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Basic Set-up Instructions Product Instructions I-3910
Basic Set-up Instructions
Erick Coleman walks you through basic set-up instructions to have your guitar playing great in no time.
Correct saddle intonation with The Intonator Product Instructions I-5245
Correct saddle intonation with The Intonator
The Intonator finds the correct locations for acoustic flattop guitar bridge saddle placement.
How the stars set up their guitars Product Instructions A-FAMOUSSETUPS
How the stars set up their guitars
An excerpt from Dan Erlewine's "How To Make You Electric Guitar Play Great", including celebrity setups from Jeff Beck to Jim Weider.
Metric String Action Gauge Product Instructions I-0670-M
Metric String Action Gauge
How to determine string action with the Metric String Action Gauge.
Nut Slotting Gauge Instructions Product Instructions I-2003
Nut Slotting Gauge Instructions
How to determine nut slot depth with the Nut Slotting Gauge.
Resonator Guitar Set-up Techniques Product Instructions I-4006
Resonator Guitar Set-up Techniques
An introduction to setting up a resonator guitar.
Slotted Bone Nuts Sizing Sheet Product Instructions A-SLOTTEDBONENUTS
Slotted Bone Nuts Sizing Sheet
Find the right nut size for your guitar.
Spider-bridge Resonator Guitar Setup Product Instructions A-SPIDERSETUP
Spider-bridge Resonator Guitar Setup
A step-by-step for setting up a spider bridge resonator.
String Action Gauge Instructions Product Instructions I-0670
String Action Gauge Instructions
How to determine string action with the String Action Gauge.
String Spacing Rule Instructions Product Instructions I-0673
String Spacing Rule Instructions
The String Spacing Rule locates string positions so that heavier strings get the wider spacing they need.
Top Deflection Gauge Instructions Product Instructions I-5253
Top Deflection Gauge Instructions
How to use the Top Deflection Gauge for neck resetting and saddle routing, banjo head tensioning, and assessing and adjusting neck relief.
Using Feeler Gauges to Control Nut Slot Depth Product Instructions I-1811
Using Feeler Gauges to Control Nut Slot Depth
How to use feeler gauges to control nut slot depth.
Zero Glide Nuts Sizing Sheet Product Instructions A-ZEROGLID
Zero Glide Nuts Sizing Sheet
Find the Zero Glide Nut that fits your instrument.
Watch the Trade Secrets Video, Banjo setup tips
Online video available 		Trade Secrets! Issue 214 April 10, 2014
Banjo setup tips
How do you set the tension on a banjo head? If you're more familiar with guitars than banjos, Dan Erlewine has a few quick tips for you.
Does this bone nut fit my guitar? Trade Secrets! Issue 164 May 10, 2012
Does this bone nut fit my guitar?
Erick Coleman answers a question that's come up a lot lately: how to find the right size replacement nut. He introduces a new Sizing Sheet that makes measuring easy for anybody.
Watch the Trade Secrets Video, Do-it-yourself banjo bridge lifter
Online video available 		Trade Secrets! Issue 184 February 14, 2013
Do-it-yourself banjo bridge lifter
Dave Collins at Herb David Guitar Studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan shows an easy-to-make tool for swapping banjo bridges.
Don't be nervous about adjusting that truss rod! Trade Secrets! Issue 33 June 07, 2007
Don't be nervous about adjusting that truss rod!
Erick Coleman shows how quick and easy it is to evaluate a neck and adjust the truss rod.
Fine tuning a bolt-on replacement neck Trade Secrets! Issue 132 February 03, 2011
Fine tuning a bolt-on replacement neck
Erick Coleman pulls his old Strat out of mothballs and gives it a new neck. He shows what's needed to get a replacement neck ready to play.
Watch the Trade Secrets Video, Fix a broken nut with baking soda?
Online video available 		Trade Secrets! Issue 197 August 15, 2013
Fix a broken nut with baking soda?
"Can a broken nut can be fixed with baking soda and super glue?" Lou, a singer here in Athens, Ohio, brought this question to Dan Erlewine (along with the broken nut on his Yamaha guitar). As it turns out, the answer is yes and no...
Fixing a badly worn neck: super glue as both fill and finish Trade Secrets! Issue 114 May 27, 2010
Fixing a badly worn neck: super glue as both fill and finish
Somebody's wrung this guitar's neck with years of string bending -- the wood is gone from the edge of the fingerboard. The customer doesn't want a new neck, so Dan Erlewine improvises a great solution.
Watch the Trade Secrets Video, Fixing fret buzz: raising the saddles
Online video available 		Trade Secrets! Issue 221 July 17, 2014
Fixing fret buzz: raising the saddles
A P-Bass with fret buzz: Dan Erlewine fixes his brother’s bass, and answers the question, “To get rid of this fret buzz, should I adjust the saddles or the truss rod?”
Watch the Trade Secrets Video, Guitar Strings Guide
Online video available 		Video
Guitar Strings Guide
With literally THOUSANDS of different types of guitar strings on the market how do you decide which are right for you? Where do you even start? This video gives a few tips to help you narrow down your choices FAST to find the right strings for your style of music and your style of play.
Watch the Trade Secrets Video, How to Adjust the Action on an Acoustic Guitar
Online video available 		Video
How to Adjust the Action on an Acoustic Guitar
Customers call us every single day asking us how to adjust (usually lower) the action on their acoustic guitar. This video has been on our "to do" list forever and we've finally found the time to put it together for you.
Watch the Trade Secrets Video, How to fit a preshaped nut on a guitar
Online video available 		Trade Secrets! Issue 178 November 22, 2012
How to fit a preshaped nut on a guitar
Tips for fitting a shaped and slotted nut. Dan Erlewine tries a preshaped nut in his own Fender Strat: it's so easy "it's almost like cheating!"
Watch the Trade Secrets Video, How to install classical guitar strings
Online video available 		Trade Secrets! Issue 240 April 09, 2015
How to install classical guitar strings
Learn the right way to install nylon strings so they don’t stretch for a month before you can start playing.
Brazilian luthier Rodrigo Gomes visits Dan Erlewine’s shop and sets up a classical guitar for Dan to start learning to play bossa nova.
Watch the Trade Secrets Video, How to String an Acoustic Guitar
Online video available 		Video
How to String an Acoustic Guitar
Looking for a fast, accurate method for stringing an acoustic guitar? Look no further.
Watch the Trade Secrets Video, How to String an Electric Guitar
Online video available 		Video
How to String an Electric Guitar
Looking for a fast, accurate method for stringing an electric guitar? Look no further.
Watch the Trade Secrets Video, Joe Bonamassa sound check: backstage tips
Online video available 		Trade Secrets! Issue 249 September 24, 2015
Joe Bonamassa sound check: backstage tips
Dan Erlewine visits backstage with the great blues guitarist, Joe Bonamassa and his highly experienced tech, Mike Hickey. Joe talks guitars with Dan, and Mike shares two guitar setup tips.
Watch the Trade Secrets Video, Lindy Fralin on how to set pickup height
Online video available 		Trade Secrets! Issue 208 January 16, 2014
Lindy Fralin on how to set pickup height
Lindy Fralin, of Lindy Fralin Pickups, shows how he sets pickup heights. Lindy shows it's not about measuring, it's about listening. Recorded at last summer's Northwoods Seminar in Michigan.
Plastic nuts are high-speed and low-cost! Trade Secrets! Issue 35 June 21, 2007
Plastic nuts are high-speed and low-cost!
Dan Erlewine races the clock to show that plastic nut installations are quick and profitable!
Preparing a guitar for a professional recording date Trade Secrets! Issue 121 September 02, 2010
Preparing a guitar for a professional recording date
Erick Coleman gives The Business to Rontrose Heathman's Les Paul to get it ready for a recording date with L.A. legends, The Hangmen.
Tune-O-Matic setup: is the trouble with the bridge or the neck angle? Trade Secrets! Issue 93 August 06, 2009
Tune-O-Matic setup: is the trouble with the bridge or the neck angle?
Dan helps the local music store with a customer complaint about a Gibson Tune-O-Matic bridge setup. Who's to blame here?
Two 1917 Gibson L-1 archtop guitars: each with too-high action Trade Secrets! Issue 111 April 15, 2010
Two 1917 Gibson L-1 archtop guitars: each with too-high action
Dan Erlewine got a blast from the past in his shop recently, and before the dust settled he got another one! He's working on two Gibson L-1 archtops from 1917, and they both have the same trouble: too-tall bridges and too-high action.
Using the String Spacing Rule for guitars and mandolins Trade Secrets! Issue 28 May 03, 2007
Using the String Spacing Rule for guitars and mandolins
Erick Coleman uses Kevin Ryan's proportional string spacing rule for more jobs than Kevin ever expected: 12-strings, mandolins, bridge saddles... Plus: an explanation of the difference between equal spacing and proportional spacing.