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OK...ditch the strings.... take off every panel you can...and
yes even the plate where the jack socket is.
As a general rule—when placing two strips of this stuff side
by side overlap by about 2-3mm...this gives a good
electrical connection.
BTW..just in case I call the cover plate the large white
plastic crappy scratch guard thing on the front of the
guitar...
Firstly cover the back of the cover plate...you only need to
do enough to generously cover the pickup and electronics
areas...make sure that when the cover plate is screwed back
onto the guitar you will have at least 2mm around the edges
of the cavities...unless cover plate shape dictates otherwise.
You will have to remove the pots and pickup selector switch
to do this properly.
So now you have a guitar with the back of the cover plate
shielded.
Next line the main cavities. Start by lining the edges,
allowing about 2-3mm wrap over the top of the edge, then
line the bottom of the cavities, ensure you have a good
overlap in all cases as this ensures electrical connectivity.
Now do the dirty and line the jack socket cavity.
OK...now simply put it all back together...
As for the cover panel on the back of the guitar—I didn't
bother with this as this only covers the tremolo, however do
make sure that the grounding wire connection to the trem
system (if fitted/required) is good.
That's about it really....
Strings II
Before you fit new strings make sure you clean the guitar
thoroughly, and once you have fitted the new strings make
sure you have stretched the strings. It will be very hard to
set intonation if you haven't. This takes time. It is NOT a
2minute job to do all 6-7 strings. It could take maybe
30mins. Use a tuner and keep stretching the strings until
they settle.
Neck
OK, next we will check the neck. If your neck dips too
much or doesn't dip enough then you will be unable to
adjust the action correctly. This is easily checked. Place a
capo on the first fret and at the body fret press the string
down. Now measure the gap around the 7
th
th
5
-8
depending on guitar). It should be anywhere from
perfectly straight to about 0.020". 0.007" or there abouts is
a fairly typical figure. If > 0.020" you have a problem. In
© Copyright 2000-2002 Barry S. Pearce et al.
most cases I recommend the book 'How to make your
Electric Guitar Play Great' by Dan Erlewine. This will help
you sort it out or if you are feeling a bit squeamish go see a
repairman.
Intonation
Next up is intonation. If you don't have one already get
yourself a decent tuner. Be prepared to spend as much
money on the tuner as you would on a stompbox. You will
never regret it.
Incorrect intonation is a big reason for a bad sound
especially if barre chords above the 5
awful. One point to make here—you need to have an
adjustable bridge, preferably on individual strings. If you
don't then I suggest speaking to a tech/repairman.
Do each string individually. First tune the string to exact
pitch. Play the open string, and then play it at the 12
It should be a perfect octave. If the fretted note is lower in
pitch (flat) than the open string then the string is too long
and you need to shorten the string by moving the saddle
forwards towards the nut. Conversely, if the fretted note is
higher in pitch (sharp) then the string is too short and the
saddle needs to be moved backwards away from the nut. In
each case detune the string somewhat *before* moving the
saddle. Then re-tune and try again. Perfect is the open
string, the 12th fretted and the 12th harmonic all together on
the exact pitch, although a very small (and I mean small)
deviation between them will not be noticeable. If you
cannot achieve this situation then I suggest you have a chat
with a repairman.
Action
Finally check the action—if you have it set up too high you
will find fretting barre chords hard, and fast phrases
difficult. Too low and you will suffer fret buzz which can
often add unusual harmonics to a string that make it sound
pretty awful. How high action should be is very much down
to personal taste and 'feel'. Personally, I go as low as I can
without inducing fret buzz. (i.e. down to fret buzz and then
back off a little.)
OK we are now fairly certain that the guitar is in reasonable
shape. So let's start hitting that noise!
Pickups
Often people have asked 'What are the best pickups to use
with the GT-3'. The answer is simple. Any passive or active
pickups system will work. Use the pickups that give your
guitar the best tone for you.
th
fret (could be
So other than the type of pickup used what else do we need
to know about pickups and their ability to deliver tone?
Well, the height your pickup is away from the strings can
Section 3
Guitar Set-up
th
fret sound pretty
th
fret.
21
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