Another look at the integrated saddle/piezo pickup. You’ll most often find these in Takamine guitars but there are variants around. Like this Epiphone pickup. The action needed a little finessing here and this version presented it’s own challenges.
Read MoreCan you reverse a shim to give your guitar a forward neck angle? Should you do this? Is there a benefit. Are some builders using this secret trick to improve their guitars?
Read MoreWhy do some guitars have necks that angle back towards the player while some don’t? What’s the reason for this angled neck? Do we even need it?
Read MoreWord has been going around the internet recently about a cheap alternative to gauged nut files for guitar and bass. Since a proper set of nut files isn’t cheap, this is tempting. But is this alternative any good?
Read MoreInstalling a pre-cut/pre-shaped nut requires a lot of patience to do well. It’s easy to hack off some bits and glue it in but, doing it well and getting a good setup… that takes time and some Buddha-like levels of patience.
Most of the nut manufacturers don’t tell you that. Go figure.
Check out how to get a great result…
Read MoreInstalling a pre-cut/pre-shaped nut starts with measuring your existing nut to ensure you choose one that’s right for the job. Most of the measurements are obvious and are those that the nut manufacturers recommend in their own documentation. But… There’s one they rarely mention. And it’s important.
Check it out…
Read MoreFender nuts usually have an arc along their bottom. This mates with a similar curve in the nut slot itself. If you’re installing a new nut, you’ll have to match this radius closely for a good fit.
Find out how…
Read MoreI’ve often hammered home the idea that players need to understand that a guitar needs to the setup for their style to prevent fret buzz. ‘As low as it can go’ isn’t as simple as it sounds and the player plays a massive part in whether a guitar buzzes.
But sometimes the guitar is to blame. And I should talk about that too…
Read MoreTime for a slight rant. I often meet players who insist on treating an electric guitar like an acoustic guitar. And, that’s something that comes with some compromises.
What am I talking about? Read on…
Read MoreThe thrilling second instalment in the terrific tremolo tuning troubleshooting series. If you’re having trouble keeping your vibrato bridge in tune when you wiggle that whammy, check it out. It might just help…
Read MoreTremolo bridge not staying in tune? While the maintenance and troubleshooting of vibrato systems could fill a book, here’s part 1 of a ‘dump’ of tips. Maybe one of them will help you out.
Read More“…as low as possible without any buzzing…” says Steve Vai. That’s one of those phrases that really rattles my cage. Simplistic and missing an important nuance. Read me disagree with Steve Vai.
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