Fender Telecaster Bigsby Setup
Full Setup & Heavy String Adjustment
About the Job
This Fender Telecaster came into the workshop for a full setup after being fitted with heavier strings and a Bigsby tremolo.
The guitar required adjustment to the neck relief, action, intonation and overall playing feel.
The Problem
The heavier string gauge had changed the tension on the neck and altered the setup significantly.
The guitar required careful adjustment so that the action remained comfortable while still allowing the Bigsby system to operate correctly.
Initial Inspection
The instrument was checked for neck relief, fret condition, string height, nut clearance, bridge position and tuning stability.
Particular attention was paid to the neck because the heavier low E string had noticeably increased the overall string tension.
Repair & Setup Work
The truss rod was adjusted gradually to bring the neck back into a suitable relief range.
The bridge and saddles were then adjusted to achieve a comfortable action while reducing fret buzz.
Intonation was checked across all strings and fine-tuned once the action and neck relief had been finalised.
Final Setup Measurements
| Low E Action | 2.00mm Capo on first fret holding down 24th fret measuring at 12th fret |
| High E Action | 1.50mm Capo on first fret holding down 24th fret measuring at 12th fret |
| Neck Relief | Was -0.50mm reduced it to -0.25mm after adjusting truss rod |
| String Gauge | Ernie balls skinny top heavy bottom 10s with a 58 Low E |
| Standard | Standard E |
Final Result
After the setup, the guitar played more comfortably with improved tuning stability, corrected neck relief and a more balanced action.
The instrument was fully tested before collection.
