Want Your Guitar to Sound Better? Master These 6 Techniques!

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If you want to get the best performance possible out of your guitar, there are a handful of simple maintenance tasks that will help you get the most for your tone and playability.
Dan Erlewine, Tomo Fujita and Gene Imbody walk you through all 6 in this video (and they are easier than you might think). Check it out!
0:00 6 Things Every Player Should Know
1:40 Changing Strings
10:00 Adjusting the Truss Rod
12:58 Setting the Action
19:08 Adjusting Pickup Height
21:42 Adjusting Intonation
27:04 General Maintenance
Check out some of our other videos cover the topics above in more detail:
How to String an Acoustic Guitar
• How to String an Acous...
How to String an Electric Guitar
• How to String an Elect...
How to Measure Your Guitar's Action
• How to Measure Your Gu...
Tomo's Video on Adjusting Pickup Height
• How to make better ton...
How to Intonate a Guitar
• How to Intonate a Guitar
Understanding guitar truss rod adjustment
• Understanding guitar t...
5 Reasons Your Guitar Won't Stay in Tune
• 5 Reasons Your Guitar ...
How to Clean a Guitar
• How to Clean a Guitar
Tools and supplies featured in this video include:
ESP Multi Spanner Wrench
www.stewmac.com/item/1344
String Action Gauge
www.stewmac.com/item/0670
Radius Gauges
www.stewmac.com/item/5432
Understring Radius Gauges
www.stewmac.com/item/0353
Truss Rod Wrenches
www.stewmac.com/item/6100
Jack The Gripper Tool
www.stewmac.com/item/0814
StewMac Hygrometer/Thermometer
www.stewmac.com/item/0814
D'Addario Guitar Humidifier
www.stewmac.com/item/10665
Peterson StroboStomp HD Pedal Tuner
www.stewmac.com/item/5863
Guitar Tech Screwdriver Set
www.stewmac.com/item/3000
- - - - - - - - - - - -
StewMac has everything you need to repair, build or maintain your guitars.
Everything we sell is backed by our Lifetime Promise, and we offer fast worldwide shipping.
Shop StewMac: www.stewmac.com
Instagram: @StewMac_Guitar
Facebook: / stewmac

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Опубликовано:

28 май 2024

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Комментарии : 382

@TomoFujitaMusic Год назад

Thanks so much for having me!

@stewmac Год назад

We love it when you visit us and make videos with us. 😎

@lets-allplay Год назад

Truly enjoy the lessons you post on your channel. Thanks TomoFujitaMusic & StewMac !

@TomoFujitaMusic Год назад

@@lets-allplay Thank you so much!

@7guitarras326 Год назад

You're great Tomo, it is always a pleasure to listen to all your experience and considerations about the guitar's world, thank you very much!

@TomoFujitaMusic Год назад

@@7guitarras326 Thank you so much!

@robertclarkguitar Год назад

I absolutely adore Tomo. He is the kindest truly passionate guitar /music teacher. Equally player. Insane the man can play anything but usually jazzy blues. So clean and precise with rare effects at all. Amazing musician. He isn't about selling you anything but introducing you to the guitar. Amazing gentleman.

@robertclarkguitar Год назад

@@VanMan83 totally agree. Also says a lot about bringing his mom and dad in on calls. I know they are so proud.

@TomoFujitaMusic Год назад

Thank you so much!

@replicated Год назад

This is the best Stewmac video I've seen in quite a while. This is absolutely great. Hope to see more of these guys.

@stewmac Год назад

We definitely want to get Tomo back to Athens to visit us and help us make more content!

@kwpowell0412 Год назад

I've been a student of Dan for more than 30 years. The man is a legend. I bet he's forgotten more than most of us will ever know!

@scottmulrooney3130 Год назад

I’ve had the privilege to spend a few weeks with Dan about 30+ years ago. An absolute legend and one heck of a great human being.

@tjsponik Год назад

Dan has never been afraid to show everyone his "how to do it" tips and tricks. Skills die when you hide them from the rest of the world!

@richardlynch5632 Год назад

Dan's book "How To Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great" gives all the wisdom of how to do just that...! Invaluable 😉👍 Thanks Mr. Erlewine😎👍❤🖖

@stewmac Год назад

It’s true! Highly recommend that book as an essential guide.

@ronmorey3475 Год назад

These three together would make for a great regular show on the channel. Thanks!

@kennwan9917 Год назад

Dan seems like the sort of guy everyone would want to sit and have a coffee with. Some people really do emit an aura that makes them instantly likeable.

@Tessmage_Tessera Год назад

Beautiful old Mustang. I've always wanted one of those.

@KekmanForTheRestOfTheWorld Год назад

Thank you so much for inviting Tomo Fujita!

@dankyboi6483 Год назад

What I really liked about this is that you have 3 pros with different backgrounds in guitar basically saying "here's how this works, here's a rule of thumb but in the end you do you, have fun". Great video, there is always a little something to learn, especially from the little anecdotes

@stewmac Год назад

Cool, thank you for the comment! It was special to have those three guys in one room talking shop.

@derekclacton Год назад

Hats off to Dan Erlewine!

@thisperfectworld Год назад

This video is going to become my go-to reference for every electric guitar student I have from now on! The tip about intonating not just to the octave, but to chords above and below the 12th fret, is gold!

@MichaelSotoCE Год назад

So great to see these guys together

@embee1706 Год назад

I love the vibe the lads have going! There seems to be a lot of mutual respect and I just love them sharing their knowledge with us. Thank you!

@neilsmith9473 Год назад

What a pleasure to watch three such knowledgeable, friendly gentlemen and experts in their own fields talking guitars. The perfect combination of characters and know-how. I really enjoyed this; a genuine pleasure and I learned a great deal. Thank you, guys. Just subscribed to the StewMac and TomoFujitaMusic channels.

@stewmac Год назад

Thank you kindly! 🤘😎

@dannfeltrin Год назад

I've been keeping my guitars clean and checked for about 15 years (would always spend money with pros before that afraid of screwing up my guitars), and the tips here were great! Glad I'm already doing most of it, so I had that moment to be proud of myself hehe Also, Dan and Tomo are legends! So great to hear from them directly. Great video!

@stewmac Год назад

Awesome, keep it up! And thanks for the comment 🙂

@mikeposka5751 Год назад

For my Gibson guitars I put the strings over the top of the tailstop and wind the strings up the tuner post so the angle isn't as extreme as the headstock angle. For Fenders I wind them normally because of no headstock angle. For both styles I take a pencil and shave off a little bit of graphite to lubricate the string slots on the nut.

@darko714 Год назад

I’m the opposite. I dust under the strings but that’s about it. Oh, and tighten that nut that holds the output jack in place when the connection starts to skip. I’m the guy who needs to watch the video.

@ross302ci Год назад

Gene is guitar repair Tom Hanks. Thanks for the great video! Really helpful to see experts talk about the essentials.

@Lovell93 Год назад

Don't disrespect him like that. Tom is a creep.

@jokinmyass9446 Год назад

This video is pure gold. Absolutely invaluable information here. Thanks for the generativity gentleman!

@douglaschristine8387 Год назад

I love how easy Tomo plays his guitar. A true master. Did you ever have John Mayer as a student?

@sirvicemanone Год назад

Yes Tomo taught John at Berkeley and other well known guitarists. Tomos own channel is a priceless resource on many levels of both playing guitar and even developing life skills in thinking and applying myself . Highly recommended!

@douglaschristine8387 Год назад

@@sirvicemanone thankyou ,I will. In know all you guys from you tube. Your all good at what you do.

@tacmason Год назад

These guys are true “Guitar Lifers” , a real pleasure to see them pass that love forward !

@Bertdevries4865 Год назад

I am 57 years of age, and I am Dutch. So please forgive me if I make a mistake in spelling a word or sentence. OK, So I am a starting guitarist and have many things to learn. I am so glad there are a lot of learning and podcast like channels. I have my guitar for about 6 or 7 months. At first, I bought myself a semi acoustic guitar. I loved the sound of it. It was a guitar from BAX music shop. A local shop with his own brand. A wonderful piece of instrument it is. After a while, I wanted to have an electric guitar as well. So I bought a beautiful White single cut "Fazley" in the style of Les Paul. I noticed that playing a barre cord was much easier on my electric than it was on my semi acoustic. When I saw this video tutorial, my question was answered: "Why is my snare slipping after replacing the 2nd (B) string after replacing?" I did wind in the wrong way! This was because the string is without any structure. I mean, It was all flat steel with nickel. And winding it without putting it down after a whole turn, it will slip. Thank you for showing me that and also stretching the string 3 times. I bought a tool to stretch your strings easier. I also bought My equipment to measure the hide from the stings, a complete kit for maintenance of my guitar. Special oil for my fretboard and wipes to clean my strings and a stone to clean my frets. So I have everything to maintain and play my beautiful instruments. I learn a lot of these videos. Thank you for a thousand times. I just gave you a Big Thumbs up and subscribed to your channel. I am a fan of this RU-vid channel. Really great. Sincerely, Bert from Hillegom, the Netherlands.

@johnfeole1971 Год назад

Thanks Gene, Dan,, Tomo for the clear, useful info..

@stewmac Год назад

Our pleasure!

@bisekibun Месяц назад

We've learned a lot from Dan over the decades. Especially during the COVID shelter-in-place period, DIY guitar tune-ups have significantly improved our lives. As fans of StewMac, we would like to express our appreciation to Dan. We deeply value your passion and craftsmanship.

@TheFRiNgEguitars Год назад

Great video.. but not mentioned is the string nut. The nut should be cleaned between string changes, and perhaps re-apply some nut sauce. The nut is essential to intonation, and tuning stability. The nut greatly affects the action.. String height too high at the first fret destroys intonation, and raises overall action with no benefit to clarity. String height too low at the first fret can cause buzzing open notes, and makes no allowance for gradual slot wear.. Sometimes the nut can be poorly cut out of the box, and require touching up by a tech. The Low E and A (gauges from .032 to .052 may sometimes not seat at the toe of the nut, so if anyone has an unresolvable intonation problem, the trouble may be at the nut. Slot cutting should be done by a tech, and when possible cut to the gauge of strings you are using.... in some cases nut replacement may be necessary.

@bareknuckles2u Год назад

What a useful video. It is just what I needed. Thank you!

@jimmycrabtree-tb6jc 2 месяца назад

Great info!!

@yoping00 Год назад

There is so much wisdom in this session. Thank you!

@JohnHorneGuitar Год назад

Valuable info. I'll be sharing this video with all of my students. Also, it's good to see more of Gene in recent StewMac videos. The repair work he's done on my instruments and the info he's shared with me has been so helpful!

@jlc904ubc Год назад

Great video! Thanks guys!

@the1khronohs40 Год назад

Brilliant video! Loved it! ❤

@matthewderosby713 Год назад

What a great video! Thank you! 😊

@doyleallen3762 Год назад

Great information. Thanks!

@geertverholen9382 Год назад

Thanks, nice overview! Tomo your always real practical!

@LunarWolf Год назад

That was extremely helpful. Thank you so much.

@robertstanley3253 Год назад

Thank you for this very informative and easy to understand video!

@nikolaki 11 месяцев назад

Very entertaining video. Thanks guys!

@reverberation_9 5 месяцев назад

This video is just gold. Thank you for sharing all this knowledge.

@bee.normal Год назад

Tomo would be amazed to learn that the spanner wrench he used to tighten the tuner was invented by ESP, a Japanese guutar manufacturer.

@stewmac Год назад

That is correct!

@OrenZar Год назад

Very informative, thank you!

@fmh357 Год назад

I learned a few things. Thank you.

@keithcarter9396 Год назад

Thank you for this Tutorial, it was good to be reminded of the basics of guitar maintenance. It is good to have a prompt to care for our instruments,

@richarde3378 Год назад

I love any and all videos with Dan in it. Thanks for all your guitar wisdom, Dan! 😀

@stewmac Год назад

Glad you like them!

@karl1949 Год назад

Much appreciation fellas, awesome stuff!

@sirvicemanone Год назад

Great video!

@russtyruss_i-Invest Год назад

Great video, informative for new and experienced guitarists. Cheers!

@billhenderson511 Год назад

I learn so much from you cats! Happy to know I've been doing it right but you always throw in the extra perfect advice! Cheers!

@flashy5150 Год назад

When I put a new string on, I put it through the tubing peg, then, tune it roughly to pitch, then grab the string at around the 7th fret, pulling up about an inch or so, enough that it won’t break the string, then tune it to pitch again and rinse and repeat until the string keeps it’s tuning without falling flat. Stretching new strings is the most important to staying in tune. Then once it holds it’s basic tuning, then I start string height and intonation. It’s worked for me for over 40 years.

@carlkerkman7028 Год назад

Tons of great info - these steps took me years to learn (well prior to the easy access to info that the internet has provided). Thanks for sharing them in an easy to digest format - lots of good reminders and some "new" info for an old dog.

@itsianlol Год назад

Great video, excellent chemistry between all 3 hosts, a real treat! Thanks for the tips!

@stewmac Год назад

Glad you enjoyed it!

@vayabroder729 Год назад

What a great video; love seeing Dan in his element along with a great player and educator and a great host. Thank you!

@stewmac Год назад

It was a fun shoot with these fellas. Thanks for the comment!

@sirvicemanone Год назад

@@stewmac you should do more videos like this about other topics .your collective knowledge and love of music and guitar is what made this video great 👍♥️

@allabouttheU1662 Год назад

I like 8s

@theo9789 Год назад

Wow the collective knowledge here, is priceless! Thank you gentlemen.

@nuclearhotel2172 7 месяцев назад

Wonderful video. Great tips from seasoned techs. I learned a lot of things I wish I knew decades ago.

@The9thChord Год назад

Thanks Stewmac and Tomo!

@rodneyfrothingham2579 Год назад

This overview is so helpful for understanding these basic features and areas of maintenance and or adjustment for the guitar player. I will be sharing this with others often.

@stewmac Год назад

So glad it was helpful - thanks so much for sharing!

@sixslinger9951 Год назад

Two of my favs, Dan and Tomo.

@ronstewart2871 Год назад

Thanks guys, this video was a BIG help to me and my Strat and Taylor!

@roadtorockstar7848 Год назад

Thank you for this one!

@organism-gk9rj Год назад

This is a masterclass, so simple to understand!

@coreybagley5579 Год назад

Thank you gentlemen for going over those 6 things. They are very important.

@JeremiahL 5 месяцев назад

Who ever edited this video did a huge disservice to the cohesiveness to the conversation. I can tell that there were some gems that got cut. I would have liked to hear the conversation in long form.

@rongroves9620 Год назад

That was such a fantastic video that I will be watching it again soon.

@PeterKertesz2013 Год назад

Brilliant video, thank you for sharing your knowledge and Tomo his wisdom! Subscribed 🎸

@stewmac Год назад

Awesome, thank you!

@jeffwillock324 3 месяца назад

Thx so much guys.

@realce666 3 месяца назад

Excellent vid. Thanks.

@stewmac 3 месяца назад

Glad you liked it! Thank you!

@steveY2K1 Год назад

Thank you all for the info, I learned a lot and have some things to check on my guitar !

@stewmac Год назад

Great to hear it was helpful!

@mickbee7227 Год назад

i love this.. great stuff.

@gillesthibodeau7078 Год назад

Very interesting! Been playing guitar for 50+ years. Still learning from this good blog! Thanks to you 3! :)

@martinlee6694 Год назад

One of the best video I have seen very informativ.😁😁😁

@autodidacticprofessor869 Месяц назад

4:44 FINALLY somebody talks about string diameter and the post-post length issue!!

@LaMusicade4 Год назад

Thank you !

@pfkmsandiego Год назад

incredibly informative. 'gonna share with all my students and guitar friends :)

@kirkp_nextguitar Год назад

Suggestion: Instead of pulling on the string to prestretch, tune the string about a whole step high, then return to standard tuning. That gives you much better control of how much the string is stretched and how evenly. There is less risk of damage to the string and it does no harm to the guitar. This method occurred to me a few years ago and it works great.

@phillosopherguitarist2673 6 месяцев назад

Yep, that's my method.

@JALNIN66 Год назад

Excellent video. That Jack the Gripper tool is something I never knew existed but it's so necessary for every strat player. Thanks. Nice to hear the toothpick trick is used by pros too.

@HughesandKettneramps Год назад

excellent video - every guitarpalyer should have a look - thanks guys!

@DaringDan Год назад

Tomo's the man!

@billysmether6237 Год назад

Wow you guys have made an awesome video! Thank you so much!!!

@stewmac Год назад

Glad you enjoyed it, cheers!

@fabienbourdier9847 Год назад

I'm a simple man, i see Dan the man, i like instantly

@stewmac Год назад

Thanks. We appreciate it!

@fabienbourdier9847 Год назад

@@stewmac no i mean it, he's literally a treasure, please make as much content as possible with him it's always a delight to listen to him sharing his knowledge

@presentalinkwalterbak2426 Год назад

This video should be watched again and again! You guys are almost as awesome as I am! LOL

@jd3410 Год назад

Great video! Thank you. FYI: I have a target humidity of 40%. Once 50% is reached, mold can start to grow and cause all sorts of health problems. I find that keeping the humidity and temperature stable, I rarely have to adjust my trust rod and my guitars stay in tune for days up to 2 or 3 weeks. This allows for more playing a less fussing.

@kingfisher7960 Год назад

awesome!

@tedposobiec Год назад

very good video!

@myflyisopen.8732 Год назад

After stringing (bass guitar), tuning, stretching a few times, and re-tuning, I place my palm over the bridge saddles and press down. It creates the "witness point" on the saddles and helps with intonation, tuning, stability, and string action. It gets it nicely leveled.

@Cayiguitar 10 месяцев назад

Dan’s humor is priceless, throughout all of StewMac’s videos. “…something with a truss rod hopefully 🤞🏼 “ 😹😹😹. 10:16 Thank you StewMac for making us better everyday.❤🎸

@benh9350 Год назад

@26:00 the guys share a thought about why the guitar is a great instrument! The guitar is more human than say a piano because of its imperfections and its ability to be adjusted to a player's own preferences. The whole video is great and helpful but I really liked that moment of philosophy

@acdclexu6296 Год назад

Tomo is such a cool dude love watch his stuff

@ArapuniWizard Год назад

About pickup height adjustment, I usually set each pickup and listen to it individually until it sounds best, do that with all (or both) pickups, then listen to them in combination with the other(s). After that, I adjust for the best combined sound, also taking into account whether more bass or treble is required for a balanced sound. A good basic setup video.

@douglaschristine8387 Год назад

Thanks so much guys. Alot of excellent information. I've always had a problem with barring strings high up on the neck I can't get the b and high e strings to ring no matter how hard I push down because my neck is a little concave, not flat and I think I can fix it at the bridge now. It's bother me for four years. Most the time I'll only barre the first four high strings so I can still play the chords I need. Time to buy some tools. Great 👍 stuff. Cheers

@KeritechElectronics Год назад

Nice tips! I'm only taking my baby steps with a guitar, bought my first one (a secondhand Washburn X10 that I named "Rat-O-Caster") and the first thing I did was rusty machine head replacement, fretboard cleaning, fret polishing, restringing, electrical overhaul and a full setup. Learned tons of stuff!

@stewmac Год назад

That's awesome you are diving right in! Keep it up.

@martyjones2679 11 месяцев назад

What a great video! I string my guitars the same way. Been playing a long time so I've mastered stringing and stretching my strings but I haven't really tried setups much. I leave that to my son. This video makes me more confident that I could do setups myself. Maybe I will buy my own gauges instead of bugging him. Dan and Tomo are legends! Thanks for always sharing great info with us! Well done guys!

@jinbyun Год назад

There's one trick I picked up from youtube, which I always do to my bolt on guitars. After setting the neck up, tune the guitar to pitch and loosen the neck plate screws a quarter turn each. Tune the guitar again (can go slightly above) and tighten the neck plate. I don't know if it's a placebo, but to me, after this trick, the guitar becomes more resonant. It's worth trying since it's not so hard, unless the screws are too tight.

@tjsponik Год назад

Very good instruction for the players. It's amazing how many players are afraid to do simple adjustments.

@benirodriguez9516 3 месяца назад

In Norway, newer houses are very dry inside (like 20-25% RH), after some years of havingt troubles with my guitars, I realized this, and got myself a Humidifier with Hygrostat, meaning that I can set how much $ humidity I want (45-50), and it regulates itself to keep at that. Only I have to fill it up all the time... it shuts down if its low on water though, which is a great safety precaution.

@lucasbazzano7290 3 месяца назад

amazing! :)

@JuniorFarquar Год назад

Layman here, but my son is extremely good. Just got full ride to study music outside Nashvegas . I can more understand his language now! Thanks, men. Great presentation...we never stop learning. (You'll hear my son's name someday...dad speaking)

@migueldahlstrom Год назад

Best part was Tomo playing in the end. Great video.

@RaccoonHenry 11 месяцев назад

I'm an "ok" player at best, nowhere near the levels of Mr. Fujita's students, but I know how to do all of these things pretty well and even do it for my guitar and bass player friends often. I can't fathom being enrolled at Berklee and not being able to do these things on your instrument!! it's worth mentioning that this channel, and Dan in particular, have taught me A LOT, so huge thanks are in order!

@fordsrestorations970 3 месяца назад

Hello all you guys , good tips and information! hey I live just right over the way so I'm hoping to be there in your area this spring .🙂

@MrMisterock Год назад

@3:14 wow man, that action is high af !

@Hector-yl1kh Год назад

This video should be standardised as a summary education piece used everywhere that explains these fundamental elements of setting up a guitar. The point by Dan about a kink in the string in front of the bridge depending on setting the saddles back was a revelation. I will add this vid to another of his videos on the logic of using locking tuners to remove string winds which impact the tuning. It's also nice to know I was already doing plenty of things the right way but there is always something new to learn. Fantastic guys. Thank you so much.

@stewmac Год назад

Thanks so much for watching and sharing! Dan always sneaks in some amazing tips 😎

@michaelk5507 Год назад

Tomo is a really excellent teacher because he sounds like he's willing to learn as well, as he teaches. He isn't cocky or arrogant, pretending he knows it all already, which can easily demoralize students and make them feel like they know nothing.