Pegs, Switches, and Knobs

• 1
  Tuning pegs are often oriented in a row of six, or two rows of threeguitar tuning head image by PeteG from Fotolia.com
  
  Rotate the six tuning pegs located on the headstock. Doing so allows you to change the note that each string plays. Turn a peg clockwise to lower the tone and counter-clockwise to raise it.
  
  
• 2). Change the position of the pickup switch to alternate between the different options. When the switch is at the lowest position, the pickup closest to the bridge produces a high treble sound. On a three pick-up circuit, the switch will alternate between five positions: just the bridge; a mix of the middle pickup and the bridge; just the middle pickup; a combination of the middle pickup and the neck; just the neck pick up. As you progress up from the bridge to the neck, the sound of the guitar goes from treble and tin up to a glassy--more mellow--tone.
  
  
• 3). Turn the tone knobs. The lowest knob manipulates the tone of the bridge pickup, while the other changes the neck-side pickup (both can influence the middle pickup, though they are more so going to affect the output of the other two). Rotating a knob clockwise will make brighten the tone with more treble, while turning it counter-clockwise will produce a muddier, bass tone.
  
  
• 4). Change the volume of the guitar. Rotate the knob closest to the strings; turning it clockwise will crank up the volume, while counter-clockwise turns will shrink the noise to a minimum.
  
  

Adjust the Truss Rod

• 1). Clamp a capo on the first fret, then fret the low E string at the 17th fret.
  
  
• 2). Press the edge of your ruler between the seventh and eighth fret, then measure the distance between the top of the two metal frets and the bottom of the string (while you are still fretting it at the 17th). Ideally, you want between 0.1 to 0.25mm of space between the two.
  
  
• 3). Adjust the truss rod with an Allen wrench. If there is too much of a gap, rotate the truss rod clockwise; if the gap is too small, rotate the truss rod counter-clockwise. Make very subtle adjustments, as very slight variations have a dramatic effect.
  
  

Adjust the Action (or String Height)

• 1). Press your ruler against the 12th and 13th fret, and measure the distance between the top of the 12th and the bottom of the low E string, then repeat this process for the high E string at the 12th fret.
  
  
• 2). Adjust the saddle, located at the instrument's bridge, using an Allen wrench. Tightening the screws will lower the strings toward the fretboard, while loosening them will raise them higher. Adjust the low E to 2mm, and the high E to 1.5mm.
  
  
• 3). Adjust the middle strings with the A string at 1.6mm; the D string at 1.7mm; the G string at 1.8mm; and the B string at 1.9mm. Overall, the string height should increase from treble to bass.
  
  

Setting the Intonation (or String Length)

• 1). Tune your guitar to standard concert pitch, meaning the strings should go E,B,G,D,A,E (from high to low). Test the intonation of each individual string by first playing the 12th fret, then the 12th fret harmonic, which is done by touching your fretting finger lightly against the string, directly above the 12th fret).
  
  
• 2). Adjust a string's length until both notes are in unison. If the fretted note is sharper than the harmonic, increase the string length by loosening the screws found inside the bridge; if the fretted note is flatter, decrease the length of the string by tightening it.
  
  
• 3). Use the aAlen wrench to turn the bridge screws that point in the direction of the strings; they are located at the base of each individual string. A clockwise rotation tightens, while a counter-clockwise turn loosens.
  
  

Adjust the Pick-up Height

• 1). Fret the low E and the high E at the fret closest to the first pick up; measure the distance between the bottom of the strings, and the top of each pick up.
  
  
• 2). Use a screwdriver to adjust the first pickup until there's around 2.5 to 3mm of distance between it and the string. Tightening the screws will raise the pickup closer to the strings, whereas loosening it will increase the gap between them.
  
  
• 3). Adjust the screws on the other pick ups until all of them are between 2.5 to 3mm away from the outer-most strings (high and low E).