guitar

  1. Fixing A Loose Input Jack

    On this jack-tightening device, called a Bullet™, the stopper end can be seen at far right with the handle end at far left. The sleeve surrounding the stopper has a hexagonal socket that fits around the nut that holds the input jack in place. It’s used as seen in the image below. Once in a while, guitarists and bassists are...
  2. Chuck Berry Statue Approved Despite Controversy

    An eight-foot statue of Chuck Berry has been approved in St. Louis, Missouri despite objections from locals who say the rock legend should not be honored because he is a "felon and not a friend to women." The University City council, which has jurisdiction over the spot in the Delmar Loop section of the city where the statue will stand...
  3. Tuning Harmonically (Even the B String)

    Here's a great article with tips on tuning your guitar using harmonics courtesy of the Fender Website. Absent an electronic tuner, you know how you can get your instrument to a point where it’s at least in tune with itself using the harmonics at the fifth and seventh frets? And you know how that works on guitar for every string...
  4. TECH TIPS: The Truss Rod

    Above, a truss rod seen in cutaway inside a Fender guitar neck, with the headstock end at left and the body end (where adjustments were made on this neck) at right. Below, a Telecaster Deluxe's bullet-type truss rod nut is clearly visible at center. The truss rod. It’s the long metal thing that runs down the length of your guitar...
  5. TECH TIPS: Quartersawn Necks

    Special Thanks To The Fender Website! Some high-end guitars and basses have “quartersawn” necks. What does this mean? Fig. 1 (above) and Fig. 2 (below) show the cross-sectional difference between plain sawn (also flat and slab sawn) lumber and quartersawn lumber. “Quartersawn” is a woodworking term that describes a certain specific and non-standard method of milling lumber from trees. Quartersawn...