| Subject | Date Asked |
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| finish sanding grits | 10/6/2008 |
Q: I just bought a near-mint, USA-made electric guitar. The only "fault" are some pick swirls near the ...
A: Hey Eric/Chaz: IF the finish is polyurethane (not polyester!) then I'd use 3M Perfect-It 3 or ...
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| fixing a Epiphone Les Paul bridge | 10/6/2008 |
Q: I'm new at guitar and decided to try and change the strings on my epiphone les paul special II by ...
A: Helen: The thing behind the bridge is the "stop tailpiece". First things first: the two tailpiece ...
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| clearcoating | 10/5/2008 |
Q: can I use urethane clearcoat on a electri guitar...Sprayed through Sata mini jet gun...Thanks
A: Hey, Bruce... I've got a miniJet with a 1.0 (.040") nozzle. They also make one with a .8 (.032") ...
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| dent in my showmaster neck | 9/30/2008 |
Q: I have a problem with my fender show master neck. It has a finish on on and has a dent on the neck ...
A: Eric, without actually seeing the dent, I can't give any kind of realistic advice. Methods for ...
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| putting covers on open coil pickups | 9/25/2008 |
Q: I recently purchased a Gibson Les Paul Classic 1960 Gold top reissue, very sweet playing and ...
A: Todd. The covers on Gibson Humbuckers are held on with solder. Be sure you use the rosin-core ...
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| building an ibanez | 9/21/2008 |
Q: Hey, i'm thinking about building a ibanez xiphos body being as i have a ibanez neck thats been ...
A: Rob. This will not be an easy project, if you've never built a solid body before. The body shape ...
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| Crack on ovation ultra top,,, caused by new case? | 9/15/2008 |
Q: I have had an ovation ultra for ten years. A couple of months ago I bought an ovation case to ...
A: Gerard: I think it's unlikely that the case caused the crack, UNLESS you can actually feel ...
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| Tune O Matic style bridge and Stop Tail Piece | 9/14/2008 |
Q: i was stringing my guitar a couple of days ago and when i had the strings off i started to clean the ...
A: OK, Thomas. Here's what you need to do. The post screws for both the stop tailpiece and the bridge ...
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| Tune O Matic style bridge and Stop Tail Piece | 9/14/2008 |
Q: i was stringing my guitar a couple of days ago and when i had the strings off i started to clean the ...
A: Thomas: You don't mention what sort of problem you're having, specifically, but if you could manage ...
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| Cleaning guitar | 9/12/2008 |
Q: I inherited a very nice handmade guitar that is in great condition except for the neck. It has some ...
A: Chris! There are in general, two kinds of grunge that build up on guitars. The two kinds are: ...
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| cracked along the neck | 9/11/2008 |
Q: Hey Paul, My Gibson ES-335 has got a long (but subtle) crack running along the neck just before ...
A: Benjamin! You don't mention how old the guitar is, how long it's been cracked, or what you think ...
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| guitar making | 9/9/2008 |
Q: Mr.Paul,I own a special Fender Stratocaster which is from the 60th diamond anniversary of Fender.The ...
A: Van: Ah, Leo Fender. A very smart man when it came to inventing. But language skills? That's ...
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| Aging | 9/3/2008 |
Q: This might go against everything you believe as a guitar builder but i love the look so i have to ...
A: Hey, Don! If you've read any of my columns or posts, you would know that I am probably the world's ...
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| Paints for a eletric bass | 9/1/2008 |
Q: Where can i find paints near Johson,VT?
A: Quinn, you don't mention what type of finish you are considering putting on your bass... You have ...
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| Electric guitar buzz- not fret buzz! | 8/31/2008 |
Q: My guitar only buzzes when i plug it into an amp. the amp makes a faint buzzing noise, which gets ...
A: OK, Tim, the V has humbucking pickups--and hot ones they are, too! I'd definitely check the ground ...
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| Electric guitar buzz- not fret buzz! | 8/31/2008 |
Q: My guitar only buzzes when i plug it into an amp. the amp makes a faint buzzing noise, which gets ...
A: Tim. You don't mention the make and model of the guitar, which I need in order to give a definitive ...
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| Killswitch wiring | 8/24/2008 |
Q: I'm currently building a guitar and just wanted to know how to wire it,I'm using: -Fernades ...
A: Daniel: All the kill switch needs to do is interrupt the signal to the output jack. Therefore, as I ...
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| Killswitch wiring | 8/23/2008 |
Q: I'm currently building a guitar and just wanted to know how to wire it,I'm using: -Fernades ...
A: Daniel, all you'd have to do is use one of your suggested switches (I'd use the cased one as it's ...
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| Killswitch wiring | 8/23/2008 |
Q: I'm currently building a guitar and just wanted to know how to wire it,I'm using: -Fernades ...
A: Daniel, I'm not sure why you want or need a kill switch. Is it to prevent battery drain when the ...
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| Neck feels too thick | 8/19/2008 |
Q: I just bought a PRS SE Custom Semi-Hollow. When I first tried it in the store the action felt really ...
A: Best to shave it down with a woodworker's rasp if you have one. Then you can finish it starting with ...
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| Neck feels too thick | 8/19/2008 |
Q: I just bought a PRS SE Custom Semi-Hollow. When I first tried it in the store the action felt really ...
A: Gary: Sure, you can shave the neck down on the PRS. First, I'd measure the neck of an instrument ...
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| noisy Strat | 8/19/2008 |
Q: I have just purchased a new Japanese Fender Strat with Texas Special pickups. I have noticed small ...
A: Mike. I'd pull the guard and especially check the ground wire running to the bridge--it could be ...
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| Sycamore ! | 8/16/2008 |
Q: When we use Sycamore as back & sides wood , how will be the voice ? I prefer Rosewood for bright and ...
A: I can't comment on the difference between these unless I know which species of rosewood we're ...
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| Guitar neck | 8/12/2008 |
Q: I am a beginner at 70 years old and would like to ask a question. If you hold the guitar sideways ...
A: David. Let me go back and give you a bit of information on this topic, so you can see for yourself ...
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| Pickguard for Gibson J-50 acoustic guitar | 8/7/2008 |
Q: Paul, I have a Gibson J-50 adj. bridge acoustic guitar and need a replacement for the pickguard. ...
A: Here's what I'd do, if it was missing and I had to make one: Find a good picture of a J-50 in a ...
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| finish repair on Ric 350-12V63 | 8/6/2008 |
Q: I have a jet-glo Ric 350-12V63 that has some surface scratches and scuffing, along with some edge ...
A: Sean: A CV finish can be touched up with either CV or nitro. However, the color coat (black in this ...
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| tuning problems | 8/6/2008 |
Q: I have a custom built sg which which required a new nut, i have also fitted heavier strings. it ...
A: Dave, you don't say how heavy the new strings are, but what's happening is that the saddles don't ...
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| finish repair on Ric 350-12V63 | 8/5/2008 |
Q: I have a jet-glo Ric 350-12V63 that has some surface scratches and scuffing, along with some edge ...
A: Sean: You do not say what you need done--is it a refinish? Few luthiers (less than a handful ...
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| repairing frets on a fender neck | 8/1/2008 |
Q: My frets on my neck are starting to lift up on the sides of the neck. This neck was very cheap when ...
A: Sam: Sounds like you've got a Fender replacement aftermarket neck. Whether licensed or not, lots of ...
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| Painting a guitar (body and pickguard) without disassembling it | 7/24/2008 |
Q: I'd be very grateful if you could help me with something I'd like to do. I hope you'll understand ...
A: There's an amusing and ironic conflict taking shape here. The conflict is that George's ...
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| Painting a guitar (body and pickguard) without disassembling it | 7/23/2008 |
Q: I'd be very grateful if you could help me with something I'd like to do. I hope you'll understand ...
A: George painted this guitar with a bunch of odd paints that were laying around the house...including ...
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| Small Crack along the Neck/Body Seem. | 7/22/2008 |
Q: I recently started guitar and bought a 25 year old guitar that is an Martin copy for 20$. Turns out ...
A: Able: This is almost certainly a stress crack in the finish. This area--the neck heel-to-body ...
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| odd overtone | 7/21/2008 |
Q: Paul, My question concerns what sounds almost like a chorusing effect on the high E string of a ...
A: Matt: You don't mention whether this shows up when the guitar is played unplugged, plugged in, or ...
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| repair a small tight top crack | 7/21/2008 |
Q: I just bought a Baby Taylor which has a small (about 2.5 inch) tight top crack, along the grain, ...
A: Cyanoacrylate (CA or "Super Glue" is a godsend to any hobbyist or professional with a tough gluing ...
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| Les Paul custom Build | 7/19/2008 |
Q: I am a novice builder trying my hand at a Les Paul Custom. I am doing it with a flat top. The ...
A: Paul: Yes, that ground wire must be run before setting the posts for the stop tail. So the hole ...
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| Suspect clear finish! | 7/18/2008 |
Q: I have a 30 year old black coloured Guild S 300-D electric guitar. I gig and practice with it it ...
A: Brice, I don't have any experience with this model of Guild, despite its popularity, but I will ...
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| sg jr neck | 7/18/2008 |
Q: is it possible to turn a gibson 4 bolt neck into a sg jr set neck by adding a piece of mahogany to ...
A: Hey, Rich... It's entirely possible, but I'd question what you'd gain. The neck joint on a ...
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| Les Paul custom Build | 7/18/2008 |
Q: I am a novice builder trying my hand at a Les Paul Custom. I am doing it with a flat top. The ...
A: Paul, I don't see an email address here, so I'll have to answer publicly, which is OK because it ...
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| construction of neck | 7/17/2008 |
Q: it's my first time building an electric guitar neck so tell me if i've got this right, it the ...
A: You've got it mostly correct--I'd insert the inlays right after routing their recesses, but before ...
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| bridges | 7/16/2008 |
Q: I wanted to ask a few questions. So here's the first: 1. Is there a way to change the bridge on ...
A: Black is the easiest color to touch up after all the routing necessary to put a Floyd on it. So ...
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| bridges | 7/16/2008 |
Q: I wanted to ask a few questions. So here's the first: 1. Is there a way to change the bridge on ...
A: Well, you still didn't mention what type of guitar you have...is this the Yamaha? Putting a Floyd ...
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| bridges | 7/15/2008 |
Q: I wanted to ask a few questions. So here's the first: 1. Is there a way to change the bridge on ...
A: Daniel. Your first question had me puzzled until I read the second one. I thought, "what kind of ...
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| Fingerboard Dryness | 7/7/2008 |
Q: I bought an Allparts Strat neck (wich i regret so much, should have bought the fender!) with jumbo ...
A: Use the same 000 steel wool on the back on the neck. Rub in the long direction along the neck. This ...
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| Fingerboard Dryness | 7/7/2008 |
Q: I bought an Allparts Strat neck (wich i regret so much, should have bought the fender!) with jumbo ...
A: You could do a few different things to make this fretboard right. Here are two: First method: Clean ...
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| Guitar Binding | 7/1/2008 |
Q: Is it possible to add binding to an already finished guitar and if so any ideas where I could find ...
A: Hunter: There's always a way to do something like this. But how feasible it would be, would depend ...
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| neck sanding | 6/30/2008 |
Q: I accidently droped my Fender Strat putting two indentations on the neck about 1/32" deep.and 3/8" ...
A: Michael... You'll have to sort of feel your way through this one with regards to time...just be ...
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| neck sanding | 6/30/2008 |
Q: I accidently droped my Fender Strat putting two indentations on the neck about 1/32" deep.and 3/8" ...
A: Michael! The Mexican Strats do, indeed, have a finish on the neck; it's a matte polyester varnish. ...
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| problem when tuning | 6/19/2008 |
Q: i just yesterday installed new pickups in my yamaha RGX312. after completeing that task i decided it ...
A: Good guess--the strings are the first place I'd look, Dan. You've undoubtedly changed the balance of ...
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| Neck and body scale | 6/15/2008 |
Q: How can I attach a 25.5 Ibanez style neck to a body designed for a 24.75 scale? Thanks!
A: Kyle! Here are the basics. It's all pretty simple geometry, once you think of it. First, we'll ...
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| Regarding pick ups | 6/12/2008 |
Q: I have 2 guitars that i am having the same problem with. Basically when i flip the pick up selector ...
A: Asian guitars, both. The electronics in these are usually suspect. Asian cost-cutting takes its ...
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| Neck construction | 6/10/2008 |
Q: As a hobby next year in my wood working class I plan on attempting to build an acoustic guitar. I ...
A: Mike: This is the second most crucial assembly in the acoustic guitar (after the body, of course). ...
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| finishing the fretboard | 6/9/2008 |
Q: Hey, I just bought a new aerodyne telecaster and the only thing that I would like to improve is the ...
A: You can apply polyurethane with a brush or spray can.. I'd use a soft artist's brush about 3/4" wide ...
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| bridge positioning | 6/7/2008 |
Q: Ok... new here and my first post. While not "scratch" building a guitar, I'm completing a L/H SG ...
A: Phil: You should measure the 24 3/4" at the center of your tune-a-matic, or 12 3/8" from the 12th ...
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| superglue | 5/18/2008 |
Q: I recently bought an inexpensive hollow body guitar ..it plays fine... i'm not a professional i just ...
A: Don: This is a challenging problem (finish contamination or marring) that many luthiers deal with ...
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