VIDEO: How to Change Strings Like a Pro

Hi Everyone,

Here is a great, in-depth video series featuring Keith Holland demonstrating how to change strings on a guitar, hosted by our good friends over at TotallyGuitars.com

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Acoustic Guitar Crack Repair Video

Acoustic Guitar Crack Repair Video

Watch below as Keith Holland of keith Holland Guitars who services the Bay Area, San Jose, Los Gatos and San Francisco area repairs an “acoustic-guitar-crack” that has traveled along the body sides.This video highlights the need to repair an “acoustic-guitar-crack” as soon as possible. Cracks can start out as tiny little annoyances, but can quickly grow out of hand, rendering a guitar unplayable.

The sooner you can get a crack repaired, the better.  A harmless looking crack in an otherwise aesthetic area can easily spread and threaten the structural integrity of the instrument. And if that’s not enough, as time passes the exposed wood in the crack oxidizes, which means that the repair will be more noticeable the longer you wait.

For best results, Keith recommends all “acoustic-guitar-crack” problems be brought in for repair within 24 hours whenever possible.

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Cracked Acoustic Guitar Repair Video

Guitar Repair Videos Gretsch 6124 Archtop Bridge Install

Keith Holland repairs Archtop Bridge on a 60’s Gretch 6124 Archtop Vintage  Guitar.

In this video, Keith shows a Gretsch 6124 that is undergoing a restoration. When new, this 6124 originally came with an Archtop style bridge that rested on the top of the body. Somewhere in this guitar’s history it had holes drilled into the top for a Tune-O-Matic bridge to be installed.  Keith’s first step was to fill the holes with Maple dowel rod.

The next step was to shape the bottom of the bridge so that it makes a matching fit with the top of the Archtop. This is a little tricky, and Keith decided to make a video so you can see how its done in order to make a solid contact with the top.

Guitar Repair Videos Gibson EBO Truss Rod Replacement

Can a Gibson EBO Truss Rod be Replaced?
The subject of this neck-saving procedure is an amazing Early 60’s Gibson EBO Bass!….

Its not too difficult to find a guitar tech that will answer this question with a simple “no” and nothing else. For most instruments, the de’facto method of dealing with a damaged truss rod is to install a new neck. But there are some greatly cherished instruments that deserve to keep their necks. And for these lucky instruments the real answer is YES, a truss rod CAN be replaced. In this video series, we get to see what’s involved as Keith goes under the fingerboard.

Martin D28 Binding Repair

Here we reattach binding that has shrunken over time

Once back onto guitar, a gap is visible

No more gap, all done!

Compression Refret

Old Guitars without Adjustable Truss Rods really benefit from Compression Refret.

Frets off, and start to level the fretboard…

Fretboard now leveled and ready for frets…

Frets installed, neck is looking nice and straight…

Pedal Board Madness

Anyone having Pedal Board frustrations?…Check out this great article from Harmony Central…

See at:
http://www.harmony-central.com/articles/tips/guitar_effects_guide/
I have pasted an portion of the article below!…

“Most guitarists have an intuitive sense as to where basic effects should go in their signal chain. If you have two pedals, a distortion unit and a digital delay, you would naturally put the distortion before the delay (the guitar goes into the distortion, the distortion into the delay, and the delay into the amp). But the more pedals you use, the trickier it gets, and some truly bizarre gizmos—like a digital whammy pedal—might put you at a loss to explain just effects go where they do relative to others in the chain.

Additionally some processors (such as EQs and reverbs) can go in different places in the chain, depending on the desired effect. And in one very famous example, the debate is still raging about whether the wah-wah goes before or after the distortion (Hendrix put his before, though conventional wisdom says the wah should follow).

Now, you might be thinking, “Gee I know in which order the basic pedals should go, but I guess I don’t really know why. Before we discuss which categories of effects go where they do in the chain, take this pop quiz (I hear you groan) to determine your effect-ordering mettle. Order the effects below from 1 to 10, with 1 being the first effect the guitar plugs into, and 10 being the effect whose output goes into the amp. No text-messaging among yourselves for hints.

1. __ A. EQ
2. __ B. Distortion
3. __ C. Chorus/Flanger
4. __ D. Noise Gate
5. __ E. Digital Reverb
6. __ F. Volume Pedal
7. __ G. Preamp
8. __ H. Compressor
9. __ I. Delay
10.__ J. Wah-wah Pedal

Here are the answers, showing the “correct” order of the 10 effects above: 1) G, Preamp; 2) H, Compressor; 3) B, Distortion; 4) J, Wah-wah pedal; 5) C, Chorus/Flanger; 6) I, Delay; 7) A, EQ; D, Noise Gate; 9) F, Volume Pedal; 10) E, Digital Reverb. Don’t deduct any points if you had the delay before the chorus/flanger; that one’s a toss-up. Also acceptable is to put the EQ just after the compressor. And really, the EQ in any signal chain is sort of a “free space,” so it can go almost anywhere.

If you got more than four effects out of order, or if you realized in taking this quiz that you just got lucky with the placement, it may help to break the above effects into categories and then explore why certain categories come before others in a signal chain. Roughly speaking, I name the categories as follows, in the order that the guitar signal encounters them:

# Signal Conditioners
# Time-Based Effects
# Ambient Processors
# Other Effect”

Tube Amps vs. Solid State Amps

Ok, so I get this question all the time about whether Tube amps sound better solid state amps and so I thought I would invite my site site visitors to weigh on on your own experiences..Agree or Disagree? Post your comments below!…Lets here from both sides.

Solid State PRO’s:

* They usually have fabulous clean sounds, crisp and accurate almost to a fault
* They are quick and responsive
* They can take more abuse because there are very few fragile parts
* They require less maintenance
* They can be used to ‘model’ other amplifiers with the push of a button or flip of a switch

Solid State CON’s:

* They have no warmth or emotion, solid state sounds cold and sterile (compare electric drums to acoustic)
* Built in distortion is terrible all low and mid priced amps.
* Solid State amps tend to all sound the same no matter what they are, who is using it, or what guitar is plugged in.

Tube PRO’s:

* They are best known for their exceptional warmth. The longer you “warm up” a set of tubes the better your sound quality.
* They have a tone variety. Each tube amp sounds different according the specifics of the manufacturer and tube combinations.
* They have depth with fat and thick sounds that get fatter and thicker as the volume is turned up.
* They possess supreme distortion.

Tube CON’s

* Maintaining a tube amp can be costly.
* To get quality sound from a tube amp the tubes need to be pushed in volume. Can you play that loud?
* They are heavier than their solid state counterparts and costlier if you facotr in a road case to further protect

How Do You Know It’s Time for a Fret Job?

Sometimes your guitar will start playing different.

It may not be a major problem, but something is not quite right with it. Perhaps it has a small buzz or rattle. You know something does not feel right but the problem is so small it is hard to figure out just what the problem is.
Major problems should be taken to a professional guitar repairman.

Here’s a very quick rundown:

Start at your tuning keys and check to make sure they are tight. If the screws are loose or missing the tuning keys may move slightly and cause you to have problems keeping your guitar in tune.

Make sure they turn smoothly and are not too tight or too loose. You may want to replace your tuners with a better set if you are having any problems keeping your guitar in tune. You may want to turn your attention to the nut at the top of your fingerboard next. Take a look and see if the strings are sitting in the groves. They should all be about the same height and there should not be any part of the nut broken off. Sometimes a string may shift slightly out of the nut and cause a buzz or rattle when you play.

Take a look at the fingerboard and frets next. The fingerboard should not show any severe signs of wear or uneven spots. There may be some normal wear in this area but you should be fine here as long as you do not spot any extreme wear. The frets are another story as they will wear and cause you all kinds of playing problems. Look for any uneven wear or sharp edges. A fret job is really a job for a guitar repair professional and is not something the average player will want to take on.

Take a look at the bridge and see if everything looks all right. You want to check for gaps between the top of the guitar and the bottom of the bridge. Make sure you do not see any cracks in the wood and the saddle is sitting in the bridge straight. Once again if you need the bridge worked on it is usually best to leave this to a pro.

Tuning and Tone Tip: Check Your Tuners and Bridge Parts

Did you know that one of the fastest ways to improve tone and tuning issues is with an upgrade to quality tuners and bridge?…

I have so many customers who complain about tuning problems and alot of times it has to do with the cheap tuners instaqlled from the factory.  Also, I see alot of problems with the bridge saddles ebing spaced incorrectly causing undo strain on the strings.

If your having problems with tuning or playability Tuners and Bridges are a great place to upgrade!…Questions about these parts please post!.

Keith.