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“We asked 500 guitar and bass players, and 50% said they can’t or don’t set up their guitars”: MusicNomad is on a quest to make guitar setups simple – combining tools, education, and step-by-step guidance for beginners and pros alike
Ever pick up a guitar and immediately know something’s not quite right? The action might feel a little too high, the intonation is off, or the neck just doesn’t seem to suit the way you play. You might have a favorite instrument that’s been sitting in its case because it needs a little work, or a new guitar that could use some adjustments before it really feels like yours.
A good setup can change all of that. The trouble is that, for many guitarists, the idea of doing one themselves is enough to reach for the phone and book a tech.
MusicNomad wants to change that. Its KEEP IT SIMPLE, SETUP (KISS)™ system is designed to make guitar setup less intimidating by giving players the tools and information they need to understand their instruments and make adjustments with confidence.
And that’s an important distinction. This isn’t just about buying a set of tools and hoping for the best. KISS combines precision equipment with measurements, step-by-step guidance, and free educational resources, so you can learn what you’re doing rather than blindly turning screws.
As Rand Rognlien, CEO of MusicNomad, explains, “We have developed a system that anyone can use to set up their guitar to make it look, sound, and play the best.
“We asked 500 guitar and bass players, and 50% said they can’t or don’t set up their guitars, but 97% wanted to learn if it was simplified. 40% of them owned 10 or more guitars, so we saw a real need to help our guitar community.”
Sure, there’s no shortage of setup advice online. However, knowing which measurement to take, where to take it, and what to do with the result can be a different story. KISS focuses on the key areas that affect how a guitar plays – including neck relief, string action, string radius, pickup height, and intonation.
These are the adjustments that can transform a guitar from frustrating to comfortable. Neck relief affects how the strings sit over the fretboard. String action determines how much effort it takes to fret notes. Intonation helps keep the guitar in tune across the neck. Pickup height influences how the instrument responds to your playing. Understanding these relationships is useful, whether you’re making your first setup adjustment or you’ve been maintaining guitars for years.
The Setup Starter Kit brings the necessary tools together in one place. Developed in collaboration with master guitar tech Geoff Luttrell, it includes a six-piece gauge set suitable for electric, acoustic, classical, and bass guitars, an 11-piece Guitar Tech Truss Rod Wrench Set for neck relief adjustments, and a 26-piece Guitar Tech Tool Set with the wrenches and screwdriver bits needed for common setup jobs.
The tools come in compact aluminum cases, but the real value is the process they support. The included setup booklet walks you through the work, helping you understand what to measure and how to approach each adjustment.
In a survey of 50 guitar players who used the KISS method, 96% said their guitars played and sounded better after the setup, while their average setup confidence increased from 4.4 to 7.8 on a scale of 1 to 10.
One of the most useful things about learning guitar setup is that you start to understand your instrument on a deeper level. You notice how a change in string gauge affects the neck, how a different tuning can alter the feel of the guitar, or how a small adjustment to the bridge can make a difference to playability.
You also get a better sense of what your guitar actually needs. Not every instrument requires the same setup, and there’s no single combination of measurements that will suit every player. Someone who plays with a light touch might prefer lower action, while a heavier strummer may want a little more clearance. KISS gives you the tools to explore those preferences rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.
And if you’re not sure where to begin, MusicNomad’s free online Setup Hub offers How-To videos and setup guides that can be searched by task or guitar brand. That means you don’t have to work everything out on your own, and you can return to the resources whenever you need a refresher.
For more information, head to MusicNomad.
