Share a tip

[jerryjg]

Heres a tip I just discovered. How to tighten a string tree? Thats a bit of a problem for me cause you try and tighten the screw down and the whole tree truns. If you try and use a pair of , say, needle nose pliers to grab the tree while you screw the screw, you can either dmamge the finish, and/or bend the tree...plus it's a very awkward procedure; fairly rarely works.
So heres what i did ; I was trying to tighten the string tree screws which had both worked themselves somewhat loose, and was wondering* about how to go about it, then I see this fork on the table, and BAM!- Eureka! ;* I get the idea to slide the fork onto the "branch" of the the string tree. . Worked perfectly! It held the tree from turning and since it exerts no upward force on the fragile metal of the string tree there is no issues with bending.
Errr, just make sure to* clean the fork first. I got some liver and onions all over the string tree~


Now share a tip you discovered or heard about that isnt well known..

[JJ Gross]

Oldie but a goodie:
If you or someone working on your guitar cut a nut groove a little too deep you'll get buzzing on open strings. Remove the string from the groove and put one single drop of Super Glue in the groove and let it dry without the string in it overnight. The one layer of SG raises the height of the bottom of the groove and slightly narrows it. If it's not enough, put another drop in and let it dry overnight again. Just one drop at a time is all you want to add, too much at a time gets brittle and crumbles. One thin layer (or two) is just right.

Simple and really cheap. Also works great.

Cheers,
- JJ

[Cygnus X1]

+1 on the superglued nut.
It has worked every time.

[sliding-tom]

I have saved the bonedust from making nuts and put this into a too deep nut slot, then superglue. If you don't have bonedust, baking powder will do fine.

[Kap'n]

I've not done it, but somebody in a magazine (probably Dan Erlenwine) suggested using the slow-set superglue, and making a quick paste of baking soda.

[Offshore Angler]

Once the patch is in place use an accelerator for your superglue, and it will be totally dry in seconds.

[Gris]

When putting grill cloth on a baffle, fix the first end straight (from mid point out) then staple the other end to an appropriately sized small board and use it as a uniform stretching tool. After that side is stretched and fixed, do not stretch the other sides - just line up and staple.

[chuckocaster]

some old ones, but still worth sharing.

use clear nail polish as threadlocker.

i heatshrink over the tabs on an output jack in most guitars. if the jack comes loose and starts to wobble, your signal won't ground out on the body.

i over drill the neck mounting holes in the body so that the screws easily push through. this allows you to get a good clamp on the neck, and you have a little more wiggle if the neck isn't completely lined up straight.

[pseudocat]

I use an old t-shirt to pull volume and tone knobs off their shafts: slip the hem of the shirt under the edge of the knob, wrap it around, and pull. They come right off.

[NeoFauve]

Remove the stop from a Bigsby vibrato.

Bigsbys have a small wedge that stops the arm at the point when it's parallel with the strings. It's awkward if your used to the free spinning arm on a Strat.
Grinding of the stop off lets the arm rotate 360°, so you can bwanga-bwanga on the low E comfortably without wearing a thumbpick.

The phtot is of my former DeArmond M77T, but actual Bigsbys are made the same way. Even though they shouldn't be.

[Cygnus X1]

Give extra lead length on laterally mounted components on your Fender style eyelet boards.
The board tends to flex over time, and can pull apart those components, especially carbon composition resistors.

While not always easily seen, it can cause a frustrating intermittent issue not easily diagnosed.

[yankeerob]

Oldie but a goodie:
If you or someone working on your guitar cut a nut groove a little too deep you'll get buzzing on open strings. Remove the string from the groove and put one single drop of Super Glue in the groove and let it dry without the string in it overnight. The one layer of SG raises the height of the bottom of the groove and slightly narrows it. If it's not enough, put another drop in and let it dry overnight again. Just one drop at a time is all you want to add, too much at a time gets brittle and crumbles. One thin layer (or two) is just right.

Simple and really cheap. Also works great.

Cheers,
- JJ

I'll add my pencil lead into that formula - once it's right - just keep it well oiled with pencil lead

[NTBluesGuitar]

When putting grill cloth on a baffle, fix the first end straight (from mid point out) then staple the other end to an appropriately sized small board and use it as a uniform stretching tool. After that side is stretched and fixed, do not stretch the other sides - just line up and staple.

Huh...that there is pretty interesting.

[Gris]

Huh...that there is pretty interesting.

Ole cab builder who dunnit hunnerts, actually thousands (I'm starting to sound like Phantoman) o times taught me that... :-)


Same guy says when you do tweed the key is to find the type that's not heavily coated (easier to form) and then use straight uncut Elmer's. He used to cut it but says he doesn't anymore cause it will bleed thru.

[Cogs]

Use Elmer's for what? To brush on the tweed? Will that give it that "lacquered" look?

[NTBluesGuitar]

Ole cab builder who dunnit hunnerts, actually thousands (I'm starting to sound like Phantoman) o times taught me that...

I haven't ever heard of a good way to do grillcloth before, so knowing that you start with one side, then go to the opposite side before the tops and bottoms makes a whole lotta sense.

It's stll one area I'm struggling with in cab coverings.

And Elmer's? About the only thing I thought that good for was my little girls' snacks during craft time.

[JJ Gross]

When putting grill cloth on a baffle, fix the first end straight (from mid point out) then staple the other end to an appropriately sized small board and use it as a uniform stretching tool. After that side is stretched and fixed, do not stretch the other sides - just line up and staple.

This is similar to how silk screen printers get uniform tension on screens before masking them.
Screeners make a small stretching board that has a center tab that fits inside the back of the frame but is full width above it. Hard to describe but easy to understand if you see one. Think of a T with the center upright of the T almost full width (but not quite) and the top wings of the T only as wide as the frame thickness or slightly wider.

You staple the short side of your screen down on the back of the frame, run the fabric across the front of the frame and while holding the stretching board jig up at a slight angle behind the other side of the frame, staple it to the jig. Then you just hinge the jig down and it pulls the screen perfectly straight and taut across the frame. Staple the screen to the frame on the jig/rear side and you have a perfectly straight & tight as a drum screen. Works exactly the same for grills.