So you've got a guitar, but you don't know if it's working right and don't want the hassle of going to a shop or consulting an expert to get it done on your behalf? Same boat as me and some of my friends, so here's a guide to get it working right.

I'm assuming that, as a complete beginner, you're using a dirt-cheap Stratocaster[en.wikipedia.org] knock-off[dictionary.reference.com] or similar; that you're using a pick[en.wikipedia.org] to tune up; and that you are playing it in the common right-handed fashion. If your specific guitar happens to differ from this, you can consult the web to find out how to apply the steps in this guide to your individual equipment. If you're playing left-handed, you'll have to figure out if you think you're Hendrix[en.wikipedia.org] and then work out the appropriate stringing for your set-up.

I'll also assume you have installed Rocksmith on PC, and plugged in the USB Real Tone Cable.

You'll want to set the correct sample rate for the cable, as Windows defaults to a lower quality input:
Click your Windows Start Button > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Manage Audio Devices > 'Recording' tab.
Select the entry for "Microphone - Rocksmith USB Guitar Adapter" and click "Properties".



Go to the "Advanced" tab, and in the Default Format drop-down menu, make sure it is set to "1 channel, 16 bit, 48000 Hz (DVD Quality)".



Note that on bad computers, this might increase audio-latency, but it's worth doing as the game has built-in menu options to combat latency issues.

Now on to setting up the Guitar.

The nut[en.wikipedia.org] is the plastic/bone/wood/metal/Graph Tech bar that keeps the strings spread apart and raised from the fretboard; it is located by the headstock. Even decent guitars tend to come with cheap plastic ones that wear down over time.

You will want to inspect the wear - make sure that the strings aren't too loose and thus rolling about in the fitting; and make sure they aren't riding too low (close to the fretboard, and thus buzzing on frets 2-5 while you're playing notes on fret 1). The second-hand bass I inherited had the nut worn so low that the strings had started to carve out a groove in the base of the headstock! You also don't want the grooves in the nut so tight that they strangle the strings and make it hard to adjust them, as it will make tuning problematic and cause whammy-bar usage (see stage 4) to throw the guitar even more out of tune if you want to use one (see below). If they are too tight, you can *gently* sand them a little wider to stop the strings from catching. Be careful though - you can easily file more material off, you can't put it back on once it's gone.

If the nut has worn down, you will need to replace it. Music stores will charge a lot for a precision operation that will last longer than the cheap-and-cheerful fix that most beginners like us will want to go for. Us beginners who want to save some cash on a side-hobby can simply get a pre-cut replacement nut pretty cheap off the Internet[www.ebay.com]; plastic is dirt-cheap, but it might be worth splurging for a TUSQ XL[www.graphtech.com] bar, as they're only moderately more expensive than unbranded plastic nuts, and are self-lubricating so that if you want to do Dive Bomb[en.wikipedia.org]s without a Floyd Rose, it should be more forgiving on the tuning.
Make sure the nut you pick is of the nearest size to your current nut as possible so you have as little sanding to do as possible.

There are plenty of guides online (see below for an example) for this specific operation; but generally it involves using light taps of a hammer, or maybe a little chiselling, to get the old nut out; sanding or filing down the new one so it sits as snugly in the slot as possible, and if the fit isn't tight enough to hold the new nut snugly, the smallest amount of wood glue added to the base of it to keep it in position - ideally this is unnecessary, but cheap manufacturers use glue as a short-cut, so why shouldn't you? Remember that if you're using a cheap plastic nut, you'll probably end up having to replace it again in the future, and thus the less glue you need now, the easier it will be to remove next time! If the "action" (see step 5) on the first fret is too high, and thus playing notes on the first frets is particularly uncomfortable, difficult, or producing notes that sound bad (are 'sharp' on frets 1-3) - you may need to sand the base of the nut to lower it a little - another reason why glueing the nut into place is something to be done gently, and then only after careful consideration.

If your strings are over six months old, they have probably sustained some wear. Tired strings are the number one cause of a guitar losing tune and having poor intonation, and it is worth starting out with a fresh set. I recommend Ernie Ball[en.wikipedia.org]'s strings, they're cost effective; sturdy; and really easy on the fingers - which is great for beginners who have yet to get calluses on their fingers.
There is a video tutorial in Rocksmith that shows you how to restring guitars, and there are plenty of tutorials online that will cover how to restring pretty much any guitar.
If your guitar has a vibrato bridge[en.wikipedia.org] (if it has a 'whammy bar'), then chances are you'll need to remove a covering plate (often a plastic panel on the back of the guitar) in order to insert the strings. Leave this plate off when you proceed to step #3.

If your guitar has a fixed bridge (for example, is a bass guitar) and thus has no whammy bar, then you can skip this stage.

Many guitars ship with their whammy-bar removed (so it doesn't get caught on anything and snap off), and the floating bridge set tight to the guitar's body. You can consult your guitar's manufacturer's website for instructions on how to configure your guitar's vibrato bridge and tremolo arm, or search the Internet for specifics - but chances are you'll have a Fender Synchronised Bridge[en.wikipedia.org] ('Strat Trem') or something similar.

If so then you can do the following:
Screw the whammy bar about half-way into the hole on the bridge. Cheap guitars will have poor threading on the bar and in the hole, so make sure you don't force it or accidentally cross-thread it. Screwing the bar all the way into the hole can cut or crush the threads, even if there doesn't seem to be any resistance, so don't screw it all the way! If there is resistance, it may simply be the angle of the bridge pushing against the bar's threading; applying some pressure to the rear of the bridge, or else lifting it slightly off the body, might help it screw in easier.

Next you will want to check out the springs at the back of the guitar - you will have noticed them when you were inserting the strings during step #1. There should be between 2 and 5 springs; typically three, attached to fittings at each end. Often the outer two springs will be fixed further apart on the rear fitting, but closer together on the fitting closer to the neck of the guitar (the 'claw'[guitarnoize.com]). This means that, if the springs are identical, the middle spring will be under a different degree of tension and thus put an uneven force on the bridge, making it harder to balance and thus keep in tune.

You will want to unhook the outer springs from the claw, and reattach them on the claw's outer fastenings so that the springs run parallel to each other.
If you are using particular light gauge guitar strings, you may want to remove the middle spring so that there is less pull on the bridge; if you are using particularly heavy gauge strings you might want to add more springs or replace them with tighter springs - but typically three in parallel will suffice.

Some guitars will have an electrical "grounding[en.wikipedia.org]" wire attached to the fittings to earth some of the guitar's metal components; while most claws have an obvious anchor point (a small loop raised from the metal) for the exposed end of this wire to be fed through and attached to, cheap manufacturing means that the wire will sometimes be soldered[en.wikipedia.org] directly onto one of the claw's teeth, thus preventing you from removing a spring attached to it, or else putting a spring onto that tooth. You can simply remove the wire from that tooth, and tie it onto the 'loop' so that the metal core of the cable is making contact with the metal of the claw - solder the two together to guarantee that contact between the two is maintained, as it is dangerous for metal parts of the guitar to be ungrounded.

Now you want to adjust the two large screws that fix the claw to the guitar's body - as you unscrew them you should see the rear part of your guitar's bridge rising off your guitar's body. Adjust the two screws in parallel until the rear of your bridge is the desired height from the guitar's body. The optimum height should be recommended on the guitar's website or instruction manual. Normally the screws at the front (or, more rarely, either side of) the bridge will not require adjustment, and the bridge will pivot on them fine by default - however bear in mind that this is not always the case, so if the bridge seems to be "pinched" by them or you're running into problems, you may have to check the manufacturer's guidelines to make sure they're not too tight, or too loose for that matter.

Now that the bridge is correctly balanced, you should be able to use the whammy bar to angle the bridge both forwards and backwards from its "resting" position. Forwards will slacken the strings, lowering the pitch of a note, backwards will tighten them, raising it.

Either at the headstock, or more rarely at the very base of the guitar's neck (it's 'heel'), you should see a hexagonal / allen key[en.wikipedia.org] screw-head set into the guitar's neck. This adjusts the truss rod, which runs down the length of the neck and adjusts the bowing of the fretboard, and sometimes (rarely) it will be hidden behind a covering plate.
Now that the guitar is under tension from both the strings and springs, the neck will be exposed to forces that make it curve. Adjusting the truss rod will allow you to keep the fretboard flat and thus a regular distance from the strings.

You can check the bowing of the fretboard by simply sighting along the neck; but a more reliable method is to hold a ruler ('straight-edge') against the fretboard and see if any frets[en.wikipedia.org] are either proud from the others (the neck is convex, and thus the ruler see-saws on a middle fret), or if there is a gap between the rule and the middle frets (the neck is concave, an thus the outer frets are higher than the middle ones). Another technique is to hold down a string at a high and low fret, and using that to see how far the string's height is from the intermediate frets.

Some people prefer a very slightly concave (relief) neck, but as the neck will slowly go concave under tension anyway it is best for beginners not to worry too much about this and just get it straight as possible at this stage). This can be achieved by using your allen wrench to make 1/8th of a turn adjustments to the right or left (depending on whether you need to make the guitar more convex or concave), and then reinspecting the guitar to verify the adjustment. Repeat until your neck is straight.

Be careful not to damage your strings with the allen-key whilst turning - destring the guitar if necessary between adjustments.

Now the bit that makes the difference between a guitar "seeming right" but sounding awful, and being spot-on. Unfortunately, adjusting each of these elements will have a knock-on effect on the others, which means you'll have to revisit the various settings at various points until all three are working together perfectly.

is how high your strings sit from your fretboard. This is governed by your guitar's "nut" (the plastic or metal bar by the head-stock that holds the strings in position; see step #1) at one end, and the bridge at the other. If you have correctly adjusted the bridge in step 3, you'll be fine-tuning the action using the bridge's "saddles[en.wikipedia.org]" - the small cradles that the strings rest on in the bridge.
To adjust these you may want to consult your guitar's instructions; but generally the height of the saddles will be controlled by two small screws in each saddle, set perpendicular to the guitar's body. A small (narrow) allen wrench will allow you to adjust the depth of these screws, and thus how far they push the saddle off the body.
As a rule of thumb, you will want to get the action as low as possible without the strings "buzzing" when they are played. That is to say that you do not want the strings to hit the frets by accident when struck, so that they vibrate freely. Simply play an 'open note' (don't push down on any of the frets while you pluck a string) - and raise the saddles slightly if you hear a buzz. Repeat until it doesn't buzz. Now fret some high notes on the same string (frets 12 and closer to the bridge) and verify that there is still no buzzing. If there is buzzing, raise the action further until you hear no buzzing. Repeat for each string.

As an aside, the more alert of you will have recognised that the string has the most freedom at the mid-point between the nut and the saddle - this is why some people like a slightly concave (relief) neck, to give the string more room to move at this region of the neck without changing the height near the nut or the heel, and thus allowing the action to be lowered further still. This is not something most beginners will need to worry about.

Why is a low action important? Well, some of it comes down to play style and personal preference; but generally a low action is easier on the finger-tips, and allows for faster fretting as the string doesn't have as far to move to be held against the fret. It also can make it a bit easier to play "slap bass".


is adjusting the tension of the strings, and is what determines the note made when an open (unfretted) string is plucked. The game has a built-in tuner, but it's pretty imprecise. You could alternatively use an electronic guitar tuner if you own one; but I recommend using http://www.tunerr.com/ instead - it's free.
Make sure your guitar is plugged in, and that your Real Tone Cable is plugged in to; go to the URL, make sure you aren't blocking the brower plug-in, and then click "Choose Input" - make sure 'Microphone (Rocksmith USB Guitar Adaptor)' is selected and click "close". You may need to refresh the page in your browser once you have done this if it doesn't instantly pick up your guitar input, but typically it won't be necessary.

Now, to adjust the tuning.
Typically, you'll want to use the standard guitar tuning: EADGBE[en.wikipedia.org]. If you are using a 4-string bass guitar, then you won't have the B and high-E strings; and at present Rocksmith doesn't support basses with more than four strings to the best of my knowledge.

Start with the first "E" string (The fattest string, which should also be the 'top' string, and produce the 'lowest' sounding note). Pluck it unfretted - it should ideally show up the letter corresponding to that string ("E" in this case) in the middle of the website's gauge, and the letter should be green.

If the letter is not the one that corresponds to that string then that string is heavily out-of-tune -( make sure you are confident you have the correct string in place, as if you made a mistake when stringing the guitar at Step #1, this is where it'll show up). If, in this example, the letter is "lower" than E (A,B,C,D) then you will want to tighten the string by screwing the appropriate tuning head[en.wikipedia.org]. If it is higher (F,G, or even possibly on to a whole new 'octave' and thus starting again at a higher A) then you will want to loosen the string by turning the tuning head in the other direction.

Once you have the right letter (low 'E' in this case), you will want to fine-tune the string until the letter goes from red to yellow, and the indicator bar on the website's meter reaches the middle point of the gauge and the letter finally turns green. If the indicator bar is to the LEFT of the centre letter, the note is flat, and you need to tighten the string. If the indicator bar is to the right, it is sharp, and you need to slacken it.
Once the note is consistently "green" when you play it, the string is in tune, and you can move on to the next.

Repeat the above steps with the other strings in order (working down the guitar, with the bottom string producing the highest note), so that each time you pluck an open string the tuner shows up the corresponding letter in green. Once this is achieved, do NOT close the tuner website, as you'll need it for the next part.


Next we adjust the intonation:
Your open strings are now in tune, but that doesn't mean that the notes will be in tune when you fret (depress the string against the fretboard whilst plucking the string) them. You will now have to adjust each string's "intonation". This involves moving the position of the saddles closer to, or further from, the neck - thus making the effective length of each string either slightly shorter or longer, respectively. How you can do this again depends on the type of guitar bridge you have - but generally this will be achieved by adjusting a series of screws set in the rear of the guitar's bridge - one for each string.

Make sure the harmonic[en.wikipedia.org] on the 12th fret is in tune - if not then your tuning of the open string was imprecise - fine tune it further until the harmonic is perfect. Then, depress the string that is being adjusted at the 12th Fret (you are playing the note that is at the 12th fret), and pluck the string. The tuner should tell you that you are playing the same note as the open string (you are actually playing the same note, but at a higher octave[en.wikipedia.org]), but you'll notice that the note is actually a bit sharp or flat, rather than perfectly in tune like the open string was. Adjust the screw to move the saddle backwards or forwards, depending on whether the note was sharp or flat, and then play the OPEN string again to make sure changing the intonation hasn't pulled the open string out-of-tune. If it has, you will want to tune the string (and thus its harmonic) back to perfection before you once again play the note on the 12th fret and see how much your adjustment to the intonation has improved matters. Repeat this procedure until both the open string and the note when played on the 12th fret are consistently showing up "green" on the meter (are both in tune). Note that the springs that push saddles "forward" against the screws can sometimes be a bit weak, so you may need to push the saddle forward yourself if you are shortening the string.

Do this for each string.

All of the previous steps are related:
As strings get worn in (especially when new ones first get played) their tension changes, which effects both tuning and the bridge height;
As the tension of the strings changes, so does the force put on the neck, thus changing its bowing - which can also be effected by the changing climate of the seasons too;
as you move saddles further back to adjust the intonation, you can - depending on the bridge setup your guitar uses - sometimes increase the action height, allowing you to lower the saddle height to compensate; etc.

All of this means that you will have to revisit these various steps a few times as your guitar "settles" - especially each time you put new strings on - so be prepared to work through the above steps a few times before you're ready to close up the various cover plates and call the setup "done for now."

I've got a bass, is that a problem?
Nope, just ignore the superfluous strings and there should be no significant difference between a regular bass and a 6-string fixed-bridge guitar. Make sure you don't set Rocksmith to "emulated bass" (treating a 6-string as if it were a 4-string bass) by accident, though.

I've followed all the steps here, but one string sounds dead despite being in tune, and the 12th fret harmonic and fretted note both being in tune too! / I have note recognition problems on frets 1-3 - If you've followed t he guide and eliminated all the other explanations, chances are your string is twisted. Unwind the tuning peg, you may well notice the string untwist when the tension is relieved, remove the string from the fixture, make sure the string isn't too tight in the bridge, and then restring it - making sure that you aren't rotating the string while you're winding it on. If that doesn't fix it, you may have been sold a bum string, or you may need to adjust the height of your pickups. If frets 1-3 are out-of-tune, whilst fret 12 is spot-on, chances are your nut is at the wrong height (see step 1!), thus causing the length of the string to be changed disproportionately when you are fretting those notes.

The tuner seems indecisive - it will be fine one moment, then register as slightly out of tune the next time I play the note, and then back in tune again - what gives?
Depending on your guitar's pick-ups, volume and tone settings, etc, it's quite possible you playing the note (particularly the low E) is causing the other strings to resonate slightly and the tuner is picking up that input. Try lowering the volume knob slightly or adjusting the tone knob. Alternatively, rest part of your hand lightly on those other strings to 'mute them' (dampen the vibrations) whilst playing the note in question and see if that helps.
If, particularly on a bass, you find the needle on the gauge won't stop fluctuating between flat and sharp as you strike a single note - then instead of playing the string open, play a harmonic on the 12th fret. That should be a bit more precise, and give you a better point to tune on.

Tunerr.com seems to be mental, I'm not doing anything and the gauge is registering notes all over the place - what's wrong?
Well, it's possible you have some RF interference that your pick-ups or cable is registering; it's possible there's some dust or cludge in your volume knob's potentiometer or in your guitar's socket; it's possible that some part of your guitar is just broken. However, much more likely is that you have the input device set to your PC's microphone and it's responding to ambient noise. Remember to refresh (reload) the website once you've picked the right input!

I've got a console, not a PC, is that a problem?
Not really, the Real Tone Cable is cross-platform, so pretty much all of the guitar-based aspects of this guide still apply and you can still plug it into your PC and use Tunerr.com.
However, make sure you've got your TV set to "game mode" if it supports it. Many modern TVs use post-processing effects that, while pretty, will create a lag between what you see and what the console thinks is going on. If you can't figure out how to set game mode, or if your TV doesn't support it, there's options in the Rocksmith menu to address the issue.

My guitar doesn't have a whammy-bar, is that a problem?
Not unless you're desparate to do dive-bombs on it. Some guitarists prefer a fixed bridge, and some will even set their floating bridges to "locked down" to achieve the same ends, as a fixed bridge keeps its tuning slightly better than floating and makes it easier to do some tricks like dual-bends. However, if you aren't doing dive-bombs; or if you do have a Floyd Rose Locking Tremelo; you should find that a properly configured guitar with good strings should keep its tuning fine for a comparable amount of time.

What should my bridge height, pick-up height, tone knob, pick-up selector switch, action height, etc, etc be set to?
Part of it is down to personal preference, some of it is down to play style, and some of it is down to the peculiarities of your guitar. If you can't find manufacturer's guidelines on their site, try some guitar forums or some youtube guides, etc. I've had no problems at all with the pick-up selector set to the position closest to the bridge for the purposes of playing the game, though.

Rocksmith isn't registering my palm-mutes!
It's recognition of palm-mutes is a bit "meh"; but if you're seeing the "Palm Mute Missed!" message appear, it means the game hasn't detected the note AT ALL. That means you've either played the wrong note, or you've muted the string so much that it's affected the note's pitch; or that you've muted the string so much the game couldn't even hear the note. Seriously, try playing the notes without muting them at all and you'll see the message doesn't come up.

Rocksmith isn't registering my harmonics!
Harmonically challenged is a pain - the timing is a bit messy, and it seems to accidentally pick up on the previous note's reverberations or ressonance and throw off the recognition of the note you're playing. You can use your fingers to mute a string once you've played it and the harmonic has been registered so that it doesn't interfere with the next one. If you're having problems with harmonics in an actual song, then it's probably just down to technique, sorry.

What is "drop-D"? Why is the game telling me to change my tuning every couple of songs when tunerr.com says I'm tuned up fine?!?
EADGBE is the standard tuning for guitars, however many songs - particularly heavy metal - lower the tuning of the first string to a lower "D" (So the tuning for all the strings is DADGBE). Follow the game's instructions and it should all work out fine, but if you're desparate for the more precise tuning that tunerr.com can give you, just tune it as normal using the site but instead of your fat string being tuned to low "E", lower it a bit further still until it's tuned in right for a nice green "D".

If your favourite music is heavily based around drop-D[en.wikipedia.org] and you don't really need to play the Rocksmith songs that use the regular EADGBE tuning, then you might want to set your intonation on that string so that playing the *D* on the 12th fret is natural (neither flat nor sharp) and thus in tune.

Why isn't the game working properly?
Check the official technical forums[forums.ubi.com] for an answer. Maybe your computer's not working properly, maybe your Real Tone Cable is defective, maybe it's something else.

Why are you giving such blatantly bad advice? My set-up for guitar is better than yours, you should do it my way, you've completely misunderstood the basics.
This is a guide for absolute beginners to get them playing Rocksmith comfortably and successfully with the minimum amount of expenditure or hassle. It is not meant to be a guide on how to set up your guitar like your favourite pro, or in a manner that's best suited to your favourite genre of music. It is not meant to be definitive, merely a starting point so that people completely new to guitars at least know what things they need to investigate to get the most out of their equipment and get the game working. Being completely new to guitars, I found the whole subject of configuring a guitar to be intimidating, and the advice available was piecemeal. I wanted a way to check to make sure some guitars I inherited were setup at least vaguely "right" without having to pay a professional or head off to a shop, or buy additional stuff, and this list encompasses that need in one location.

Due to the inordinate number of people asking the same questions, I've felt compelled to add this section to the above guide.

There is a known bug with Rocksmith where, if you subject it too excessive noise, it will warn you that your input volume is too high and stop recognising your notes altogether - even though you can hear your guitar playing fine in-game.

To minimise experiencing this glitch, turn your guitar's volume knob(s) as low as possible - if the tuner is failing to register you playing some random notes, particularly on the 'highest' (thinnest / bottom) strings, then you've lowered the volume too far and need to edge it up little by little until you see the coloured string vibrating in the tuner in response to any note you play.

If you trigger this glitch (and even with a good setup, it will crop up occasionally, but rarely), unplug and replug your Real Tone Cable and you should be ok - you can restart songs in Rocksmith with no penalty; and you do not need to exit the game to do this.

If your guitar playback is too quiet - go into the game's options, lower the master output volume and crowd / song volume, whilst keeping your Guitar / Bass output volume levels high; this will make your guitar sound louder without having to adjust its volume knob too high. If you still find that on some songs your guitar is inexplicably quiet, but other times it's at the right volume, remove and reinsert the male (audio jack) end of the Real Tone Cable into the guitar's output socket (the hole in its body you plug the cable into). You may have to repeat this a couple of times, but it usually gets the volume right on mine after a couple of goes.

If you are using a 3rd party cable (not the official Real Tone Cable) then there is a good chance your hardware (and the patch and sound-device management software that controls the hardware) is misconfigured for the game and is simply too loud for the game - find a way to lower the input volume of the device (via the software you are using to fool Rocksmith into accepting the third party cable) or otherwise lower its gain and you should be able to minimise this problem. Or, you know, buy the official cable.

If you are STILL having this problem, despite the guitar output volume being really low, then you might want to clear the contacts in the audio socket in the guitar, the volume and tone knob potentiometers, and the pick-up selector switch - an inadvertant crackle or pop caused by dust in the contacts could easily be "loud" enough to trigger this problem.