You have got your electric guitar and you have been told that it needs adjustment before you play it, since you cannot begin to play your guitar straight out of its box. Since the guitar is a delicate instrument, you need to adjust it very carefully to make sure that it plays well. An electric guitar has hundreds of parts that require adjustment, so here goes.
Truss Rod Adjustment
If you look at your electric guitar’s neck, you will see the metal truss rod right down its center. This will help you straighten the neck to improve the playability of your guitar. You can also use it to alter the string height, intonation and performance. This is a critical adjustment and needs to be done properly.
Here is how you do it. At the first fret, position a capo. Press the low E string down at the 17th fret. A gap of more than 0.25 mm from the top of the 7-9th fret and the bottom of the string means you need to turn the truss rod in the clockwise direction. If the gap is less than 0.25 mm, then you need to turn it counterclockwise. Care must be taken to make these adjustments in very small degrees and very slowly. If you make it too tight, you could damage the guitar beyond repair.
Adjusting The Height Of The Strings
Once done with the truss rod, the string heights need adjustment so that they have the right tension to vibrate properly. Check the height of the string at the 12th fret. To adjust the top and bottom strings, make the bottom string 2.00 mm and the top string 1.5 mm. Lowering or raising the saddle can achieve this. You can increase the height of the strings in the middle so that it is the lowest on the treble and the highest at the bass.
Adjusting Intonation
You must adjust each string length on your electric guitar to set intonation. Using an electronic tuner, tune your guitar strings one by one. If your fretted 12th fret note is sharper than the harmonic at the 12th fret, you need to lengthen the string until both notes sound the same. Shorten the string if the fretted note is flatter by comparison. By repeating this for each string, ensure that the fretted notes sound the same as the harmonic.
Pickup Height Adjustment
Your guitar’s pickup height can have a major impact on the quality of your guitar’s sound. The right height needs to be maintained between the pickup and the strings.
Remember to always disconnect your electric guitar from the amplifier before you make any adjustments to it. If you are too nervous to try adjusting your electric guitar on your own, you can get an experienced technician to do it for you.