Welcome to my youtube channel. Here you will find a collection of videos I have created to help inform and inspire guitar builders regardless of their experience and skill level.
Nice, the test as you described is virtually impossible, but are there any scientific studies that demonstrate which materials transmits more audio frequencies, and or affects resonance? What about the old Martins that didn't used Truss-rods? The wood was different back then, and didn't shift like today's stock.
Really neat bridge design! The positioning of the fine tuners definitely makes sense, especially when you look at other headless guitars where the body kind of "ends" at the bridge so there's some overhang of where those tuners would be. Nice touch that they added a slot for screwdrivers too. Can't wait to see how you mount the pickups!
Are you in any kind of online communities for learning this stuff? Such as Facebook groups, reddit, etc, anywhere that has like a FAQ or guide for newbies to get in to this?
I used to make bass guitars and a few tele-style guitars. My plan was always to get to 15mm at the 1st and 18mm at the 15th fret - excluding the fingerboard (which adds 5-6mm). This allows for a few mm under the truss rod. I like a medium neck, as I often built 5 and 6 string basses, so I didn't want to have a lot of thickness. (I'm Jag's brother, by the way )
While the info is correct, common sense would tell you to use the widest surface of contact across the length of the tool across 3 frets. First thing I did was put the flat edge of contact across a machinist rule to check flatness
I have several brands of fretrocker including StewMac and everyone of them required some true-ing of the edges. Remember that single frets are Not flat, they are curved to a radius. Hence you must apply the fretrocker in perfect parallel to the strings.
The concept of a fret rocker is fundamentally silly. A straight edge of a foot (300mm) length used in conjunction with a degree of intelligence is the appropriate tool.
The fact that some people may not have fret wire laying around and if you’re used to leveling I think it’s a great idea, especially if you have more than few high spots I can do a board fairly quick then re-crown. No harm no foul or just use a smaller leveling block on that section with no pressure. Anyways, thanks bud.
It's funny because, before this video, I just assumed that all pickups were mounted using some combination of springs/foam and screws (either into the body or in a pickup ring). Hadn't considered the potential virtues of direct mounting or the hybrid style you showed us. I'm guessing it's different for guitars and basses in some respects. I play bass, and my thumb is anchored on the bridge pickup (and I have the classic "Jaco thumb" as a result). Also, my fingers are used to a certain amount of space between the string and the pickup; I need a "surface" under the string to prevent me from digging in too much (or not enough). All that means is that I need my pickups to be height adjustable, and usually the treble side of the pickup is lower than the bass side, so it can look a little wonky and can require some finicky adjustments every time there's a string change or seasonal neck adjustment.. But since most guitarists probably use a pick, none of those considerations may apply. Question to Chris and other git-fiddlers: Does the height of a pickup matter in terms of picking style, like if you're playing over the neck pickup?
There a pickup called G-Rail or hotrod 3. It's an alnico ceramic hybrid pickup. Consist of a alnico single coil with an double bladed ceramic single on a humbucker baseplate.
I just finished my first guitar build and it came out amazing. There’s no way I could’ve done it without your videos as a guide. They were my primary source of learning. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and expertise and for your talent as a teacher. I’ll be putting my money where my mouth is this weekend and buying some guitar plans as a thank-you tip!
Would it be possible to grind a small chamfer on the sharp corners of the straight edges? The chamfer must be absolutely flat, of course. This would be cheaper than grinding the faces of the tool and probably work well.
I just completed install on my own 7 string multiscale build and can suggest a few things: 1. Foam under the pickup is much easier and forgiving than solid mounting the pickups like this. They will act like springs on screws. 2. I made my own pickup rings from offcuts of the neck because my ideal height was much higher due to neck angle. He has a 3D printer that can do the same. 3. Offsetting the bobbins is entirely unnecessary for performance of the pickup.
1. I don't want my pickups to wobble or vibrate as it is a red flag for shoddy craftsmanship. Also, foam breaks down overtime regardless of what the manufacturers claim. 2. I prefer the no ring aesthetic. 3. Offsetting the bobbins is necessary for the asthetic.
I'm curious are there any springs with the right tension that could be mounted with screws to the body? I mean the same as to rings but screwed into the body? Or just one or two between the body and the humbucker in place of a foam? Would that might work?
I stopped wet sanding with water altogether. Always dry. Water kept getting into the holes and caused swelling. When I used nitro, I used mineral spirits. Dry sanding is a challenge. I haven't tried the newer papers.
Fret rockers are honestly… useless. If I could show drawings, I could illustrate why. But, I have a few and it didn’t take me long to understand why they create more problems than they address.
Im not sure youre going to like this, but i love super low action for recording. If im playing live i may need to raise it some. When i say super low, i mean i have a BC Rich that will hold a 0.73 mm pick under the 12th fret right now. Id estimate it at 0.5 mm's. To answer your question, i think 1 to 2.5 mm's is going to appeal to most players, but youre occasionally going to run into the guys like me who play legato, with mostly left handed action, hammerons and pulloffs, where we are bearly picking.
I installed a titanium nut in my Stellarcvaster/Strat build so nut wear isn't anissue. and sustain is great after I adjusted the string tree to prevent string buss. the roller saddles in th4 bridge help with that as well.
I build electric cigar box guitars. When my fret rocker tells me I have a high spot on a fret, I've been using 2000 grit emery cloth to correct the high spot. It really works for me and it's cheap. Thanks for all your videos.
GRACIAS MAESTRO POR DARME LUZ EN LAS DUDAS DE LA NIVELACION DE TRASTES ME QUEDA CLARO LA MANERA CORRECTA DE USAR EL FRETROCKER. GRACIAS. THANKS. DESDE TAMPICO/MADERO TAMAULIPAS MEXICO, ATLANTIC COAST
Watch my video next Tuesday, October 1, 2024. Sam’s approach is a poor man’s method that is similar to the Katana fret leveling system from Rectify Masters.
Agree. Electric guitars depend on a dense and linear body mass. One can tell acoustically whether this is present.I thought the argument presented was coherent and direct.Left unsaid was the term “Marketing Hype”.
The immediate response from a manufacturer is likely to be "but the cost...". But it strikes me that there is no need to machine the entire tool, just the quarter inch or so along each edge. Yes it will still add to the cost but not as much, especially with modern cnc, and it would be a much better tool.
6lbs is the absolute max I'd consider. The myth of improved tone for heavier guitar's been debunked many times. It's the strings, pickups, and the primate operating the guitar. Full stop. Pick up a modern 5.5lb headless, you'll be debunking that old myth very enjoyably. The newer guitars are getting lighter and lighter. For some reason people never had a problem letting go when laptops went from 8lbs to 4lbs, but we cling to these fallacies that you need to break your back with a big heavy grandpa rocker les paul to have tone. Not true. Allan Holdsworth said it best, when it comes to all the extra body and headstock weight, there's just a bunch of "extra stuff" you don't need. If he didn't need a bunch of extra weight, I can promise you, neither do you. Put down the grandpa rocker and pick up a modern well made headless guitar, you and your back will be happier.
Great Video. Mutch better instruction than StewMac. Got mine years ago, great for the quick fix for sure. I always wondered what was the best way to use this tool across the fret width, or along the length of the fret. Tried both, each seems to work, but moving along the width requires bit more of a steady hand so it doesn't tip.
Great Video! How about using the fret rocker while the guitar is strung? I've gotten the frets dead level, only to discover high spots when restrung and the relief set say .006 to .010. I've tried using it like this followed by the fret kisser. What's your thoughts on that?
I use a fret rocker but I have radiused the edges to remove the corners so the the edge isn't flat but a single point contact so you get round the problem you rightly mentioned.
Hi Chris, love your videos! A Walnut neck I purchased, came with a coat of Danish oil on it. Can I use BLO on it to finish? Also, Walnut seems porous, does it need a sealer, or just sand silky smooth and apply BLO? After cleaning the fretboard with Naptha, can Carnauba wax be applied to fretboard? Thanks for all your work in creating a great channel!
Stick with the Danish oil and wet sand it in. Let it dry for a couple of weeks. If you use Carnauba wax, make sure it's pure and not full of other additives.
