Setup

The adjustment of an instrument so that it plays and tunes to its best, in the order of relief, nut slots, action and intonation.

Doing them out of order wastes the work: action cannot be judged before relief is right, and intonation cannot be set before action, because changing height alters the string's speaking length. A full setup also includes tightening hardware, checking electronics, cleaning and oiling an unfinished board, and lubricating any point where the string might bind. Measurements help, because they let the same result be reproduced later or passed on.

Example: a guitar that has been in storage for a year usually needs relief, action and intonation checked in that order before anything else.

Setup

See also