Pro set up on a budget guitar?

relic245

My son has a Jackson JS11 which, when new, cost the princely sum of £120.

To be fair, it punches way above it's weight, it feels nice and the pup's are ok. 

It doesn't hold tune well though. I'm no guitar tech but I can see that the nut is cut really badly and I'm sure there are other tweaks too. 

I'm wondering if it's worth spending £50 or so (which is half of the guitar's value!) on a pro set up. Is it worth it on a cheap instrument or a waste of money? 

stephen.wood125

If it feels like it will last him I think it’s worth it as it will help playability and that should help with enthusiasm. You could ditch it and buy a 600 quid guitar that may still need a set up for best results.

its like how you can buy a cheapish chop saw and improve it by putting on a premium blade.

just my 2p.

sweepy

You can go into a lot of music shops and see £2k guitars that aren't setup properly, so I'd go for it and get it setup to taste

darthed1981

sweepy said:

You can go into a lot of music shops and see £2k guitars that aren't setup properly, so I'd go for it and get it setup to taste

Exactly.

OilCityPickups

With a good set up pretty much any guitar feels more than £50 better.

Funkfingers

Internet guitar forums are full to bursting with threads by disappointed purchasers who fail to realise that their new toys would benefit from detailed fettling.

whitedogbanana

Go for it. Your son will enjoy the guitar more and it will make him a better player quicker.

rossi

I set up an Affinity Strat properly with a fret level etc and it was really sweet player .As good any custom shop if not better playabilty wise.Of course I sold it ,like you do ...

Funkfingers

@rossi I have a Squier Affinity STRAT exactly like that. With a high output humbucker and volume and tone pots, it rocks like a good 'un. The only thing about it that ever irritates me is the narrow string spacing at the nut.

roberty

£50 seems a bit steep for basic setup?  Nut, neck relief, action, intonation. Probably the nut that's messing your tuning up

PonchoGreg

As long as it doesn't involve a £100+ fret level it's definitely worth it. Just a new nut (or even reworking the existing one) and finding the sweet spot for relief and action will pay dividends

thegummy

roberty said:

£50 seems a bit steep for basic setup?  Nut, neck relief, action, intonation. Probably the nut that's messing your tuning up

It's actually a lot lower than I've seen it for. Usually I see it costing more like £80.

axisus

I spent money on getting a cheap guitar set up many many years ago and it was a total waste of money. I went to Machinehead in Hitchin, a reputable shop that had Barrie Palmer (ace tech) usually doing their stuff. I can only think that he wasn't around on the day and one of the staff thought they would attempt it themselves. I was too naive and quiet to complain at the time, but it really was garbage. Fret were flattened but not rounded, action high, it was a worse state than when they started. They would see a very different side of me in my old age if they handed that back now!

NelsonP

I recently bought a Squier J Mascis.  When it came it had an action that was too high for my liking, mainly above the 12th fret.
Took it to a tech for a neck shim and setup and now it plays brilliantly and is nicer than both the Vintera 60s mod and American Pro Jazzmaster that I picked up in a well known retailer last weekend.
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/162554/ngd-squier-j-mascis-jazzmaster#latest

On a £120 guitar I'd be tempted to try a basic setup myself, although I wouldn't trust myself to file a nut properly.

Lestratcaster

I have a learner who's parents bought them a cheap Rockjam guitar. It sounds alright though the setup is really bad and intonation is out. It sounds terrible when fretting certain chords.

They plan on keeping the guitar for a while (I think it cost £116 as part of a starter pack off Amazon) so I think the least they can do is have the intonation checked and the neck adjusted.

I also had my Squier Affinity Strat totally upgraded by changing all the hardware, electornics, pickups etc. It had been set up before but I wasn't totally happy how it sounded. But that's more of a taste thing as opposed to the mechanical functions.

OilCityPickups

thegummy said:

roberty said:

£50 seems a bit steep for basic setup?  Nut, neck relief, action, intonation. Probably the nut that's messing your tuning up

It's actually a lot lower than I've seen it for. Usually I see it costing more like £80.

I was going to say that ... beat me to it.

FelineGuitars

If you were local to us we would give a free health check and give some solid advice and offer to tackle the things that will be best bang for the buck and give him a well playing guitar that will serve him well.

A lot of cheaper guitars REALLY improve with specialist attention 

Lestratcaster said:

I also had my Squier Affinity Strat totally upgraded by changing all the hardware, electornics, pickups etc. It had been set up before but I wasn't totally happy how it sounded. But that's more of a taste thing as opposed to the mechanical functions.

Lestratcaster above brought us his first guitar (Squier strat) and whilst we admittedly did a lot of parts changes to make it something that might rival a top flight guitar - although some of the simple stuff that was also done made for a much happier playing guitar. Always happy to set a budget and work within but with an eye on seriously making the biggest difference possible in that framework.

Sassafras

Don't do it. Let him learn the hard way, action so high it makes your fingers bleed, poor intonation, constantly going out of tune. All these things will test his dedication.

Maynehead

It's difficult to say... depending on how well set up it is already, and how good/responsible the tech is, he may or may not notice any difference.

If it's just tuning issues, the easiest way to fix that would be to hard-tail the floating bridge (if it's not being used), since tidying up the nut might not solve the problem anyway. If there are multiple issues (tuning, fret buzz, high action, crackly pots, high nut action etc) then it might be worth your while to take it in.

FelineGuitars

Maynehead said:

It's difficult to say... depending on how well set up it is already, and how good/responsible the tech is, he may or may not notice any difference.

It always comes down to that - seek out someone recommended with a reputation for results

merciful-evans

If the carcass of the guitar is good and he likes it enough to keep it, then absolutely spend on a set up. My Squier Esprit is every bit as good as my USA, MIJ and English guitars. I dont begrudge spending on set ups and/or mods. 

I am more likely to trade my PRS CE Reclaimed Wood than my cheapies.