Adjusting a Guitar

Subject: RE: Adjusting a Guitar
From: GUEST,Songster Bob
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 12:52 PM

Removing old finish should not be done with sandpaper, if you're going to do it at all (and it isn't recommended). If you have to do it, use a stripping product that suits the kind of finish, and remove the stripping goop + finish ASAP -- don't let it soak in very long, since you're going to want to put the new finish onto wood, not onto chemical-impregnated wood. In general, you'll need to do some light, fine sanding, including wet-sanding (to raise the grain) before you put the new finish on.

But you really should finish the guitar body*, not leave it open to the vicissitudes of weather and wear. You can use very light finishes, not necessarily the high-gloss lacquer or poly-whatever the thing came with, but you need to close the pores and protect the wood. There are hard finishes and soft ones, and the top probably should have a pore sealer applied before the finish, because you are going to put a chemical onto the wood, and wood is porous. The result can be, basically, soggy wood. Don't just buy a couple of spray cans of Zar or some other paint-like stuff. Even with electric guitars, you need to be cognizant of the change to the wood that will result from anything you do.

Go to one or more of the luthier / repairman sites mentioned above, and get lots of advice before you start.

Bob

* Necks, however, can sometimes be stripped down and either left alone, or French Polished very lightly, a la jazz guitarists' wonts. If the back of the neck feels like a good fiddle's neck, you can move around on it very easily, and many people do this modification.

Subject: RE: Adjusting a Guitar
From: orangeslice
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 08:23 AM

Heh, yes, very true Richard...plus, mostly, I just want the guitar to look better...I'm not as concerned about the sound.

    Personally, I don't like the finish on the guitar...I'm supposing to do something about that, I'd have to sand the whole guitar down (I can hand sand it right?) and then apply a different finish?

    What would be the harm in leaving the guitar simply sanded and not adding a finish?

Subject: RE: Adjusting a Guitar
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 05:04 AM

Well not really Eric, since the OP starts by supposing that he likes the sound of the guitar he is about to fiddle with.

Subject: RE: Adjusting a Guitar
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 04:09 AM

This reminds me of threads on the Mandolin Cafe where people want to know if putting an expensive: bridge/tailpiece/tuners on a cheap plywood mandolin will make it sound like a Gibson.

Tinkering like this won't improve it.

eric

Subject: RE: Adjusting a Guitar
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 03:32 AM

Modern pickguards stick like hell, and the glue is not heat-softening, so high risk of spoiling finish underneath - at the very least leving it dull and unpolishable, so IMHO only remove pickguards if essential and even then only if a new one going on will cover the entire area of the old one.

Old guitars, not the same problem, pickguards probably come off even if you don't want them to!

Subject: RE: Adjusting a Guitar
From: orangeslice
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 06:37 PM

Ha ha...wow, everybody's just making mistakes in this thread, aren't they?

    I like the idea of the chatroom at the unofficial Martin site

Subject: RE: Adjusting a Guitar
From: GUEST,Captain Colin
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 06:07 PM

Sorry, typo. I meant MARTIN of course.

Subject: RE: Adjusting a Guitar
From: GUEST,Captain Colin.
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 06:06 PM

Try the unofficial Marin guitar forum, they have a technical section- some good discussion there.

Subject: RE: Adjusting a Guitar
From: orangeslice
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 05:44 PM

Hmm, very interesting...

I found Stew-Mac.com to be the most helpful; the other sites have a lot of good information, they're just a bit harder to navigate and perhaps confusing to a beginner...

Subject: RE: Adjusting a Guitar
From: Mooh
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 05:33 PM

Woops, too quick on the submit button...

OLF - Official Luthiers Forum

and a host of luthier sites.

I routinely replace nuts, saddles, string pins, strap buttons, dress frets, replace mandolin bridges and tailpieces, upgrade tuning machines, add side fret markers, switch pickups, reneck bolt-on electric guitars, reset a neck (and had another done for me), braces shaved, had side sound ports put in for me...

I've used my better guitars to get measurements for lesser ones, and the string spacing of my 8 string bouzouki is based on the middle courses of my 12 string guitar. I like my electrics set-up similarly so I generally use the same measurements wherever I can. Several of my guitars have been measured by a new young local luthier for consideration.

They're only tools of the trade so I feel hotrodding them is the cost of doing business, and often essential to keeping them fit to play.

Get good tools, especially measurement tools. Calipers, micrometer, rulers, square, straight edges, tuner, voltage/resistance meter...And get good cutting tools and keep them sharp.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Adjusting a Guitar
From: Mooh
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 05:16 PM

www.frets.com

Luthier's Mercantile

www.stew-mac.com

www.13thfret.com

Subject: Adjusting an Acoustic Guitar
From: orangeslice
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 05:13 PM

So, all this talk about having someone build a custom guitar for you, what about having alterations made on one that you already own?

Personally, trying to make major adjustments (like changing the neck/making the neck thinner or trying to make alterations to the headstock if that's even possible) makes me a bit woozy...but I do like the idea of changing the tuners, buying better bridge pins (I've heard this can improve sound?), adding a "strap lock system" and changing the pickguard...if you're pleased with the sound of the guitar and you just want to adjust things to make the guitar look better and easier to play...it seems like the smart thing to do, rather than trying to buy a different guitar.

    So, where would be a good place to find items like this and what all sort of adjustments can be made?
Anyone ever tried using specifications on a higher end guitar to make adjustments one that they own?