Guitar Workbench 102
Analog vs. Digital Delay
The analog vs. digital delay war has been raging for several years now. Those in the analog camp love the lush repeats and rounded character of the trails. Digital delay folks know that those razor sharp repeats will continue to cut through any mix and keep the true sound of your guitar intact. While volleys […]
Experimenting With Pickup Wirings
The Fender Stratocaster has been my main guitar for years now, and despite the trademark five pickup positions that come stock on these guitars, I have always ended up using only one of them. While there are so many tones to explore on this instrument, I always end up falling back on position one, the […]
Maintaining Guitar Humidity
For the longest time, humidity never crossed my mind when it came to my guitars. I mainly play solid body Jaguars in a band and only ever pick up my low-end acoustic when I’m at home strumming on the couch. It wasn’t until I moved from a basement rehearsal space to a main floor space […]
Using a Boost Pedal with Overdrive
Overdrives and boosts, considered by some (me) to be a rock guitarist’s most used effects, help establish the foundation for tasty, clipped tone. While we all know and love the effect overdrive pedals create, boosts have somewhat of a mysterious air about them. Clearly, it’s easier to hear how an overdrive affects your overall tone […]
Two Mods to Make Your Stratocaster Sound Like a Telecaster
Since its release in 1954, the Fender Stratocaster has proved to be a tried-and-true instrument. Loved by many for its tone and versatility, it featured a number of innovations that separated it from other guitars of the era, including a three-pickup system which was controllable with a 5-way blade switch. While the new middle pickup gave […]
Why Don’t Guitar Manufacturers Make More Left-Handed Models?
When I was 12 I decided that playing guitar was rad, and I wanted to do it. My parents weren’t too excited to get me something I could make endless amounts of noise with, but eventually they caved and my dad drove me down to the local music store. I grabbed a guitar off the […]
Choosing a Pick From the Plectrum Spectrum
The guitar pick – that small unassuming element of music that is often disregarded entirely. What a bummer too, because for what amounts to mere cents, selecting the right pick for the job can drastically alter your tone and playing feel in surprisingly crucial ways. Most guitarists I have known over the years have had […]
How to Intonate Your Guitar
Besides knowing how to change strings, knowing how to intonate your instrument is a skill most guitarists should learn. Keeping your guitar intonated keeps notes in tune throughout the length of the neck, with the pleasant side effect of making your guitar more enjoyable to play. Let’s face it, nobody wants to play a guitar […]
What String Trees Are For
Often overlooked, string trees are an integral little piece of equipment for your Fender-style guitar or bass to play properly. Since a flat headstock doesn’t tilt back to give each string the proper break angle, a string tree (or string guide/retainer) applies downward pressure to the string, ensuring it stays properly seated in its slot […]
