Tag Info

Birdseye maple is a cut of wood from one of several types of hard maple, most commonly Acer Saccharum. The only real difference between birdseye and regular hard maple is the figure, which doesn't really do anything to the tone of the wood. It's still as bright as any other type of maple. Scientists really have no clue as to why the figure occurs, but we ...

The main advantage of neck-through construction is better sustain, achieved through greater stiffness. It's all about maintaining the string's energy as long as possible. Why does a guitar string lose its sustain? Why doesn't it keep vibrating forever? When you pluck a string, you impart energy to the string, and that energy keeps it vibrating. But some ...

The simple answer is no. There is nothing that will be damaged if you take the neck off for a while. I have various guitars that live in this state between necks and the only thing that I need to do is sort the truss rod whenever I a set up a new neck, but that needs to be done with any new neck.

The answer to this is probably going to depend on the individual. I'm inclined to say it shouldn't be a problem except that you say it will be your main practice guitar. I'm not sure what other guitars you'll be playing and for what purpose, but in my experience, it's best to practice on the guitar you will be playing in other (non-practice) situations. ...

Many factors can affect how a neck feels, and personal preference can be a big decider here. What type of music are you looking to play? People who like playing fast tend to prefer thin necks (measuring from fretboard to the back of the neck), a flat profile on the fretboard, and possibly a wide neck (from one edge of the fretboard to another) to allow for ...

Many of us could list the characteristics of a good neck. However, it would remain possible for a vendor to list all those characteristics, without lying, and still supply a dud neck. Imagine, you buy a neck with the exact measurements you want, maple of exactly the density you wanted, and so on -- and when it comes the frets are uneven. You should go by ...

I sought advice on this site last year, before buying a short-scale bass guitar: What are the disadvantages of buying a short-scale bass guitar I've found the short-scale bass a wonderful instrument to practice, learn and perform on. One of my concerns was that if I was handed a full-scale bass, my skills wouldn't transfer. I've found that it's fine. I ...

I built guitars and basses in the 80's and 90's and have been playing for well over 30 years. I've tended towards shorter scale guitars (Gibson) and actually think nothing is wrong with playing even 7/8 and possibly 3/4. If you enjoy the guitar, it is easier to play and it sounds good by all means go for it. Too often someone says, "Don't do that." Jeff ...

If it's a high-quality guitar, and it's the one you're going to be performing with, who cares about its size? If it feels right to you and makes you a better performer, perhaps the rest of us are all in the wrong! Don't however, think that people with small hands can't play big guitars. I have taught many young and adult students with tiny hands to play ...

The name "maple" for wood is very ambiguous (there are many subspecies and also other species sold under this name). If one stays with the "commercial" names, on an aesthetic level there is plain maple, flamed maple, quilted maple and birdseye maple. It can have really complex figures that reveal themselves fully after varnish. The effect and shapes are ...