Guitar Guitar - Set Up?

[spongebob]

I was having an online chat with Guitar Guitar this morning about a potential few purchases, one being a bass.

I asked the chap if any of the instruments are checked before they get sent (previous experiences elsewhere of items arriving clearly flawed).

I was told that everything they sell is checked and set-up.

Anybody got any recent experience of using them? Is this the case? Couldn't find any mention of this anywhere. I can't them telling fibs about it, but having not used them in years, I really wouldn't know!

Incidentally, same bass is at Peach Guitars, and they also maintain that every instrument is checked and set.

Edited April 17, 2021 by spongebob

[Doctor J]

Going on a recent post in the MetroExpress thread, it would a appear they don't.

 

Edited April 17, 2021 by Doctor J

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

20 minutes ago, spongebob said:

I was having an online chat with Guitar Guitar this morning about a potential few purchases, one being a bass.

I asked the chap if any of the instruments are checked before they get sent (previous experiences elsewhere of items arriving clearly flawed).

I was told that everything they sell is checked and set-up.

Anybody got any recent experience of using them? Is this the case? Couldn't find any mention of this anywhere. I can't them telling fibs about it, but having not used them in years, I really wouldn't know!

Incidentally, same bass is at Peach Guitars, and they also maintain that every instrument is checked and set.

The one bass I have bought from Guitar Guitar arrived perfectly set up (for me), but I can’t say more than that. I’ve also dropped in unannounced at Peach Guitars and asked to try a few basses that I knew they had in stock and they were also spot on. All this may have been luck of course. To be fair, I expect to carry out a set up when any new (to me) arrives at Hackenbacker Towers. That’s half the fun of getting a new bass isn’t it?

[Cato]

How do you tell at what point an instrument has been set up?

I bought a skinny stringer from Guitar Guitar a couple of weeks ago.

It arrived well set up (the intonation isn't perfect but it's close enough that I haven't got round to tweaking it yet) but in that price bracket I'd expect it to leave the factory like that so I have no way of telling if GG did any work.

 

Edited April 17, 2021 by Cato

[SH73]

Not recently, but 6 years ago I ordered an olympic white bass with black pickguard. They set me up with a black bass with black pickguard.

[spongebob]

So Peach Guitars for the win so far!

[ProfJames]

4 hours ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

The one bass I have bought from Guitar Guitar arrived perfectly set up (for me), but I can’t say more than that. I’ve also dropped in unannounced at Peach Guitars and asked to try a few basses that I knew they had in stock and they were also spot on. All this may have been luck of course. To be fair, I expect to carry out a set up when any new (to me) arrives at Hackenbacker Towers. That’s half the fun of getting a new bass isn’t it?

Set up and clean the neck, frets, etc on my Kramer Duke just last week....................

[BillyBass]

I've had good experiences with both sellers, but I've never bought basses from them, just pedals and heads.  Peach Guitars had a great selection of basses when I visited in 2019, whereas Guitar Guitar in Camden had very few basses, it was all guitars.

[Stub Mandrel]

IME everything I have tried at a Guitar Guitar has been reasonably well set up, but I would always tweak any guitar or bass to suit my own preferences.

Most decent shops depend on having one or more members of staff who play the stock and tweak them if required.

Last badly set up bass I played was in PMT, think it was an Ibby Talman. Before that it was an acoustic bass in a local shop - they took it off me and brought it back five minutes later after a truss rod adjustment and it was vastly better.

[beans-on-toast]

Shops always claim to inspect and perform setup. A proper setup takes time, typically an hour and involves consulting with the client. Everyone has their own version of the truth.

If you aren’t set up to do it, have a good tech set up your instrument after the purchase.

[spongebob]

Thanks chaps. Still thinking about it....

Also deliberating about using Bax. Had a B stock item a few years back, and was as new. Some good savings in there. Returns policy was fine before....although not sure now with Brexit?

Edited April 18, 2021 by spongebob

[Eldon Tyrell]

A few years ago, I bought a Gibson T'bird in GuitarGuitar's Epsom store. They have a dedicated tech guy in the store who set up the bird to my liking. Great service 👍

[ezbass]

12 minutes ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

A few years ago, I bought a Gibson T'bird in GuitarGuitar's Epsom store. They have a dedicated tech guy in the store who set up the bird to my liking. Great service 👍

Epsom used to be my local store. When I was buying my 4003s, the truss rods needed adjusting and the tech did it with speed, ease and accuracy so I could have a better demo experience. This turns out to have been no mean feat, I tried adjusting the neck some months later, having bought it and made an initial pig’s ear of it. I also had an Epiphone Casino, with Bigsby, totally set up, including fret levelling, by Epsom. When I picked it up it was a different playing guitar, real quality. I can only hope that my new ‘locals’ are as good (I can’t think why they wouldn’t be).

[Cato]

2 hours ago, spongebob said:

Thanks chaps. Still thinking about it....

Also deliberating about using Bax. Had a B stock item a few years back, and was as new. Some good savings in there. Returns policy was fine before....although not sure now with Brexit?

If you haven't been following the various post brexit threads, other than the slightly unpredictable additional handling fees from the courier, the single biggest potential headache with regards to ordering from Europe seems to be claiming back the VAT direct from HM Customs and Revenue should you need to return the instrument.

Edited April 18, 2021 by Cato

[spongebob]

It's a right pain!

I'd much rather buy used....don't want new at all.....it's just really hard finding anything I want at a sensible price.

Looking daily at the usual suspects....here, Bass Direct, Cool and Classic (don't really know of any others?)

I'm not keen on the new prices, either....I just can't justify it, even to myself!

[uk_lefty]

Wunjo do a great set up on basses you buy from them. Want it down tuned half a step? No problem. Want the lowest possible action without buzzing, OK, easy. 

Aside from that buying a Sire from Thomann that came perfectly set up. 

I bought a Fender electro acoustic six string from Gear4 years back and the action was all over the place, even though there's a hang tag claiming set up was done in the factory it didn't seem to have had any help after then. 

[jgmh315]

Bought a jazz bass from peach guitars a few months ago, came very well set up. 

Suited me perfectly. 

[yorks5stringer]

On 17/04/2021 at 20:14, ProfJames said:

Set up and clean the neck, frets, etc on my Kramer Duke just last week....................

You do realise they've gone and put the machine heads back in the wrong place....?

[ProfJames]

@yorks5stringer...........thank you!  Good to laugh out loud first thing!!!

[BigRedX]

But surely apart from the intonation and the tuning (which you need to do yourself) everything else in a setup is entirely personal and subjective?

I know that what I would consider a good setup for me would be completely unacceptable to many on here.

 

[uk_lefty]

1 hour ago, BigRedX said:

But surely apart from the intonation and the tuning (which you need to do yourself) everything else in a setup is entirely personal and subjective?

I know that what I would consider a good setup for me would be completely unacceptable to many on here.

And I think that's part of it. Wunjo's asked me how I wanted my bass setting up and I put in my very basic requirements, they did it no sweat. If someone says "we will set it up, no problem" but doesn't ask you for any input you probably are getting a ten minute tweak and that's it, or a set up that suits the tech and may or may not work for you. 

[Horizontalste]

I bought a Lakland from Guitar Guitar Birmingham online (risky I know) & it arrived really nicely set up but this could've been done by Lakland.

When it arrived I was convinced they'd sent me the wrong thing as the box (& bass) was stupidly light 😁

[ezbass]

6 minutes ago, Horizontalste said:

I bought a Lakland from Guitar Guitar Birmingham online (risky I know) & it arrived really nicely set up but this could've been done by Lakland.

When it arrived I was convinced they'd sent me the wrong thing as the box (& bass) was stupidly light 😁

Lakland used to PLEK all their basses once upon a time, I don't know if this is still the case.

[Horizontalste]

On 20/04/2021 at 13:43, ezbass said:

Lakland used to PLEK all their basses once upon a time, I don't know if this is still the case.

Yeah it still is, or at least was with both of mine!

[Supernaut]

This video is very useful for those unsure on how to set up their instrument.