Printable Version (Macintosh tiff)
This checklist for a full setup was originally formulated back in 1995 when I was head repairman in a small shop which brought in a couple of very talented, but relatively inexperienced luthiers to help ease the workload. As you have probably discovered if you've had your instruments serviced at more than one repair shop, there are relatively few recognized standards as to what is included in a set up. I wanted to make sure that we were going to provide consistent and complete service to our customers so I drew upon what at that time was my 15 years of repair experience to come up with this list. I believe it covers everything that should be adjusted, corrected or at least properly evaluated on every instrument that is given a "full set up". If you've ever wondered what your local luthier has or hasn't done during a set up on your guitar or bass, you may find this a helpful reference.
