5. 11. 2026. · 9 min čitanja

Podesi gitaru sam: setup u pet koraka

Probaš gitaru u prodavnici ili kod druga i ona svira mnogo lakše od tvoje. Prirodno je da pomisliš da je to zbog gitare. Najčešće nije: ta gitara je samo bolje podešena. Kad naučiš da sam radiš setup, tvoja gitara svira tačno onako kako ti želiš.

Skoro svaka električna gitara može da se podesi po ukusu, i to može da uradi svako, uz malo vežbe i osnovni alat. Ako nema ozbiljnog kvara, kao što su iskrivljen vrat ili neravni pragovi, i jeftinija gitara može da svira kao mnogo skuplja. Usput štediš novac i uvek imaš gitaru koja dobro svira.

Sve u ovom tekstu može da se vrati na staro. Radovi koji ne mogu, kao turpijanje pragova ili sečenje utora u nut-u (prag na vrhu vrata), ostavi majstoru ako nisi siguran.

Alat

Sve osim štimera košta malo, a deo verovatno već imaš:

Šrafcigeri raznih veličina, zavisno od gitare.
Ključ za šipku u vratu (truss rod), najčešće inbus.
Alat za most i sedla: šrafciger, mali inbus ključevi, a ponekad su dovoljni i prsti.
Lenjir za merenje visine žica (string action gauge) i, po mogućstvu, špijuni (feeler gauges) za merenje krivine vrata.
Kapo, ili neko ko će ti pomoći sa trećom rukom.
Hromatski štimer. Pedala je odlična, ali radi i dobar štimer koji se kači na glavu gitare.

Redosled je bitan

Svaki korak utiče na sledeći, pa ih radi ovim redom. Ako promeniš nešto ranije u nizu, proveri i sve posle toga.

1. Nove žice

Stavi nove žice, razvuci ih i naštimuj u štim koji stvarno sviraš na toj gitari. Ako sviraš u drop C, štimuj u drop C; ako sviraš standard, štimuj standard. Zategnutost žica određuje koliko se vrat savija, pa sve ostalo mora da se meri u pravom štimu. Ne preskači ovaj korak da bi uštedeo: stare žice naročito kvare intonaciju.

2. Krivina vrata (relief)

Vrat ne treba da bude potpuno ravan: mala krivina daje žici prostor da vibrira bez zujanja.

Stavi kapo na 1. polje.
Pritisni debelu E žicu na polju gde se vrat spaja sa telom.
Izmeri razmak između vrha 8. praga i donje strane žice. Dobra početna vrednost je 0,25 mm (0,010 inča), što je jedva vidljiv razmak.

Ako je razmak prevelik, zategni šipku: ona povlači vrat unazad. Ako je premali ili ga nema, olabavi je. Kod većine gitara, kad gledaš pravo u otvor šipke, zatezanje je u smeru kazaljke.

Pre podešavanja malo olabavi žice. Okreći najviše četvrt kruga odjednom, pa naštimuj i izmeri ponovo. Vratu ponekad treba i nekoliko sati da se „slegne“. Ako se šipka teško okreće, stani i odnesi gitaru majstoru.

3. Visina žica (action)

Kad je krivina dobra, podesi visinu žica na sedlima mosta. Meri se na 12. polju, od vrha praga do donje strane žice. Dobar početak je 1,6 mm na tankoj E i 2,0 mm na debeloj E žici.

Na nekim mostovima (na primer Stratocaster) svaka žica ima svoje sedlo pa svaku podešavaš posebno, a na drugima (Tune-o-matic na Les Paul-u) postoje samo dva zavrtnja, po jedan sa svake strane. Pre podešavanja opet malo olabavi žice, pa ih vrati u štim pre merenja.

Niže žice se nekima lakše sviraju, ali ako jako udaraš, počeće da zuje o pragove. Ako žice zuje i kad su na razumnoj visini, verovatno su neki pragovi viši ili niži od ostalih. Ako na pragovima vidiš udubljenja, potrebna je obrada pragova, a to je posao za majstora.

4. Visina pickup-a

Kad je visina žica dobra, podesi pickup-e. Pritisni žicu na poslednjem polju i izmeri razmak od donje strane žice do vrha pickup-a. Dobar početak je 2,0 mm na tankoj E i 2,4 mm na debeloj E strani.

Bliži pickup je glasniji i ističe neke frekvencije više od drugih, pa na kraju odluči po sluhu. Ne diži ga previše: magnet tada privlači žicu, ona ne vibrira slobodno i čuju se čudni, „talasasti“ tonovi i lažne visine. To je naročito često kod Stratocaster-a, čiji single-coil pickup-i imaju jake magnete direktno ispod žice.

5. Intonacija

Intonacija određuje da li je žica u štimu i visoko na vratu, a ne samo prazna. Podešava se pomeranjem sedla bliže vratu ili dalje od njega.

Odsviraj flažolet na 12. polju i naštimuj žicu tačno. Za ovaj korak ti treba precizan štimer.
Zatim lagano pritisni istu žicu na 12. polju i odsviraj je. Ton treba da bude isti kao flažolet.
Ako je pritisnut ton previsok (sharp), pomeri sedlo dalje od vrata, ka zadnjem delu mosta: žica postaje duža.
Ako je pritisnut ton prenizak (flat), pomeri sedlo bliže vratu: žica postaje kraća.

Pre svakog pomeranja olabavi žicu, pa je posle naštimuj i proveri ponovo. Ponovi za svih šest žica.

Ukratko

Nove žice u pravom štimu, pa krivina vrata, visina žica, visina pickup-a i na kraju intonacija. Vrednosti iz tabele ispod su samo početak: kad jednom sve namestiš po njima, menjaj malo po malo dok gitara ne svira kako tebi odgovara, i zapiši mere koje ti se svide.

You try a guitar in a shop or at a friend’s place and it plays far more easily than yours. It is natural to think the guitar itself is the reason. Usually it is not: that guitar has simply been set up better. Once you learn to do your own setups, your guitar plays exactly the way you want.

Nearly every electric guitar can be adjusted to taste, and anyone can do it with a little practice and basic tools. Unless something major is wrong, like a warped neck or uneven frets, even a budget guitar can play like a much more expensive one. You save money along the way and always have a guitar that plays well.

Everything in this article can be undone. Work that cannot, like filing frets or cutting the nut, is best left to a tech if you are not confident.

Tools

Everything except the tuner is cheap, and you probably have some of it already:

Screwdrivers in various sizes, depending on your guitar.
A truss rod wrench, usually an Allen key.
A tool for the bridge and saddles: a screwdriver, small Allen keys, and sometimes your fingers are enough.
A string action gauge (a small ruler for string height) and, ideally, feeler gauges for measuring neck relief.
A capo, or someone to lend you a third hand.
A chromatic tuner. A pedal tuner is great, but a good clip-on tuner works too.

The order matters

Each step affects the next one, so do them in this order. If you change something earlier in the list, recheck everything after it.

1. New strings

Put on new strings, stretch them and tune to the tuning you actually play on that guitar. If you play in drop C, tune to drop C; if you play in standard, tune to standard. String tension determines how much the neck bends, so everything else has to be measured in the right tuning. Do not skip this step to save money: old strings especially throw off the intonation.

2. Neck relief

A neck should not be perfectly straight: a slight bow gives the string room to vibrate without buzzing.

Put a capo on the 1st fret.
Fret the low E string at the fret where the neck meets the body.
Measure the gap between the top of the 8th fret and the bottom of the string. A good starting value is 0.010 in (0.25 mm), a barely visible gap.

If the gap is too big, tighten the truss rod: it pulls the neck back. If it is too small or there is no gap, loosen it. On most guitars, looking straight at the truss rod nut, tightening is clockwise.

Slacken the strings a little before adjusting. Turn no more than a quarter turn at a time, then retune and measure again. A neck can take a few hours to settle. If the rod is hard to turn, stop and take the guitar to a tech.

3. String height (action)

Once the relief is right, set the string height at the bridge saddles. Measure at the 12th fret, from the top of the fret to the bottom of the string. A good start is 4/64 in (1.6 mm) on the high E and 5/64 in (2.0 mm) on the low E.

On some bridges (a Stratocaster, for example) each string has its own saddle, so you adjust each one separately; on others (a Tune-o-matic on a Les Paul) there are only two screws, one on each side. Slacken the strings a little again before adjusting, then bring them back to pitch before you measure.

Lower action is easier to play for some people, but if you dig in hard the strings will buzz against the frets. If they buzz even at a reasonable height, some frets are probably higher or lower than the rest. If you see dents in the frets, they need fret work, which is a job for a tech.

4. Pickup height

Once the action is good, set the pickups. Fret the string at the last fret and measure from the bottom of the string to the top of the pickup. A good start is 5/64 in (2.0 mm) on the high E side and 6/64 in (2.4 mm) on the low E side.

A closer pickup is louder and brings out some frequencies more than others, so let your ears decide in the end. Do not raise it too far: the magnet then pulls on the string, which can no longer vibrate freely, and you hear strange warbling tones and false pitches. This is especially common on Stratocasters, whose single-coils have strong magnets right under the strings.

5. Intonation

Intonation decides whether a string is in tune up the neck, not just open. You set it by moving the saddle towards the neck or away from it.

Play the harmonic at the 12th fret and tune the string exactly. You need an accurate tuner for this step.
Then gently fret the same string at the 12th fret and play it. It should match the harmonic.
If the fretted note is sharp, move the saddle away from the neck, towards the back of the bridge: the string gets longer.
If the fretted note is flat, move the saddle towards the neck: the string gets shorter.

Slacken the string before every move, then retune and check again. Repeat for all six strings.

In short

New strings in the right tuning, then neck relief, string height, pickup height and finally intonation. The values in the table below are only a starting point: once everything is set to them, change things a little at a time until the guitar plays the way you like, and write down the numbers you end up with.

Početne vrednostiStarting values

ŠtaWhat	Gde se meriWhere to measure	Tanka EHigh E	Debela ELow E
Krivina vrataNeck relief	8. prag, kapo na 1. polju, žica pritisnuta na spoju vrata i tela8th fret, capo on the 1st, string fretted where the neck meets the body	–	0,25 mm · 0.010 in
Visina žicaString height	12. polje, od vrha praga do žice12th fret, top of the fret to the string	1,6 mm · 4/64 in	2,0 mm · 5/64 in
Visina pickup-aPickup height	žica pritisnuta na poslednjem polju, od žice do pickup-astring fretted at the last fret, string to pickup	2,0 mm · 5/64 in	2,4 mm · 6/64 in
IntonacijaIntonation	flažolet i pritisnut ton na 12. poljuharmonic and fretted note at the 12th fret	isti tonthe same pitch