17
votes
Accepted
Are these indentations on the frets of my Acoustic for intonation? Can I apply this to the frets of my Electric?
That's fret wear. The strings have slowly eroded away some of the fret material, leaving those dents. Over a long enough time, they become deep enough to cause problems.
When the fret wear is bad ...
- 56.1k
13
votes
On instruments that use frets, where's the best spot to press a string on, in order to minimize hand fatigue and potential for injuries?
Producing a sharp angle for the string over the fretwire makes for a clear, clean sound. So just behind the fretwire will be a good place. It also means not having to press down on the fingerboard so ...
- 190k
11
votes
Why is a zero fret so uncommon on guitars in spite of all the advantages?
To make it safe against buzz, the string has to run across the zero fret with a bit of pressure. This makes the strings move across the fret with some stickiness so they follow the tuning machine ...
- 111
9
votes
Accepted
Are there any violin family instruments built without a left shoulder?
As far as double basses are concerned, it's not uncommon to see a body with something like this:
Just a normal double bass body, with a left shoulder cutaway (if it is really called like that). They ...
- 31.3k
9
votes
Are these indentations on the frets of my Acoustic for intonation? Can I apply this to the frets of my Electric?
Those fret indentations are wear caused by playing. No manufactures would put them in on purpose.
My first move would be to consider that the neck is actually too close to the bridge. Maybe it could ...
- 190k
8
votes
How risky is it to have a maple fretboard refretted?
When removing frets damage to the fretboard is always a consideration, some kind of chipping as the old frets come out is something to be anticipated, rather than disregarded. There are various ways ...
- 1,679
7
votes
Accepted
Magnetic part of pickup sticks out
Some pickups are designed like that, so it's almost certainly normal.
But if you hit it with the pick while playing, you should probably lower it a bit. Lower it equally on both sides with the two ...
- 6,309
7
votes
Is my truss rod broken?
An addendum to leftaroundabout's answer.
Never tighten the trussrod against the tension of the strings. Slacken them first.
Never use the truss rod to pull the neck. Pull the neck manually & use ...
- 27.4k
6
votes
Flamenco guitar strings
In Europe, stringed instruments (harps, guitars, violins) have used strings made from animal gut for millenia.
The lower strings of a guitar were sometimes made with gut wrapped around a silk core.
...
- 5,850
6
votes
Are there any violin family instruments built without a left shoulder?
The "electric family" of string instruments are often designed without any shoulders. The below photos come from Wikipedia's entries for electric cello and electric upright bass, and an ...
- 82.3k
6
votes
Are there any violin family instruments built without a left shoulder?
Aside from electric instruments like @Aaron mentioned, this is not unheard of but extremely rare. I have seen a few upright basses over the years in bass shops with a cutout in the upper bout like ...
- 25k
6
votes
Accepted
Is my truss rod broken?
It does tighten up if I turn it clockwise
The truss rod doesn't seem to be broken.
I don't see much of a change in the relief of the neck. It seems to be dead straight all the time.
Normally the ...
- 35.3k
5
votes
Accepted
What are the dimensions, angles of a Gibson Les Paul standard pots cavity?
Schemtics are tricky, there's 3 things you can do:
This link contains many blue prints of a Gibson Les Paul. There are no measurements on each axis. However, on each PDF there is a scale. Use the ...
- 1,954
5
votes
Accepted
Violin bridge E-string: pad or hardened insert?
My old student violin doesn't have the "bridge pad" for the E string and normally E strings come with a sliver of a tube which you can adjust to stop the E string cutting the bridge. On the ...
- 5,620
5
votes
Accepted
Why do classical guitars necks meet the body at fret 12th and steel strings at fret 14th?
I'm not a luthier, but my understanding is that the 12th-fret join is used to maximize volume and tone. The 14th-fret join is a compromise for playability, and is more acceptable on a steel-string ...
- 594
4
votes
Can I use a Mustang bridge on a Fender Jaguar? Are there issues?
I would not ever use a Mustang bridge as a replacement for either a Jaguar or Jazzmaster. They cause all kinds of intonation problems. I had one that came stock on my Troy Van Leeuwen signature ...
- 41
4
votes
Importance of the neck joint on an electric guitar
Having built various electric guitars and experimented with neck fixing, I have a pretty good viewpoint on this, achieved through testing and comparison.
For you, filling in the gaps will be almost ...
- 36.8k
4
votes
Crack on guitar neck. Possible solution?
It looks like it's being held together by the tension of the strings, which isn't too bad a scenario. It could stay like that for years!
However, if you need it fixing, an obvious is take it to a ...
- 190k
4
votes
Accepted
What should I ask my luthier about from a general maintainence perspective?
Well, tell the luthier all the points you have posted here and ask him to make an overall check of the violin, in case there are matters you are not aware of. That should make sure that he does look ...
- 4,500
4
votes
Is it safe to use water to clean (rosewood, ebony, maple) fretboards?
A damp (not wet) rag should not cause any issues with most guitars - but, it's not going to do too much, in my opinion. Most of the dirt on a fingerboard is from oil off the users fingers, so you need ...
- 1,890
4
votes
Fixing loose strap button screw in solid-body guitar
Put wood glue on a toothpick, break it off clean so nothing sticks out. Side-cutters can help here.
Then screw the button in. The extra wood will give the screw more bite and it won't pull out anymore....
- 13.2k
4
votes
Accepted
Is looking at the centre spine behind the peg box of a violin a good way of discerning whether it is from Dutzenarbeit?
I think you do not understand what the term "Dutzendarbeit" means. This is a german term for a piece of workmanship that is not special, that is made "in dozens". So "...
- 18.7k
3
votes
Why is a zero fret so uncommon on guitars in spite of all the advantages?
I installed a zero fret on my Fender a few months back. It smoothed out the tuning (no more 'jump' due to friction at the nut) and dropped the action at the nut to the perfect height.
Perhaps it just ...
- 394
3
votes
Accepted
Should I keep on the old strings when sending my guitar to be set up?
It's best to let the luthier put the new strings on as part of his setup.
It's also best if he can see what it's like before he starts.
So... best of both worlds...
Put the old strings back on & ...
- 27.4k
3
votes
Accepted
Where to install a bridge in an electric guitar? (assuming the scale length keeps the same)
The premise stated in your question is quite valid. Whereas bridge placement is critical to the sound of an acoustic guitar, the electric guitar does not rely on vibration of the top (soundboard) to ...
- 27.2k
3
votes
Where to install a bridge in an electric guitar? (assuming the scale length keeps the same)
topo morto is right in is comment, of course. That's why the bridge of a bass is nearer the edge of the back of the body (unless there is a much larger body), because the scale length of a bass is ...
- 4,224
3
votes
Accepted
Cheap electric guitar - fix or replace?
You might find that the faulty spots on the high frets don't impede your practice very much. After all, there are plenty of notes that work, which you can use to practice most pieces of music. :)
...
- 146
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