I'm fully with the people who dislike pearl and abalone/paua inlays, rosettes and bindings. They are tacky as. Well chosen natural wood will always look better. I also loath sunburst finishes, they're a fake tacky cheap approximation of the patina 300 years of playing imparts to old violins and cellos.
I have a br 160 dread. I really like the guitar, especially for what I paid for it, but I agree on the inlay. It's way too much, aesthetically. Doesn't affect the playability though, so no real harm.
A couple of months ago I had a clients guitar in with an odd buzz like you mention. Eventually after doing the same procedures you followed, I traced the issue to their brand new 9v Duracell. It literally rattled in my hand only when very rapidly tapped at the right angle. Charged half costs for my time as it felt discourteous to charge full costs, but it took hours to source the cause. It's gone in my mind bank of weird issues that I will check first, like fake strings etc. Love the channel and greatly appreciate your videos. Thanks mate
Yep after years of having a buzz on my ol martin copy, I got my dream guitar a Gibson sj200 couple weeks later starting getting the same buzz. Got a ole gibby hummingbird to after a couple weeks same thing. Turns out when you play your guitars lots you wear the strings down the core really fast lol.
A couple of years back, my Taylor developed a buzz on the f-note that was caused by the wire from the ES amplifier in the upper bout rattling against the upper side of the body. It was only of F - it didn't rattle audible at E or F#. Might be worth looking at this.
I used to get the same thing with my Takamine - it just so happened that the wires between the pickup and the preamp had shifted slightly and were buzzing against the body. Fortunately that was an easy one to fix!
This episode was like a master class. I live in a dry climate and really appreciated all of this information you've amassed over your lifetime of experience. Thanks!
I have a BR-160 made in '06. Bought it new. It has that headstock. I don't much like it, it's way too much frilly detail, and kind of cheesy, but the guitar itself is a really sweet playing instrument. Great knockoff of a Martin guitar for the money.
Only the true MASTERS tell you about difficulties, and bad times. I don´t believe in people who never admits a problem, or something that goes wrong. I look forward to see how you get victorious with this one. I´ve have myself situations like this one. Fortunately with patience and skill, (and honesty to the customer) usually gets better. Thanks, your channel is very instructive.
I own a Blueridge guitar, the same exact model, super cool that one found its way into your workshop. Great work as always, thank you Ted, greetings from Germany
And in have the same Taylor. This one even appears to have the spruce top option that I have. Our cold snap here in Washington cratered the humidity (RH in the 30’s) so I broke out the case humidifier post haste!
@@tincansailor9437 …I left Seattle for the holiday just before the cold snap. Full tanks on the humidifier and set to 68F/48% RH. When I returned the (pretty big) tanks were DRY. Never seen anything close that kind of water consumption before. The hygrometer memory had logged a low of 10%….yes, 10%. Terrifying. 😳 The guitars were out of tune (all had drifted flat) but thankfully no visible ill effects or permanent changes to action….
Really great explanation of guitar physics and the timeline involved. Thank you. I am ever amazed at your clarity and understanding of our beloved guitars!
Talking of dryness in guitars, I recently switched my humidifier from the sound hole sponge type humidifiers,which dry every 3 days here in Colorado- to the oasis humidifiers that have gel crystals that absorb a ton of water. When I put myguitars in the case and close it fully those humidifiers give me about 10 days of proper humidity before drying out. Theyre only $20 and you can get cheap hygrometers to monitor levels. The most important factor to keeping tops from shrinking and affecting action height is ALWAYS putting your guitar back into a locked case with a full humidifier, especially you fellow coloradans know what im saying. Its currently snowing, but its so dry our humidity levels are nothing and its been supercold lately. New acoustic players should really do research on their climate situations and fluctuations so they can keep those guitars in good shape longer, especially if you invested in a solid good guitar.
Fun fact: auto-generated captions are very true to what you say (trust me, it's very rare). Fun aside, I first found your channel searching for a way to rid my Ovation of old age crackles. Learned so much. So much insight. Thank you.
Thank you! I learned so much from this. I also suffer massive seasonal humidity swings where I live and you just helped me immensely in proactive care.
Fantastic information (as always). Back in the early 2000s my Wife gifted me a Martin JC-16 KWS, I've always kept that guitar in the case as so far I've not had any issues (knock on wood).
I'm in agreement (as if that matters) about the inlay on the head of the Chinese guitar. Perhaps they could consider the old saying - "less is more". Thanks for another informative video.
Here in Boston, where the temps this week have gone from 6 degrees F to 40F, and were back down in single digits this morning, I pulled my Martin B1 bass out of its case to play for a bit today. When I was done playing, I re-moistened the soundhole humidifier, loosened the strings, put it back in it's case and topped off the room humidifier in my music room. Prior to coming to me, the sound board developed a crack which was repaired but is still visible, so I try to keep everything stable. This was a good reminder why I do all that. Thanks for the good work and content.
That Blueridge sounds great. Chasing a dry buzz....always a challenge. Humidity swings pretty big over the year here in Minnesota, so I have to be more mindful on your tuning down advice.
Your explanations are very informative. Teaching is a great bonus to your repairing! Those guitars are way above my pay scale, although they do offer a level t,o shoot for when building. Love from NW Colorado. Thanxz
I use John Pearse .010 strings in hopes that the less tension will let the top live longer and not belly up and start folding.The lighter gauge makes it easier to play and can even bend strings if needed.
My studio varies from 65% summer to 25% winter. Dehumidifier & a/c brings it down to 50%. A small humidifier pumps out a gallon a day & brings it up to 40% during winter. I tight the truss rods in winter & loosen in the summer.
Even in the Southern California mountainous areas, I have to humidify my guitar room perennially. It's not much but it stopped the fret sprouting and action changes. The one acoustic guitar I have(Yamaha A5R. Great Japanese made guitar btw) was pretty bulletproof, but now it's impervious.
I had that wolf note behind the f# to G on the A string, and the guitar was playing notes around that part of the scale on the upper fretboard quite dead, without resonance. Of course the soundboard was tuned around there so assumedly this was the main factor. The guitar was quite dry and humidification cured it. The notes resonated better. And that wolf whistle went away too on the G of the A string. I figured the board slightly changed its tuning with humidification. I'm no luthier but watching this video at least confirmed it. Great videos and channel. This video is old but perhaps my comment will be useful to someone reading. There's often dead or less resonant notes on the upper fretboard due to a pitch clash with the soundboard, and sometimes something else resonates. I believe they are referred to by some as wolf notes. But I could be wrong. (-:
Thank you! As always great info. I was planning on looking up and calling a luthier today because I had some questions about a guitar I was pulling out from months in it’s case. But you answered all my questions within the first half of your video. Thank you again 👍
I bought a new ES335 some years ago that had an intermittent buzz in it. Gibson warranty repair said they checked it all out and couldn't find anything wrong with it.. After a few years of owning, decided to sell it. Pulled the pickups out to ID them for the listing (factory 57's) and found a 1/2" tooth washer magnetically stuck to the back of the neck pickup. Same lockwashers used on the pots. That was it. 100%.
I’ve dealt with many Taylor’s where I’ve had to tighten the neck bolt. One client has an 817ce that he doesn’t want to get rid of even though he has 4 repaired cracks on its Cedar Soundboard. I have to perform “magic” on this guitar whenever he brings it In because he gigs with it and he subjects it to humidity and temperature extremes. I lecture him about proper humidity, but it usually falls on deaf ears. I use Dr. Axe’s Duck Wax on fretboards and love it.
Ted--- as you know, I build and repair. But I am "GLUED" to this fine presentation. But, being a septugenarian, I like gaudy pearl (from A Dp) . I admit I have not retained the patience I had in 1969-70 when I learned to build in a haze, with a mellow state of mind, as I learned while cutting boring law school classes in Iowa City, Iowa. Way back then saw blades were cheap and I rarely had to swear. (Pearl blanks from the two renowned guitar purveyors in Chicago) I am amazed that I had that patient state of mind. But, we built some fine guitars. All we had was "Sloane" and he had some real issues, but we were more or less sensible. I was amazed again when "Cumpiano" came out , thinking he must have had surveillance on our little hole in the wall! I attribute my relaxed listening to your voice ( no substances involved) THANK YOU.
I had a random sympathetic buzzing issue on my Taylor 918e, it came down to 9v batteries sizes being ever slightly different and that particular battery being a hair slimmer, hence the buzzing when certain conditions were met. Wrapping the battery in thin felt did the trick!
A few years ago my Taylor 314 developed a buzz which turned out to be the truss rod itself. The guitar ultimately had to go back to the mothership, where they apparently pump caulk into the truss rod channel to damp out that rattle. A rare problem, but one that people knew about.
Having such a huge temperature swing from summer to winter and back must be hard to handle for instruments...and many other things too. I do like Taylor guitars, I will treat myself when I can afford it :) Thank you for the very interesting video.
Right now the difference between inside and outside of my house is 50C. The house talks in the winter and deck boards can sound like gunshots when you walk on them. Part of the beauty of Canada's north. I give thanks every spring my instruments are still in one piece.
@@markbernier8434 Yes, your instruments are doing very well, so you obviously look after them well. I can't imagine living in a place where the outside temperature is lower than that of my freezer!!
Blueridge guitars, like this one, are beautiful. Never been able to get one over here (France)... It's true, the inlay on the headstock is a bit gawdy but that's Blueridge signature... 6:22, the strings getting "hairy"... Thanks, Ted, for this video, always a pleasure 🎶🎶🎶
Blueridge guitars are very nice for the price. So are the solid wood guitars by Recording King (the all sold wood guitars). I have the Recording King RD-328 and love it. And it doesn't have all that over the top pearl work. I also love the shape of the head stock on my Recording King. Great video as usual.
I’ve noticed a sinking top in my blueridge recently right at the sound hole at the end of the fretboard. Humidifier has brought back the hump behind the saddle and seems to be taking that sinking back up too. Heavy humidifier for 3 days now and each day the guitar takes less and less. These winter days will surely dry em out
my uncle Jim in Arkansas is gonna pass in the next few days from fast acting cancer he is on hospice at home on morphine an can’t understand us he was a marine infantryman in Vietnam i got my first acoustic guitar from him a Yamaha fg75 red label made In Taiwan he bought for his mom who passed it down to me. if y’all could please say a prayer for him I’d really appreciate it. Thank you for reading Awesome video as well
Ive been doing guitar setups and repairs since the early 80s , I can honestly tell you that Shaving down the bone saddle to correct high action is typically considered a NO NO.. The lower the bone saddle, the more shallow the break angle of the strings pressing downward on the bone to achieve the best volume , frequency clarity, tone, and sustain.. By shaving the saddle, you lesson the downward force of the strings on the bone , thus loosing volume, tone, sustain 🤷♂️ A well setup acoustic should have a healthy saddle height, with a nice downward slope of the strings from the bridge down to the nut, with proper neck relief dialled in.. If the bridge has lifted or the top has raised due to dehydration causing bad high action , then the proper solution is to do a neck reset to modify the neck pitch and bring the action back down to factory specs ..
Great video as ever - my lunchtime treat whenever there is a new one. Please note though that 'Lemon Oil' for fretboards is not lemon oil (if it was it would smell of, er, lemons). It is actually lemongrass oil and more closely related to turpentine chemically, although any non drying terpene oil would do, I imagine. BTW - new blond flamenco guitars can smell amazing because of the cypress/cedar combo but it fades away by evaporation over the years. I now cheat with my guitar and put a few drops each of cypress and cedar oil inside it once year.
I’ve got a a br60 which is solid spruce top with laminate back n sides. I used to own the br160 wich was all solid and I traded that in for the downgrade of the br60. The br60 sounded so much better I was willing to take the financial loss. Love my br60. It’s one of my favorite acoustics. It sounds as good as my Martin MMV. And almost as good as my Martin Hd28.
Can you describe why you think the laminate sounds better than the all solid? I'm budget limited, looking to get another acoustic and get frustrated by the perceived truth that laminate guitars just don't compare.
@@keestoft250 my Br160 sounded thin and lacked bass and mids. But my br60 has a perfect balanced tone. I think a lot of the tone comes from the top and not necessarily the back and sides. It was weird at the time because I really had this internal battle about giving up an all solid instrument for one with only a solid top. But with Blueridge guitars it doesn’t seem to matter if they have laminate back and sides. Also don’t buy anything without playing it first, in other words try not to buy one online. I would never give up my br60 tho. It’s a great sounding guitar. Blueridge seems to capture that martin sound out of anything I’ve played. I think if you bought the 60 you’d be 100 percent happy. I just encountered a gal that plays guitar doing music therapy at a job I was working on and I had noticed her br60 that was out while the patients were on a break and we had this exact conversation. She said she played many guitars before getting her br60 and she felt like I do about them.
I’ve been looking for a guitar and there’s currently a deal on new blueridge br-43 000 guitars on Music&arts website they are going for $350 when they are usually $650. I think $350 is what they went for many years ago. I’ve looked into the company apparently they are owned by guitar center. I even called them and they said there are only 7 of them left and if I don’t like the guitar I can return within 30 days but something still seems too good to be true about it. A friend of mine had a blueridge I’m not sure which model but it was one of the best feeling guitars I’ve ever played. Playing it was so effortless
@@psych336 I've never heard about them being owned by Guitar Center but maybe they were acquired. I was shopping for a Martin when I discovered my first Blueridge (BG-60). It was 1/4 the cost and I just liked everything about it more than all the Martins I *thought* I should be buying. A couple years later I bought a used BR-160 for dirt cheap and I absolutely love it. Like you said, super easy to play. I feel lucky that I got mine when they were so cheap. Best of luck!
@@OhanaFilms I just realized I worded that poorly, I meant the site selling the guitar “Music&arts” is owned by guitar center. Not sure who owns the blueridge company. Blueridge are definitely an underrated brand. Yeah, It’s crazy how guitar prices have went up so much recently. I remember made in Mexico fender strats were around $500 a few years back, now they have Squiers at $500. Thank you! I might as well take the risk with the blueridge and if something’s off I can always return it.
Most string instruments are prone to 'wolf notes'. They're thought to be related to the resonance of the instrument. I play cello and it's usually around E/F that you get it. If you're lucky, it falls between notes. There are all kinds of 'wolf suppressor' gadgets about - mostly either a weight to attach to a string below the bridge or something that attaches to one of the f-holes.
Interesting info around humidity flux here in Hamilton. I like keeping my guitars on display because I'm more inclined to pick one up, but humidity changes are a constant fear.
I always thought your thumbnail was a picture of you in a Superman shirt. I just looked at it closely and realized your holding a red guitar in front of a blue shirt and it's not a red S on a blue shirt.
Ive read and seen videos talking about how Jerry Reed's guitars had action so low they were hard to play with outbuzzing.. yet he ways sounded fantastic.
I had some sympathetic vibration at around F on a bass I used to own and it turned out to be the E tuner had a loose fitting bow. In this case it was not fixable without replacing the tuner as it was a cheap press fit construction. Drove me nuts till I found it.
I totally agree about keeping a guitar in the case and detuning it. That said, I have a beef with guitar case makers. I have seen what I believe to be a trend in acoustic guitars whose necks are "jacked" up by the storage compartment inside the case. So, the combination of string tension and the pressure from under the neck by the storage compartment causes a guitar to need a neck reset years before its time. I can't find any other way to explain why a 2016 Martin D28 needs a neck reset.
I'm so sick of Northern weather. I moved to Penna. from down south-and you can still play guitar at the park, in summer, but then the wind blows, and the temperature falls 20°!! It's insane. Waaay outa tuna, as my cat likes to say.
Perfect timing! It's been about 16% humidity in my house for 2 months and my homemade humidifier just isnt cutting it (I can tell the tops dry since the bridge is about as low as it gets in low humidity months like January). So I've been thinking about drying problems that can occur and what it takes to have them repaired/remedied (not so much mild winter dehydration like in my case but long term low humidity damage that you see on older guitars that start becoming much less flexible/pliable). I had the opposite problem in the summer and had to use a dessicant to remove some excess moisture but everything turned out just fine and I didn't have to make any saddle adjustments. But all this movement due to humidity has me seriously considering getting a climate control humidifier for my studio area. Anyways, great content as always!
Like Blue Ridge guitars except for the overly ornament headstocks, snow flakes on the fretboard and dalmatian spotted pick guard. Well build nice sounding guitars.
I love that a Canadian references a "Nudie" suit. I used to work on his (Nudie's) caddilac with all the pistols and horns on it. I met him for lunch several times at the Palatine Club. Geeze, that is a long time ago. I never could afford any clothing.
I just had a Taylor 314ce come through my shop with a very similar issue, a resonant buzz while playing any note as long as you didn't touch the neck, however if you put any downward pressure on the headstock or up by the neck block it went away. I tightened up what I could and it didn't go away, so I sent it off to a more experienced tech to have a look at. Hopefully they can figure it out and get it fixed.
See Scodiddly's post below: the truss rod itself buzzing, cured by pumping caulk into it. I've never been impressed by Taylor guitars, and this makes me feel that my opinion is justified. Regarding the Blueridge, I avoid buying Chinese-made products these days. There are some very good, decently priced Korean and Indonesian guitars, although of course with wildly varying temperature and humidity, any acoustic guitar will move.
I hate the bling too. It definitely takes away from the otherwise good guitar. It's almost like something a cheap guitar would do to make up for what it lacks in sound/quality. That's not the case with a guitar like this, so what's the point? That's why I love Martin. They are super basic in looks. Basic head stock shape, basic logo. All that blueridge needs is the blueridge script (minus the banner), and that's it! Otherwise very cool. BTW, I really appreciate your knowledge on all those little details about guitars, maintenance, materials, etc.. We don;t get that detail from other luthiers.
I couldn't catch what sort of 'suit' you compared the headstock inlay to but I agree, it does zero for the looks and to me it absolutely detracts from the guitar. I would want a price reduction for that tasteless graffiti. Thank you for explaining the crowning of tops and the bellying of all my guitars, which are a lot older than 10 years.
It just isn't a proper Saturday without a video from Ted!
Great comment on the pearl work. The other issue with it is that it makes the headstock look totally unbalanced and too full.
I'm fully with the people who dislike pearl and abalone/paua inlays, rosettes and bindings. They are tacky as. Well chosen natural wood will always look better.
I also loath sunburst finishes, they're a fake tacky cheap approximation of the patina 300 years of playing imparts to old violins and cellos.
I have a br 160 dread. I really like the guitar, especially for what I paid for it, but I agree on the inlay. It's way too much, aesthetically. Doesn't affect the playability though, so no real harm.
A couple of months ago I had a clients guitar in with an odd buzz like you mention. Eventually after doing the same procedures you followed, I traced the issue to their brand new 9v Duracell. It literally rattled in my hand only when very rapidly tapped at the right angle. Charged half costs for my time as it felt discourteous to charge full costs, but it took hours to source the cause. It's gone in my mind bank of weird issues that I will check first, like fake strings etc. Love the channel and greatly appreciate your videos. Thanks mate
Yep after years of having a buzz on my ol martin copy, I got my dream guitar a Gibson sj200 couple weeks later starting getting the same buzz. Got a ole gibby hummingbird to after a couple weeks same thing. Turns out when you play your guitars lots you wear the strings down the core really fast lol.
I'm a simple man, a Saturday afternoon with a coffee and a new video from Ted, and I'm satisfied.
A couple of years back, my Taylor developed a buzz on the f-note that was caused by the wire from the ES amplifier in the upper bout rattling against the upper side of the body. It was only of F - it didn't rattle audible at E or F#. Might be worth looking at this.
I used to get the same thing with my Takamine - it just so happened that the wires between the pickup and the preamp had shifted slightly and were buzzing against the body. Fortunately that was an easy one to fix!
This episode was like a master class. I live in a dry climate and really appreciated all of this information you've amassed over your lifetime of experience. Thanks!
That headstock is like the guitarist who always plays 10 times more notes than he needs too.
Ichika Nito
Edit: and all of the copycat "1 minute" guitarists
@@thaddeusshartwell5470 at least they're doing something new with the guitar. 80s shredders are much worse
Totally agree . . . but kind of ironic coming from a dude with an EVH inspired icon ;)
I have a BR-160 made in '06. Bought it new. It has that headstock. I don't much like it, it's way too much frilly detail, and kind of cheesy, but the guitar itself is a really sweet playing instrument. Great knockoff of a Martin guitar for the money.
@@ileutur6863 well, guess you don't know anything about the 80s
Only the true MASTERS tell you about difficulties, and bad times. I don´t believe in people who never admits a problem, or something that goes wrong. I look forward to see how you get victorious with this one. I´ve have myself situations like this one. Fortunately with patience and skill, (and honesty to the customer) usually gets better. Thanks, your channel is very instructive.
I own a Blueridge guitar, the same exact model, super cool that one found its way into your workshop. Great work as always, thank you Ted, greetings from Germany
And in have the same Taylor. This one even appears to have the spruce top option that I have. Our cold snap here in Washington cratered the humidity (RH in the 30’s) so I broke out the case humidifier post haste!
@@tincansailor9437 …I left Seattle for the holiday just before the cold snap. Full tanks on the humidifier and set to 68F/48% RH. When I returned the (pretty big) tanks were DRY. Never seen anything close that kind of water consumption before. The hygrometer memory had logged a low of 10%….yes, 10%. Terrifying. 😳 The guitars were out of tune (all had drifted flat) but thankfully no visible ill effects or permanent changes to action….
The knowledge shared in this video is unbelievable. Thank you Ted, from all of us.
Thank you for all of your interesting and informative videos! You are a treasure to all who watch your work. 🎸
Outstanding detail as to "buzz search" with the Taylor. Your knowledge and willingness to share it is laudable.
I always look forward to this half an hour guitar repair theory
Really great explanation of guitar physics and the timeline involved. Thank you. I am ever amazed at your clarity and understanding of our beloved guitars!
An education once again. Thank you for your patient dissection of problems.
You are absolutely a gifted teacher! Your knowledge is life changing for us mortals! Thank you and subscribed
Talking of dryness in guitars, I recently switched my humidifier from the sound hole sponge type humidifiers,which dry every 3 days here in Colorado- to the oasis humidifiers that have gel crystals that absorb a ton of water. When I put myguitars in the case and close it fully those humidifiers give me about 10 days of proper humidity before drying out. Theyre only $20 and you can get cheap hygrometers to monitor levels. The most important factor to keeping tops from shrinking and affecting action height is ALWAYS putting your guitar back into a locked case with a full humidifier, especially you fellow coloradans know what im saying. Its currently snowing, but its so dry our humidity levels are nothing and its been supercold lately. New acoustic players should really do research on their climate situations and fluctuations so they can keep those guitars in good shape longer, especially if you invested in a solid good guitar.
Second the Oasis humidifiers. Less of a problem in Indiana, but those things are awesome. I have three.
This Coloradan thanks you for your sound advice!
Fun fact: auto-generated captions are very true to what you say (trust me, it's very rare). Fun aside, I first found your channel searching for a way to rid my Ovation of old age crackles. Learned so much. So much insight. Thank you.
Thank you! I learned so much from this. I also suffer massive seasonal humidity swings where I live and you just helped me immensely in proactive care.
Wow! What a bunch of technical Information.
Thanx a lot, Ted!
BTW: best guitar repair channel on earth! 👍👍👍👍
My half sister is Jamie Nudie. She inherited the famous Cadillac. Always nice to hear the Nudie name mentioned even today.
Thanks, brother. I learn something new
and useful every single time. You are a
great teacher.
Now is the winter of our drying wood
made glorious summer by a case humidifier!
Fantastic information (as always).
Back in the early 2000s my Wife gifted me a Martin JC-16 KWS, I've always kept that guitar in the case as so far I've not had any issues (knock on wood).
Always on the look out for Ted and what he says.
Might be my favorite voice on the internet.
I'm in agreement (as if that matters) about the inlay on the head of the Chinese guitar. Perhaps they could consider the old saying - "less is more". Thanks for another informative video.
Here in Boston, where the temps this week have gone from 6 degrees F to 40F, and were back down in single digits this morning, I pulled my Martin B1 bass out of its case to play for a bit today. When I was done playing, I re-moistened the soundhole humidifier, loosened the strings, put it back in it's case and topped off the room humidifier in my music room. Prior to coming to me, the sound board developed a crack which was repaired but is still visible, so I try to keep everything stable. This was a good reminder why I do all that. Thanks for the good work and content.
That Blueridge sounds great. Chasing a dry buzz....always a challenge. Humidity swings pretty big over the year here in Minnesota, so I have to be more mindful on your tuning down advice.
Your explanations are very informative. Teaching is a great bonus to your repairing! Those guitars are way above my pay scale, although they do offer a level t,o shoot for when building. Love from NW Colorado. Thanxz
I use John Pearse .010 strings in hopes that the less tension will let the top live longer and not belly up and start folding.The lighter gauge makes it easier to play and can even bend strings if needed.
My studio varies from 65% summer to 25% winter. Dehumidifier & a/c brings it down to 50%. A small humidifier pumps out a gallon a day & brings it up to 40% during winter. I tight the truss rods in winter & loosen in the summer.
Great job working on the guitars, working on the videos, explaining guitar repair and care, and playing too! Take care and stay healthy.
Even in the Southern California mountainous areas, I have to humidify my guitar room perennially. It's not much but it stopped the fret sprouting and action changes. The one acoustic guitar I have(Yamaha A5R. Great Japanese made guitar btw) was pretty bulletproof, but now it's impervious.
Always love the guitar physics lessons and Ted talking us through the real world application about working with those physics
I use Viol Instrument Cleaner and Polish on my fretless bass, a small bottle used generally also for violin and works for rosewood and ebony.
I had that wolf note behind the f# to G on the A string, and the guitar was playing notes around that part of the scale on the upper fretboard quite dead, without resonance. Of course the soundboard was tuned around there so assumedly this was the main factor. The guitar was quite dry and humidification cured it. The notes resonated better. And that wolf whistle went away too on the G of the A string. I figured the board slightly changed its tuning with humidification. I'm no luthier but watching this video at least confirmed it. Great videos and channel. This video is old but perhaps my comment will be useful to someone reading. There's often dead or less resonant notes on the upper fretboard due to a pitch clash with the soundboard, and sometimes something else resonates. I believe they are referred to by some as wolf notes. But I could be wrong. (-:
I used to work for Saga in the early 90’s as a sales rep.
I stumbled across this video nearly two hours ago and i just now got a notification for it !
Thank you! As always great info. I was planning on looking up and calling a luthier today because I had some questions about a guitar I was pulling out from months in it’s case. But you answered all my questions within the first half of your video. Thank you again 👍
I bought a new ES335 some years ago that had an intermittent buzz in it. Gibson warranty repair said they checked it all out and couldn't find anything wrong with it.. After a few years of owning, decided to sell it. Pulled the pickups out to ID them for the listing (factory 57's) and found a 1/2" tooth washer magnetically stuck to the back of the neck pickup. Same lockwashers used on the pots. That was it. 100%.
Love the headstock bling!
I’ve dealt with many Taylor’s where I’ve had to tighten the neck bolt. One client has an 817ce that he doesn’t want to get rid of even though he has 4 repaired cracks on its Cedar Soundboard. I have to perform “magic” on this guitar whenever he brings it In because he gigs with it and he subjects it to humidity and temperature extremes. I lecture him about proper humidity, but it usually falls on deaf ears. I use Dr. Axe’s Duck Wax on fretboards and love it.
Very interesting, and useful. Many thanks for this.
Did the purveyor of “Penetration is Paramount” really just give us “Dealing with Dryness”? Come and be our president Ted.
Thank you for these video's. I really enjoy them.
I like the shooting board for the saddle. Have to make one.
Great video Ted. There's tons of good useful knowledge here. Thank you for sharing
😎🎸👍🏽🇺🇸 THANK YOU AGAIN for an entertaining and informative video.
American southwest for me at this time. Taking care of fret sprout during my first winter, solves that issue.
Fantastic info thanks very much
Ted--- as you know, I build and repair. But I am "GLUED" to this fine presentation. But, being a septugenarian, I like gaudy pearl (from A Dp) . I admit I have not retained the patience I had in 1969-70 when I learned to build in a haze, with a mellow state of mind, as I learned while cutting boring law school classes in Iowa City, Iowa. Way back then saw blades were cheap and I rarely had to swear. (Pearl blanks from the two renowned guitar purveyors in Chicago) I am amazed that I had that patient state of mind. But, we built some fine guitars. All we had was "Sloane" and he had some real issues, but we were more or less sensible. I was amazed again when "Cumpiano" came out , thinking he must have had surveillance on our little hole in the wall! I attribute my relaxed listening to your voice ( no substances involved) THANK YOU.
I had a random sympathetic buzzing issue on my Taylor 918e, it came down to 9v batteries sizes being ever slightly different and that particular battery being a hair slimmer, hence the buzzing when certain conditions were met. Wrapping the battery in thin felt did the trick!
A few years ago my Taylor 314 developed a buzz which turned out to be the truss rod itself. The guitar ultimately had to go back to the mothership, where they apparently pump caulk into the truss rod channel to damp out that rattle. A rare problem, but one that people knew about.
Having such a huge temperature swing from summer to winter and back must be hard to handle for instruments...and many other things too. I do like Taylor guitars, I will treat myself when I can afford it :) Thank you for the very interesting video.
Right now the difference between inside and outside of my house is 50C. The house talks in the winter and deck boards can sound like gunshots when you walk on them. Part of the beauty of Canada's north. I give thanks every spring my instruments are still in one piece.
@@markbernier8434 Yes, your instruments are doing very well, so you obviously look after them well. I can't imagine living in a place where the outside temperature is lower than that of my freezer!!
Thanks for playing them for us Ted.
Blueridge guitars, like this one, are beautiful. Never been able to get one over here (France)...
It's true, the inlay on the headstock is a bit gawdy but that's Blueridge signature... 6:22, the strings getting "hairy"...
Thanks, Ted, for this video, always a pleasure 🎶🎶🎶
Blueridge guitars are very nice for the price. So are the solid wood guitars by Recording King (the all sold wood guitars). I have the Recording King RD-328 and love it. And it doesn't have all that over the top pearl work. I also love the shape of the head stock on my Recording King. Great video as usual.
I’ve noticed a sinking top in my blueridge recently right at the sound hole at the end of the fretboard. Humidifier has brought back the hump behind the saddle and seems to be taking that sinking back up too. Heavy humidifier for 3 days now and each day the guitar takes less and less. These winter days will surely dry em out
my uncle Jim in Arkansas is gonna pass in the next few days from fast acting cancer he is on hospice at home on morphine an can’t understand us he was a marine infantryman in Vietnam i got my first acoustic guitar from him a Yamaha fg75 red label made In Taiwan he bought for his mom who passed it down to me. if y’all could please say a prayer for him I’d really appreciate it. Thank you for reading
Awesome video as well
Godspeed Uncle Jim. Thank you for your service to our nation. Lord have mercy on your servant Jim.
God rest your Uncle Jim.
Excellent video. I'd love to see your solution on dealing with fret sprout. A video and links with tools and materials used would be perfect .
You can see the teflon "fuzz" from those old Elixir Polyweb Strings at 6:15. 😉
The headstock "inlay" is just a decal under the finish. I've sanded the headstock of a blueridge and the decal is paper thin.
Ive been doing guitar setups and repairs since the early 80s , I can honestly tell you that Shaving down the bone saddle to correct high action is typically considered a NO NO.. The lower the bone saddle, the more shallow the break angle of the strings pressing downward on the bone to achieve the best volume , frequency clarity, tone, and sustain.. By shaving the saddle, you lesson the downward force of the strings on the bone , thus loosing volume, tone, sustain 🤷♂️ A well setup acoustic should have a healthy saddle height, with a nice downward slope of the strings from the bridge down to the nut, with proper neck relief dialled in.. If the bridge has lifted or the top has raised due to dehydration causing bad high action , then the proper solution is to do a neck reset to modify the neck pitch and bring the action back down to factory specs ..
What a great video, you made it again Ted, thank you!!
Great video as ever - my lunchtime treat whenever there is a new one. Please note though that 'Lemon Oil' for fretboards is not lemon oil (if it was it would smell of, er, lemons). It is actually lemongrass oil and more closely related to turpentine chemically, although any non drying terpene oil would do, I imagine.
BTW - new blond flamenco guitars can smell amazing because of the cypress/cedar combo but it fades away by evaporation over the years. I now cheat with my guitar and put a few drops each of cypress and cedar oil inside it once year.
I’ve got a a br60 which is solid spruce top with laminate back n sides. I used to own the br160 wich was all solid and I traded that in for the downgrade of the br60.
The br60 sounded so much better I was willing to take the financial loss. Love my br60. It’s one of my favorite acoustics. It sounds as good as my Martin MMV. And almost as good as my Martin Hd28.
Can you describe why you think the laminate sounds better than the all solid? I'm budget limited, looking to get another acoustic and get frustrated by the perceived truth that laminate guitars just don't compare.
@@keestoft250 my Br160 sounded thin and lacked bass and mids. But my br60 has a perfect balanced tone. I think a lot of the tone comes from the top and not necessarily the back and sides. It was weird at the time because I really had this internal battle about giving up an all solid instrument for one with only a solid top. But with Blueridge guitars it doesn’t seem to matter if they have laminate back and sides. Also don’t buy anything without playing it first, in other words try not to buy one online. I would never give up my br60 tho. It’s a great sounding guitar. Blueridge seems to capture that martin sound out of anything I’ve played. I think if you bought the 60 you’d be 100 percent happy. I just encountered a gal that plays guitar doing music therapy at a job I was working on and I had noticed her br60 that was out while the patients were on a break and we had this exact conversation. She said she played many guitars before getting her br60 and she felt like I do about them.
I’ve had two Blueridge guitars for the last 13ish years and I LOVE them. Favorite acoustics I’ve ever owned and they used to be super affordable.
I’ve been looking for a guitar and there’s currently a deal on new blueridge br-43 000 guitars on Music&arts website they are going for $350 when they are usually $650. I think $350 is what they went for many years ago. I’ve looked into the company apparently they are owned by guitar center. I even called them and they said there are only 7 of them left and if I don’t like the guitar I can return within 30 days but something still seems too good to be true about it. A friend of mine had a blueridge I’m not sure which model but it was one of the best feeling guitars I’ve ever played. Playing it was so effortless
@@psych336 I've never heard about them being owned by Guitar Center but maybe they were acquired. I was shopping for a Martin when I discovered my first Blueridge (BG-60). It was 1/4 the cost and I just liked everything about it more than all the Martins I *thought* I should be buying. A couple years later I bought a used BR-160 for dirt cheap and I absolutely love it. Like you said, super easy to play. I feel lucky that I got mine when they were so cheap. Best of luck!
@@OhanaFilms I just realized I worded that poorly, I meant the site selling the guitar “Music&arts” is owned by guitar center. Not sure who owns the blueridge company. Blueridge are definitely an underrated brand. Yeah, It’s crazy how guitar prices have went up so much recently. I remember made in Mexico fender strats were around $500 a few years back, now they have Squiers at $500. Thank you! I might as well take the risk with the blueridge and if something’s off I can always return it.
Most string instruments are prone to 'wolf notes'. They're thought to be related to the resonance of the instrument. I play cello and it's usually around E/F that you get it. If you're lucky, it falls between notes. There are all kinds of 'wolf suppressor' gadgets about - mostly either a weight to attach to a string below the bridge or something that attaches to one of the f-holes.
Interesting info around humidity flux here in Hamilton. I like keeping my guitars on display because I'm more inclined to pick one up, but humidity changes are a constant fear.
That first guitar sounds amaze balls
ah yes; "did you fix it?"
"well, i made it go away..."
Excellent video as always. I need to post comments more often if only to says thanks.
I always thought your thumbnail was a picture of you in a Superman shirt. I just looked at it closely and realized your holding a red guitar in front of a blue shirt and it's not a red S on a blue shirt.
Me too
I have one of those with my Larrivee OM , got some ideas , from this video . Cheers AlbertaDave 😊🇨🇦
Does anyone else notice the Taylor sounds like crap compared to the blueridge?
So nice video! Thanks
Ive read and seen videos talking about how Jerry Reed's guitars had action so low they were hard to play with outbuzzing.. yet he ways sounded fantastic.
I had some sympathetic vibration at around F on a bass I used to own and it turned out to be the E tuner had a loose fitting bow. In this case it was not fixable without replacing the tuner as it was a cheap press fit construction. Drove me nuts till I found it.
Since early January, my guitar room humidifier is running nearly all the time - over a gallon a day!
Huh... that's an interesting explanation for why the tops and backs of acoustics are domed a bit.
Man, that Taylor sounds NICE!
I love the fancy pearl :)
Im with you on the Blue Ridge head stocks. They make some beautiful and great sounding guitars though.
I was lucky enough to pick one of these up for €200
Love it
I have other higher-end guitars, but end up playing this all the time
Appreciate the fingerboard oil lesson. Very controversial on line. I use it on my guitars once a year. I own 28 guitars so about every string change
I totally agree about keeping a guitar in the case and detuning it. That said, I have a beef with guitar case makers. I have seen what I believe to be a trend in acoustic guitars whose necks are "jacked" up by the storage compartment inside the case. So, the combination of string tension and the pressure from under the neck by the storage compartment causes a guitar to need a neck reset years before its time. I can't find any other way to explain why a 2016 Martin D28 needs a neck reset.
Man you get those guitars sounding super sweet. 🐲
I'm so sick of Northern weather. I moved to Penna. from down south-and you can still play guitar at the park, in summer, but then the wind blows, and the temperature falls 20°!! It's insane. Waaay outa tuna, as my cat likes to say.
These are a big deal in one of my local guitar shops in S. England, they look great and I love the pickguard.
Perfect timing! It's been about 16% humidity in my house for 2 months and my homemade humidifier just isnt cutting it (I can tell the tops dry since the bridge is about as low as it gets in low humidity months like January). So I've been thinking about drying problems that can occur and what it takes to have them repaired/remedied (not so much mild winter dehydration like in my case but long term low humidity damage that you see on older guitars that start becoming much less flexible/pliable). I had the opposite problem in the summer and had to use a dessicant to remove some excess moisture but everything turned out just fine and I didn't have to make any saddle adjustments. But all this movement due to humidity has me seriously considering getting a climate control humidifier for my studio area. Anyways, great content as always!
Like Blue Ridge guitars except for the overly ornament headstocks, snow flakes on the fretboard and dalmatian spotted pick guard. Well build nice sounding guitars.
Cool digging deep into issues.
I love that a Canadian references a "Nudie" suit. I used to work on his (Nudie's) caddilac with all the pistols and horns on it. I met him for lunch several times at the Palatine Club. Geeze, that is a long time ago. I never could afford any clothing.
That is Palimino club. Hate spell check.
I just had a Taylor 314ce come through my shop with a very similar issue, a resonant buzz while playing any note as long as you didn't touch the neck, however if you put any downward pressure on the headstock or up by the neck block it went away. I tightened up what I could and it didn't go away, so I sent it off to a more experienced tech to have a look at. Hopefully they can figure it out and get it fixed.
See Scodiddly's post below: the truss rod itself buzzing, cured by pumping caulk into it. I've never been impressed by Taylor guitars, and this makes me feel that my opinion is justified. Regarding the Blueridge, I avoid buying Chinese-made products these days. There are some very good, decently priced Korean and Indonesian guitars, although of course with wildly varying temperature and humidity, any acoustic guitar will move.
I hate the bling too. It definitely takes away from the otherwise good guitar. It's almost like something a cheap guitar would do to make up for what it lacks in sound/quality. That's not the case with a guitar like this, so what's the point? That's why I love Martin. They are super basic in looks. Basic head stock shape, basic logo. All that blueridge needs is the blueridge script (minus the banner), and that's it! Otherwise very cool. BTW, I really appreciate your knowledge on all those little details about guitars, maintenance, materials, etc.. We don;t get that detail from other luthiers.
There aren't many CZcams luthier videos where you hear the word "psychosomatic" is there ?
I think Blueridges are lovely guitars. I've always wanted one myself
With the second guitar, it could be useful to record the problem before attempting to fix it, so you can at least sanity check
I couldn't catch what sort of 'suit' you compared the headstock inlay to but I agree, it does zero for the looks and to me it absolutely detracts from the guitar. I would want a price reduction for that tasteless graffiti.
Thank you for explaining the crowning of tops and the bellying of all my guitars, which are a lot older than 10 years.