In Part 5 of How To Setup A Fender Telecaster, we look at setting up the guitar’s action – that wonderful place where playability becomes maximized.
Part 5 of How To Setup A Fender Telecaster
The most important elements in achieving a maximum playing instrument.
Fine Tuning Action and Intonation
We start this segment with a quick string stretch to help get the fresh strings settled in their new home.
After double checking the neck relief, we head straight for setting up the guitar’s action – that wonderful place where playability becomes maximized and the instrument really starts to shine.
First, we’ll cover the aspects of guitar action, how well it plays, which will then dictate how we set intonation. For more on the finer points of setting a guitar’s intonation, be sure to watch the video below.
When it comes to a guitar’s action, it’s not uncommon to have a guitar that plays very poorly turn into a dream machine with a little love in the right spots. The trick is knowing what spots to tweak, how much to tweak them, and maintain a global view of the instrument’s condition along the way.
What’s Covered in the Video:
- Preliminary String Stretch and Action Setup (00:05-01:06): I start by giving the strings a preliminary stretch and checking the neck relief. Then, I get into setting the action, making sure everything looks good. I also mention how you can make your own DIY gauges to measure string height.
- Adjusting String Tension and Height (01:46-03:49): I talk about how instruments have hotspots and adjust the string tension accordingly, aiming for consistency. I use the gap of a nickel as a reference for string height and adjust it to match my preferences.
- Neck Compression and Setup Refinement (03:49-07:06): I explain how neck compression can change during the setup process and adjust the strings to make sure they’re seated properly. My goal is to make the instrument feel comfortable without creating too much tension or making it hard to play.
- Intonation Process (07:47-13:10): I walk through the process of setting the intonation by using harmonics and checking string pressure. I emphasize the importance of stretching the strings multiple times to make sure the intonation is accurate.
- Final Adjustments and Review (15:08-16:29): I go over the importance of stretching the strings and make final adjustments to the action, radius, and neck relief. Once everything is set, I handle some minor housekeeping tasks before wrapping up the setup.
Video: Telecaster Setup Tutorial Part 5
Transcript:
Preliminary String Stretch and Action Setup
(00:05) I’m giving the strings a preliminary stretch, not the full monty. Bring it up to pitch. Down there is the world of difference, feels a lot better.
Now I’m going to double check that action or the relief in the neck – okay that’s great. Wonderful, exactly what I want to see
Now we’re going to get really nit-picky about setting the screen height. I’m gonna get a gauge out here.
(01:05) I’m going to do another video actually on how to make your own gauges. It’s not rocket science, you can pay good money for some stuff out there, but you can make them just as easy we’ve got. These here are homemade they’re also seven and a quarter-inch radius. It’s just a piece of cardboard.
Anyway that’s a nice round radius on the top and notches on the bottom to get around the strings. This is also notched out on the sides here to accommodate the old-school bridge plate.
Adjusting String Tension and Height
(01:46) So, I know where hot spots live on instruments in general, it’s physics and whatnot. It’s gauge of string, general tension with guitars. You find that the same things pop up regardless of whether it’s acoustic or whatever. Most instruments will have the same problematic areas in general.
(When it comes to bending a string I’ll go for the 15th fret on the bottom string you know you’re in a or E or whatever. It’s a very common note to bend etc.
Just a hair, just a tiny hair of sizzle there. That’s pretty good right off the bat.
(02:32) it’s a little bit higher than that I would like for my own taste but that’s not me, I’m not the one playin’ it all right. I’m accommodating the instrument, I’m doing whatever the instrument will let me get away with and that is slightly, the strings are slightly higher than my reference in my mind, as I may have said before, is the height of a nickel, using the gap of a nickel. Slightly above that you know, maybe a nickel and a quarter or something like that, maybe a third.
(03:12) I’m going to use that as a starting point. I’m pretty happy with that. I might readjust, the tweak is minor minor minor. As I go through here and then on the base side.
I gotta come back to a thought, oh yes, the compression in the neck can change as you go through the setup process because the neck itself, the compression, is changing in there.
Your the strings go on light, you tense them up, all sorts of weird stuff can happen. I’ll explain as we go along if I see an unusual situation. I’ll express it okay.
Neck Compression and Setup Refinement
(03:49) Anywhere the heavier strings cross the point, I gave a little push to seat them because when they pitch from one angle to the next they’re like this, but what you want to do is go over it like that. You want to get those angles to be a little bit more sharp so that the string is seated properly.
Okay, anyway, we’ve done that. The top string is not looking too bad. That’s pretty good I can actually bring that down just hair (trying to change the screwdriver, not happy with that, one too long). Okay there we go.
(04:32) That would be a 1/8″ blade. I’m just going to dump the bass side a little bit. Okay, I’m not worried about intonation just yet because if I start intonating that with the string as you know, like, overly high or overly low, typically overly high, it will give me false readings if I try to intonate it okay, because the string is being deflected too much, simple as that.
Okay so that is looking good to me, that’s about two, up around this area here, I’m seeing a gap of about two dimes okay. Just dropped a hair.
(05:25) With good technique this is dandy. That’s a that’s sweet right where that’s sitting.
So I’ve got my first string set, I got my sixth string set, all I got to do is fill gap. I’ll keep this close to the end here, give that a little push, fourth string is good, fifth string’s got to come up. We want very uniform sort of “plink” across there. Get it back in ballpark, okay okay that’s not feeling too bad at all.
How to lower the action on a Telecaster
(06:29) Not too bad at all. In this particular instrument is a nasty hot humid day so things are tacky, so it’s taking that into consideration and whatnot so this the neck feels good.
Once I don’t have to struggle with, you know, I don’t want it to feel mushy through the middle. I don’t want to have to fight it. You have to have enough air there for the strings to speak properly and for the notes to wring out but you don’t want them, you know sizzling or the neck overly flat and stuff like that.
By say the next day I’ll check the straightness of the neck the relief. That is because the little extra compression can be evidenced a day after. We’ll check it a day after that as well as time goes by.
Intonation Process
(07:26) So our last process here is doing the actual intonation so I stretch the strings once. I’m going to give them a second stretch in my methodology here. I have essentially three stretching processes that I go through: preliminary, the middle one which kind of gets everybody comfortable, and then the last one is the one that sticks, where you’re committed to it.
I can’t stress how how important it is to stretch your strength. You’ve probably seen lots of videos like that.
Okay, beauty. it sounds like a guitar!
(08:21) Okay, that my old analog, very analog tuner here. I just like using the needle. For me, it’s a nice physical representation which is smooth the way it registers and all that. I’m going to keep it on the bridge pickup and full volume full tone.
If I have any issues then I’ll dial back to tone or something to accommodate it.
I use fifth string, fifth fret. That’s a D. I’m going to use a harmonic. Just ringing 17th fret which is a D. okay I’m going to have a visual of that… Dandy!
I’m going to double check after that. I got the same reading both times when I played the note up there and hit that harmonic – exactly the same pitch. So then so the tuner will register exactly the same point or, let me rephrase…
(09:24) The tuner is hearing essentially exactly the same sound. So if there’s any discrepancy as to where it lands there’s your, your meter okay. Now I’m going to use a B. Okay, that looks good, and that’s dandy. Can’t argue with that.
So I’m starting with the A, and I’m going to register this, that would be A string by the way. I’m going to use an A note on the on the E string here, and that’s dandy too – that’s well within my tolerances which are pretty fine by the way.
(10:02) Okay and I’m gonna go for the G. I’m gonna bypass the D and go for the G here. There’s other ways of intonating a vintage Tele where you can kind of compensate for string pressures, for string gauges, musicality, that is, taking an equal tempered tuning system and tweaking it a little bit so that it actually sounds more pleasant. That’s not my purpose here okay, I’m not going to explain any of that. My purpose here is to get just the best generalization in a fine sense.
(10:40) Kind of mixed my terms there. Okay, we have a B… Anyway we want to get the job done succinctly and… snap that little bit, settle out and, just a hair over my B, and that’s sharp okay.
So my first point was here, my second read from your point of view is – like that. So those two points do not don’t match up. So it tells me that the string is sharp. I’m going to bring this back hair. I’m going to try that G, I’m going to use the B note as a reference. Okay. That’s pretty good.
(11:39) Still a little bit on the sharp side but I’m going to see what the B says, the D string that is. And that’s good. And okay. And that one’s sharp as well.
Notice I dumped the strings a little bit because as I pull this saddle back it will increase the pressure.
Let’s get on the right string. That’s dandy for the G… string that is. And my B is very very happy, very happy okay. Even though (the saddle) is a, you know, straight across, what I’m doing it’s splitting the difference. This strings wants to be over here, this string wants to be over here.
(12:32) It’s not absolutely perfec.t There are aftermarket supplies, replacement parts which will nail it down if you want, you know, really put out a fine point on it. But using a system like this, you can get incredibly close to a very very fine intonation point using really just a very modest well engineered system by our originator Leo there. And it works quite well you know. It’s just a few parts, as long as they’re well machined and whatnot we don’t have any major issues.
How to intonate a Tele with F-style compensated brass barrels – so easy!
(13:10) But if you really, you know go the distance, you can spend the extra money and get those replacement saddles and whatnot. They’re all various concoctions of alloys, steels, aluminum, brass, different types of brass or alloys if you would. And it’s fun! You know, at the end of the day it’s fun. I get to upgrade my instrument – it’s all good. I’ve done it many times for clients.
Okay, and that’s wicked sharp. I’m registering a G here. G is a very very common note around the instrument as well as A and many other notes.
(14:01) But I like to use a G as a starting point, just the way it sits on the neck on the first string. And my points are pretty good, really good.
I’m going to look at my D on the 2nd string 3rd fret, and that’s sharp as heck ok. So we’re going to torque that up a little bit more, good turn and see what that D says again. That’s pretty good, that’s looking good. And the G. The G is… peachy! Just like that. Split the difference, everybody’s happy ok.
Final Adjustments and Review
(15:01) So to review that a little bit, the important stuff I want you to remember here is the initial stretch and then a secondary stretch – not the final stretch okay.
Intonating with the second stretch is good. If you had to make another adjustment and the strings are fully stretched out, you could wind up, you know like, deteriorating your brand new strings a little bit to a point where, mmm…. not fun
Trying to intonate with fresh strings that are not stretched out at all will give you a host of problems and mysteries – don’t do that.
(15:50) Make sure you got at least one stretch out of them so that’s that they’re getting towards their tensile limits okay.
Okay so, we’re intonated here, the height has been done, the action, the radius, all that good stuff, the neck is in a great relief spot, the nut has been done.
I’m going to get those last two bolts installed and get the pickguard back on, and we’ll take it for a test drive.
Thanks so much I’ll be right back. I just gonna, you know, take care of some housekeeping on the instrument and I don’t want to bore you with all that kind of stuff.
And, see you in a bit!
Principles of a Good Setup
Remember, a perfect guitar setup is like the three points of a perfect triangle; one is the nut, one is the bridge, and one is the relief in the neck. If any one of those points is out of joint or maladjusted – the whole unit suffers in that the other two points are along for the ride. They’re automatically made accomplices to the crime.
Of course, setting up a guitar to fit the player is also a matter of keeping the end user and their playing style in mind. He may be a shreddy shrederton noodler with a very light touch, or he may be the HULK – SMASH! – two entirely different approaches, and there’s everything else in between.
How would you categorize yourself as a player?
Keep this in mind when explaining your latest guitar woes to your friendly neighbourhood tech – it goes a long way.
A good guitar tech will ask you about what style you play, better yet, he’ll get you to play a little to watch your body language around the instrument. Even strumming two or three chords will speak volumes.
From his end, the ultimate challenge is setting up a guitar that has issues for an owner who is uber-sensitive to the finest points of his prized instrument.
If you have a favourite guitar that you know intimately, you play it constantly, almost exclusively, that instrument is therefor your primary voice. Those of us who’ve relied on a particular instrument to earn a living gig after gig know exactly what that means.
Treating the instrument with as much respect as you would dealing with it’s owner face to face is paramount. The living extension of their musicality is exposed on the workbench.
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Back to our trusty Telecaster, if there was ever an instrument that could take a beating and smile, or respond to the lightest touch with complete acceptance – the Tele is the one.
It’s amazing, Telecasters are manufactured all over the planet; US, Mexico, China (that would be Chy-na in Trump-ese), Japan, India, Indonesia, Korea and many others have laid claim to dispatching fresh Teles to the masses.
…The world truly is flat…
Depending on the iteration of the instrument, you may have a modernized fretboard radius of 9.5, 10 or 12+ inches, or you may have the typical vintage radius of 7.25 inches.
Either way way, the principles of setting guitar action remain the same, although you will find the vintage radius requires a bit more “air” under the strings due to the very round nature of the fretboard.
Be sure to watch the whole series for more on how to set up a guitar, particularly adjusting action in this segment.
Whether it’s a garage sale prize or a vintage instrument, again, they all follow the same basic principles of physics that will allow for their best voice and maximum playability.
For a list of essential tools to get the job done, visit the Guitar Setup Tools page and consider what you’d need to make your own instrument a better machine.
Coming Up Next
The final segment in the series: We go through the final string stretch (very important!) setting the pickup height, plus some last minute tweaks. And finally – THE TEST DRIVE!
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