kev Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 :::-- Please note no discussion of homemade Fuzz factory pedals of any kind on the board please --:: the kit and tab faq Before making a post We have a real problem with duplicate threads! Please first check here to see if your question is answered (it probably is) if not please use search to check if it's been made before (title only gets good results). If using our search isn't successful consider using google search of kit and tab and also check musewiki. This thread should have the answers to many queries. it is divided into 6 sections muse songs muse gear muse effects non-muse related how to set up a guitar - part 1 how to set up a guitar - part 2 if you are wanting to post about a particular song always search to see if a thread on the song is already there. if you're in any doubt about anything please pm me here are some links to the most common threads (likely to be expanded in future pm me if i've missed one) General discussion on anything kit and tab related Fuzz Factory thread Manson guitars and equipment General luthiery thread Effects Settings resouce plug your band and mp3 what order should my effects pedals go in recommend a guitar for a beginner post pics of your gear selling stuff post here kaoss pad thread tab request thread muse cover thread Many thanks to the people who contributed the information here. Britrock, Hypermuse, Dalton, skanky, biblical, Mellomeh, Daniel, Pluk, haze015, Idolemon, hyper_music, Dark0rator and Samcoma Additions,suggestions or corrections are welcomed and appreciated. PM me or james90 if you have any ideas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev Posted March 8, 2004 Author Share Posted March 8, 2004 Muse Songs How did matt play (insert song) at (insert gig)? please with this type of question where ever possible provide a link so other users can hear it, failing this please provide information on where you heard it, otherwise its unlikely to get results. Where can I get muse tabs? You can get them via buying the Muse tab books (links provided) or by looking at some tabs created by users from various sites. Showbiz Origin of symmetry Hullabaloo Absolution Black holes and revelations Good sites for tablature: http://www.musewiki.org - text tabs http://www.drumscore.com/scores/muse/muse.html - drum tabs http://www.ultimate-guitar.com - guitar pro and text tabs New to guitarpro?? its a piece of software for tabbing a song. visit their website Something isn't quite right with the microcuts tab in the tab book yeah? there's a mistake, to play microcuts you should tune your guitar to drop d. How do you play citizen erased? this was originally recorded on a 6 string (silver manson) with the low e tuned down to an A live this is performed on the 7 string manson tuned (low to high) AADDGBE the intro riff is played with natural harmonics (new to harmonics? read a guide here) tab for main riff is e|------------------------------------------ b|------------------------------------------ G|------------------------------------------ D|------------------------------------------ A|-----H2.5-0-H2.5--H2.5-0-H2.5-H2.5-0-H2.5- A|-0-0-------------------------------------- e|------------------------------------------ b|------------------------------------------ G|------------------------------------------ D|------------------------------------------ A|-----H3.2-0-H3.2--H3.2-0-H3.2-H3.2-0-H3.2- A|-0-0-------------------------------------- where H2.5 is a natural harmonic played on in between the 2nd and 3rd fret and H3.2 is a natural harmonic played just after the 3rd fret Piano thing - what is it and is there a tab? piano thing is an improvised solo piano piece by matt bellamy it appears on the b-side to the new born. A transcription of this can be found at: http://www.microcuts.net/uk/tabs There seems to be something fishy about the in your world tuning? the hullabaloo tab book is not a mistake or a misprint. for playing in your world correctly you tune your d string up a tone to e. How does one play the outro to the hullabaloo live version of sunburn? then outro (thanks to idolmon from the muse-official board for it) with whammy up 2 octaves G-16-13------------------------13-16-13-16-13-------- D-------15-12-----------12-15------------------15-12- A-------------14-11-14------------------------------- G-15-12------------------------12-15-12-15-12-------- D-------14-11-----------11-14------------------14-11- A-------------13-10-13------------------------------- continue moving the riff chromatically down until G-9-6-------------------6-9-6-9-6-9-6-9rrrrrrrr\\\\ D------8-5---------5-8------------------------------ A-----------7-4-7----------------------------------- In the tab book it has the ruled by secrecy verse as just repeats but it clearly is different the second play through? the tab book lazily didnt transcribe the change. lucky for you a user of the screen name Mellomeh has done. click here for a jpg of the sheet music. (be aware these image is large - if it looks smaller and shit its probably because you're browser has auto shrunk them) any questions on this tab email Mellomeh at mellomeh@hotmail.com you can also see a larger bitmap of this tab at http://www.ruledbysecrecy.tk How does one play the outro to stockholm syndrome live? Aiden tabs it as: A|---------------------6-6 D|-0-3-0-5-0-3-0-0-3-0-6-6 D|-0-3-0-5-0-3-0-2.5h-2.5h-0-2.5h-2.5h which is generally right altho matt is prone to improvising bits and bobs so this tab should be used as a loose guide Which muse songs are played with a capo? Thoughts of a Dying Atheist - 10th fret Sing For Absolution (Live) - 2nd fret Whats the best muse songs for a beginner? the vast majority of people on this forum would recommend either hyper condriac music or unintended. the majority is wrong. host is the perfect beginner piece nice easy chords and some nice easy power chords. hyper condriac music and unintended are both nice easy pieces (by muse standards) so both would also be good for beginners. plug-in baby is also quite often recommended but it isn't advisable if you are very new to guitar as you need a strong fourth finger to play well so the tendancy is for beginners to try play it with three fingers this can lead to pretty poor technique so if you're trying plug in baby try to use all four fingers on the main riff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev Posted March 8, 2004 Author Share Posted March 8, 2004 Muse gear How can i find out about muse gear? http://www.musewiki.org/gear is a great resource for information and probably has more than has been posted here What guitars does Matt play? Matt famously uses a number of custom guitars made by Hugh Manson and Tim Stark. This is the 2011 list of them. Silver/Delorean - Retired • Body: Poplar (aluminum finish) • Neck: Birds-eye maple • Fretboard: Rosewood • Neck Pickup: Seymour Duncan Hot P90 • Bridge Pickup: Kent Armstrong Motherbucker • Effects/special circuits: Fuzz factory, Phase 90 • Graptech Ghost Acoustic saddles • Roland GK3 Midi pick up • Toggle Kill switch 7 String E guitar • Body: Unknown (chambered) • Fretboard: Rosewood • Pickups: Custom 7-string Kent Armstrong Blackie/Black Ed/007 • Body: Mahogany (matt black finish) • Neck: Birds-eye maple • Fretboard: Rosewood • Neck pickup: Seymour Duncan Hot P90 • Bridge pickup: Custom BKP Mississippi Queen • Fernandes Sustainer • Effects/special circuits: Fuzz factory, Phase 90, Wah Probe • Midi strip (taken from a keyboard) • Toggle Kill switch • Blue LEDs on side of neck Laser/Lazer - Retired • Body: Poplar (cracked mirror finish) • Neck: Birds-eye maple • Fretboard: Rosewood • Neck Pickup: Rio Grande Bastard • Bridge Pickup: Bare Knuckle Nailbomb (used to be Rio Grande Crunchbox) • Effects/Special circuits : Fuzz factory, Phase 90 • Lasers • Toggle Kill switch Bomber - Retired • Body: ??? (chrome finish with blue/purple) • Neck: Birds-eye maple • Fretboard: Rosewood • Neck Pickup: Rio Grande Jazzbar • Bridge Pickup: BKP Nailbomb (used to be Rio Grande Crunchbox) • Ibanez Lo pro floyd • Special circuit : Midi strip • Toggle Kill switch Mirror • Body: Mahogany (full mirror finish) • Neck: Birds-eye maple • Fretboard: Rosewood • Neck Pickup: Bare Knuckle Mississippi Queen P90 • Bridge Pickup: Bare Knuckle Mississippi Queen P90 • Special circuit: Fuzz factory, Phase 90 • Toggle kill switch Chrome Bomber • Body: ??? (chrome finish) • Neck: birds-eye maple • Fretboard: rosewood • Neck pickup: BKP P90 • Bridge pickup: BKP Nailbomb • Special circuit: Zvex fuzz factory • Ibanez Lo pro Floyd Kaoss/Invincible/M1D1 black • Body: ??? (matt black finish) • Neck: Birds-eye maple • Fretboard: Rosewood • Neck pickup: Fernandes Sustainer • Bridge Pickup(s): Pair of Bare Knuckle P90s • Special circuits: X&Y pad fitted along with a hold switch to control various midi supplements. M1D1 - Deceased • Body: Mahogany (cracked mirror top) • Neck: Birds-eye maple • Fretboard: rosewood • Neck pickup: Fernandes Humbucker Sustainer • Bridge pickup: Bare Knuckle Nailbomb • Special circuits: X&Y pad fitted along with a hold switch to control various midi supplements. • Toggle Kill switch New Delorean/Ali Top • Body: ??? (aluminum top with painted back) • Neck: birds-eye maple • Fretboard: Rosewood • Neck pickup: Bare Knuckle custom Mississippi Queen P90 • Bridge pickup: Bare Knuckle custom Mississippi Queen P90 • Ibanez Lo Pro Floyd Glitterati/Santa/Red Glitter - deceased • Body: Ash (red glitter finish) • Neck: Birds-eye maple • Fretboard: Rosewood • Neck Pickup: Fernandes Single Coil Sustainer • Bridge Pickup: Manson Custom Wound Bare Knuckle Nailbomb • Special circuits: X&Y pad fitted along with a hold switch to control various midi supplements. Seattle/Auto/Black MIDI • Body: ??? (Matt black finish) • Neck: Birds-eye maple • Fretboard: Rosewood • Neck Pickup: Fernandes Single Coil Sustainer • Bridge Pickup: Bare Knuckle Nailbomb • Special circuits/mods: X&Y pad fitted along with a hold switch to control various midi supplements. • Also features an automatic tuning system. Mirror X-Y • Body: Ash (mirror finish) • Neck: Birds-eye maple • Fretboard: Rosewood • Neck Pickup: Fernandes single coil sustainer • Bridge Pickup(s): Pair of Bare Knuckle P90s • Special circuits/mods: X&Y pad fitted along with a hold switch to control various midi supplements. • Push button kill switch Double Neck/Casinocaster • Body: ??? (mirror top with painted back) • Necks: birds-eye maple • Fretboards: top neck is fretless ebony, bottom is standard fretted rosewood • Bridge pickups: Bare Knuckle custom P90s • Neck pickups: Fernandes sustainers MB-1 Red Glitter • Body: Alder (red glitter finish) • Neck: Birds-eye maple • Fretboard: rosewood • Neck Pickup: Fernandes sustainer • Bridge pickup: Manson/Bare Knuckle MBK-2 • Special circuits/mods: X&Y pad fitted along with a hold switch to control various midi supplements. Santa 2.0/New Red Glitter • Body: ??? (red glitter finish) • Neck: Birds-eye maple • Fretboard: rosewood • Neck Pickup: Fernandes sustainer • Bridge pickup: Manson/Bare Knuckle MBK-2 • Special circuits/mods: X&Y pad fitted along with a hold switch to control various midi supplements. Was the black manson stolen? No, no, no, no, no, no. While on the b&h single dvd it is seen that matt throws the guitar in a bin during the american tour and someone takes it, the manson did find its way back to matt and was seen in use on stage 2 days after that event and is indeed still used. Whats the seventh manson/rust relic? The Rust Relic is a guitar mansons built for matt bellamy at the same time of the mirror manson which he chose not to purchase so it was sold to the public (the owner posts here now and again) There are 2 non-mansons used in hullabaloo what guitars are they? • Ibanez destroyer in red/yellow sunburst (usually used for smashing or throwing away to the crowd) • Fender aloha stratocaster - Custom guitar made for Freddie Tavares (Hawaiian guitarist who played an important role in designing the stratocaster) made in 1995 by the fender custom shop one of only 153. has an aluminium body. They go for about £5000 but Matt bought his one for a few hundreds What guitars has matt regularly used in the past? • Parker Fly (Most likely a deluxe) • Peavey Wolfgang (possibly two of these) • Gibson Les Paul Standard DC Lite • Emex Londaxe • Gibson SG x2 (One SG-X with a mirror front, and one custom shop '61 reissue) • Yamaha Pacifica 120SD What guitar was matt using in the video for.... • New born? a black telecaster. (unknown make) • Plug-in baby? a Jay Turser resonator • Uno? Emex Londaxe • note: neither the black telecaster or the resonator have been known to have been used live, it is likely these were just borrowed as props for the video. Whats the guitar chris uses for unintended on hullabaloo? Chris uses a Danelectro 59-DC (its unclear whether this is an original or a re-issue) and a Roland PK-5 Dynamic Midi Pedal. What amps does matt use? As of 2010: • Diezel VH4 • Marshall 1959 HW • Vox AC30 head • Mills Acoustics 4x12 • Dickinson MK II 2x12 combo (loaded with monitor speakers - used on stage for feedback) He supposedly uses an Egnater M4, but it is unknown whether this is used live or not. In the past Matt has also used the following: Fender Hotrod Deville 4x10 combo Marshall JCM 2000 DSL50 head and 4x12 cab (orange crunch edition). He apparently has two sets of these. Soldano Decatone head and 4x12 cab Orange AD30 head Matchless DC30 combo He also used a Marshall mode four 4x12 cabinet with his Diezel on the absolution tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev Posted March 8, 2004 Author Share Posted March 8, 2004 Muse gear (continued) What does Matt have in his rack mount? Absolution period • Line 6 POD XT Pro • Line 6 POD Pro • Line 6 Echo Pro (recording only) • Line 6 Mod Pro Black Holes and Revelations • TC Electronic TC2990 Delay Rack Unit • Shure UR 4D four-way wireless system • Skrydstrup AS 4 amp switcher • Muse Research Receptor • ETA Systems PD11 Power Conditioner • Line 6 Echo Pro (recording only) • Nord Modulator G2 Rack Unit (Map of the Problematique only) • Some other undisclosed ones. Most likely a Harmonizer Unit These are controlled by a Rocktron all access midi controller, which controls the racks, amps and other effects. There are several of these which are controlled sound techs. Matt also has two Ernie Ball volume expression pedals one used to control the Whammy pedal and one as a standard volume pedal. What is the shiny amp on stage behind Matt? Dickinson MK II 2x12 combo amp - it's only used as a monitor for feedback. Whats the white light pad on some of Matts guitar, is it a Kaoss pad? The white pad is an X-Y pad thats used to control the Kaoss Pad KP2 which is used for various soft synths. The pad itself is not an effects device it requires the KP2 to generate the sounds. What plectrum does matt use? He uses a dunlop tortex .73mm (the yellow ones) with the Muse logo printed on them What strings does matt use? Ernie Ball string gauges: .010, .013, .017, .026, .036, .060 (7-string: .010-.080) Muse effects How do i get a sound like the one used in <insert song> a guide to user posted settings which should get the sounds similar to what muse used can be found in this thread a very interesting article on how muse recorded absolution can be found here What effect did matt use for the solo of ... sunburn? digitech whammy reissue 2 octaves up muscle museum? voice (see below) sober? digitech whammy reissue 1 octave up(solo1) meatball envelope filter (solo2) escape? wah pedal hate this and i'll love you? slide guitar new born? digitech whammy reissue 1 octave up citizen erased? Zvex fuzz factory Darkshines? trumpet effect from roland midi synth Dead Star? digitech whammy reissue 1 octave up (switching it on and off repeatedly) and Zvex fuzz factory Sing For Absolution? compressed wah sound from a Foxx Time Machine (60s fuzz wah pedal) going into a stereo delay sending to two different amps. Invincible? whammy up 2 octaves for the taps Supermassive Black Hole (HAARP)? combination of fuzz factory and diezel amp distortion What effect did matt use for the verse of dead star? Matt played this through Chris' big muff and bass amp. he also used his dl4 probably set to 1 repeat. Whats those strange noises at the start of in your world on hullabaloo? this effect is matt using his midi strip on his black manson to control a digitech whammy pedal. he's basically just pissing about pitchshifting. Whats the sounds of the solo for musclemuseum this solo is done by matt singing into his marshall amp that has the gain set high. live this sound is achieved by matt singing into a line 6 pod most likely set to emulate the sounds of the marshall used in the studio. What effect did chris use for plug-in baby? this was done with a boss octave pedal an envelope filter and a fuzz pedal. What effect did chris use for hysteria? Chris's sound is achieved by playing through 2 big muffs. How effect did chris use for TIRO? From bass guitar magazine issue 18 interview with chris (kindly provided by amj) How did you get the bass sound on that track(TIRO)? It's a bit of a cheat really! Your secret is safe with me.. We tried for ages to get the right bass sound. Some of the things we tried were quite ridiculous. We tried flangers, acoustic basses, dubbing with phasers, you name it, but it still wasn't happening. One day Matt was fooling around with a JP 8000 synth and started getting this portamento vibe going (mimes track intro). So we recorded that and I put down a horrendously subby bassline using the pedulla and when we put them together it made a weird, buzzy,disgusting kinda noise and that's what we used. What do you do about that live? I play the line over the top of a synth backing track. What settings does matt have for his fuzz factory?? For songs like New Born and Bliss its best to set the Stab all the way, Drive no higher than 12:00, hardly any Comp and if you really can't stand a bit of hiss use the Gate. For CE its best to have lots of Fuzz, this is a setting I like to use for CE and Muscle Museum Stab - 5:00 Drive - 5:00 Comp - 7:00 Gate - Far enough to get rid of the hissing. thanks to haze015 for these settings. What settings does matt have for his line6 dl4?? a common setting of matts is known to be: (o' clock scale) model: multihead model delay time 1 o'clock repeats 2 o'clock tweak 2 o'clock tweez about 3 o'clock mix 1 o'clock thanks to daniel for these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev Posted March 8, 2004 Author Share Posted March 8, 2004 Non muse related Does anyone have tabs for (insert song) by (insert band)? please try not to post this type of question if you dont have a link where users can hear the piece of music. please also keep conversations about tab if you wish to discuss the band you can do this in the other bands section of the forum When i post tabs they come out looking crap, help? if you're tab looks fine in notepad you will want to change the font here to be the same as notepad (the default for notepad is Lucida Console) also adding code tags is known to work (for help on this see the message board faq) What guitars are good for a beginner who wants to play muse? Ideally you want a guitar with a humbucker, these guitars are worth a look at Yamaha Pacifica, the cheaper ibanez models, or some of the humbucker equipped squiers. What are good websites for buying gear? http://www.gak.co.uk http://www.mansons.co.uk http://www.wdmusicproducts.co.uk (supplier of kent armstrong pickups and various guitar components) What sound does a certain effects pedal make?? try this website for answers I need help understanding tablature/i wish to learn what terms mean/i want to learn new techniques?? http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/ I want to upgrade my guitar in some way and would like assistance? a good resource for info on this http://www.projectguitar.com Is this the right section of the board to post pictures of hot girls no. but maybe if they're holding a guitar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFaction Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 If you see your guitar or bass playing as an art, then this is for you. Ill try not to be too long winded and still give easy descriptive answers to a lot of questions I've heard here. Ill cover: setting intonation how to adjust a truss rod proper pickup height and adjustment cleaning your instrument cleaning electronics stringing your instrument I hope this post doesnt get lost, and that it helps a lot of you in your search of better playability and tone. Section 1 adjusting your Truss rod http://www.athensmusician.net/media/gene_necks1.gif #1. PART ONE---Start by sighting down the length of the neck to see how straight it is. Some players prefer a straight neck and some prefer "relief" or a slight bowing upwards of the neck. No one prefers "warp" or a bowing downward of the neck. Most guitars are set up at the factory with a mild amount of relief to acommodate a lower action without fret rattle. If the neck is bowed upwards beyond normal relief, the symptoms are: a concave neck (mid neck is the low spot): the string tension has pulled the headstock upwards beyond "straight" causing the action to become higher. Often the action becomes too high to compensate by adjusting (lowering) the bridge height. #2. Now decide if you are still happy with the string gauge and string height. Warm temperatures make strings seem more slinky and if you bang hard on them there will be excessive fret rattle. Just by using the next heavier gauge of string set you can improve stability and tone, but you'll probably need to adjust the truss rod to maintain neck straightness. #3. Tighten the neck to body anchor screws (please use the correct size screw driver and don't mess up the slots by over twisting). Now check to see if the strings are still centered down the length of the neck. If not, loosen, straighten, re-tighten. #4. Tuners that feel smooth and easy to turn are real nice but they are easily bumped and vibrated out of tune. If the tuners have an adjusting screw (on the end of the tuning button) you can tighten it slightly to impove stability. The tuners will be harder to turn so don't over do it. #5. With the old strings still on the guitar it is now time to do the initial truss rod adjustment. Some axes require neck removal to adjust the truss rod. See part 2 for these type necks. If you don't want to mess with the truss rod adjustment please go to part three at the end of this page. #6. Loosen whichever two strings are in the way of the truss rod access hole. Lift the offending strings out of their slot in the nut and move them out of the way. Usually they can be slipped into the next slot over, on top of another string. #7. Find the correct size allen key or hex drive for the truss rod adjustment screw. Please be careful not to damage any wood or paint. #8. If the neck is bowed upward you should tighten the truss rod only one eighth of a turn. If the neck is bowed downward you should loosen the truss rod only one eighth of a turn. Now put the two loosened strings back in their slot and re-tune your axe to standard pitch. Sight down the neck to verify that it has become straight. #9. The neck should have straightened out at least some. If you use light gauge strings this small adjustment might be all you need. Heavier gauge strings may require another one eighth turn of the truss rod. Don't adjust the truss rod more than one quarter turn, and wait at least a few days before deciding if it should be re-adjusted (unless you already over adjusted, in which case you should correct it immediately). #10. PART TWO----If you must remove the neck to adjust the truss rod (this happens on many Bolt-Neck guitars like fenders) it is a good idea to plan ahead so you'll need to remove it only once. The strings will need to be replaced at this point on most guitars, so it's important to get it right the first time. #11. After removing the strings, detach the neck and tighten the truss rod adjuster one quarter turn if the neck was bowed upwards. If the neck was bowed downwards loosen the truss rod adjuster one quarter turn. #12. Are you planning to switch to a heavier gauge string set? If so you should add one eighth of a turn on the truss rod (these adjustments can vary in the effect they have. If the neck was only slightly bowed you should reduce the amount of adjustment). Be aware that the neck WILL NOT be straight while the strings are removed. #13. Re-attach the neck, install your new strings and tune to standard pitch. #14. PART THREE- If the neck is slightly bowed you can improve the situation without changing the truss rod adjustment. If the neck is bowed upwards, simply change to the next lighter gauge of string set. If the neck is bowed downward, change to the next heavier gauge of string set. During the days following the string change you'll probably need to re adjust the action at least one time. If this doesn't straighten the neck enough then you should adjust the truss rod. Section 2 - adjusting a bridge - Adjusting the intonation on your guitar is basically like fine tuning the scale of the guitar. The reason why each string has it's own saddles and spring is so you can adjust the intonation of each string. Different gauge strings require different intonation position. If you go from using 9's to using 13's you will most likely need to adjust the intonation. If a guitar is not propertly intonated it will sound out of tune when 2 or more strings are played together. #1: Tune your guitar to the tuning you use most. If you tune to standard tuning but also use Drop D occasionally then tune your guitar to standard using your electric tuner. #2: Fret your first string at the 12th fret. Using your electric tuner pick the note at the 12th fret. If the note is slightly out of tune at the 12th fret then take your screw driver and adjust the saddle. Move the saddle towards the neck if it's flat (undertuned) and move the saddle toward the butt of the guitar if it's sharp (overtuned). Section 3: Proper pickup height and adjustment This is pretty subjective, i mean, your tone is your tone, so you can have your pickups wherever you feel they sound the best. but here are some good guidelines to follow: notice how the pickups are lower towards the neck and higher towards the bridge, this is because the bridge is higher than the fretboard and the strings on guitars will slope downward towards the nut at a slight angle. the closer your pickups are to the strings naturally the louder they will amplify the strings. If you have a pickup that you want to give more gain move it closer to the strings, if you have one that you want to be a bit quiter lower it. pretty self explanitory. Section 4 cleaning your instrument Oil from our hands can slowly eat away at the finish of a guitar, some finishes faster than others. There are 4 types of a finishes that are used mainly on guitars. Lacquer, Gloss, Satin and Oil. each of these protects the wood on a guitar from decaying over time. #1 to clean your body use a soft cloth either soft 100% cotton or, what i prefer to use a Micro-Fiber cloth. micro fiber cloths help prevent scratching from the cloth and are very delacate on your guitars surface. gently rub cloth over your guitar body just as if you were buffing it. On electric guitars you can apply (with a different cloth) a small amount of Carnuba wax, which acts like buffing a car paint job, it protects it and makes it shine. #2 cleaning the fretboard is best to take the strings off, and use a mild guitar oil, i use a product called guitar honey, its cheap and is very good for your guitar. using your fingers rub lemon oil or a specific cleaner like guitar honey... (DO NOT use anything that would DRY the fretboard, such as table cleaners and kitchen cleaners or glass cleaner, the stuff your mother uses to wipe down the kitchen table is NOT what you use on a guitar fretboard...please for the love of God) ... and using the finest grade steel wool the #000 stuff gently brush along your frets in the same direction as your frets, dont do circles or things like that it could scratch it...key here is to be gentle. rub some more oil into it, not tons just a bit, and gently wipe down with a seperate cloth than your wax and buff cloth. Section 4 cleaning electronics if you hear sizzling or popping sounds in your guitar that weren't there before, but have just happened over time, especially when you turn knobs, it could mean its time to do some spring cleaning on the inside of your guitar. to do this all you need is a bottle of contact cleaner you can pick up for a few bucks and conservatively spray over the tone and volume pots in your guitar. do it while the guitar is unplugged, plug it in to check your work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFaction Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 Section 5 Stringing your instrument Most guitars can accommodate a change of gauge one degree larger or smaller with no problems; again, no guarantee. When changing to a heavier set there is the possibility that the guitar's nut may not be slotted large enough for the strings. This will cause the string to bind in the slot (tuning problems), or it can cause the string to sit too high in the groove (imbalanced action). Heavier gauge strings will also pull the bridge plate up on tremolo equipped guitars, possibly topping out the plate. The opposite happens with lighter gauge strings. You may be required to add or remove one of the tremolo springs in order to bring the bridge plate angle to within its correct range. It is best to change one string at a time while the old strings remain on the axe in standard tuning. This causes the least amount of stress on the neck and whammy setup and keeps new string tension constantly increasing until it reaches correct pitch. Make every effort to avoid sharp bends or kinks in the new string, and keep the windings around the tuner post neat and smoothly butted up against each other in one layer; no criss crossing of the winding, or tuning stability will suffer. Light gauge strings (9's or smaller) are thin and pliable enough to slip on the tuning post and come loose, even if you have a few wraps around the post. You may want to "lock" the strings to prevent slippage. To lock a string, take the free end of the string and loop it around the tuning post backward 1/2 wrap, slip it under the string (where the string enters the hole), loop it back over the string at this point. This creates a "noose" for the string at the post and prevents slipping. This should only be necessary for the plain (unwound) strings. Before bending the string to lock, make sure there is enough free slack in the string to allow at least three wraps around the post when tuned to pitch. Here's how I determine the amount of free slack: After inserting the string in the tuner hole, pull the string taut from the middle of the neck while allowing the string to slip back through the post (maintain resistance with your hand...at the tuner). The ball end should be in its correct nesting. Pull the string (at mid-neck) up to a point three inches to six inches above the fretboard (string apex). Heavy strings will require about four to seven inches of slack; thin strings will require four inches or less slack. This should be enough slack to lay three wraps or more around the tuning post. Now apply the noose or simply bend the free end firmly against the post at the hole exit (bend it backwards). You may want to put another bend in the free end an inch or so beyond the tuner so that it (free end, sharp steel) sticks straight up in the air (erect). This prevents the free end from hanging up on the other strings and tuners as it spins around (as you tune up). Don't be surprised if blood appears during any of these routines. I try to keep the string taut during the entire procedure; it takes a little finesse but greatly enhances the pleasure of changing a string. While still keeping the string taut, extend your index finger upon the top side of the string (pointing the finger toward the tuners) and keeping the string cradled in your other three fingers. The index finger can easily apply pressure upon the string. You can also twist the wrist a bit and increase or decrease the tautness of the string. Now, with finger still resting atop the string, slide your hand down the string to the point that has your fingertip just between the nut and the tuner (maintaining tension). Your index finger is now in position to "feed" the string onto the lower part of the tuning post. Feeding the string from an angle lower than the nut will result in even, clean wraps. Once again, the string tension is maintained the entire time you are turning the tuning key. Vary tension and slack by twisting the wrist. The fingers cradling the string can be wiggled as necessary to prevent any kinks at this position (apex). Once the string is tight enough to rest in the nut, clip the excess off at the tuning post with wire cutters. Leave about one eighth of an inch or more sticking out at the end and press it cleanly into a safe spot against the post. Use caution. Now tune the string to pitch. Locking tuners solve the problem of slippage by actually clamping the string to the tuning post. With locking tuners you only need one wrap or less around the post (but at least one half a wrap) when tuned to pitch. Locking tremolo systems have their own unique quirks. Some locking trem systems require the removal of the string's ball end (snip it off with dykes). The plain end of the string is clamped at the bridge by a small vise and secured by tightening a screw. *There may not be enough distance between the locking nut and the tuner to easily slip the low e string through the hole in the tuner. Needle nosed pliers are the tool to use. i hope this is helpful guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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