So now it time to practice, practice, practice. 

Thank you Chordie for this excellent forum and thank you PIX for that you have done to help me.

Tony

  A good setup takes one more small barrier down.... and we all know that the frustration level early in the game can be almost overwhelming at times.  I firmly believe that there is nothing wrong with learning scales, and notes, and chords, and Tabs,  just as there is nothing wrong with learning as much as you can about the hows and whys of the instrument you are learning to play.

  It may not be "necessary" to have every guitar you play "perfectly set up", but if it adds to the enjoyment..... it couldn't hurt.

  Thank You Pix for stepping up and helping Tony, which is what Chordie is all about. 

Take Care;
Doug

Keep Rockin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jerome, I agree and disagree.  My strings are so high that it makes it painful to play.  I do practice and I understand there is pain involved in learning.  However once my guitar is setup properly I will be able to devote more time to practice and less time to healing my fingers.  My strings started out at 6/32.  They are down to 5/32 and I would love to get them to 3/32.

Your fingers are going to hurt no matter how your rig is set up.  It's a simple fact of life.   The 1st order of business for anyone learning to play is to get rid of their monkey hands, and turn them into player's hands.  That hurts, and requires dedicated practice.   A difference of 3/32 of an inch isn't going to mean a whole lot in that regard.

I know guys that carry extra saddles in their kit and change them out with every gig in order to compensate for temperature, humidity, and other environmental factors that can effect the neck.   But these are dudes that have been playing for years, and understand what that means, and how it effects their playing.   We are not such people.   What I'm hearing you say is that "I can't practice effectively because my guitar isn't set up perfectly."  And I simply don't believe that.   You can't practice effectively because you're not practicing enough, as is common with new players.

Having a well set up instrument is nice.  But unless it's *seriously* mangled, it's going to be just fine for your needs.   The old golf adage of "It's not the arrow, it's the Indian" is just as true with guitars.   You could run out and spend $5,000 on a perfectly set up Martin or Taylor, and you are still going to have sore hands, you are still going to struggle to fret properly, and you are still going to sound like a n00b.  An experienced player could pick up your rig right now, and they'd sound like they knew what they were doing.   

I have a Tak I'm working on that had the nut come lose and rotate under the strings.  The result was an action at the nut that was more akin to a dobro than a guitar.  But it was playable, even if it wasn't the greatest feeling neck in the world.   A bad setup sucks, but it's not the end of the world, and it shouldn't stop you from practicing.

I tell new students the following when they tell me their hands hurt.

"Your hands hurt?  Your hands don't hurt enough!"

You don't have to be a masochist to play, but it helps.