I need help with an article

[black mariah]

I'm not an engineer, I just play one in my bedroom late at night with the light off, the covers over my head, the latest issue of TapeOp, and a jumbo bottle of Jergens at my behest. From an engineering perspective I have nothing to contribute here except for conjecture, wildly irrelevant anecdotes, more conjecture, and a few actual useful tips.

I am a guitar tech. You're all recording nerds, I'm a guitar nerd. You help me with my recording problems, and I want to help you with your guitar problems. It's like this. I want to write an article about guitar repairs that can be done by you, the engineer, in the studio. We're talking very simple repairs for problems that can literally pop up overnight. Phantom fret buzz, bad intonation, dead electronics, and so on.

Where I'm having a problem is writing this for an engineer's perspective. I can easily throw around terminology that will fly over all but the guitar geeks heads, but I don't want to do that. I also don't want to dumb this down to second grader "This is a string" level, but I don't know where the happy medium is.

So what I need from all of you guys that care to reply is the answer to a couple of questions.

1) Are you familiar with basic guitar anatomy? For example, could you identify a truss rod, locknut, or scarf joint? Do you know how a tremolo system works?

2) What are some problems you run across with guitars in your studio on a regular basis (bad intonation, scratchy output jack, fret buzz, etc)?

I know that many of you have techs that you frequent, and you may never use any of this info. But what are you going to do when it's 8:00 on a Sunday night and the band can't afford any more time but this track would sound sooooo great with that tele on it... if the damn thing didn't fret out from 12 on up? I doubt you'll find any tech, no matter how good a friend, that wants to do a rush job at night on a Sunday. The only option left is to fix it your damn self, and that's where I want this article to come in.

Any experiences you've had dealing with sudden guitar problems are welcome. Thanks for any help you guys can give me!

[black mariah]

*shameless bump 'cause I really need your experiences on this subject*

[Kyle]

I think that this is a great idea. It could be very useful.

I say just write the article and have someone proof it. Most engineers understand a thing or two about the instruments that they record. I'd be happy to take a look at it.

Kyle

[tenaciousjay]

1) Are you familiar with basic guitar anatomy? For example, could you identify a truss rod, locknut, or scarf joint?

Yeah, there's a great scarf joint downtown where I go to lunch sometimes, but I usually regret it later in the day.



Seriously, I'm a guitar player and I have no idea what a scarf joint really is. The rest are obvious though. But I would suggest a diagram (or two) to start things off so people can be sure that they know what is what.

I generally find buzzing strings, bad pickup height, and loose/intermittant jacks to be the biggest problems.

I would also suggest any guerilla techniques for when you may not have the proper tools on hand, as well as a list of tools that should kept around for this stuff.

Sounds like a great project that will help lots of people out.

[MoreSpaceEcho]

yeah, i think you're safe in assuming that most people are familiar with basic guitar anatomy, and writing from that perspective. likewise, i think the problems you listed "bad intonation, scratchy output jack, fret buzz" are pretty much the kind of things that would need attention asap on a session.

i'd be happy to proof it for you too.

-scott

[Flight Feathers]

this article is a great idea. some other things you can talk about besides repair that would be useful for studios/engineers are how to store guitars properly, especially since studio guitars probably don't get played every day. how to clean the neck, strings, body after some sweaty beast has been on the thing for 8 hours. how to lube the nut ( ) for better tuning. the good way to wind strings (the under and over technique).

but yeah, the big things are fret buzz, intonation, bad jacks and electronics.

so what the hell is a scarf joint?

ayan

ps. you worked at Jackson guitars right? my first bass was a $200 jackson/charvel, and i swear i have yet to find a bass that plays as nice as that one. the action was amazing. it sounded like poo, and looked stupid, but it was a dream to play. i wish i didn't give it away.

[meblumen]

I always love it when at the end of the article the author lists a few books, other magazine articles or even a web page or two so if the reader wants he/she can learn more in depth about the subject matter. Of course anyone can just goto the library or bookstore and pick out a few selections focusing on the subject matter but I think its even better when the author recommends a few selections.

[zoetrope]

1) Are you familiar with basic guitar anatomy?

Minimally. Draw me a picture.

2) What are some problems you run across with guitars in your studio on a regular basis (bad intonation, scratchy output jack, fret buzz, etc)?

All of the above. Great idea for an article.

[soundguy]

man, go check out that article on guitar TUNING a few issues back, which was really awesome. Read that, and write it like that, except write it about INTONATION. Intonation is a *constant* battle while making a record. It doesnt really matter if your intonation is dead on if you are gigging, slap me with a wet fish, but live sound is somewhat disposable in comparison to making a record, yet the guitar techs tour and many engineers dont know how to set the intonation on a guitar which is retarded. That would be a great article if you can get deep into it.

dave

[justinf]

but yeah, the big things are fret buzz, intonation, bad jacks and electronics.

so what the hell is a scarf joint?

ha ha, yep.

Intonation is the biggie; I agree with these folks. Especially with a floating bridge.

[bobbydj]

a few actual useful tips.

Give me a useful tip on how to make the second fret on the G sound an A.

[amassivetree]

Id like to add to the chorus of voices for focusing on intonation. I think you were the guy who wrote the letter a while back in response to the tuning article on setting up floating tremolos properly? I think it would be great to have a big article : how to make floyd rose work for you, but I don't know if that would go over well with those of us who aren't stuck in the 80s.

[Professor]

I for one, can tech drums night and day and can pick out the sounds of different sticks, heads, etc. from the audience, the control room, or wafting down the hall. I know audio tech stuff to the extent that I was able to design and build the entire system in the school studio, and I'm not afraid to crack open any piece of gear that might be acting up. But I really don't know anything about guitar teching. I've looked inside to try and spot bad solder joints on connectors or pickups, but as far as hearing a particular buzz and knowing it is one problem or another, that's just beyond my range of experience with the instruments. I know the sounds I like and the sounds I don't when I hear them, but would be hard pressed to do any on the spot repairs. And while this is all terribly revealing and I feel all nekid now, I don't think I'm the only one.

I'd suggest that if you are going to write an article, you take the multi-part approach and start with beginner repairs, intermediate and advanced over the course of three articles. In the first one, put in a diagram of a guitar and explain the basic parts - I mean like finger board, neck, etc. Explain some very basic issues like how to change and care for strings, how to patch into pedals, amps, etc. and defeat hums & buzzes, and maybe how to pull and re-solder a 1/4" jack. In the next article dive into deeper issues of amp and instrument repair including perhaps different pickups, how to spot them, change them, etc. maybe changing pots, and other soldering jobs. Again, include a diagram with some new parts labelled and explained. For the third installment, give another diagram with the advanced parts and dive into advanced repairs. I would consider anything to do with wood or metal work, and actually changing the shape of bridges, etc. to be more advanced for a non-guitarist, but then I may be mistaken and it might be the most basic thing in the world. Hell, I always thought that bad intonation came from a bad player, not from a mechanical defect that I could repair. Am I mistaken in thinking that you actually have to put your fingers in the right place to get the right notes, and maybe move back and forth a little to compensate for day-to-day changes in temperature, humidity, etc.?

So I would definitely have to put in a vote for an article that helps out everyone from novice to expert over time.

-Jeremy

[chikkenguy]

it might be a good idea to include a small glossary at the end of the article. then you could use some more technical terminology.

i personally would like to know about buzzing frets, and other issues invloved with the neck of my guitar.

what about what happens if you are using a light gauge string and then put some heavy ones on? things like that...

[googacky]

this article sounds like a great idea. i think the professor is right in that a multi-staged approach is the way to go. start simple and ramp it up. if you have to find a way to fit all the information in one article you could still take this approach. if you need someone to read it over for you, i'd be happy to. while i'm not a professional engineer (i'm a basement guy), i do have a degree in english.

my email address is:
brian@tinyapertures.com