Guide to getting and playing better gigs
Guitar Tips
GENERAL CARE:
The first thing to remember is to devote a couple of post-practice moments to wiping the guitar down. Concentrate on everywhere your hands come into contact with your guitar. You'll need to wipe the strings, fingerboard, machineheads and bridge to remove any grease, acid and general debris... more commonly known as... crap!Fingers produce destructive moisture that will reduce the life of your strings. So wipe over the strings and fingerboard after each practice. A soft cloth without loose fibres, such as an old cotton T shirt, is perfect. Slip the cloth between string and fingerboard to remove moisture from underneath the string then air the guitar for five minutes before returning to the case. Lay a cloth over the strings when you store the guitar. Silicone-based preparations like Fast Fret are great for refreshing strings on a guitar that hasn't been played for a while. Wipe the wand along each string in turn then remove any excess with the soft cloth. If too much Fast Fret is left on the strings it'll feel pretty strange, a really light application is great for bringing strings back to life. A little household furniture polish (not aerosol) on a soft cloth will also do if you run out.
Keep the guitar in a case for maximum protection against knocks, scratches and the effects of your central heating. A gig bag is excellent for carrying a guitar from car to gig. Use a hard case whenever someone else transports your gear out of your sight. Flightcased guitars are heavy to lift but offer the best protection, especially in a van or truck. Several guitars can be transported in one large flightcased trunk.
TEMPERATURE EXTREMES:
One thing to be aware of is how temperature and humidity affects your guitar. Extremes are not good for guitars. A rule of thumb: if it feels too hot or cold for you, it is probably too hot or cold for your guitar. This is appropriate for electrics and acoustics, but acoustics have thinner wood which can be affected much easier. Often temperature extremes will result in split wood, warped bodies, and necks and can be much worse on acoustics.Electrics will also warp, plus, certain finishes will permanently cloud up, or crack if exposed to a fast, extreme change in temperature. So beware of temperature changes around your guitars.
The ideal temperature for a guitar is between 70 and 75 degrees F, and the ideal humidity is between 30 - 50% max. If you're travelling to a gig on a hot or cold day, warm up or cool off your car before putting your axe in it. Never put it in the boot either, it's dangerous in many ways. Before opening your guitar case, always let it settle to room temperature. Judge this by running your hand over the outside of the case, remember, you're only looking to eliminate extremes. If your guitar must be exposed to extreme temperatures, remove all tension from the strings and allow it to return to a good temperature before tuning it up again. Most of this is common sense, but it helps to protect that great guitar you spent your hard-earned money on.
TREMELO ARM:
Does your guitar's tremolo arm wobble about? Doesn't stay where you put it, and flops around like a turd in a piss-pot? There are two solutions. One is to remove it, and throw it away. But probably a better alternative is to use a tiny, stiff spring that Fender includes on all American strats. Your local Fender dealer can get these for you (get a couple, they bolt for the door when you're not looking).Another quick and easy "floppy tremolo arm" fix that works well with the straight screw-in Strat type arms. If the thread has become worn and loose so that the arm won't stay in a convenient place, unscrew the arm completely. Then take about 3cm of an old top E nylon string and place this in the hole before screwing the arm back in. Try to leave about 1 cm protruding from the hole so you can remove it if necessary. The arm will be a little difficult to screw in initially but once the first few turns are completed the string will be deformed into the worn thread and take up the slack, allowing the arm to move freely, but remain wherever it is placed.
STRING SNAPPING:
If you have a particular string persistently breaking, look for sharp edges on the hardware - especially bridge saddles, nut and machine heads. That's often the problem. Remove any sharp bit by lightly rubbing with a piece of wet and dry - but watch those plated and polished surfaces.NOISY VOLUME/TONE POTS:
Go to your local electronics or hi-fi store and ask for an electrical contact cleaner for cleaning noisy variable resistors or potentiometers. The cleaner doesn't conduct electricity, and will get rid of dust and dirt etc. It'll leave your controls, switches etc, crackle free and also works on effects pedals. Electrical contact cleaner is also an electric contact lubricant. That is, it cleans and also lubricates to help stop wear of the control. Because dirt and dust (and corrosion build up) get into the control, the wiper doesn't contact the resistive material all that well. By cleaning it with contact cleaner, it helps the wiper to make better contact. Just spray some cleaner into the pot cavity (where the wiper is), and move the control back and forth, and then clean again to remove any residue. It might not eliminate the crackling sound completely, but there'll be a vast improvement. If the control still sounds scratchy, the control will probably need replacing.LOW VOLUME TIP:
If you have to practice or play at low volume levels you just won't get the same great cranked-up sound, so try using your distortion pedal (as you probably would normally), but lower the pre-amp and tone controls on your amp to 1, and crank the master up to 10.See also: