a little bit over 4/64ths at the last fret on the low E and 3/64th on the high E with no buzz, String gauge and tunings need to be adjusted for. Then set the intonation. I use a strobe tuner. After you tune up make sure there is no buzz. If there is adjust for it. A good starting point for pickup height is a little over 3 32nds and 2-1/2 32nds treble side on the bridge pickup and 4 32ds and 3-1/2 32nds neck pickup. Nut sauce in the grooves, a clean fret board and frets. Make sure all tuners are snug. If you here pinging when you tune you need to file your nut a little in the slot that's pinging. The biggest problem in Les Pauls is the G string. It's notorious. Make sure all your strings are stretched out. I do 3x each string while retuning. After some play time do it again.

Very helpful and informative. Thanks so much. A few questions...

When you say a straight edge, do you just use a long (between 25" to 1m) metal ruler or square of some sort?
What is the typical Gibson hump?
How do you determine if the neck has twists? I'm assuming this would be noticeable, but figured I'd ask.
Do you use the straight edge to adjust the truss rod? (meaning turning truss rod until you see 0.009 at 7th with feeler gauge)
I assume once you set the low and high E at the bridge the other strings are basically just coming along for the ride...?
When you state pick up height, is the first number the low E side and the second number the high E side for each pickup?

THANKS AGAIN!!! I'm hoping to knock this out on my LE this weekend for the first time. First I need to get a feeler gauge, some nut sauce, and a little more education.

 

[petejt]

I've got a Les Paul copy (ESP ltd ec-400), and although there's some slight fret buzz, it easily stays in tune for ages.

 

[glip22]

Each guitar must be set up within the parameters of the particular guitar. Several factors go into each set up. I pride myself on doing good set ups. I never ever touch frets. There are so many so called techs out there. Most of them suck quite honestly. Never ever let anyone touch your frets unless they have a proven reputation with fret work. With Gibson's inconsistencies several things must be considered. Is their the typical Gibson hump in the neck? I have seen quite a few. How is the fretwork? Does the neck have any twists in it? Each set up will be a little different depending on the guitar. I find les pauls very easy to set up. I alway start with .009 at the 7th fret with a straight edge down the entire board length in between the D and G strings checking the space with a feeler gauge. I then set the bridge height. A good neck and frets should allow you to set your action a little bit over 4/64ths at the last fret on the low E and 3/64th on the high E with no buzz, String gauge and tunings need to be adjusted for. Then set the intonation. I use a strobe tuner. After you tune up make sure there is no buzz. If there is adjust for it. A good starting point for pickup height is a little over 3 32nds and 2-1/2 32nds treble side on the bridge pickup and 4 32ds and 3-1/2 32nds neck pickup. Nut sauce in the grooves, a clean fret board and frets. Make sure all tuners are snug. If you here pinging when you tune you need to file your nut a little in the slot that's pinging. The biggest problem in Les Pauls is the G string. It's notorious. Make sure all your strings are stretched out. I do 3x each string while retuning. After some play time do it again.

Very helpful and informative. Thanks so much. A few questions...

When you say a straight edge, do you just use a long (between 25" to 1m) metal ruler or square of some sort?
What is the typical Gibson hump?
How do you determine if the neck has twists? I'm assuming this would be noticeable, but figured I'd ask.
Do you use the straight edge to adjust the truss rod? (meaning turning truss rod until you see 0.009 at 7th with feeler gauge)
I assume once you set the low and high E at the bridge the other strings are basically just coming along for the ride...?
When you state pick up height, is the first number the low E side and the second number the high E side for each pickup?

THANKS AGAIN!!! I'm hoping to knock this out on my LE this weekend for the first time. First I need to get a feeler gauge, some nut sauce, and a little more education.

I use a good quality 24" gauge. You can use a square also. Its important it is well made so that it is actually accurate and straight. I rest it up against the G string. I adjust so the feeler gauge rubs the 24" rule at the top a little. So it would be a snug .009 which is my preferrence. I do not adjust with the gauge on the guitar. I make smal adjustments and recheck the relief. As far as a hump in the fretboard. Just sight down the neck from the headstock down. You will be able to tell if their is a hump. It's usually around the 7th to 9th fret. Two Gibsons I had had them. A twist is less common and usually a result of poor climate where the guitar has been. Basically a warped neck. With the guitar in a position where the neck is pointing straight at you, you can see if the neck has a twist toward either the bass or treble side. If it does, the peghead usually will dip in the direction of the twist. It can cause intonation problems also. I wouldn't worry about either unless you are having intonation or severe buzz issues. You only need to set the High and low E sides on the bridge unless each saddle is adlustable like on many fender , prs, etc. tailpieces.. First number on the pick up heights is Low E and then High E side. Just some very good starting points for you. Adjust from there. If you have a little buzz raise up a tiny bit and see if it is gone. If you have buzz in the lower registers the guitar may want to see a little more relief in the neck. Try it at .010. If it buzzes between frets 7-9 try the neck a tiny bit straighter. I really like Fret Doctor to oil the board while the strings are off. Gorgomyte works wonders polishing the frets up. Good luck. Let us know how it comes out.