Product DescriptionThis expanded edition for beginners to experts is a step-by-step manual to maintaining and repairing electric and acoustic guitars and basses. Players learn how to set up a guitar and keep it in top form by mastering basic maintenance. Features an essential DVD that makes guitar maintenance easier than ever. New features include set-up specs of leading players; stronger coverage of guitar electronics, including pickups and wiring diagrams; and expanded coverage of a. . . More >>
The Guitar Player Repair Guide – 3rd

Product DescriptionThis expanded edition for beginners to experts is a step-by-step manual to maintaining and repairing electric and acoustic guitars and basses. Players learn how to set up a guitar and keep it in top form by mastering basic maintenance. Features an essential DVD that makes guitar maintenance easier than ever. New features include set-up specs of leading players; stronger coverage of guitar electronics, including pickups and wiring diagrams; and expanded coverage of a. . . More >>
The Guitar Player Repair Guide – 3rd

Product DescriptionThis expanded edition for beginners to experts is a step-by-step manual to maintaining and repairing electric and acoustic guitars and basses. Players learn how to set up a guitar and keep it in top form by mastering basic maintenance. Features an essential DVD that makes guitar maintenance easier than ever. New features include set-up specs of leading players; stronger coverage of guitar electronics, including pickups and wiring diagrams; and expanded coverage of a. . . More >>
The Guitar Player Repair Guide – 3rd

As you develop the abilities to master & learn guitar; general guitar maintenance is a required responsibility you must learn. Since you are playing your instrument more frequently it is imperative that you learn as much as you can on how to take care of your six string. Parts of the guitar break down, and most of the time there is always a guitar repair person around if you live in any sized city. What do you do, however, if your on a budget, or something happens to your guitar one hour before a playing gig? The best defence is a great offence. What this means for you and your guitar is that you will need to learn some basic wear and tear skills that will allow you to save on repair costs, or when no one is around to fix your guitar; you can fix your six string yourself. Let’s take a look at 5 guitar maintenance tips that you will need to learn in order to continue on with your journey to master & learn guitar. 1. Tighten up loose parts: This is an easy fix that is sometimes neglected. Go through your guitar and tighten up any loose knobs on your guitar from the parts under your tone and volume knobs to the knob that holds your guitar strap. 2. Play all your guitars: Eventually you may end up with more than one guitar. Make sure you rotate your guitars in there usage. I had a stringed instrument that I neglected to play over the summer one year and when I pulled It out I had what is called a reverse bow on my neck that is difficult to properly repair. 3. Buy a cheap guitar to perform experimental maintenance: As you learn to do maintenance on your guitar, it’s better to experiment on another cheap guitar instead of accidentally damaging your main instrument. 4. Learn neck/bridge/intonation basics: These are maintenance issues like changing the oil of your car. You don’t necessarily have to do it, however, it’s still a good idea to know how to do it. Even if you never complete these steps on your guitar it’s still important too learn about how your guitar works and why. 5. If you think there’s a problem don’t wait till it’s too late: If you have an expensive guitar, it’s better to get your guitar serviced right away rather than waiting until the last possible moment. You Don’t want to discover that you have a nasty bill that could have been avoided. Remember to also get your guitar serviced if you think there’s a problem and you know you have an important playing gig coming up.

Have you ever had a guitar or bass that didn’t quite play in tune no matter how many times you tuned it up? If so, it is quite possible that your instrument’s intonation is incorrect. If you’ve never heard of intonation, read further because it may be the key to making your instrument play in tune. This article will discuss what intonation is, why it needs to be set properly, how to read it and how to make basic adjustments to your instrument’s intonation. Please follow this link to view the figures for the article. What is Intonation? The intonation of a guitar or bass has to do with how accurately the instrument voices its notes. A perfectly intonated guitar or bass will play all of its notes with perfect accuracy. An A will be exactly 440hz, and the octave of that A will be exactly 880hz, no matter where it is played on the fretboard. A guitar or bass that is not properly intonated may still sound a perfect A in the open position, but play an A in any other position and it will be slightly out of tune. On a properly intonated guitar or bass, the length of the string between the nut and saddle will be slightly longer than the instrument’s stated scale length (the theoretical distance from the nut to the saddle). As you fret a string to sound a note it stretches a little, causing its pitch to go slightly sharp. To counteract the change in pitch caused by the stretch, the saddle is placed slightly further back from the fretboard, effectively increasing the length of the string and lowering the pitch. This extra distance the saddle is placed beyond the scale length is called compensation. A string under lower tension will stretch more than a string under higher tension and will require more compensation to be properly intonated. All things being equal, a guitar or bass with high action, a high nut or lower tension strings will require more compensation than an instrument with low action, a short nut or higher tension strings. Checking the Intonation of Your Instrument To see if the intonation of your instrument is set properly, you will first need to obtain a good quality chromatic tuner. You should spend at least $20 on a tuner that you intend to use for reading and setting intonation. A cheap, non-chromatic tuner may produce readings that are inaccurate. If you are reading the intonation of an electric instrument with more than one pickup, plug the tuner into the instrument, make sure the volume and tone controls are turned all the way up and that only the pickup nearest the fretboard is turned on, then follow the steps below: 1. Tune the instrument to pitch. 2. Play the harmonic at the twelfth fret of the low E string and note the reading of the tuner. 3. Now fret the string at the twelfth fret, play the E and note the reading of the tuner. 4. If both the harmonic E and fretted E are exactly in tune with each other, the E-string is properly intonated. If the fretted E is not in tune with the harmonic, the string is not properly intonated and the instrument requires adjustment. 5. Repeat for each string. Setting the Intonation of Your Instrument If you’ve never had your instrument set up or intonated, there is a good chance that its intonation is off. If you have an instrument with saddles that adjust forward and back from the fretboard, similar to those pictured in Figure 1, use the following procedures to adjust your intonation, otherwise skip to “Adjusting Intonation with Fixed Saddle(s)”. Note: If you are doing a full setup on an instrument, do not adjust the intonation until all other adjustments have been made first. Adjusting Intonation with Moveable Saddle(s) 1. Tune your instrument and read the intonation of the low E-string. 2. If the E fretted at the twelfth fret is sharp compared to the harmonic at the twelfth fret, the string requires more compensation and the saddle should be backed away from the fretboard. If the fretted E is flat compared to the harmonic, the string has too much compensation and the saddle should be adjusted towards the fretboard. 3. Adjust the saddle slightly in the proper direction by tightening or loosening the intonation screws found on the rear or front face of your bridge (Fig. 2, Fig. 3), re-tune the string and check its intonation again. 4. Repeat these procedures until the harmonic E and fretted E are in tune with each other. Repeat for each string. If you have a fretless instrument you should fret the twelfth fret position with the edge of a credit card, instead of your finger, to get maximum accuracy. If your fretless instrument does not have a marker that designates its twelfth fret position, divide the instrument’s scale length in half and measure that distance from the nut down the fretboard; that is the twelfth fret position. Mark this position with some low-tack tape that will not damage the fretboard or finish, then adjust the intonation. Once you have applied the above procedure to each string, you will have successfully intonated your instrument! Adjusting Intonation with Fixed Saddle(s) Adjusting the intonation of a guitar or bass that has a fixed saddle is more difficult as it is not as easy to move the saddle. If you have an instrument with a fixed saddle there are a few ways to correct the intonation: 1. You can have the existing saddle “compensated” by a professional luthier or repair tech. This involves re-shaping the saddle to properly compensate the strings and achieve correct intonation. 2. You can purchase a ready-made compensated saddle if your instrument doesn’t already have one or its existing saddle is otherwise flawed. A compensated saddle differs from a straight saddle in that portions of its top edge will be differentially carved so they are slightly off center, causing some of the strings to be further from the fretboard than others. 3. The entire bridge can be removed and re-set, or the bridge’s slot for the saddle can be filled and re-cut, but these are relatively complex and expensive repairs. 4. Changing string gauges and/or changing the action can sometimes improve or correct the intonation of an instrument with fixed saddles. These methods will be discussed in detail in the next article. Setting intonation by moving the saddles on an instrument is a fairly straight-forward procedure, but sometimes it may not fully correct the intonation by itself. The next article will discuss some simple, inexpensive ways to improve or correct the intonation of instruments with fixed saddles and go over some intonation troubleshooting. Thanks for reading, see you next month! Copyright © Anthony Olinger, Xylem Handmade Basses and Guitars 2008.  

The design and mechanics of adjustable truss rods are straightforward and simple. Despite this simplicity, truss rods and their effect on instruments are often misunderstood. For example, there is a common misconception that tightening a truss rod will lower the action of an instrument so the lightest touch will sound a note. In fact a truss rod’s effect is more subtle, but it can still significantly improve (or worsen, if adjusted incorrectly) the playability of an instrument. A properly adjusted truss rod can improve an instrument’s action, tone and sustain, eliminate fret buzz and prevent the neck from warping. The following article will reveal the design and mechanics of single action (traditional) truss rods and explain how to tell if yours needs adjustment by reading neck relief.
Components and Mechanics of Single Action Truss Rods
Please follow this link to view the figures for this article.
The construction of single action truss rods is very simple (Fig. 1). Most consist of a 3/16-1/4 inch diameter steel rod with threads on one or both ends, an adjustment nut (Fig. 2), a washer and, in most cases, anchor nut (Fig. 3).
Rods with an anchor nut screwed onto one end are peened (the metal is hammered so that it “mushrooms”) below the anchor, preventing it from moving (Fig. 3). A single action truss rod that does not have an anchor nut may instead have a 90 degree bend at one end to secure it within the neck.
Single action truss rods are installed deep below the fretboard in a channel in the neck. Generally speaking, the deeper a rod is set in the neck, the more effective the rod will be. Luthiers and manufacturers must be careful not to place a rod too deep however, as adjustment could cause it to break through the back of the neck if the wood below the rod is too thin. Truss rods may be installed with the adjustment nut either at the headstock-end of the neck or where the neck heel meets the body. In either case, the result is a rod that has two points of contact at both ends inside of the neck.
Tightening the adjustment nut of a single action truss rod pulls the anchor and adjustment nuts closer together, causing the washer and anchor nut to compress the neck. Since the rod is deep in the neck there is more wood above it than below, so the back offers less resistance and is therefore compressed. The compression causes the neck to bend backwards or backbow. Herein lies the function of the rod. As the strings pull the neck into relief or an upbow (Fig. 5), the backbow caused by the truss rod counteracts the pull of the strings, thus keeping the neck straight. With an understanding of truss rod mechanics, you will find it much easier to adjust a rod to improve or correct an instrument.
How to Read Neck Relief
Before adjusting a truss rod you must understand the condition of the instrument’s neck. To determine the condition of a neck, you must read its relief. Here we will discuss two different methods.
1) Look at the neck from the side as in figures 4 and 5. Fret an outside string at the first fret with your left hand and at the twelfth fret with your right. Next, observe how the frets between the first and twelfth touch the string. If all the frets touch the string, the neck is either dead flat (Fig. 4) or has some backbow. If there is some space between the frets and the string then the neck has some relief (Fig. 5). To determine if the neck is twisted, use the above method to read each side. If one side has more or less bow than the other, or the sides bow in opposite directions, the neck may be twisted.
2) Using this method, it is easier to distinguish a flat neck from a backbowed neck. Sight down the side of the neck from the headstock to the body. Now compare the curve of the neck to the outside strings on both sides to see whether the neck is flat, backbowed or upbowed and check for twisting.
Using both methods one after the other will give the best indication of the neck’s condition. After determining the bow of the neck, you can prepare to adjust the truss rod and optimize the instrument’s relief.
Note: A common misconception is that a dead flat neck is perfectly adjusted. In fact, the majority of necks operate best with a slight amount of relief (upbow). Strings vibrate in an elliptical pattern, so a perfectly flat neck may interfere with their vibrations causing fret buzz.
Understanding truss rod mechanics and neck relief is key to optimizing the playability of any truss rod-equipped guitar or bass guitar. The next Xylem article will discuss how to adjust truss rods to correct for specific problems and optimize relief to improve an instrument’s overall playability.
If you have questions or comments about this article please email Xylem: anthony@xylembassguitar. com
Copyright © Anthony Olinger, Xylem Handmade Basses and Guitars 2008.

So, you are planning to buy a guitar? You will find many choices out there. Read this article till the end to find what you need to know. You need to take certain things into consideration while buying a guitar. Below are some tips and advice. These things will help you for buying your first guitar. Look out for cheap guitar as they are easily available these days. Sound – When you check out a guitar at a shop, the first thing to do is testing the sound. Do you hear weird noises when you strum the strings? Always keep in mind that if the action is too low, it may cause the vibration of the strings against the metal frets. Tuning Pegs – Then, cheap tuning pegs also create problems. When you check out the guitar, do the pegs turn smoothly or not? You should check out the pegs very carefully. No one would like to have pegs that turn very easily or too hard. The ideal tuning pegs have some resistance initially, but they turn smoothly and steadily gradually. Neck – Take a look at the neck of the guitar. You need to check that the neck is straight as if it is not, then you will be messed up with some funny things while you play your guitar. Frets – You need to find if the fret has two enameled dots. When you press down at that fret, the string will play the same note as when it’s played open or unfretted. You can test your ear here and also listen for the quality of the guitar. Play the string open, then play it at the octave mark. Do they sound like the same note or do you hear discordance between the two? If they sound like the same note that means the intonation on your guitar is in good shape. You can take a guitar to a repair shop, but if it doesn’t start out with good intonation then there’s not a lot that can be done. Tune – Always remember that no guitar will sound right if it is out of tune. And the actual sound can only be tested with a tuner. Most of the guitars at the stores would not have tuners installed. If you do not know how to do it, then you can ask the concerned person there to do it for you. Picks – When you have a pick in hand, play some chords. And if you do not know, try picking the strings. You cannot check it out without strumming, but you should look for a well-balanced and rich tone. Both, the high and low notes should have an even balance creating a nice sensation to the ears. If you find the notes as ‘plinky’ or ‘dull’, it is a bad sign. Bridge – Check out area behind the bridge to see if the top is buckled or bowed. Never touch an instrument with such defects. Strings – Hold down the strings of the guitar from the second fret to the twelfth one. And, check if the length touches all the frets or not? Even a little variation may create problems sooner later. Hope this guide will help you for buying your guitar.