I’ve spent a lot of time recently thinking about guitars, and why they come from the factory with such BAD setups. I seem to discuss it all the time with clients, especially when I’ve just set up their brand new guitar and the difference is massive.
Seriously. The action is always too high at the bridge. The action is always too high at the nut. The neck usually has far too much relief (bend) in it.
These factors add up to make a guitar that is nowhere CLOSE to being as nice to play as it possibly could be. Given that guitar manufacturers are in the business of selling guitars, and given that guitar buyers usually play guitars before they buy them, why don’t the manufacturers set them up really well to make sure THEIR guitars are the best in the shop?