Purchasing a Guitar Without a Setup: Is That a Mistake?

Our Semi Hollow Jazz Guitar

It come to you personally set up and ready to play. View this guitar here

When buying a new guitar, many players assume it’s ready to play straight out of the box. After all, it’s brand new—so why wouldn’t it be perfect? However, skipping a professional setup can lead to disappointment. Many factory-fresh guitars arrive with generic settings that don’t account for individual preferences, climate changes, or even minor manufacturing inconsistencies.

A guitar setup is like a pre-delivery inspection (PDI) for a car—it ensures the instrument meets its full potential before it reaches your hands. Neglecting this step can result in issues like high action, tuning instability, fret buzz, and uneven sound quality.

• Why new guitars aren’t always “ready to play” straight out of the box

• What a professional guitar setup includes and why it matters

• How Southwest Acoustic Products ensures every guitar is performance-ready

If you want the best experience from your new instrument, a setup isn’t just recommended—it’s essential.

Why a New Guitar Isn’t Always Ready to Play

One of the most common misconceptions among guitar buyers is that a brand-new instrument comes perfectly adjusted and ready to perform. While major manufacturers like Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, and PRS do perform some basic factory setups, these are typically generic and not tailored to the player.

Here’s why new guitars often require a setup:

One of our Telecasters being manufactured!

1. Factory Settings Are Standardized, Not Personalized
   Mass-produced guitars are set up with one-size-fits-all specifications, which may not suit your playing style, string gauge, or preferred action height.

2. Climate and Shipping Conditions Affect Playability
   A guitar built in California, stored in a warehouse in Texas, and shipped to a humid climate like Florida or a dry climate like Arizona will inevitably experience shifts in wood and metal components. These changes can cause neck bowing, fret sprout, or unstable tuning.

3. Fretwork and Nut Slots May Be Rough or Inconsistent
   To keep costs down, factories don’t spend time meticulously dressing frets or hand-cutting nut slots to precision. This can lead to sharp fret edges, uneven frets, or improperly spaced nut slots that affect tone and playability.

4. Intonation and Action Aren’t Always Set Correctly
   Straight from the box, guitars may have slightly off intonation, leading to notes that don’t sound in tune as you move up the neck. Action (string height) may be too high, making it harder to play, or too low, causing fret buzz.

Because of these factors, a professional guitar setup is critical to ensuring your instrument plays comfortably, sounds great, and stays in tune.

What Does a Professional Guitar Setup Include?

A professional setup involves a series of fine adjustments to optimize your guitar’s playability, sound quality, and longevity. Here’s what a full setup includes:

1. Truss Rod Adjustment

• The truss rod controls neck relief (slight curvature of the neck).

• Too much bow leads to high action; too little causes fret buzz.

• Adjusting it ensures a perfect balance for smooth playability.

2. Action Height Adjustment

• String height (action) is set to provide ease of playing without buzzing.

• Low action makes playing faster but increases the risk of buzz.

• High action is harder to press down but can improve sustain and tone.

• We find the ideal middle ground for your playing style.

We touch your new guitar before you do! See our product line here

3. Intonation Correction

• A guitar’s intonation ensures it plays in tune across the entire fretboard.

• Adjusting the bridge saddles ensures each note rings true.

4. Pickup Height Optimization

• The distance between pickups and strings affects tone and output level.

• We set them for optimal balance—too close and they overpower, too far and they lose definition.

5. Fret Crowning & Dressing

• Many mass-produced guitars have rough, uneven, or sharp frets.

• We smooth and crown the frets for a comfortable, buzz-free experience.

6. Nut Height Adjustment & Cutting

Every step in the process assures that you will get a better product. See all of our products here

• The nut determines tuning stability, string spacing, and resonance.

• Poorly cut nuts cause buzzing, tuning problems, and dead notes.

• We meticulously shape and polish it for perfect string alignment and sustain.

7. Electronics Inspection & Calibration

• Factory solder joints can be loose, causing grounding issues.

• We tighten, inspect, and secure all components for long-term reliability.

Skipping these adjustments means you might struggle with poor action, tuning instability, and uneven frets—problems that can turn an exciting new guitar into a frustrating experience.

The Cost of Skipping a Guitar Setup

Our New “Gold Standard” line of Telecasters

Many players don’t realize that failing to get a setup can lead to problems that affect their playing and long-term enjoyment. Here’s what can happen if you skip this crucial step:

🚫 Tuning Instability – A poorly adjusted truss rod, nut, or bridge can make it difficult to stay in tune.

🚫 Poor Playability – High action makes fretting difficult, while low action causes buzzing.

🚫 Intonation Issues – Notes can sound out of tune, even when properly tuned open.

🚫 Discomfort & Hand Fatigue – Sharp frets, improper string height, or an unpolished nut can cause pain.

For a relatively small investment, a proper setup ensures your guitar feels and sounds like a premium instrument.

How Southwest Acoustic Products Ensures Every Guitar Is Ready to Play

Most big-box retailers and online platforms like Amazon, eBay, and Reverb ship guitars without a professional setup. That means you’re likely getting a factory default instrument, untouched by a technician. We do things to your new guitar that big box retailers, online sellers, and major platforms just cannot do. And for that service, you don’t pay more!

At Southwest Acoustic Products, we do things differently.

One of our fully completed Semi Hollow Jazz Guitars…learn more about it here

Our Motto:

🎸 “You don’t touch your guitar until we touch your guitar.” 🎸

Every guitar we sell undergoes a full professional setup before reaching you. This means:

✅ Custom neck adjustments to prevent buzzing and improve playability.
✅ Hand-dressed frets to eliminate rough edges and uneven spots.
✅ Perfectly cut nut slots for maximum sustain and tuning stability.
✅ Electronics inspection to prevent future issues.
✅ Pickup height balancing for the best tone possible.

We don’t just sell guitars in boxes—we sell ready-to-play instruments.

This attention to detail is why Southwest Acoustic Products is the fastest-growing guitar manufacturer and distributor on the West Coast. Our customers immediately recognize the difference, and our reviews speak for themselves.

Final Thoughts: Don’t Settle for an Unfinished Guitar

Buying a guitar without a setup is like buying a car without a test drive—it might work, but it won’t perform at its best. A professional setup transforms a mass-produced instrument into a finely-tuned, comfortable, and inspiring tool for making music.

✅ Ensure your guitar plays smoothly and sounds its best.
✅ Avoid tuning problems, fret buzz, and discomfort.
✅ Get the most out of your investment with expert adjustments.

💡 Ready to experience the difference? Choose Southwest Acoustic Products, where every guitar is treated like a masterpiece before it reaches your hands.

Learn why we are the fastest growing guitar manufacturers and distributors on the West Coast….Click here

👉 Check out our latest selection of professionally set up guitars today! 🎸✨