My friend Jeff started playing guitar recently, and after playing acoustic for a couple years he's interested in an electric. He recently asked me about buying decisions and what to look for when shopping around. I told him, "The most important piece of advice is to ask the sales rep if they have a good tech to do a proper setup with fresh … [Read more...] about What is a Custom Pro Setup?
repair
How Has Repair Informed My Building?
I started learning acoustic guitar repair and setup technique in 1999, just as I finished my first build. In many ways my career has come full circle. I became obsessed with the notion of building a guitar when I was young. This earned me an apprenticeship to learn acoustic repair and restoration. A little later I ended up running my own retail … [Read more...] about How Has Repair Informed My Building?
Humidity & The New Monsoon
[This article is about weather patterns and climate in the Flagstaff region of northern Arizona. It was written in 2021, and a lot of the information is still relevant to understanding the humidity patterns in this area.] Can you over-humidify an acoustic guitar? I observe patterns with our workflow and the repair demand related to the weather … [Read more...] about Humidity & The New Monsoon
TUNING PROBLEMS?
True or False? Most tuning problems are due to the tuning machines... False! Sometimes cheap or faulty machines are a problem. And a high-quality set will enable better and more accurate tuning. But "tuning problems" most often come from how the guitar was strung up at the machine heads. Keep reading for more info on tuning … [Read more...] about TUNING PROBLEMS?