Possibly 10mm sockets magically go through that same wormhole and end up in the same place in another galaxy as unmatched socks and that twenty you swore you had in your pocket yesterday...
Dang, my guitars are kinda getting out of shape with coincidentally some of these kinds of issues. Such perfect timing man! The Maestro Guitarsmith indeed
He really does a fantastic job, with cutting-out all the fluff and just delivering the Important Information. Enjoying your content Phillip. Stay Safe brother. oNe LovE from NYC
@@karatekid951 Star washer is correct term-generic lock washer term is for the split washer that compresses flat. At least according to Hillman fasteners of which I have $120k at cost in my hardware store.
My 20 years old strat, that I bought new and have played a LOT, is in bad need of fret replacing. I asked two local luthiers about it and one said they would re-fret it with stainless steel frets that would "last forever", while the other said he would never use stainless steel as it "drastically" altered the sound of the guitar and that he and most other people didn't like the change. I've decided to get it replaced with the same frets it originally had, as I don't want to change the sound of the guitar, and if they last for another 10-20 years before needing replaced again, then I'm fine with that. I am also trying to learn to play with softer fingers and not press the frets down so hard, to minimize future wear.
Not so sure about the tone thing, but stainless steel frets are harder, literally, to work with. Some luthiers won't do them because they take longer to do and dull tools.
@@jimfromoh8944 I've not sat down and compared one to the other yet, so I can't say from experience. I'm not a tone freak, but I've heard enough people talk about the difference and how they don't like it, to think that I should not take the chance and just stick with the old style. I'm used to them and like them as they are. The durability of SS is appealing, but not if it "spoils" my guitars sound. P.S. I've heard they are harder to work with too, and can ruin tools, but the guy offering to it in SS is charging the same as the other guy, more or less. Maybe he has stronger tools, or is willing to factor it into the price and charge a bit less over all.
When you're used top playing on fretboards that are properly cared for and suddenly play one where the wood is all dried out, you will sure notice the huge difference. They also do look better when conditioned, so that's a bonus.
@@jagpdc1644 I've got a small bottle of Stew Mac Fretboard Finisher that has lasted for years. It only takes a bit to clean and condition. From what I gather, bascially everything not labeled "lemon oil" is fine. Lemon Oil is largely a buzzword, which means you don't really know what you are getting with one of these products unless you look it up. I have anecdotally heard that lemon oil is bad for rosewood, although I have no experience or scientific proof to back up that claim.
@@jagpdc1644 I'm thinking no? Never used it, but it seems geared toward cleaning and polishing the body, not the fretboard. The clear coat on the body has different needs than the fretboard, unless you have a clear coated fretboard (e.g. maple). The Dunlop fretboard product mentions lemon oil, which is just a personal opinion rule of thumb for me to avoid. Maybe try MusicNomad F-One Oil Fretboard Cleaner & Conditioner, as it is widely available? PRS also has a product, and of course you can get the StewMac one as well.
Good warning on the stainless strings. I wore through a set of frets on my Strat in a year using stainless strings in the 80's. Never again. Another really common thing I see all the time is loose pots. Aside from the fact that they rattle, when players turn the knobs up and down, the pot twists, and can break wires or contact things they shouldn't. I had a friend bring in his kid's guitar which was "dead". Plugged it in, sure enough, no output at all. I checked the jack first thing and it was fine, so I opened up the back. The volume pot was loose, and had been twisted so far around, it bent two of the lugs till they were touching.
anti-static stuff actually works because it leaves an ever so slightly conductive layer behind. that allows charge to dissipate. this is just speculation, but that kind of audible static effects might be the result of a slightly conductive layer in the pichguard, and the shielding foil on the inside forming a capacitor.
Polishing and buffing frets is a great tip Phil! I noticed a huge difference after doing this every other string change. Just a quick job, nothing too serious but it makes a whole world of difference to the longevity of the frets, and keeps the guitar feeling nice and smooth. Cheers Phil!
For the input jack repair I double nut it and have never needed to tighten it since (years) . I don't like locktight for the reason it is none conducive and can insulate the signal were it's not supposed to be causing grounding issues. The double nut has worked perfectly for me on all 6 guitars no problem.
On a Hollowbody Guitar, I put on an interior nylon washer that I Concaved on the side towards the rim (plus a lock washer), reduces the risk of splitting the rim when synching up the nut on the Output Jack.
I had an issue on my Squier Contemporary Tele last week where the base plate the jack plug is on popped out. Also the base plate it's screwed on, it's a metal dish/bowl shaped thing pushed into a hole (I fixed it by talling it back). And when I come to polishing the frets, I go over them with a dremel (I don't know the proper name for the tool) with a fabric wheel on it to give the frets a really good polish each time I re-string my guitar, which with my experience does the job better than steel wool
Hey Phillip, I bought a Bullet Guitar Jack Tightener that has a rubber tip that is inside the socket that is supposed to keep the jack from turning. Have not used it yet, I got it for my new Epiphone Riviera since it is a common problem.
i was directed to use steel wool for polishing sitar frets but a guy in my area who does guitar fretwork said its not used that often on guitar frets these days because it can potentially create tiny scratches in the frets that sometimes will make noise when the string rubs on it like with bending, etc.
I was told to use pure lemon oil to hydrate or replenish the fret board, with no wax in it. That is basically what Dr. Stringfellow or other conditioners are. So, probably it is best to buy a specified fretboard conditioner to be on the safe side, versus take a chance on a polish that may have wax in it.
I know Philip is a fellow Arizona resident and if you are from Arizona it's very important to keep in mind that because of the dry climate, static electricity is very abundant in the cold dry wintery climate. For anyone not from Arizona you can as anyone from there and they will tell you there have been times the charge got so strong that the shock you get when touching someone can actually hurt. So if it hurts you can imagine what it might do to a circuit board. Generally a guitar is going to be ok but you will get that noise that Philip demonstrated more in AZ than anywhere else. Also fret sprout is common.
Great advice. 👍 One thing though: "hydrating" means moistening something with *water.* When talking about the fretboard, however, you refer to _oil,_ which will _water*proof*_ whatever you treat with it.
Master bedrooms in the US often have their own bathrooms. Leaving the door open while in the shower or after showering will increase the humidity in the bedroom. If you put the guitar in the bathroom, you will get condensation on the guitar which will cause its own problems.
If I get a jack that keeps coming loose what I do is take the jack plate off so I can get behind the jack. Take the jack retaining bolt right off the jack. Remove any spacers or washers behind the jack allowing the jack to go into the hole further. Now if there is one of the jagged washers behind it its best to leave that one so it grips and holds things to the jack plate better. But now that the jack sinks into the jack plate further you can take a second retainer bolt and screw it over the jack and tighten it against the first bolt. When the two bolts tighten together they pinch each other and often will not come loose again or not near as often :).
Phil...I have always kept my accoustic guitars in their cases when not playing them...I also use the Dadarrio humidifier system...I have never in 30 years had an accoustic guitar with damage from drying out...Especially living in Arizona it would be advised...And never leave them hanging on a wall for an extended length of time... With all due respect...donny lovette Thanks for all u do
Damn Phillip, the part about finding two sockets at a yard sale hit me deep. That's a type of poverty they don't advertise on TV. Imagine having to ask "no I don't need this whole row of 6 you're selling for $0.99. How much for just the two?" lol. My feeling is, if you don't already have a small household tool kit....don't touch anything.
I’ve been doin these things for years except for the fretboard conditioning and I’ve never had any problems with my acoustic guitars thank you Phil great video
Thanks for the static electricity solution. Noticed that my Strats and Tele will sometimes pop or crackle when I touch the pickguard or screws. I'll try a used dryer sheet. Otherwise I already follow everything else you mentioned. Thanks again!
Hello Phillip. I would just like to let you know that I learned the riff from your introduction completely by accident, and I have been playing it repeatedly at my bands practices, much to my fellow band members dismay. Said dismay has brought me nothing but laughs and good times. So thank you Phillip.
I'd add the 6th to be bridge saddles that have just changed position because of vibration. Then you've got the inevitable volume and tone controls getting wonky because of vibration, but I would have placed the number 1 problem to be an oxidized output jack. Those other problems you mention are certainly issues, but they're well known to guitar players and easily fixed.
Před 5 lety+2
Feel hugged man! This is ultra useful information and i'm glad that you made this content man
Dr, Phil, you are the PHD of guitars and I have learned a lot from you. My question is have you noticed that the frets on new guitars wear out very quickly, I have several new ones that have what I believe is excessive wear, the strings seem to last longer than the frets! And I changed them often. My older axes have little to no wear, and Fender frets last longer. Your thoughts please? Thanks, I appreciate your help.
Thanks Phil!! I have a ground hum on my Jackson and it goes away when touching any metal part in the signal like knobs or pedals. How do I trace it down ?
During the winter months in Va, it gets dry so I usually keep a baggie with holes poked in it and a damp sponge in my guitar cases. That works well for my acoustic guitars to keep them humidified. Results may vary but its better than taking my guitar into the shower with me IMO (sorry Phillip), but great video and good tips for us guitar fans...
The 10mm socket only works when the strings are off the guitar. If the nut is loose you're better off with an open end wrench, not so easy to lose too.
I love your videos, so I'm gonna ask you this question cause I'm getting really confused. I've always thought you should condition and clean your fretboard every once in a while, but recently I've been hearing from a lot of people that you don't need to do that ever, and it could possibly (over a long period of time) cause the glue binding the fretboard to the neck to come apart, or cause the frets to push out of the neck. Someone else even said the natural wood oils never leave the fretboard. I'd love to hear your thoughts on all this.
For light work, a 13mm socket will work in place of a 1/2 socket if you don't have SAE sockets. Also, Epiphone has the right idea for some of their output jacks. They are keyed so that they can't turn. That way you won't twist off the wires when you need to tighten them down.
If you really want to make sure your acoustic guitar is humidified properly all you need to do is keep it in the case with a two way humidification system. You can buy them from D’Addario or Boveda. If the air in the case is too dry it adds moisture and if it’s too moist it absorbs moisture to maintain constant humidity. When it dries out just soak it in water to re-hydrate. Typical sponge/foam humidifiers just give off excess moisture until they dry out so your instrument will see a lot of significant humidity swings (not ideal). For 20-30 bucks it’s a set it and forget it system that you don’t have to worry about.
Polish frets with an emory board. I stole that trick from your video about upgrades to a Mexican strat I think. I've used it and it worked great until my wife found out I was using her emory board. 😬
Be careful with the loc-tite stuff. 3 levels. Red blue and green. Red most aggressive then blue then green. Also fishing line put a couple times around nut makes it like a nyloc nut. Thanks for all the tips.
Granted, it's best if you don't let the jack nut come loose. HOWEVER, the wire dress was inadequate. Put a thin layer of heat shirk tubing over the wire and shrink it down. Then put a larger diameter piece of tubing over the wire and over the terminal on the jack and shrink it down. This moves the bending point outward to where the wire is stranded and to where it can bend without breaking.
Chemically speaking, _oiling_ and _hydrating_ are polar opposites. If you _oil_ your fretboard, you are DEhydrating it by hydrophobing it. Now the wood should enjoy this treatment (as should the frets, since it keeps them from corroding), but you definitely should not lump together oil and water, as they _repel_ each other.
hey phil, did you do a review of the Harley Benton electric in the vid? Can you link to it if so and also how much is the VAT on that guitar? wondering if it's worth picking up as it looks amazing in the vid!
As the 10th Doctor would say, "Well". Not every guitar manufacturer considers longevity of the frets. It's all about the bottom line, money. Though I have a wonderful playing and sounding guitar, the manufacturer decided to maximize profits and have the guitar built in Mexico. The fretwire is softer than their more expensive US made cousin. So, in conclusion, stainless steel will be the replacement frets.
I have a question. What do you think, what is the best way to store a guitar: standing, hanging or keep it horizontal ? Would hanging keep the tuning more "stable" ? (because it reverse the pulling of the strings)
I started hanging my guitars, then read that some guitar finish is affected by the rubber that touches the guitar. Yes, I know that not all rubber can interact, but then I read that finish can be affected by even the best hangers. Seems that using a black light you can see the marks where the guitar touched the rubber. Nitro darkens and yellows under UV light, making vintage blue guitars look green. The new hi-tech finish on many guitars today is dried in seconds with UV light. I worry that over time, the UV light will darken them or degrade the finish. I am also concerned that the side facing the room will be a different color than the side facing the wall. Hanging guitars on an exterior house wall is bad for the guitar. The temperature of the outside wall of your house changes significantly from night to day, and can actually cause moisture buildup on the wall and the guitar. The extra warm wall causes rapid air flow upwards behind the guitar as the cold wall is heated from the outside. Air flow means humidity is probably changing, which may cause the finish to deteriorate because of the daily hot/cold cycling. So my hangers are all empty, and I store my guitars safely in their dark cases which keep UV light out, and humidity and temperature very stable. PS ... Go to your favorite guitar store that has been in buisness for a long time, and grab a guitar off the wall. Take a look at the wall behind where the guitar hung. You can clearly see the shape of the guitar on the wall as the light blocked by the guitar preserved the original color of the paint on the wall. I’m pretty sure the guitars that hung there were negatively impacted by protecting that wall. Then again, they are nice to look at. John
I have never experienced the static electricity problem from my pickguards ever. I genuinely didn't even know this was a thing, and I've been playing for 13 years.
Could you sometime talk about the difference between hydrating and oiling your fretboard and when to do which? I don't know a lot about it, but I do know that lemon oil doesn't hydrate (it has no moisture, it's oil). If I'm not mistaken, it just prevents moisture from leaving. Maybe oiling isn't necessary at all?
I use lemon oil on my fretboards i live in a wet place so I don't have to worry about drying out but it feels amazing and the wood looks beautiful and feels brand new it does feel hydrated though I'd definitely recommend using lemon oil if you do it once you'll never look back
I find the dryer sheets and static guard are only temporary solutions, like for 10 mins maybe. A permanent solution is to cover the back of the pickguard with copper foil tape and connect the foil tape to ground. I did this on my Tele. Problem solved forever.
I've got a bunch of 10mm sockets laying around too...I just don't know where any of them are
Me too! The struggle is real, man!
Possibly 10mm sockets magically go through that same wormhole and end up in the same place in another galaxy as unmatched socks and that twenty you swore you had in your pocket yesterday...
Dang, my guitars are kinda getting out of shape with coincidentally some of these kinds of issues. Such perfect timing man! The Maestro Guitarsmith indeed
He really does a fantastic job, with cutting-out all the fluff and just delivering the Important Information. Enjoying your content Phillip. Stay Safe brother. oNe LovE from NYC
1. Loose Output Jack 00:14
2. Static charged pickguard 01:53
3. Cracked top Acoustic 02:47
4. Loose Tuning Keys 04:36
5. Worn-out frets 05:23
I put a star washer on the jack side then tighten it down. No more issues.
We call that a 'Lock Washer' in the trade. So you're definitely doing it right! 👍
These are also called "shakeproof" washers and should be on all jacks, pots and switches. Trust me, I'm a tech! :P
A tiny dab of blue loc-tite for me.
Double nut the jack works great ;)
@@karatekid951 Star washer is correct term-generic lock washer term is for the split washer that compresses flat. At least according to Hillman fasteners of which I have $120k at cost in my hardware store.
My 20 years old strat, that I bought new and have played a LOT, is in bad need of fret replacing. I asked two local luthiers about it and one said they would re-fret it with stainless steel frets that would "last forever", while the other said he would never use stainless steel as it "drastically" altered the sound of the guitar and that he and most other people didn't like the change. I've decided to get it replaced with the same frets it originally had, as I don't want to change the sound of the guitar, and if they last for another 10-20 years before needing replaced again, then I'm fine with that. I am also trying to learn to play with softer fingers and not press the frets down so hard, to minimize future wear.
Not so sure about the tone thing, but stainless steel frets are harder, literally, to work with. Some luthiers won't do them because they take longer to do and dull tools.
@@jimfromoh8944 I've not sat down and compared one to the other yet, so I can't say from experience. I'm not a tone freak, but I've heard enough people talk about the difference and how they don't like it, to think that I should not take the chance and just stick with the old style. I'm used to them and like them as they are. The durability of SS is appealing, but not if it "spoils" my guitars sound.
P.S. I've heard they are harder to work with too, and can ruin tools, but the guy offering to it in SS is charging the same as the other guy, more or less. Maybe he has stronger tools, or is willing to factor it into the price and charge a bit less over all.
I always condition my fret boards. Why? Because they look nice and feel nice. That's enough of a reason for me.
When you're used top playing on fretboards that are properly cared for and suddenly play one where the wood is all dried out, you will sure notice the huge difference.
They also do look better when conditioned, so that's a bonus.
What kind of conditioner do you recommend for rosewood?
@@jagpdc1644 I've got a small bottle of Stew Mac Fretboard Finisher that has lasted for years. It only takes a bit to clean and condition. From what I gather, bascially everything not labeled "lemon oil" is fine. Lemon Oil is largely a buzzword, which means you don't really know what you are getting with one of these products unless you look it up. I have anecdotally heard that lemon oil is bad for rosewood, although I have no experience or scientific proof to back up that claim.
@@ERWebster I was thinking of buying Dunlop 65 polisher and cleaner on my rosewood, is this fine?
@@jagpdc1644 I'm thinking no? Never used it, but it seems geared toward cleaning and polishing the body, not the fretboard. The clear coat on the body has different needs than the fretboard, unless you have a clear coated fretboard (e.g. maple). The Dunlop fretboard product mentions lemon oil, which is just a personal opinion rule of thumb for me to avoid. Maybe try MusicNomad F-One Oil Fretboard Cleaner & Conditioner, as it is widely available? PRS also has a product, and of course you can get the StewMac one as well.
Thanks. Sometimes simple maintenance can ward off complicated/expensive repairs. Show that guitar some love!
Oh where were you when I was learning this stuff the hard way. Great job as always
Good warning on the stainless strings. I wore through a set of frets on my Strat in a year using stainless strings in the 80's. Never again. Another really common thing I see all the time is loose pots. Aside from the fact that they rattle, when players turn the knobs up and down, the pot twists, and can break wires or contact things they shouldn't. I had a friend bring in his kid's guitar which was "dead". Plugged it in, sure enough, no output at all. I checked the jack first thing and it was fine, so I opened up the back. The volume pot was loose, and had been twisted so far around, it bent two of the lugs till they were touching.
Every time I restring, I check my tuning keys. More often than not, they need a little tightening. Great vid, Phil!
anti-static stuff actually works because it leaves an ever so slightly conductive layer behind. that allows charge to dissipate.
this is just speculation, but that kind of audible static effects might be the result of a slightly conductive layer in the pichguard, and the shielding foil on the inside forming a capacitor.
Hey everybody, apparently Phil has your missing 10mm socket. :D
GET HIM!
Polishing and buffing frets is a great tip Phil! I noticed a huge difference after doing this every other string change. Just a quick job, nothing too serious but it makes a whole world of difference to the longevity of the frets, and keeps the guitar feeling nice and smooth. Cheers Phil!
For the input jack repair I double nut it and have never needed to tighten it since (years) . I don't like locktight for the reason it is none conducive and can insulate the signal were it's not supposed to be causing grounding issues. The double nut has worked perfectly for me on all 6 guitars no problem.
On a Hollowbody Guitar, I put on an interior nylon washer that I Concaved on the side towards the rim (plus a lock washer), reduces the risk of splitting the rim when synching up the nut on the Output Jack.
Oh...just so everyone knows...the Daddario Humidipaks last me 6 months plus...when u keep the case closed...awesome!!!
I had an issue on my Squier Contemporary Tele last week where the base plate the jack plug is on popped out. Also the base plate it's screwed on, it's a metal dish/bowl shaped thing pushed into a hole (I fixed it by talling it back). And when I come to polishing the frets, I go over them with a dremel (I don't know the proper name for the tool) with a fabric wheel on it to give the frets a really good polish each time I re-string my guitar, which with my experience does the job better than steel wool
Hey Phillip, I bought a Bullet Guitar Jack Tightener that has a rubber tip that is inside the socket that is supposed to keep the jack from turning. Have not used it yet, I got it for my new Epiphone Riviera since it is a common problem.
rkoz55 Right? I thought we all built a restring tool box after this... czcams.com/video/ji_jGVem29w/video.html
I had one of those, Art and Lutherie acoustic guitar's. It had a cedar top and man, did it ever sound and play amazing!
i was directed to use steel wool for polishing sitar frets but a guy in my area who does guitar fretwork said its not used that often on guitar frets these days because it can potentially create tiny scratches in the frets that sometimes will make noise when the string rubs on it like with bending, etc.
I was told to use pure lemon oil to hydrate or replenish the fret board, with no wax in it. That is basically what Dr. Stringfellow or other conditioners are. So, probably it is best to buy a specified fretboard conditioner to be on the safe side, versus take a chance on a polish that may have wax in it.
I live in Vegas currently and humidity is something we don’t have. The shower idea is fantastic, never thought of that. Great advice !
I know Philip is a fellow Arizona resident and if you are from Arizona it's very important to keep in mind that because of the dry climate, static electricity is very abundant in the cold dry wintery climate. For anyone not from Arizona you can as anyone from there and they will tell you there have been times the charge got so strong that the shock you get when touching someone can actually hurt. So if it hurts you can imagine what it might do to a circuit board. Generally a guitar is going to be ok but you will get that noise that Philip demonstrated more in AZ than anywhere else. Also fret sprout is common.
Great advice. 👍
One thing though: "hydrating" means moistening something with *water.* When talking about the fretboard, however, you refer to _oil,_ which will _water*proof*_ whatever you treat with it.
@3:58 you mean bathroom not bedroom. Showering in the bedroom can cause water damage !
Sam B
Can ?
Im willing to take the risk
Master bedrooms in the US often have their own bathrooms. Leaving the door open while in the shower or after showering will increase the humidity in the bedroom. If you put the guitar in the bathroom, you will get condensation on the guitar which will cause its own problems.
Nobody:
10mm socket: want to play hide and seek for eternity?
If I get a jack that keeps coming loose what I do is take the jack plate off so I can get behind the jack. Take the jack retaining bolt right off the jack. Remove any spacers or washers behind the jack allowing the jack to go into the hole further. Now if there is one of the jagged washers behind it its best to leave that one so it grips and holds things to the jack plate better. But now that the jack sinks into the jack plate further you can take a second retainer bolt and screw it over the jack and tighten it against the first bolt. When the two bolts tighten together they pinch each other and often will not come loose again or not near as often :).
Love gettin off work and seeing a new video from you!!!
Phil...I have always kept my accoustic guitars in their cases when not playing them...I also use the Dadarrio humidifier system...I have never in 30 years had an accoustic guitar with damage from drying out...Especially living in Arizona it would be advised...And never leave them hanging on a wall for an extended length of time...
With all due respect...donny lovette
Thanks for all u do
Damn Phillip, the part about finding two sockets at a yard sale hit me deep. That's a type of poverty they don't advertise on TV. Imagine having to ask "no I don't need this whole row of 6 you're selling for $0.99. How much for just the two?" lol. My feeling is, if you don't already have a small household tool kit....don't touch anything.
Thanks!🤘
Soon enough I am gonna buy electric guitar and this will help me a lot!
What I learned from this video:
*stay on it*
I’ve been doin these things for years except for the fretboard conditioning and I’ve never had any problems with my acoustic guitars thank you Phil great video
Thanks for the static electricity solution. Noticed that my Strats and Tele will sometimes pop or crackle when I touch the pickguard or screws. I'll try a used dryer sheet. Otherwise I already follow everything else you mentioned. Thanks again!
Good tip on the input jack nut!
Those are all good tips to prevent issues.
Hello Phillip. I would just like to let you know that I learned the riff from your introduction completely by accident, and I have been playing it repeatedly at my bands practices, much to my fellow band members dismay. Said dismay has brought me nothing but laughs and good times. So thank you Phillip.
Thanks Phil Polish the frets is very important.
This video is a godsend. I have to watch it later . Putting the little one to bed. I was searching everywhere for information like this!
The static electricity tip worked for me thanks
I'd add the 6th to be bridge saddles that have just changed position because of vibration. Then you've got the inevitable volume and tone controls getting wonky because of vibration, but I would have placed the number 1 problem to be an oxidized output jack.
Those other problems you mention are certainly issues, but they're well known to guitar players and easily fixed.
Feel hugged man! This is ultra useful information and i'm glad that you made this content man
Dr, Phil, you are the PHD of guitars and I have learned a lot from you. My question is have you noticed that the frets on new guitars wear out very quickly, I have several new ones that have what I believe is excessive wear, the strings seem to last longer than the frets! And I changed them often. My older axes have little to no wear, and Fender frets last longer. Your thoughts please? Thanks, I appreciate your help.
Thanks Phil!! I have a ground hum on my Jackson and it goes away when touching any metal part in the signal like knobs or pedals. How do I trace it down ?
I set this idea as a video. Let me work on it next week
If you buy a Gibson, these issues come straight from the factory.....for a small upcharge.
During the winter months in Va, it gets dry so I usually keep a baggie with holes poked in it and a damp sponge in my guitar cases. That works well for my acoustic guitars to keep them humidified. Results may vary but its better than taking my guitar into the shower with me IMO (sorry Phillip), but great video and good tips for us guitar fans...
The 10mm socket only works when the strings are off the guitar. If the nut is loose you're better off with an open end wrench, not so easy to lose too.
Such great info! I had no idea about the static! Thank you for this!
Thanks Phill. ⚓️
Excellent! As always! Was cool getting chat with you NAMM on Saturday.
I love your videos, so I'm gonna ask you this question cause I'm getting really confused. I've always thought you should condition and clean your fretboard every once in a while, but recently I've been hearing from a lot of people that you don't need to do that ever, and it could possibly (over a long period of time) cause the glue binding the fretboard to the neck to come apart, or cause the frets to push out of the neck. Someone else even said the natural wood oils never leave the fretboard. I'd love to hear your thoughts on all this.
Phil, that Harley Benton looks killer. I bet with the type of setup that you teach people, that thing is a "slick" player.
...bye the way. My favorite fretboard treatment has been Armor All. Very lightly used. Once a year.
Never found that impossible string to break and I play .13's...lol. Awesome video anyhow!
Thanks for these videos man. I really learned a lot about guitars from you and the people you interview.
Thanks again Phil, your video's are always helpful & saved me a fortune!
Nice video, we are always open to good advice . Thank you Phillip !!!
This is best guitar channel on CZcams.
Thanks for this great information. Most appreciated.
For light work, a 13mm socket will work in place of a 1/2 socket if you don't have SAE sockets. Also, Epiphone has the right idea for some of their output jacks. They are keyed so that they can't turn. That way you won't twist off the wires when you need to tighten them down.
There's been a number of yard sales where I've seen steel strings on a classical guitar. It often results in severe damage to the guitar.
If you really want to make sure your acoustic guitar is humidified properly all you need to do is keep it in the case with a two way humidification system. You can buy them from D’Addario or Boveda. If the air in the case is too dry it adds moisture and if it’s too moist it absorbs moisture to maintain constant humidity. When it dries out just soak it in water to re-hydrate. Typical sponge/foam humidifiers just give off excess moisture until they dry out so your instrument will see a lot of significant humidity swings (not ideal). For 20-30 bucks it’s a set it and forget it system that you don’t have to worry about.
Awesome repair techniques! Thanks Phil!
Polish frets with an emory board. I stole that trick from your video about upgrades to a Mexican strat I think. I've used it and it worked great until my wife found out I was using her emory board. 😬
I tried to "stay on top of it" and while standing on my guitar, my foot went through... Help
Be careful with the loc-tite stuff. 3 levels. Red blue and green. Red most aggressive then blue then green. Also fishing line put a couple times around nut makes it like a nyloc nut. Thanks for all the tips.
Granted, it's best if you don't let the jack nut come loose. HOWEVER, the wire dress was inadequate. Put a thin layer of heat shirk tubing over the wire and shrink it down. Then put a larger diameter piece of tubing over the wire and over the terminal on the jack and shrink it down. This moves the bending point outward to where the wire is stranded and to where it can bend without breaking.
Use some 0000 steel wool on your frets and some Dunlop 65 lemonoil on the fretboard next time you change strings. It will feel like new!
Again lots of good information thanks so much
These are some very useful and practical nuggets of advice! :-) Thanks.
Also... Man, I love that "Art & Lutherie" dreadnaught!
Like to know more the acoustic guitar in the video. Liked the look, how does it sound, what wood is it's makeup?
Great information to know, as always. Thanks and best wishes, Phil.
I never thought about the static thing, im almost always wearing rubber souled boots, good to know for future reference, thanks
What level of humidity is low humidity requiring action?
cheers! I always like these type of videos... cause knowledge is power :) :) :) Rock on!!!!!
Great video, very informative!
You're the best Phil. Great video!
I used fret erasers but my frets are still there?
Thanks Phil
As always, thanks Phil, you rock!!!!
Great video ! Thanks !
Chemically speaking, _oiling_ and _hydrating_ are polar opposites. If you _oil_ your fretboard, you are DEhydrating it by hydrophobing it.
Now the wood should enjoy this treatment (as should the frets, since it keeps them from corroding), but you definitely should not lump together oil and water, as they _repel_ each other.
hey phil, did you do a review of the Harley Benton electric in the vid? Can you link to it if so and also how much is the VAT on that guitar? wondering if it's worth picking up as it looks amazing in the vid!
I have not. I bought a Ibanez AZ in Germany and paid 19% VAT, but not really sure how that works.
What if you live in a climate with high and constant humidity? We have to adjust our truss rods constantly with the change in temperature.
Nice video Phil, keep it up buddy.
As the 10th Doctor would say, "Well". Not every guitar manufacturer considers longevity of the frets. It's all about the bottom line, money. Though I have a wonderful playing and sounding guitar, the manufacturer decided to maximize profits and have the guitar built in Mexico. The fretwire is softer than their more expensive US made cousin. So, in conclusion, stainless steel will be the replacement frets.
I have a question.
What do you think, what is the best way to store a guitar: standing, hanging or keep it horizontal ?
Would hanging keep the tuning more "stable" ?
(because it reverse the pulling of the strings)
Nah in my experience it really doesn’t matter, like at all. Store the guitar however you want to
I started hanging my guitars, then read that some guitar finish is affected by the rubber that touches the guitar. Yes, I know that not all rubber can interact, but then I read that finish can be affected by even the best hangers. Seems that using a black light you can see the marks where the guitar touched the rubber. Nitro darkens and yellows under UV light, making vintage blue guitars look green. The new hi-tech finish on many guitars today is dried in seconds with UV light. I worry that over time, the UV light will darken them or degrade the finish. I am also concerned that the side facing the room will be a different color than the side facing the wall. Hanging guitars on an exterior house wall is bad for the guitar. The temperature of the outside wall of your house changes significantly from night to day, and can actually cause moisture buildup on the wall and the guitar. The extra warm wall causes rapid air flow upwards behind the guitar as the cold wall is heated from the outside. Air flow means humidity is probably changing, which may cause the finish to deteriorate because of the daily hot/cold cycling. So my hangers are all empty, and I store my guitars safely in their dark cases which keep UV light out, and humidity and temperature very stable. PS ... Go to your favorite guitar store that has been in buisness for a long time, and grab a guitar off the wall. Take a look at the wall behind where the guitar hung. You can clearly see the shape of the guitar on the wall as the light blocked by the guitar preserved the original color of the paint on the wall. I’m pretty sure the guitars that hung there were negatively impacted by protecting that wall. Then again, they are nice to look at. John
Thanks! Good Tip!
Great video mate. Are you coming to Milano? We're making a rocking 1000 concert in October!
Thank you for properly calling it an "output jack" -- NOT an INPUT (wrong) jack!
I oil my fret broads twice a year as I live in Wisconsin very dry winters
For the input jack I got the Jack Tightener but I will put a 10mm socket in my man cave for sure ;-)
I have never experienced the static electricity problem from my pickguards ever. I genuinely didn't even know this was a thing, and I've been playing for 13 years.
That acoustic is beautiful
Could you sometime talk about the difference between hydrating and oiling your fretboard and when to do which? I don't know a lot about it, but I do know that lemon oil doesn't hydrate (it has no moisture, it's oil). If I'm not mistaken, it just prevents moisture from leaving. Maybe oiling isn't necessary at all?
I use lemon oil on my fretboards i live in a wet place so I don't have to worry about drying out but it feels amazing and the wood looks beautiful and feels brand new it does feel hydrated though I'd definitely recommend using lemon oil if you do it once you'll never look back
Great video! Philip what model Harley Benton guitar were you holding? Thanks :)
Cheers Phil, useful vid, ‘know your gear’ 👍
Great video for new players!
Some sage advice..
I find the dryer sheets and static guard are only temporary solutions, like for 10 mins maybe. A permanent solution is to cover the back of the pickguard with copper foil tape and connect the foil tape to ground. I did this on my Tele. Problem solved forever.