Music Banter - View Single Post

1voyager2 · 07-18-2019, 04:12 AM

@mr dave,

Many of the tools ordered to setup this instrument have arrived today.
After a quick check of a few things, its condition is not as good as I had hoped, but nowhere near as bad as I had feared it could be.
It is a new instrument, little to no use, but has been owned by some one else for over a year.
I have worried about why it was sold so quickly after being bought.
The possibilities of major flaws with no warranty was a great concern to me.
That has pretty much been laid to rest today.
Some work does need to be done, though.

I'm not going into the reasons here, but I did purchase it somewhat under duress.
I hate buying anything that way.
I was worried about a bad purchase.
Does not seem to be a serious concern now.

My primary concern is for the instrument to be the best it can be.
I have always taken a great interest in most things I have owned.
That is why I will learn to do as thorough a setup as possible, myself.
I will learn much about the instrument, and how and why it works.
My use of it will grow as I become more familiar with it.

Not seriously beginning to relearn playing yet because of tender finger tips.
But, I am starting to slowly harden them up.
By the time I finish the setup work my fingers should be close to being ready to play.

The instrument is not a prima donna, but is not a useless pile of wood either.
It is a Washburn Comfort G-Mini 55 Koa, a travel size guitar.
They won't allow me to post a URL to the instrument.
It does have a fairly good sound to it.
It is for my own personal use, not meant to impress anyone else.
I think it will be able to do the job I want of it.

I live in a sub-tropical climate.
We have no sealable rooms.
I will not buy a dehumidifier.
Right now the only way I can see to protect it from the humidity, is to keep it in the hard case.
Most people need to deal with dryness not wetness.
Most info is about keeping them from cracking.
Time will tell what need to be done here, if anything.

Back to setup.
I am going to first check, truss rod function, fret height and evenness, and all associated conditions.
string height near the nut is not bad.
But, I am choking on the $100 cost of a good set of nut files.
So far I haven't found anyone who will ship here for the cheaper ones.
Near the 12th fret it is a little over 3mm, quite high.
The bridge is very high.
It will need to be trimmed down.
There may be more that needs to be looked at, and worked out.
The order of work may change as it progresses, and my knowledge grows.

You are correct, the strings do seem to be moving much more smoothly after a few days of tuning.

My questions are more for discussion, not because I have absolutely no idea as to what to do, just looking for more info.

I will begin checking out the truss rods and the neck and frets in the next few days.

07-18-2019, 04:12 AM	#5 (permalink)
1voyager2 Groupie Join Date: Jul 2019 Posts: 3	@mr dave, Many of the tools ordered to setup this instrument have arrived today. After a quick check of a few things, its condition is not as good as I had hoped, but nowhere near as bad as I had feared it could be. It is a new instrument, little to no use, but has been owned by some one else for over a year. I have worried about why it was sold so quickly after being bought. The possibilities of major flaws with no warranty was a great concern to me. That has pretty much been laid to rest today. Some work does need to be done, though. I'm not going into the reasons here, but I did purchase it somewhat under duress. I hate buying anything that way. I was worried about a bad purchase. Does not seem to be a serious concern now. My primary concern is for the instrument to be the best it can be. I have always taken a great interest in most things I have owned. That is why I will learn to do as thorough a setup as possible, myself. I will learn much about the instrument, and how and why it works. My use of it will grow as I become more familiar with it. Not seriously beginning to relearn playing yet because of tender finger tips. But, I am starting to slowly harden them up. By the time I finish the setup work my fingers should be close to being ready to play. The instrument is not a prima donna, but is not a useless pile of wood either. It is a Washburn Comfort G-Mini 55 Koa, a travel size guitar. They won't allow me to post a URL to the instrument. It does have a fairly good sound to it. It is for my own personal use, not meant to impress anyone else. I think it will be able to do the job I want of it. I live in a sub-tropical climate. We have no sealable rooms. I will not buy a dehumidifier. Right now the only way I can see to protect it from the humidity, is to keep it in the hard case. Most people need to deal with dryness not wetness. Most info is about keeping them from cracking. Time will tell what need to be done here, if anything. Back to setup. I am going to first check, truss rod function, fret height and evenness, and all associated conditions. string height near the nut is not bad. But, I am choking on the $100 cost of a good set of nut files. So far I haven't found anyone who will ship here for the cheaper ones. Near the 12th fret it is a little over 3mm, quite high. The bridge is very high. It will need to be trimmed down. There may be more that needs to be looked at, and worked out. The order of work may change as it progresses, and my knowledge grows. You are correct, the strings do seem to be moving much more smoothly after a few days of tuning. My questions are more for discussion, not because I have absolutely no idea as to what to do, just looking for more info. I will begin checking out the truss rods and the neck and frets in the next few days.