Dad3353

Pick-ups are a very Dark Art, with a few more than umpteen different factors that contribute to the tone. Wire gauge, number of turns on how many coils, type of magnet and its shape, wax-potted, base plate material, scatter- or tight-wound, given name of the lady operating the winding machine... These are just a few of the things to be considered. As for the RetroVibes : they are, I believe, twin-coil four-wire humbuckers, where the original toasters from the '50s and '60s were single coil, so very different. The ones fitted to that guitar are quite highly reputed (not at all Far East knock-offs...), and would give good results in any decent build. Will they sound exactly the same in another body (Les Paul style, for instance...)..? probably not, but they would certainly sound good. Rather inexpensive as an experiment, I'd suggest, so worth trying out on a 'suck it and see' basis. Just my tuppence-worth.

Good evening, @sundayguitar, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Link duff, so here it is corrected, giving...

You say that there are major cracks, and broken bracing. This would be best repaired by replacing the top altogether, by a reliable qualified luthier. Will that affect the sound..? Quite certainly, and for the better. Only worth doing for an instrument of quality in the first place; your Guild qualifies, I'd say. Let us know what you decide, and how it turns out, please..?

OK, then I recommend that you learn the Dark Art of guitar set-ups as soon as practicable, as you'll be needing those skills, to get the best from your new, or any other, guitar. Douglas

You're re-tuning your guitar from standard 'E' (EADGBE...) down to Drop C (CGCFAD...) regularly, or keeping it tuned down..?

What guitar did you buy..? That would help us give the best reply to your request. Until then, I'd say that, for electric guitars, of the 'Les Paul'/'Stratocaster'/'Telecaster' type (and anything similar...), a 'standard' string set would typically be 10-46. Fitting new strings should not need any adjustment to the bridge height, but maybe the intonation (the forward and back adjustment of the string saddles...) if changing gauge. No special ruler is needed for adjusting, but a little experience comes in handy. IF you're not happy with the new height, adjust it again, in small increments, until it suits you. You won't need to touch it again for years. If in doubt, go to your nearest music shop (where did you buy the guitar from..?), and ask them to show you how to get it as you want it. You'll have to learn these little set-up actions; they'll always be needed, and every guitarist learns them. No harm has been done, though, so take it slowly and be patient. Hope this helps. Douglas

Well done, and excellent document that'll be useful for many, I'm sure. I can't agree about the 'rubbish', of course; more progress to come, but you're well past the 'rubbish' stage. Just a little tip, if you're open to ideas for your 'noodling' sessions. Have a look at how to finger the 'Am' chord, and it's similar 'Bm' chord (that's 'A minor' and 'B minor', when written out in full...). They're not difficult. Once you've managed to play them, even slowly, try the chord progression : 'G' - 'Am' - Bm' - 'C'. You might recognise it; it's been used in many, many songs, and for good reason, musically. The chords can be arranged in other orders, such as 'Am' - 'G' - 'Am' - G' - 'Bm' - 'Am' - 'Bm' - 'C' - 'Bm' - 'Am' - 'G'. Just a thought; see if you like it; meanwhile... Have a splendid day. Douglas

Good evening, @Itzcookieboy69, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Good afternoon, @bbman9, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Think carefully before committing to this. The current 5-way switch has been designed so that there is never a case of 'no pick-up selected'. With individual 'on/off' switches for each pick-up, that will no longer be the case. What will happen when all pick-ups are 'off'..? This could be problematic, with buzzing or odd noises going to the amp. A solution to this would be to ground the 'off' pick-up, but this will affect the other, selected, pick-ups. Not easy, I'd say; I'd go for replacement of the duff switch with a decent, reliable, new one. I can't think of a simple solution to having all pick-ups 'off'; maybe someone else has that gift..? Hope this helps.

Maybe the best placed to answer your request is the maker..? Send a message to them, here... Oscar Schmidt Customer Support ... ... and see what reply you get..? Hope this helps. Douglas

Have a look here ... Justin Guitar Lessons... There are dozens of tutors, course and lessons out there, but others here are using the lessons from the site linked, as complete beginners, and are pleased enough to continue with him. There are lessons for all styles, so try it out, maybe..? Hope this helps.

Yes, the serial number first two digits give the year, so 1990 would be correct. Tanglewood exist since 1989, and their guitars were first made in Korea by Cort, for about ten years.

Good morning, @Redt4, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Record it as best you can, then post it here. We'll work out what's happening. Over to you ...

The only thing that I can think of, assuming that you're buying a guitar that you've chosen in a shop (so not online...), 'Are you happy with it, walking out of the door..?'. There's not that much to fuss about with a new guitar that feels good enough to buy. New strings don't need changing, nor frets polished, if it's already good in your hands. If you feel that it needs a set-up for you, after trying it out, maybe it's not 'The One'..? I'd spend more time listening to how it sounds, both acoustically and through an amp of your choosing, the comfort, the feeling that it projects to you. The most adjustment would be getting a comfortable strap sorted out, I'd say. Make sure that a suitable case is part of the deal, too, both for travelling (and taking it home..!) and for keeping it safe at home when not being played. If it feels right, ask what strings are already on it, and either note that, or buy a set for changing when it's due. It's true that I don't buy new, generally, but I worked for several years in a music shop, as a technician, and sold guitars, both acoustic and electric, with very little thought, nor need, for set-ups straight from the shop. At worst, an electro-acoustic might need a new battery, so get one fitted before taking possession. No need to over-think it, I'd say. Hope this helps. Douglas

The knobs closest to the neck are the volume controls for each pickup, the lower two are the tone controls. Try all the combinations of pickup/tone to see which best suit the song or style you're playing. Typically, the neck pick-up on its own will give a smoother, more 'soft jazz' tone, the bridge pick-up alone will be sharper, with more 'bite'; a combination is easily 'dialled in' by messing about with all of the controls. There are no rules; just listen with your own ears and create the sound you want. Hope this helps. Douglas

Have a look at this, maybe..? Hope it helps.

Ha..! The way I play guitar, any guitar, it's instantly recognisable as 'my own', however 'distinctive' it may be..! Fat chance of being taken for Brian May, using a 'Red', still less Hendrix with a Strat, or Alvin Lee with a 335..! Quality will out, and those players have qualities that I do not. I stand out in any crowd of players; just maybe not for the right reasons..!

Contact these folk (they're in the UK...); their 6-way blade switch looks like it'll fit the bill... Free-way Switch ... Hope this helps. Douglas

Sorry, definitely not a fan.

Play 'Em' at the seventh fret (same fingering as 'Am', but barred, higher up the neck...). Use the 3rd string, then 1st string, then 2nd string,10th fret as the starting 'melody' line (played twice...), then just mess around with the notes of that scale, keeping the 6/8 rhythm going, and you can't go too far wrong. The exact notes are less important than the 'feel', using diatonic notes, hammer-ons and pull-offs, and coming back to those initial 'melody' notes now and again. Try it..?