Action, pickup to string distance, and bridge setup for a Gibson Flying V

Question

I received a Gibson Flying V in 2010. Ive never been very good at the tweaking of guitars, but recently I've been getting some fret buzz. Most noticeably the seventh fret of the low E, (B), and when I pluck the open G string hard enough. I was reading about action and a lot of other specifications and I realized I've never adjusted these things and over the course of the years it could have gotten out of whack. I'm not an idiot and I know how to raise and lower the bridge on my guitar, so I'd rather not take this to a shop and pay a ton of money for something I can easily do at home if that is an option. The problem is I don't know the exact measurements everything should be, like the action, bridge height, pickup to string distance, etc. If anyone knows a general range these things should be it would be greatly appreciated. My bridge is easily adjustable. If I need to send pictures for any reason to clarify some things let me know.

Answer 1

If you would like to do this yourself, Dan Erlewine has a couple of great books on guitar setup and maintenance:

• How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great
• The Guitar Player Repair Guide

These books include good general measurements for common guitars. Gibson also has a basic guitar setup guide on their website with recommended action and pickup heights.

Guitar setup is one of the least expensive services you can get at a guitar shop – probably $40–100 depending on the shop and how much work your guitar needs. Some technicians will walk you through the setup and teach you basic maintenance as part of the service, so be sure to ask if you do go to a shop.