After the last article on fret wear, I was surprised to get some responses refuting my statement that a zero fret would (all things being equal) wear more quickly than other frets.
It seems that Brian May is partly to blame for this. Well, not quite. Check it out…
Read MoreFrets don't last forever. They're essentially a consumable item; designed to wear and expire as they're used.
Recognise the signs of fret-wear and a couple of things that will speed it.
Click to read more…
Read MoreJust a quick follow-up from the last post regarding the problems repairing HPL guitars.
Well, it wouldn't be fair not to mention that instruments made with laminated ood can lso have 'mismatched splintering' problems if they break.
Read more…
Read MoreHPL, or High-Pressure Laminate materials are becoming more commonplace in guitar construction. Martin Guitars, in particular, have a line made partially, or almost completely, from HPLs.
As a guitar construction material, there are a lot of advantages. But, in order to go into this with your eyes open, you should be aware of one disadvantage.
Check it out…
Read MoreCorrecting excessive relief or neck-bow is easy with an adjustable truss rod. What about those vintage guitars made before adjustable rods were fitted, though? Are those wonderful old instruments never to be played because there's too much bow in the neck?
No way. Find out how to use levelling and compression fretting to save these guitars.
Read MoreGetting vintage-nerdy with bar frets…
I only get a few bar fret jobs a year here. And, when I’m levelling them, I generally thank the fret gods for that fact. Bar frets are a bit different to modern frets but, if you’re playing, dealing, or repairing vintage instruments, you’ll likely come across them from time to time.
So, let’s get to know them.
Read MoreWhile most guitars have a single radius along the length of the fingerboard, a compound radius instrument has a radius that gradually increases/flattens as you go further up the neck.
Some players find these a godsend but they do require some different methods to set them up and to perform fretwork on them.
Read MoreI don't have to use these chip stoppers very often but, every now and then, they're invaluable. If you regularly refret guitars, it's worth having them on standby.
Read MoreThis is an acoustic guitar bridge and there’s something wrong with this picture. Well, the picture’s ok, but there’s definitely a problem with the guitar.
You can see how low the saddle is. The string’s have no ‘break’ angle over it—that first string sits almost horizontally on the saddle.
This means the strings impart very little downward pressure to the saddle. No downward pressure means that much of the strings’ vibration is lost rather than being transferred into the guitar top (which is what provides most of your tone and volume with an acoustic instrument). Poor tone and poor sustain.
Read MoreThis guitar's see better days. You can see a couple of nasty cracks along the shoulder. They begun at the preamp cutout and because of the tension on that area of bent wood, they easily spread as the centre 'relaxed' while the edges stayed in place, bound to the top and back.
Someone has had a go at repairing this damage already. The previous repairer tried using fibreglass and some mesh tape to secure things. A brace was added near the preamp cutout to reinforce it but that and the fibreglass weren't enough. The arrow shows where that brace has broken. The crack's back.
Read MoreIn the very old days*, guitars had no truss rods at all. This wasn’t so much of a problem with gut strings but, once steel strings came along, builders realised that some sort of strengthening was required and so various things began to be inserted into guitar necks to help make them stronger.
A while back, I realised I had a couple of Martin guitars of different vintages in for neck resets. So, with the necks off, I took a photo showing the steel rods they've used over the years.
Read MoreOk, so you’ve got to admit that's a little unusual.
What we’ve got is a tailpiece installed on this Takamine. It’s anchoring the strings which pass through the (pinless) bridge and up over the saddles.
Whatever else, it’s an inventive solution to some sort of problem.
Thing is, it’s not the best solution. The tailpiece is resting against the top of the guitar with isn’t the best for getting a good tone. Also, the guitar’s designed to have strings couple to the bridge for good transfer to the top.
Read More
