The Tuning Guide, guitar & bass · English edition

A well set-up instrument makes you want to play

A buzzing guitar, a stiff bass, a tuning that won't hold: most of these problems are solved with a few turns of a key, as long as you know where to look and in what order to act. This guide takes you from the first tuned note to a complete setup, following the method used at the workshop.

What you will learn

• Tune with a tuner and by ear, and master alternate tunings (Drop D, DADGAD, Open G, Open D…).
• Understand and adjust neck relief with the truss rod, safely.
• Set string action, check the nut, adjust pickup height and intonation.
• Balance a vibrato, choose and fit strings, clean fretboard and frets.
• Identify fret buzz and trace its cause with the diagnostic table.
• Recognise the jobs that belong to a professional.

For which instruments

Electric guitar, steel-string acoustic, classical guitar and bass (4, 5 and 6 strings). Every chapter points out what is specific to basses and acoustic guitars.

Inside

• 89 A4 pages, 29 chapters, 15 original drawings.
• Reference values cross-checked against manufacturers' published specifications.
• Appendices: measurement tables, inch/millimetre conversions, note frequencies, scale lengths, glossary.
• A printable setup sheet to keep track of each instrument.

In the download

• The guide as a PDF, laid out and illustrated, to read on screen or print for personal use.
• The guide as an EPUB, with adjustable text, for e-readers, tablets and phones (Apple Books, Kobo, Kindle via Send to Kindle).
• The setup protocol: the whole procedure summarised in 3 pages, to keep at the bench.

After your purchase

• As soon as your card or PayPal payment is confirmed, you receive an e-mail with your download link.
• The link is also available in your account, under Order history. Without an account, use the link in the e-mail.
• The link is valid for 30 days and allows 3 downloads. Save the file to your computer or cloud as soon as you first download it.
• You receive a ZIP archive. On a computer, double-click to open it. On iPhone and iPad, tap it in the Files app. On Android, open it with Google's Files app.
• A file won't open, or the link has expired? Write to us from the Contact page with your order number and we will send you a new link.

The guide is supplied as digital content. By confirming your order, you request immediate delivery and acknowledge that you lose your right of withdrawal once the download begins, in accordance with article 7.6 of our terms and conditions of sale. The file is for your personal use only.

This edition

This edition is written in English. The guide is also available in French (Le Guide de l'Accordage) and German (Stimmen & Einstellen). ISBN: 978-99987-433-1-1 (PDF) · 978-99987-433-4-2 (EPUB).

An instrument is set up once but looked after for a lifetime: understanding what you adjust is also a way of hearing better what you play.