Why we set up every instrument before it ships

The single most common thing we hear from players who buy instruments online is that the guitar arrived nearly unplayable. High action, a neck with too much relief, intonation that drifts sharp up the neck. None of that is a fault in the instrument. It is the absence of a setup.

What a setup actually does

A setup is a set of adjustments that make an instrument play the way it was designed to. We set neck relief with the truss rod, dial string action at the saddles, cut and polish the nut slots where they need it, intonate every string so the guitar plays in tune along the whole neck, and finish with a fresh set of strings.

None of it is glamorous, and all of it is the difference between an instrument you fight and one that disappears under your hands.

Why we include it

Every guitar and bass that leaves Fret and Fader is set up first, at no extra charge. We would rather spend an hour on the bench than ship something that plays badly and comes back inside the return window. It is better for you and better for us.

If you already own an instrument that never felt right, the same bench is open to you. Bring it in and we will talk through what it needs before any work starts.