Top 5 signs your guitar needs a setup

Even the best guitar in the world loses performance if it is not perfectly set up. Humidity, temperature changes, time, or simply regular use can affect its stability, playability, or tuning accuracy. A good setup not only transforms your playing experience but also extends the life of the instrument.

Here are the five warning signs you should watch for: if you notice them, it’s probably time to have your guitar professionally set up.

1. Your strings buzz or some notes no longer sound

A metallic “buzz” on certain frets, muffled notes, or notes that don’t sound at all? These symptoms often indicate a neck relief issue (improperly adjusted truss rod), too low action, or worn or uneven frets.

A good setup consists of precisely adjusting the neck’s curvature, saddle height, and fret leveling to ensure clean, smooth, and silent play across the entire neck.

2. You constantly retune your guitar

If your guitar frequently goes out of tune, even after a proper string change, the cause may be:

• A poorly adjusted or dry nut that binds the strings,

• An insufficient headstock angle,

• An unstable or poorly lubricated bridge,

• Or a neck under tension due to climate variations.

A professional setup checks all these points and ensures lasting tuning stability—essential both on stage and in the studio.

3. Your notes are out of tune higher up the neck

You are perfectly in tune on open strings, but as soon as you go up the neck, everything sounds off? This is an intonation problem. Each string must be calibrated so that fretted notes match the expected pitch exactly.

Adjusting intonation means fine-tuning the length of each string at the bridge according to its gauge and the neck geometry. Without this, even the best pickups cannot compensate for poor tuning accuracy.

4. Your guitar is tiring to play

An instrument that “pulls” too hard on your fingers, requires excessive effort for each bend, or exhausts you within minutes is not a good playing companion. But this doesn’t mean the guitar is bad — it may simply be poorly set up for you.

A good luthier will adapt the action, radius, string gauge, and even the truss rod adjustment to your playing style and personal preferences, for a custom playing comfort.

5. Crackling or signal dropouts

Electronic problems can go unnoticed but quickly accumulate: scratchy pots, weak pickups, unstable jack, dry solder joints, oxidation... These issues can degrade your sound or cause dropouts mid-performance.

A full circuit inspection, component cleaning, and connection checks ensure a clean, reliable signal, ready to withstand the demands of stage or studio.

Conclusion: Setup is the maintenance of performance

Like a sports car or a precision instrument, a guitar needs regular maintenance to perform at its best. You play better, tire less, and your instrument responds with fidelity and accuracy.

At Belforti Instruments, we apply the same rigor to setups as to the crafting of our instruments: care, precision, listening, and a deep understanding of each musician.
You deserve more than a standard setup: you deserve a custom setup.