“Sketchy Setups” is the first in a series of visual guides for setting up your guitar, from Irish luthier Gerry Hayes of Haze Guitars. It targets the Fender Stratocaster in particular, and is written in a very clear, conversational tone, by someone who obviously has a lot of experience with the subject. It almost feels like having a skilled luthier at your side, guiding you through the whole process.
You are taken step-by-step through the entire process, starting with a list of the needed tools, and paying special attention to the necessary adjustments needed by the Strats trem system, both vintage 6 screw and modern 2 point. You’ll also learn how to adjust your trussrod, nut, saddles, action, pickup height and intonation. I believe the use of illustrations, over photographs, was a great choice as many of the concepts would be very difficult to show with photographs, or text alone. They help give extra clarity to what is already, very clear, explanations and advice.
If you’ve been intimidated by the thought of attempting a setup yourself, or if your just curious about the magic your repair tech does to make your guitar play so well, I highly recommend “Sketchy Setups”. It’s a mere $5, or only $4 if you buy it today(Aug 8 2015). You can buy it – HERE.
If you’d first like to get an idea of the quality of the information you’ll be getting, Gerry Hayes already has a free guide available on his website – “Truss Rods Made Easy”.
