I have a BR-160 made in '06. Bought it new. It has that headstock. I don't much like it, it's way too much frilly detail, and kind of cheesy, but the guitar itself is a really sweet playing instrument. Great knockoff of a Martin guitar for the money.
I'm fully with the people who dislike pearl and abalone/paua inlays, rosettes and bindings. They are tacky as. Well chosen natural wood will always look better. I also loath sunburst finishes, they're a fake tacky cheap approximation of the patina 300 years of playing imparts to old violins and cellos.
I have a br 160 dread. I really like the guitar, especially for what I paid for it, but I agree on the inlay. It's way too much, aesthetically. Doesn't affect the playability though, so no real harm.
A couple of months ago I had a clients guitar in with an odd buzz like you mention. Eventually after doing the same procedures you followed, I traced the issue to their brand new 9v Duracell. It literally rattled in my hand only when very rapidly tapped at the right angle. Charged half costs for my time as it felt discourteous to charge full costs, but it took hours to source the cause. It's gone in my mind bank of weird issues that I will check first, like fake strings etc. Love the channel and greatly appreciate your videos. Thanks mate
Yep after years of having a buzz on my ol martin copy, I got my dream guitar a Gibson sj200 couple weeks later starting getting the same buzz. Got a ole gibby hummingbird to after a couple weeks same thing. Turns out when you play your guitars lots you wear the strings down the core really fast lol.
Only the true MASTERS tell you about difficulties, and bad times. I don´t believe in people who never admits a problem, or something that goes wrong. I look forward to see how you get victorious with this one. I´ve have myself situations like this one. Fortunately with patience and skill, (and honesty to the customer) usually gets better. Thanks, your channel is very instructive.
A couple of years back, my Taylor developed a buzz on the f-note that was caused by the wire from the ES amplifier in the upper bout rattling against the upper side of the body. It was only of F - it didn't rattle audible at E or F#. Might be worth looking at this.
I used to get the same thing with my Takamine - it just so happened that the wires between the pickup and the preamp had shifted slightly and were buzzing against the body. Fortunately that was an easy one to fix!
I own a Blueridge guitar, the same exact model, super cool that one found its way into your workshop. Great work as always, thank you Ted, greetings from Germany
And in have the same Taylor. This one even appears to have the spruce top option that I have. Our cold snap here in Washington cratered the humidity (RH in the 30’s) so I broke out the case humidifier post haste!
@@tincansailor9437 …I left Seattle for the holiday just before the cold snap. Full tanks on the humidifier and set to 68F/48% RH. When I returned the (pretty big) tanks were DRY. Never seen anything close that kind of water consumption before. The hygrometer memory had logged a low of 10%….yes, 10%. Terrifying. 😳 The guitars were out of tune (all had drifted flat) but thankfully no visible ill effects or permanent changes to action….
This episode was like a master class. I live in a dry climate and really appreciated all of this information you've amassed over your lifetime of experience. Thanks!
I'm in agreement (as if that matters) about the inlay on the head of the Chinese guitar. Perhaps they could consider the old saying - "less is more". Thanks for another informative video.
I had that wolf note behind the f# to G on the A string, and the guitar was playing notes around that part of the scale on the upper fretboard quite dead, without resonance. Of course the soundboard was tuned around there so assumedly this was the main factor. The guitar was quite dry and humidification cured it. The notes resonated better. And that wolf whistle went away too on the G of the A string. I figured the board slightly changed its tuning with humidification. I'm no luthier but watching this video at least confirmed it. Great videos and channel. This video is old but perhaps my comment will be useful to someone reading. There's often dead or less resonant notes on the upper fretboard due to a pitch clash with the soundboard, and sometimes something else resonates. I believe they are referred to by some as wolf notes. But I could be wrong. (-:
Talking of dryness in guitars, I recently switched my humidifier from the sound hole sponge type humidifiers,which dry every 3 days here in Colorado- to the oasis humidifiers that have gel crystals that absorb a ton of water. When I put myguitars in the case and close it fully those humidifiers give me about 10 days of proper humidity before drying out. Theyre only $20 and you can get cheap hygrometers to monitor levels. The most important factor to keeping tops from shrinking and affecting action height is ALWAYS putting your guitar back into a locked case with a full humidifier, especially you fellow coloradans know what im saying. Its currently snowing, but its so dry our humidity levels are nothing and its been supercold lately. New acoustic players should really do research on their climate situations and fluctuations so they can keep those guitars in good shape longer, especially if you invested in a solid good guitar.
Fun fact: auto-generated captions are very true to what you say (trust me, it's very rare). Fun aside, I first found your channel searching for a way to rid my Ovation of old age crackles. Learned so much. So much insight. Thank you.
I always thought your thumbnail was a picture of you in a Superman shirt. I just looked at it closely and realized your holding a red guitar in front of a blue shirt and it's not a red S on a blue shirt.
Really great explanation of guitar physics and the timeline involved. Thank you. I am ever amazed at your clarity and understanding of our beloved guitars!
That Blueridge sounds great. Chasing a dry buzz....always a challenge. Humidity swings pretty big over the year here in Minnesota, so I have to be more mindful on your tuning down advice.
I'm so sick of Northern weather. I moved to Penna. from down south-and you can still play guitar at the park, in summer, but then the wind blows, and the temperature falls 20°!! It's insane. Waaay outa tuna, as my cat likes to say.
Ted--- as you know, I build and repair. But I am "GLUED" to this fine presentation. But, being a septugenarian, I like gaudy pearl (from A Dp) . I admit I have not retained the patience I had in 1969-70 when I learned to build in a haze, with a mellow state of mind, as I learned while cutting boring law school classes in Iowa City, Iowa. Way back then saw blades were cheap and I rarely had to swear. (Pearl blanks from the two renowned guitar purveyors in Chicago) I am amazed that I had that patient state of mind. But, we built some fine guitars. All we had was "Sloane" and he had some real issues, but we were more or less sensible. I was amazed again when "Cumpiano" came out , thinking he must have had surveillance on our little hole in the wall! I attribute my relaxed listening to your voice ( no substances involved) THANK YOU.
Even in the Southern California mountainous areas, I have to humidify my guitar room perennially. It's not much but it stopped the fret sprouting and action changes. The one acoustic guitar I have(Yamaha A5R. Great Japanese made guitar btw) was pretty bulletproof, but now it's impervious.
Here in Boston, where the temps this week have gone from 6 degrees F to 40F, and were back down in single digits this morning, I pulled my Martin B1 bass out of its case to play for a bit today. When I was done playing, I re-moistened the soundhole humidifier, loosened the strings, put it back in it's case and topped off the room humidifier in my music room. Prior to coming to me, the sound board developed a crack which was repaired but is still visible, so I try to keep everything stable. This was a good reminder why I do all that. Thanks for the good work and content.
I bought a new ES335 some years ago that had an intermittent buzz in it. Gibson warranty repair said they checked it all out and couldn't find anything wrong with it.. After a few years of owning, decided to sell it. Pulled the pickups out to ID them for the listing (factory 57's) and found a 1/2" tooth washer magnetically stuck to the back of the neck pickup. Same lockwashers used on the pots. That was it. 100%.
I use John Pearse .010 strings in hopes that the less tension will let the top live longer and not belly up and start folding.The lighter gauge makes it easier to play and can even bend strings if needed.
Thank you! I learned so much from this. I also suffer massive seasonal humidity swings where I live and you just helped me immensely in proactive care.
my uncle Jim in Arkansas is gonna pass in the next few days from fast acting cancer he is on hospice at home on morphine an can’t understand us he was a marine infantryman in Vietnam i got my first acoustic guitar from him a Yamaha fg75 red label made In Taiwan he bought for his mom who passed it down to me. if y’all could please say a prayer for him I’d really appreciate it. Thank you for reading Awesome video as well
Interesting info around humidity flux here in Hamilton. I like keeping my guitars on display because I'm more inclined to pick one up, but humidity changes are a constant fear.
Fantastic information (as always). Back in the early 2000s my Wife gifted me a Martin JC-16 KWS, I've always kept that guitar in the case as so far I've not had any issues (knock on wood).
I’ve noticed a sinking top in my blueridge recently right at the sound hole at the end of the fretboard. Humidifier has brought back the hump behind the saddle and seems to be taking that sinking back up too. Heavy humidifier for 3 days now and each day the guitar takes less and less. These winter days will surely dry em out
Thank you! As always great info. I was planning on looking up and calling a luthier today because I had some questions about a guitar I was pulling out from months in it’s case. But you answered all my questions within the first half of your video. Thank you again 👍
I’ve dealt with many Taylor’s where I’ve had to tighten the neck bolt. One client has an 817ce that he doesn’t want to get rid of even though he has 4 repaired cracks on its Cedar Soundboard. I have to perform “magic” on this guitar whenever he brings it In because he gigs with it and he subjects it to humidity and temperature extremes. I lecture him about proper humidity, but it usually falls on deaf ears. I use Dr. Axe’s Duck Wax on fretboards and love it.
I love that a Canadian references a "Nudie" suit. I used to work on his (Nudie's) caddilac with all the pistols and horns on it. I met him for lunch several times at the Palatine Club. Geeze, that is a long time ago. I never could afford any clothing.
Having such a huge temperature swing from summer to winter and back must be hard to handle for instruments...and many other things too. I do like Taylor guitars, I will treat myself when I can afford it :) Thank you for the very interesting video.
Right now the difference between inside and outside of my house is 50C. The house talks in the winter and deck boards can sound like gunshots when you walk on them. Part of the beauty of Canada's north. I give thanks every spring my instruments are still in one piece.
@@markbernier8434 Yes, your instruments are doing very well, so you obviously look after them well. I can't imagine living in a place where the outside temperature is lower than that of my freezer!!
My studio varies from 65% summer to 25% winter. Dehumidifier & a/c brings it down to 50%. A small humidifier pumps out a gallon a day & brings it up to 40% during winter. I tight the truss rods in winter & loosen in the summer.
I had a random sympathetic buzzing issue on my Taylor 918e, it came down to 9v batteries sizes being ever slightly different and that particular battery being a hair slimmer, hence the buzzing when certain conditions were met. Wrapping the battery in thin felt did the trick!
Most string instruments are prone to 'wolf notes'. They're thought to be related to the resonance of the instrument. I play cello and it's usually around E/F that you get it. If you're lucky, it falls between notes. There are all kinds of 'wolf suppressor' gadgets about - mostly either a weight to attach to a string below the bridge or something that attaches to one of the f-holes.
A few years ago my Taylor 314 developed a buzz which turned out to be the truss rod itself. The guitar ultimately had to go back to the mothership, where they apparently pump caulk into the truss rod channel to damp out that rattle. A rare problem, but one that people knew about.
Your explanations are very informative. Teaching is a great bonus to your repairing! Those guitars are way above my pay scale, although they do offer a level t,o shoot for when building. Love from NW Colorado. Thanxz
Perfect timing! It's been about 16% humidity in my house for 2 months and my homemade humidifier just isnt cutting it (I can tell the tops dry since the bridge is about as low as it gets in low humidity months like January). So I've been thinking about drying problems that can occur and what it takes to have them repaired/remedied (not so much mild winter dehydration like in my case but long term low humidity damage that you see on older guitars that start becoming much less flexible/pliable). I had the opposite problem in the summer and had to use a dessicant to remove some excess moisture but everything turned out just fine and I didn't have to make any saddle adjustments. But all this movement due to humidity has me seriously considering getting a climate control humidifier for my studio area. Anyways, great content as always!
Blueridge guitars, like this one, are beautiful. Never been able to get one over here (France)... It's true, the inlay on the headstock is a bit gawdy but that's Blueridge signature... 6:22, the strings getting "hairy"... Thanks, Ted, for this video, always a pleasure 🎶🎶🎶
Ive read and seen videos talking about how Jerry Reed's guitars had action so low they were hard to play with outbuzzing.. yet he ways sounded fantastic.
I had some sympathetic vibration at around F on a bass I used to own and it turned out to be the E tuner had a loose fitting bow. In this case it was not fixable without replacing the tuner as it was a cheap press fit construction. Drove me nuts till I found it.
Blueridge guitars are very nice for the price. So are the solid wood guitars by Recording King (the all sold wood guitars). I have the Recording King RD-328 and love it. And it doesn't have all that over the top pearl work. I also love the shape of the head stock on my Recording King. Great video as usual.
My understanding is that "lemon oil", which I assume is what you're referring to by "citrus oil", is really just mineral oil with a fragrance added. Certainly that's the case with the Dunlop stuff. (You can check their MSDS to confirm.) Using actual citrus oil seems like a bad idea. Citrus oils will definitely attack many plastics, though I'm not sure about the plastics that would be commonly used for nuts and bindings. It seems like they would also tend to go rancid. I'd love to hear if you have a different opinion.
Those grub screws in the Taylor Bridge remind me of jazzmaster/jaguar grub screws that are famous for rattling and buzzing. So much so that blue locktite is a common remedy. Just a thought.
Great video as ever - my lunchtime treat whenever there is a new one. Please note though that 'Lemon Oil' for fretboards is not lemon oil (if it was it would smell of, er, lemons). It is actually lemongrass oil and more closely related to turpentine chemically, although any non drying terpene oil would do, I imagine. BTW - new blond flamenco guitars can smell amazing because of the cypress/cedar combo but it fades away by evaporation over the years. I now cheat with my guitar and put a few drops each of cypress and cedar oil inside it once year.
Hi Ted. Huge fan and a Hamilton native too. So what do you think about commercial humidifiers for the sound holes of guitars? I don't play much anymore but I have two guitars I want to pass on to grandchildren. I am concerned about regular maintenance to keep them healthy.
I recommend them! I like the Oasis brand. They're a bit pricey but they last a long time and don't drip water like some of the ones with exposed sponges.
Like Blue Ridge guitars except for the overly ornament headstocks, snow flakes on the fretboard and dalmatian spotted pick guard. Well build nice sounding guitars.
Ive been doing guitar setups and repairs since the early 80s , I can honestly tell you that Shaving down the bone saddle to correct high action is typically considered a NO NO.. The lower the bone saddle, the more shallow the break angle of the strings pressing downward on the bone to achieve the best volume , frequency clarity, tone, and sustain.. By shaving the saddle, you lesson the downward force of the strings on the bone , thus loosing volume, tone, sustain 🤷♂️ A well setup acoustic should have a healthy saddle height, with a nice downward slope of the strings from the bridge down to the nut, with proper neck relief dialled in.. If the bridge has lifted or the top has raised due to dehydration causing bad high action , then the proper solution is to do a neck reset to modify the neck pitch and bring the action back down to factory specs ..
I totally agree about keeping a guitar in the case and detuning it. That said, I have a beef with guitar case makers. I have seen what I believe to be a trend in acoustic guitars whose necks are "jacked" up by the storage compartment inside the case. So, the combination of string tension and the pressure from under the neck by the storage compartment causes a guitar to need a neck reset years before its time. I can't find any other way to explain why a 2016 Martin D28 needs a neck reset.
