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guitar care and string replacement
Hey – I keep reading about getting a setup done to help your playing. I have no idea what a set up is. Can someone explain?
My second question is about string replacement. I am so confused, I have read that strings need to be replaced every month, every three months, every 6 months. I have been doing TAC for 18 weeks and playing 5-7 times a week for 10-60 minutes. I play on a Taylor GS mini, mahogany, with the stock strings and no personal set up.
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3 Replies
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Sup shawb, a set up is making sure the geometry of angles the guitar presents to the string when depressed at any given spot on the fretboard is optimized for both sound and feeling on your fingers. This is done using several methods depending of what is going on with your guitars life cycle. If you have good sound now, no buzzing frets, and it feels managable (fairly regular feeling of pressure to make desired sounds depending on where you are on the fretboard) you don’t need a set up….if you think you need a set up and are not sure go to a guitar store and play some (5 or more at least) to get a feel for setup differences, play them keeping that in mind. If they are all like yours in feel you are good. If you switch and play yours and you are straining more to make sound…might be time for set up.
Strings: all personal preference. I know dudes who play dead strings because they don’t jingle jangle as much. Me, I like to change em the minute they lose that bright shine, I play D’addario EJ 16s because they are cheap and easy and sound like I want them to sound for about 100 hours. I love how the Santa Cruz stings feel. They nailed the coating by coating the string strands individually and not just the string….I just can’t do the cost thing. Otherwize coated strings repulse me as a player. You should try them though as many many players love them and the longevity the coating offers. -
A Taylor mini is a fairly well put together guitar right out of the box. They are considered easy to play and have a shorter scale length which does make it easier for a newbie to learn to play.
J.J. has it right, go to a music store and play the same riff/song on as many guitars as you can. Don’t allow yourself to be embarrassed by that 14 year old kid who is playing like he knows what he is doing. You’ll get there with some dedication and practice.
Play some of the more expensive guitars if you can. Most of us started out trying to learn on an inexpensive guitar and couldn’t understand why it was so hard to play. Think of it like learning to how to drive in an 30 year old old farm pickup with a stick shift and a bad clutch Vs. a new BMW.
I have been playing guitar so long that I have a bunch of really “cherry” guitars but do remember trying to learn on an guitar with a twisted neck and the string height a good quarter of an inch above that crooked fretboard.
No wonder I quit after a couple of months. Finally bought a decent guitar and was shocked at the difference in learning with a good tool.
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Thanks for the advice! When I bought my GS mini, I played about 6 guitars and that was the one that fit in my hands like it was made for them. I just want to make sure I also get into a good maintenance routine on my mini. Any other maintenance tips would be great and much appreciated!!
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