Pro Guitar Tech's Most Hated Things (and how to fix them)

I can't help but hear Billy Bob Thorton when he talks.

I'm happy the shop I bought my guitar, the guy working showed me all these things. To care for the fretboard. He told me and I knew but later on I learned it was pretty special to have a guitar plus knowledge how to care for it.

What I learned is: pull back one fret, 1 over, the rest under. It locks 'm very good and with just 1 over it doesn't overlap it just goes under the hole via the back.

Can anyone really see a few thousands of an inch in relief with the naked eye? I've always thought yes, if your eyes are REALLY good, but he's right, the visual mirage looking down the edge of the neck makes it almost impossible to truly see the reality you think you're seeing.

Where has this been all my life? Seriously! Thanks.

What kind of oil was that? I don't think he said.

I’m so pleased he said looking down the frets doesn’t work. I always struggled to see it and figured I just didn’t have an eye for it.

Great to listen to that absolute accurate summary 😮😮😮😊

SORRY no way you are stringing my guitars with a power drill. Not a chance

I would love to visit this guitar store and have this Technician set up my guitar, because he knows what he is talking about...

Mon Dieu! Informationsl vertigo.. Bravo!

I hate that "gibson knot". I use the over under method. Locks the string in and its easy to come off too

It's not true that electric guitar intonation always looks the same. Or looks similar.
I've always noticed that they usually do look very similar, but they don't always.

I’ve been playing for 45 years and tinkering/building acoustics for 15 and even I learned some valuable things!

PS: I had one of those lawsuit Takamine at one time but sadly it’s no longer with us due to neglect - which is what motivated me to start tinkering on my guitars more smartly. I wish I’d seen this video 10 years ago!

Great Stuff. Thanks.

The whole thing was great.

LOL. Ok👎 Click...off.

Top notch Tips!

I've been playing 40+ years, wish I'd known that pull the string back one fret to get the right amount of turns when restringing.

After I cut the ends off. Or actually before I cut the ends off I point / angle the string downward so that it doesn't snag and ruin the insides of cases or gig bags . So that you don't get cut or hurt if you run your hand across the headstock. Sometimes I'll use a string winder or the string cut off to do that with. Why people still don't do this is beyond me. I only do the Gibson knot on the Non-Wound strings and point the cut off tips down. When taking old strings off I never cut them off. I wind them back up similar to how they came out of the pack and i save them for other types of projects and temporary Luthier usages etc. That and you never know when you might need to stangle someone with an E string.

Holy Mind Blowing Info Batman! Thank you for the video, and big thanks to Ben for the concise and super useful information! Dispelling a ton of bad info here. So happy I can stop doing that stupid knot.

Great video, one comment. Sounded like he said 5 thousandths, then said .05. Should be .005

Amazing video. Thanks, guys!

String order 342516 pulls from center of neck

“This does nothing for you”
Became
“It’s less accurate”
Real dang fast

That sighting the neck comment is dumb, ur doing it backwards

Dude sounds like Billy Bob Thornton

Guy has knowledge!!!!

Don't forget for acoustic guitars use unslotted pins and slot the bridge for overall better sustain and tone!

"I hate restringing guitars!"
Proceeds to put on a string in approximately 4 seconds

Anyone who hates the knot trick usually fails to understand the knot trick. Three winds all parallel to eachother, as opposed to perpendicular as achieved with the knot trick, click out of tune by larger increments as the strings stretch on that post. Also the break angle is more than 90° on the important side, also fixed with knot trick. Sure, strings won’t come off as easy, but he’s doing 20 a day at a store so it bugs him. On the road you do what works best.

** no guitar in standard tuning intonates differently***

That was unbelievably informative. Thanks so much for the video!

This guy knows his business, always a pleasure to learn from a master.

gaving a setup on my guitar while watching this video and now she plays like a dream ( am only playing for one year and the difference is big this is not the first time i set it up ) thanks a lot!

71 and still learning.
Thankyou

I knew the feeler gauges were coming out. As Steve Martin would say, "This guy's good." Personal Quantum Leap watching this. Hand me that Allen Key

What I learned is every Guitar tech and luthier has their little pet peeves and likings . Most like the luthiers knot and there are few that are not very fond of them. What I learned is don’t take one persons would for something but apply what you like from different sources.

Nice vid.

So how do you intonate that acoustic without an adjustable bridge?

one fret space good trick

Lol there is noting wrong with the gibson wrap. Dude is a very baby

Thanks for your opinion!

Good stuff. A lot of people don’t think about things like oil softening the wood around the frets if you leave it soaking.
And I only “eyeball” a neck for gross evaluation (binding does follow the neck) final tweak always requires measurement or it’s just an approximation I did learn a couple new things, thanks! I’m going to try that intonation approach.
I will observe, the approach to changing strings for someone who does it so often he uses power drills to wind them, isn’t necessary or even ideal for someone without those volume skills need for time savings. I assume that’s why he “doesn’t like Gibson knots” as he never clarified a negative reason for them…he just doesn’t like them. I get it, they ain’t necessarily pretty, but they are rock solid. He also did not specify a single reason why I should stop using them, I was taught them by a luthier that blah blah blah (insert multiple famous names for legitimacy) who also taught me to change the strings one at a time so as to not completely relax the tension on the neck and soundboard. So I don’t unless I have a specific need to have them all off.

Gfy Rhett. I'll string my guitars any way I please.

I allways look at the neck, measure it, look again, measure and so on. I just can't help it lol

As an older person I have heard all the nonsense about fitting strings and then some. 20 year ago guitar techs were preaching the least amount of winds the better. The Luthiers knot has served well enough for a couple of centuries can't think how it became a bad thing.