So, what do you do when you get an instrument in this condition: The owner doesn’t wish to spend too much, is quite alright with however it looks, but wishes for it to play correct? For the record, it was a well-loved Fender (FA)100, one that had managed to gather some dust as well. Besides […]
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When fret buzz is not a relief issue!
We all know what fret buzz is but many times it is caused by a raised fretwire. It isn’t as if the fretwire is ready to pop out of its slot but just that its end (usually, either) leaves the slot and rises – just a hair, and that is enough to give rise to […]
Spotting a problem early saves you heartache & big bucks!
This Washburn was in recently for a set-up and the owner wanted to get the action reduced a bit (and the headstock photograph is the ‘after’ shot. Forgot to take a ‘before’ shot!!!) The action was high. At the first fret, on the bass side, it was more than 0.035″! How do you measure with […]
Fender: A set-up, some touch-up and all’s well with the world!
Stylistic elements are great brand identifiers. Take the Gibson headstock. You can recognise a Gibson headstock from miles off, but there’s something about it that makes it snap exactly at the point where the headstock meets the neck. Yet, Gibson refuses to modify the design or incorporate something in the area that would prevent its […]
What does a good guitar set-up do?
When you buy a readymade shirt, it is quite possible that the sleeves are slightly short, or slightly long, the collar is tight or loose, or overall shirt length is a little too much, or a little less. However, when a tailor stitches your shirt, such problems can almost never occur because the tailor stitches […]
Maintenance of your guitar is imperative. Find the checklist here!
If you wish to use/enjoy something for long, then regular maintenance becomes a must. And if that statement is true, why should (acoustic) guitars be any different? With regular maintenance you will realise that an average guitar can perform well for longer, and a high-end instrument will last you a lifetime and more. Sadly, in all […]
Giving a ‘first love’ some TLC!
First loves are special. You may find other loves along the way but you rarely, if ever, forget your first love. (Acoustic) Guitars are much the same! No matter how many guitars you buy over the years, your first guitar will always hold a special place. One such special guitar came to me for some TLC. […]
This acoustic has much bigger issues ahead!
I have mentioned this before but I will say it again. When you bring your acoustic guitar to me, of course, I will listen to the complaint that you have, but I will also assess the instrument on my own, to find if there are other faults in it, which may become a bigger problem […]
Where did I go wrong?
About 15 years ago, when I lost a beloved 12-string guitar because its bridge was lifting and I knew of no one who could repair it, and also didn’t know that it COULD be repaired, I took it upon my self to learn how to repair acoustic guitars. The ‘workshop’ that you see today, as […]
There are ghosts…even in guitars!
This guitar came to me with the complaint that the ‘e’ string (and probably the ‘B’ string) was buzzing around the 13th, 14th fret. I thought this one would be quick and dirty and that is where I usually go wrong: when I start thinking. Anyway, since the instrument had been left with me, I […]
This Ashton 12-strings’ problem was its manufacturer!
Sometimes, the most innocuous of tasks can be a real pain in the butt, making you really sweat and hyperventilate. Take this 12-string guitar for example. It came to me for a bone nut and saddle, new strings and a set-up. Nothing more than a couple of hours’ job. But… Though a laminate, it wasn’t […]
Beware! Dry weather can do this to your guitar too!
A few months back I had worked on a CF Martin guitar. https://lkoguitargarage.com/?s=martin&submit=Search It came back to me sometime back with this Around the same time (from a couple of weeks before to a couple of weeks after this one returned to me), I received umpteen number of calls from clients and those that knew […]
Sorting out a host of problems in this Techno
Another one of those instruments that was stood up in a corner and forgotten about (I’m guessing)! It had a host of issues to be dealt with. FREE ADVICE: Whenever you know that you will not be playing your instrument for the next three weeks or more, tune down your acoustic guitar half a step. […]
Getting this Hertz humming at the right frequency!
CAUTION: This post is a rant. Those not wishing to suffer it, stay away! Some time back, this Hertz came to me with a lot of small problems. To be fair, it was not a badly built instrument even though it was a laminate. The nut slots were shot – much deeper than you would […]
Another Cort, more intonation issues!
Two in two weeks! Two Corts, different models, same problem, same owner! Fancy that! So, this week I have for you this The owner told me about the intonation problem and again I looked straight at the saddle. That seemed fine, as did the nut, though regular wear and tear had caused the strings to […]
This Cort petite wonder with giant intonation problems!
I have seen enough Cort guitars to be convinced that the company employs interior designers rather than luthiers to build their instruments! The instruments are extremely high on aesthetics and visual appeal, and by comparison, very average, when it comes to performance. Take a look at some of the appointments on this little body guitar […]
Negligible fretwire munch, massive fretboard munch!
This pretty Cort electric landed on my counter recently. It was a lovely flamed-maple top, painted aquamarine. If that wasn’t enough, someone had painted an exquisitely detailed dragon on it in acrylic paint, raising the prettiness quotient many times over. That being said, it is also true that in the face of such efforts, deep-cleaning […]
(What is that symbol? Infinity? Ex?) A little help in the nick of time!
Just a quick one this week to keep your mind off everything going on around us – for a little while at least! I have often made my distaste apparent about locally made instruments selling in the range of Rs 3.5 – 5.5K. However, I have also said that there are exceptions to my generalisation. […]
This pickguard – genius, or, what was I thinking?
So, I had this young man come in, wanting me to take a look at his guitar, if everything was alright. It was a pretty looking (though dusty) Hertz with many aesthetic appointments. For one, the back on the instrument had some very pretty, figured rosewood type wood on the outside. The heel cap, too, […]
Tanglewood gets its initial set-up!
Another opportunity for me to impress upon you the need for an initial set-up on a new acoustic guitar. Of course, one can always get a set-up done a few years down the line too, but by then string tension would have changed a lot of the instrument’s geometry, and you may not get the […]
Pain in the neck – SORTED!!!
I am not a great fan of scribbling or drawing on one’s instrument. Stickers? Totally sacrilegious! But that’s my opinion. That said, every once in a while, incidents happen, or one comes across things that put one’s beliefs and theories in perspective. It happened to me when this guitar came to me recently. Hand-painted, it […]
The season to take care of your acoustic is here!
I’d love to tell you that the way this guitar (a Fender CD-60) looks is because of me but I would be lying. These are the before pictures, for there are people who don’t just play the instrument but keep it squeaky clean too. This is a return customer and even on his first visit […]
Think you could survive a broken neck? This Cort did!
As I have described on the ‘Home’ page and ‘About’ page of this blog, the effort of the Lucknow Guitar Garage – the workshop and the blog – is to try and help out people (guitar owners) who are in the same position as I once was, and to spread awareness about the instrument and […]
This Strat Obey Dissent in for a manicure!
Yeah! I finally took the plunge into electrics – in a manner of speaking! This one came in with many divots on many fretwires – but most especially on every fretwire along where the ‘B’ string would hit them. The owner, a professional musician, all but cried relating his tales of woe, each time he […]
Soldering a piezo in place, bone elements, some of this & some of that!
It’s raining Cort guitars, here! This is the third one in as many weeks! This MR500E OP from Cort made me smile while also making me raise an eyebrow. The owner was a schoolkid, and like all ‘good’ boys, (seemingly) loves to tinker with things. His guitar was no exception. More on that story later, […]