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* The Guitar Support Page*
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| 1-781-391-4600 store 1-781-391-4636 fax eddie@carlinoguitars.com |
| This WEEK Installment #1 08/28/09 Acoustic Instruments During the winter months, acoustic guitars are extremely fragile and can easily suffer from separated neck joints to top and back cracks or severe checking* of the finish, (checking is described as stridated finish cracks that stretch horizontally cross the lacquer) During the winter months it is important that humidity be controlled at a constant level for the guitar to be comfortable and be maintained. Some other symptoms of a low humidified guitar in trouble are... 1) Washboard type, ribbed look on the spruce top 2) Separated neck joint, clearly a sign of dryness 3) Cracking of the back pieces, solid construction 4) Fret ends that are sharp, indicating that the fingerboard has shrunk, exposing the fret ends 5) Action gets higher off of the fingerboard indictating the neck joint has compressed REMEDY Purchase a humidifier for the room your guitar is kept average comfortable humidity is 40-46% Or you could pick up a guitar humidifer, there are a couple of types of these The rubber tube type with the internal sponge that you wet and ring out and insert between the strings made by John Pearse generally about $10.00. Another type is the Planet Waves Unit Same idea only in a plastic cup like oval fixture that also hangs between the strings and has a reservoir with a moistened sponge that would release moisture as needed. This type generally retails at about $15.99 We carry both of these models Another way of getting your acoustic to play easier is to get two bridge saddles, one taller than the other, for each of the times of year that the humidity changes in fall and spring. |
| This WEEK Installment #2 08/28/09 Electric Guitars Floyd Rose String Changing Tips One of the most frustrating situations is when your Floyd Rose bridge just will not stay in tune, no matter what... One of the first things to look at is the string condition. If they look bad, they need to be changed. The most common issue is improperly wound strings on the tuners, to begin with. Also you should aggressively stretch the strings out before locking them down at the nut. Another issue is to NEVER reverse the string so that the ball end is at the tuning machines. There would be too severe of an angle at the ball end where it meets the tuner and can ruin the plating on the the tuner. And...it looks terrible. The best way to handle this is to do it right 1) Change strings 1 at a time, 6/1/5/2/4/3, this way it keeps consistent pressure still on the neck and will stop a quick stress hit on the neck. Changing strings this way will help your guitar get in tune quicker. 2) When cutting off the ball ends, make sure there are no residual strings pieces in the lock channel. 3) Make sure that the locking blocks are all the way back in the lock channel BEFORE you insert the new string and push the string ALL the way down as far as it can go. 4) Lock the block against the string, make sure the block slides STRAIGHT across the channel and crimps the string against the bridge saddle. This will prevent string pullout when you tune up and start to stretch out the strings 5) Depending upon the gauge of the strings you choose, you may have to adjust the sprigs in the back to keep the tremolo bridge plate parallel to the body plane. Use a LONG handled Phillips screw driver for this, the longer the handle the more torque and easier adjustment and no screw stripping. 6) Tune up to pitch, use a tuner and set the fine tuning adjustments on the bridge at 75% above the screw holes where they attach. This will give you a generous amount of flexibility in fine tuning and most of this will be tuning UP, hence the 75/25 % screw set. 7) When you feel that the strings are where you want them to be tuning wise, lock the Allen wrench heads down. Not too tight , just enough to keep it tight. Over tightening will either strip or crack bridge and nut tremolo pieces. Save your self a headache, do not over tighten any hex nuts on a Floyd Rose Bridge. At this point you should be ready to play. If it does go out a little, the tme you spent earlier setting the issues right to begin with will save you time and aggravation later if it goes out of tune a little. |
| This WEEK Installment #3 08/28/09 Acoustic Guitars Pre Winter Humidity Check With probably another ridiculous winter coming this year make sure that your acoustic guitar is ready for it. Last year was one of the worst winters around here in history. With up to 4 feet of snow in some parts in New England, many guitars were damaged by either the loss of heat or the loss of correct humidity or both. While too dry of an atmosphere is not good neither is too humid. The correct humidity level should be between 40-46% humidity for an acoustic to be comfortable in. Purchasing a soundhole humidifier is one way of preventing damage and using a mechanical water run humidifier is another. Checking the level of water is of utmost importance in both units because a quick dry snap can crack your top or back or both. The lack of humidity will also start to shrink your guitar as well and one of the first signs you'll notice is the sharpness of the edges frets that protrude from then ends of the fingerboard. This is caused by the depletion of moisture in the wood causing the fingerboard to shrink and the fret ends to overhang the edge of the fingerboard. Do not file these edges smooth. While this may be a quick fix, when the moisture does came back in to your guitar you may have the outer strings fall over the edge of the newly shortened frets. There's no going back with this type of fix and the only remedy is to either replace the nut and re-file the string slots so that the strings will be closer together but the guitar will feel totally different to you and you may not like it. The best way is to assure that the humidity is correct for your guitar. If you notice a really quick change and the guitar is very dry, a very strange way to quickly re humidify your guitar is to take a shower with it :o) Not literally, but take it with you when you take a shower, the steam from the running hot water will quickly replenish what was missing, no joke... Within an hour things will start to change with the guitar but the important thing is to not let it get dry again. The top of the guitar is another area that will give signs that is drying out. The top will appear to have ribs in it. These are the grain lines of the Spruce showing through and the finish sinking in almost like a washboard feel to it. In extreme cases, you can feel the ribs with your fingernail. This is an emergency room situation and quickly get the guitar some water. Soon the humidity will get back into the guitar and the finish will slowly flow again to a smooth feel. Pick up one of either of these humidifiers below and you will not have drying out issues this season if it is used correctly Also when purchasing an instrument you must watch the humidity levels at all times because not following these will void your factory warranty. Guitars that have solid back sides and top are more susceptible to cracking as opposed to laminated guitars which are inherently stronger and can withstand rough changes in moisture levels. |
| John Pearse Guitar Humidifier $10.99 |
| Planet Waves Guitar Humidifier $15.99 |
| Winter Setup includes body cleaning, fretboard conditioning, fret polish, string change $55.00 + strings |
| Winter Setup includes body cleaning, fretboard conditioning, fret polish, string change $65.00 + strings |
| Policies regarding payment, refunds, shipping and delivery HERE |
| Carlino Guitars 392 Main Street Medford, MA 02155 781-391-4600 store 781-391-4636 fax eddie@carlinoguitars.com |
| Repair Rates as of 11/20/2011 String Change tuneomatic or acoustic (no cleaning) no floyds $10.00 Full setup $65.00 PLUS cost of strings (tuneomatic/stoptail or acoustic or bass) includes full cleaning, all hardware checked and tightened, fingerboard cleaned and conditioned, frets polished, intonation adjusted, truss rod checked, guitar restrung, tuned Full Setup $85.00 PLUS cost of strings Floyd Rose or Tremelo Style Guitar includes full cleaning, all hardware checked and tightened, fingerboard cleaned and conditioned, frets polished, intonation adjusted, truss rod checked, floyd or trem bridge reset to spring tension, guitar restrung, tuned Turnaround time is ONE DAY, very quick unless we notify you of a backup. In most cases if the guitar is dropped when we open 3pm it can be picked up before we close at 9PM. In the situation where a part is need that I do not have in stock, we will have to order it in order to finish your repair. PICKUP INSTALLATION standard pickups standard wiring $40.00 standard pickups (more complicated, coil tap, etc.) $55.00 active pickups (complete rewire to an active circuit) $80.00 simple electronics ie: jack resoldering, pot replacement, cost plus parts cost extra $20.00 |