Review: MusicNomad Keep It Simple, Setup (KISS) DIY Kit
MusicNomad has introduced the Keep It Simple, Setup (KISS), a DIY kit designed to make guitar setups easy even for the entirely uninitiated.
Ask the Expert: Is It Safe to Hang My Guitar on the Wall?
Will hanging my guitar on the wall alter the setup or damage it? Expert luthier Mamie Minch offers two great reasons to hang your guitar, plus some caveats to consider.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ask the Expert: How Does a Truss Rod Work?
The truss rod is a long metal rod installed in a channel running most of the length of your guitar’s neck. Here's how it works and how to tell if it needs adjustment.
Ask the Expert: When Is it Time for a Re-Fret? And What Is “Back Buzz?”
Should you keep the vintage frets on your vintage Gibson for the sake of the guitar’s authenticity? What's causing that mysterious metallic fret buzz? Ask the Expert!
Ask the Expert: Is Fingerboard Oil “Snake Oil?”
Does applying oil to an acoustic guitar's fingerboard have any benefits other than making it look nice? Our expert weighs in on fingerboard oil.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ask the Expert: Does My Guitar Need A Neck Reset?
Neck repairs are a common occurrence on a vintage acoustic guitar and can enhance the sound of a valued instrument. Don’t feel nervous about getting this repair done.
Ask the Expert: If Your Guitar Isn’t Playing or Feeling Right, Check for a Loose Bridge
Q: Over the last few months, the action on my older Yamaha dreadnought has gotten uncomfortably high up the neck. I brought it into the repair shop for what I expected to be a setup, but there was apparently an issue that I hadn’t anticipated. I was told it could…
Ask the Expert: When it Comes to Repairs, When Is Enough Enough?
If restoration is executed by craftsmen as skilled as those charged with maintaining Stradivaris, the spirit of the original guitar will eventually return after a bit of breaking in.
ADVERTISEMENT
Guitar Guru: Troubleshooting Unwanted Sounds on Acoustic Guitar
By Dana Bourgeois |This article originally appeared in the April 2014 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine and was reprinted in the September/October 2020 issue. Q: My 1983 Martin HD-28 has a buzzing or rattling high E string. The rest of the strings sound great. A local fellow worked on the frets and smoothed them…
Ask the Expert: How Much Do Acoustic Guitar Top Woods Contribute to Tone?
In general, lighter tops respond more efficiently to lighter playing styles, and more aggressive playing styles are required to bring out the full sonic potential of heavier tops.
Ask the Expert: Is It “Right” to Experiment?
Q: What do you feel are the “right” areas to try to improve upon the classic styles? What areas of design must remain true to vintage originals in order to preserve integrity, and what areas have wiggle room for experimentation? On a more personal note, do you still feel challenged…
ADVERTISEMENT
Ask the Expert: How Do You Acquire the Wood for Your Instruments?
The short answer is that I usually work closely with a variety of trusted tonewood suppliers to acquire woods that are sawn, matched, and cured specifically for making acoustic guitars. Typically, I try to inventory a six-month supply of most woods.
Ask the Expert: Do Bonding Agents Affect a Guitar’s Sound?
Q: Why is hot hide glue preferred by some luthiers, while others use synthetic glues, and what are its advantages and disadvantages? —Doug MacKenzie, Cary, North Carolina A: Hide glue, animal glue, and protein colloid glue are names for adhesives made from the connective tissues of various animals. Used by woodworkers…
Ask the Expert: How Long Should it Take to Break In a New Guitar?
Numerous and complex elements contribute to breaking in an acoustic guitar, and it requires a lot of playing. But long long does it take to break in a new guitar?
Ask the Expert: Should I Put a Pickup on My High-End Instrument?
Mounting a magnetic pickup on a prewar D-28 seems like an obvious no-no, now that the pickup is long gone, and prewar D-28s cost more than my first house. But what about installing a modern pickup on a Brazilian Santa Cruz?
ADVERTISEMENT
Ask the Expert: What’s the Difference Between Long-Scale and Short-Scale Guitars?
Scale length can have a significant effect on playability. But what’s the difference between long-scale and short-scale guitars, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
Ask the Expert: How Much Does Grain Orientation Matter?
Differences between riftsawn, quartersawn, and flatsawn wood can be significant. Stiffness-to-weight ratio, highest when boards are perfectly riftsawn, drops noticeably when a top is cut even slightly different. Velocity of sound—the ability to vibrate efficiently—corresponds closely with stiffness-to-weight ratio.
Ask the Expert: What is “French Polishing” and Is It Worth It?
Q: My understanding is that a type of finish known as “French polishing” gives not only a hand-built look to an instrument, but also a better quality of tone and a fuller sound. How does this process work, and is it worth having it done to my moderately priced Samick…
ADVERTISEMENT
Ask the Expert: What Happens When Your Flattop Loses Its Flat Top?
To work efficiently, a guitar top must be built lightly enough to vibrate in complex ways.
Guitar Guru: Can You Hear the Difference in Tonewoods?
The short answer is: sometimes. And the short explanation is that different models and different woods can have confusingly overlapping sonic qualities.
Ask the Expert: How Do I Determine the Value of a High-End Guitar?
Q: What exactly is the difference between a “handmade” and a “handcrafted” guitar? Furthermore, in the high-end market, what qualities should a player (not a collector) look for when evaluating the differences between, for example, a $3,500 guitar and a $7,500-plus guitar? —Dan Liechty, Normal, Illinois A: A quick Google…
ADVERTISEMENT
Ask the Expert: Can a Soft Top Wood Last as Long as Spruce?
Perhaps because of their lighter weight, cedar and redwood tops tend to “open up,” or break in, relatively quickly. However, unless the builder pays adequate attention to longitudinal stability, cedar and redwood tops sometimes open up beyond a point that many players consider optimal, losing low-end definition as the guitar continues to be played.
Ask the Expert: How Do I Get Rid of this Annoying Buzz?
It can be vexingly difficult to diagnose string buzz. Here’s a list of ten possible causes of a buzzing guitar.
Ask the Expert: Does a Guitar’s Finish Really Affect the Tone?
Traditional finishes, such as varnishes and nitro-cellulose lacquer, take many years or even decades to fully cure, while catalyzed finishes, like urethane and polyester, can cure in a matter of days.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ask the Expert: How are Guitars Voiced?
In my view, the sound of a guitar is primarily attributable to its design and to the individual woods that it’s made from. Voicing is a process of optimizing the interaction between these two variables.