I'll post a sound clip soon
. You can buy all the new(er) paraphernalia like radius ed sanding block, but you don't "need" it.
Here's what you need (old school):
A dead flat (12" ish) bastard file, so take a straight edge and check all the files in the hardware store until you find one that's dead flat. But this is if you need to level frets (get the dips out etc) and then you need to to fr-round the frets so there is just a thin (flat across all the frets) ~1/32" in the centre of the fret (old schools use slim taper rat tail files and mask the board in case you slip LOL). But lets leave fret leveling to another conversation. The bastart file is also good to file down your nuts so only half the string sits in the slot (or you lose sustain from to much nut) (I've got a very old Ibenez set of fret/nit files to do the fret rounding but they are fixed widths)
Some 1200 wet/dry paper (you can use 000 steal wool but mask off PUs as the metal shavings end up there), I prefer 1200 paper (wash you hands a bit LOL)
Decent fingerboard oil (I use the Jim Dunlop, it's ok there used to be better but no more it seems),
DON'T use lemon oil on rosewood/ebony (unfinished boards), it has water in it and makes the grains lift, also leaves a horrible white residue on the board (although it's good to clean the lacquered parts of the guitar, I don't use polish, just lemon oil to clean it).
Trus rod adjuster (Gibson socket for LP, appropriate allan keys for other guits (& bridge saddle bits)).
New strings, good tuner (preferably strobe (e.g. Peterson Stroboclip (best $75 AUD I ever spent BTW)), small flat blade and small phillips head screw drivers. 10 mm ring spaner (or small shifter (tighten top nuts on machine heads (gentle BTW l!!!)))
A cloth for the finger board oil, a cloth for polishing, string winder and side cutters. That's it for setups.
A basic set up that doesn't involve fret level:
Prepare to do set up (most of these adjustments are to taste/playing/what you! like):
Measure the neck relief (all necks need a little bow as the strings spin in a circle), press down bottom E at fret where it joins the body and 1st fret, (this makes a straight edge between the tops of those frets) check hight above 5,7, 9 frets, should be no more than a businesses card above the 7th fret (now this is taste/playing, I like my boards very flat (so half a business card), if you play hard hitting bluegrass you need more clearance). BTW this measurement has to be done at full tension, so do it first. (you can adjust the neck relief now if the new strings are same gauge) loosen strings a bit before tightening trus rod and bring back to pitch and meaure, go no more than 1/4 turn each time till is right (this is IM Experience unusual, but if the neck needs to go the other way loosen the trus rod (BTW all fret leveling is normally done with trus rod totally slack and no strings))
Diss-guard old strings (I loosen them (leave the machine heads perpendicular/vertical (so they don't foul the stringwiner) and the string holes ready for new strings (aimed to the respective nut slot)) and cut them around the 10th fret so they are easy to get off, and enough to coil tidily for the bin).
Get a bit of 1200 paper fold it up and dress the board (if you have mapple board, mask it off with masking tape as it's lacquered...), just run it up and down to polish the frets and (to some extent the board). Idea here is to dress/polish the frets a bit and clean crap off the board (go with the grain BTW, nut to body, not side to side).
Wipe off with cloth (wood/metal dust). Oil board and let it drink (my new JPP LP took 3 long drinks), when the board is oiled (doesn't want any more), whipe it off with FB cloth (I also use to spred oil into as close to fret etc to get best coverage).
Clean guitar (I use lemon oil sparingly on cotton cloth). You can do this while the FB oil is soaking in.
For LP (Floyed stringing is in other thread), by now the string end block is probably off the guitar (clean/polish). If it wasn't all the way to the body, now's a good time to wind those screws down as far as they go (better string break over the saddles = more sustain (though some like it spongy
), & same for the nuts string break (reason why fenders got string trees LOL)).
So whack all your new strings into the end block (much easier when it off the guitar), re-fit it and string it up (on LP I go first turn over the top, and three turns (for bottom strings, more for top)) under (helps string break over nut). This also clamps the string to stop slip.
So tune up, stretch strings etc, check neck relief again, if it feels nice (regardless of action at this point), good ball park. Otherwise gently adjust (small, 1/8, 1/4 turn).
Then adjust action (you can measure (with 6 inch metal ruler with /64ths), 3/64 treb, 5/64 bass), I wind them down till they buzz to much and then take them back up till it's acceptable (so as low as I can get it for my playing style, and I play quite hard BTW).
Then Intonation, you need to re-tune between all these steps (I'm sure you've realised), so open note (or 12th fret harmonic (open note is better BTW)) compared to 12th fret (fretted note) (adjust bridge saddle horizontal position with screw driver), longer string lowers 12th ft note, shorter string = higher 12th fret note, so intonate each string until they are good (same/in tune) (so will now play in tune in the 12th position and above..)