Search the Community

An area where Members can post there general questions for Master Guitar Tech Greg Voros, on guitar maintenance, repair, building, lutherie, strings, etc. (Please scan any previous questions/answers to avoid duplicate entries)

Over the years Steve Krenz has created some wonderful short video lessons and tips, called Guitar Tips, Guitar Tips of the Pros, and Tip of the Month. Here is a selection of those videos from YouTube; (in no particular order, titles are at the top of each video. Not a comprehensive list, so if you find others, feel free to add any not already inserted here) I hope you find them as useful and enjoyable as I have!

How do we go about selecting a guitar shop / luthier to perform a setup or other work? This is a decision that can either go great or have unexpected serious negative consequences!!! Taylor Customer Service recommended that I play my new guitar a while before having a setup done. That was wise counsel that I should have heeded! I failed! That is good advice regardless of who manufactured your guitar. I selected a shop that has been in business for 45 years and is a Taylor dealer to go over a new Taylor 814ce Dlx very carefully . What I was left with is heartbreaking and unimaginable. I had asked that they go over it carefully and wanted the string height at the 12th fret to between the Taylor recommended .080 and .090. A pretty small margin. This is my FIRST expensive guitar. I now have to go through unbelievable inconvenience and expense to even get the guitar back to Taylor specifications. A setup on a new guitar should NOT require major modifications, but small adjustments on the trifecta +1 of Action: Neck Relief String Height at the 12th Fret String Height at the Nut Taylor Guitars also have shims in the neck that can be changed to impact action With minor adjustments major improvements can be delivered. BUT, the one doing the work has to be professional and ethical. I believe that any ethical guitar repair shop / Luthier would not deliver substandard work and if they made a mistake they should let you know, correct it and not hide it under the saddle! Let my experience be a cautionary tale about how you go about selecting a Luthier to make repairs or do a setup on your prized guitar. A setup should only require small adjustments to the specific areas above. In the case of a Taylor things are done a little differently because of the Taylor NT Neck with the Taylor neck shims. Like me, you have a lot invested regardless of the price of the guitar. Money invested is one thing, but we have time, effort and emotions connected to the guitar we selected to purchase and play regardless if it is new, used or we have been playing it for a long time. We love our prized guitar! Don't end up in my situation! Choose who works on your guitar wisely! Pictures of the saddle modified by ----------------------- on a new Taylor 814ce Dlx I cannot take a picture of the G string hanging at the nut and popping loudly when it releases when it is tuned up or down. This makes it impossible to tune! -------------------------------------- delivered a guitar with a shim under the High E and B string and a G string that is hanging in the nut making it almost impossible to tune. If you tune the G string down it hangs and the pops loudly at the nut. If you try and tune it up the G string hangs in the nut and the pops loudly. I have been absolutely devastated by the unprofessional, unethical and unacceptable work they performed. When I got home (overseas) the guitar had no tone, projection or sustain. I was in denial, but after three weeks I could not take it anymore and pulled the saddle to compare it to a new Taylor saddle. What I found was extremely upsetting!

When? Live Lessons are held on Tuesday evenings, approximately every other week, at 7:00 pm Central Time (UTC-5). Fifteen minutes before broadcast a countdown screen will appear and the chat will be available. When they go on the air you will see the live broadcast. It will run about an hour. When they are off the air you can view previous Live Lessons. Where? You can watch on the Guitar Gathering YouTube channel here or by clicking the header at the top of this discussion forum. Steve officially transitioned to YouTube from Ustream on February 6, 2018. Is the topic announced in advance? Steve usually will post a thread in advance letting us know the topic of the upcoming lesson, posting any necessary resources (sheet music, audio tracks, links, videos) or if it will be cancelled or rescheduled. Do they cost anything? No. Live Lessons are free. How do I ask a question or chat with other students? Anyone can view the Live Lesson. If you wish to chat with Steve, the guests, or other students, or have a chance to win the various items in giveaways, you must register for a free Google account. You can register for a Google account here. Once you have registered, you can log in and participate. To help distinguish questions directed to Steve or his guests from the online chat, type your question in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. Which browser works best? That's difficult to say. Experiment with various browsers to find which works best for you. How do I watch past Live Lessons? 
You can view the most recent Live Lessons (2015 to present) at the same site as the live broadcast. How can I sign up for the giveaways? Each lesson usually has a few giveaways. These range from helpful books, CDs from guests, apparel, pedals, and (rarely) even guitars. Giveaway winners are selected at random from those logged in during the Live Lesson. You don't need to chat, but you do need to be logged in through Google/YouTube as described above. I won a giveaway! What do I do now? Congratulations! You need to e-mail Steve at Service[at]GuitarGathering.com. Include your mailing address, YouTube screen name, what you won, and size when necessary. Giveaways are usually mailed out within a few days after the broadcast. Shipping times vary depending on where you live. Some items can not be shipped outside the continental US. Items that aren't claimed will be awarded to someone else. What is YouTube SuperChat? For our purposes, it is a way viewers can donate to support Live Lessons and the discussion board. More broadly, it is a mechanism for YouTube viewers to pay for greater attention, as their comments are pinned and highlighted at the top of the live chat and more characters are permitted. It is accessed by the $ icon below the chat window. It has been reported that YouTube retains 30% of the donation. An alternative, direct way to support Guitar Gathering is via this PayPal link. How do I suggest a topic or guest? Just start a thread in this Live Lesson section of this discussion board.

Andrew Wasson delivers the formal explanation. The first 5 minutes of the video provide the essence, the rest is just promotional stuff. The second video is interesting because it provides correct observations with regard to the standard tuning itself. However, I know nothing about Eric Blackmon, and I wouldn’t call his explanation a formal one. In my mind it does not qualify as the correct one, but it does serve as a good supplement. Apparently, YouTube does not allow embedding of this video, so you will have to use the link itself. https://youtu.be/5hc7OJqQYaA