Frequently Asked Questions.

Hi, on this page, I will answer frequently asked questions, please feel free to email me with your questions, and I will answer them directly and post them on this page.

One Note of caution, if you are uncomfortable with making any of the suggestions, then take it to your local guitar tech. If, however, should you make the adjustments yourself allow the guitar to settle down and re-visit the setup for a few days to make sure all your actions are still correct. Here are some of the subjects below:

I Want to learn to play the guitar, I’ve got a new Guitar what do you suggest?

New Guitar uncomfortable to play

Guitar sounds like a sitar

Tuning Problems

Intonation is out

Tremolo lifting when bending notes

Confusion over different knobs and sizes

Question: I want to learn to play the guitar Do you have any suggestions?

Answer: This is a Question I get asked a lot, well, this all depends on what you mean; for example do you just want to learn songs you like, or do you want to know how to play the instrument and discover music, If you want to learn; then I suggest either find a local guitar teacher or if you want to learn on line Then I would highly recommend Guitar Mastery Method This is a brilliant online course teaching you step by step, with downloadable PDF’s backing tracks, and over 20 different genres of musical styles.

Question: I have bought a brand new guitar, and I can’t seem to play it comfortably, why is this?

Answer: The settings from the manufacturer are raising the action to ensure there is no fret buzz when you first try playing it, so the action will be too high and uncomfortable to play. not only that; it is widespread for most manufacturers to fail to set the bridge radius to match the neck radius…there may also be irregular fretwork. This will affect the playability and the intonation of your Guitar, plus, you do not know how long it has been stored or what countries it has been in. So, you really do need a full setup…take it to your local guitar tech and ask for a full setup. This also applies to buying a secondhand guitar as the previous owner may have set his guitar to suit his/her particular playing style, which may not suit your style of playing, higher action, thinner/thicker strings, etc… Plus, you may not know how long the strings have been on the instrument.

Question: My Guitar sounds like a Sitar, what is causing this?

Answer: The normal answer is twofold: Either, the nut slots are not filed to the correct height or the slots are too tight and pinching the strings (which also causes tuning instability). Or the saddle slots are not filed correctly. Occasionally it could be both the nut slots and the saddle slots…In any case, please take it to your local shop or guitar tech.

Question: Why am I having tuning problems?

Answer: 1) If you have old or rusty strings, you need them removed and replaced immediately. any full guitar setup will always put new strings on. The simple reason is that the strings lose all flexibility with age, start to unwind, and cause rust to transfer to the saddles. Also, over time the strings will form flat spots over the frets. I recommend changing your strings if you play more than 20 hours per week at least every 3 months, otherwise every 4 months. Also, check your tuner nuts at the headstock, 10mm nuts do seem to loosen, so re-tighten, but don’t overdo it as they may split.

2) The primary reason is the nut slots, now, let’s talk about the importance of the nut, although it is a small part of the Guitar/Bass/Ukelele it is a crucial component, It governs many different things:

1) It governs the action height at the first fret, you know, is it going to be hard to play or easy to play?

2) It impacts intonation at the first fret, if the nut slots are too high, then the first position can play sharp.

3) It governs tuning stability: if the slots are too tight, the strings will bind and you will have very erratic tuning, if the slots are too loose then the string will buzz.

So, you must identify the nut slots, to see if they are too narrow for your string gauge, or; if these slots have not been cut correctly. So when tuning to pitch the strings are sticking in the slots.

Question: My intonation is out after the 12th fret on my electric guitar can you help?

Answer: This applies to acoustic as well as electric: Firstly have you changed the string gauge? as this will affect the intonation, if not Then it sounds like the intonation has not been set up correctly, the most important thing is to ensure, that your open strings are tuned to pitch, if they are not then your intonation will be out from the beginning, so, you must ensure that these are tuned exactly to pitch. Also, has the string action height been set correctly, and is the bridge radius the same as the neck radius? These will all affect the intonation and playability. Now, on the basis that everything mentioned above has been done, you can set the intonation as follows: Fret at the 12th using your normal playing pressure and make sure you are not slightly bending the fretted string. If the note is flat; then you need to move the saddle forward reducing the scale length and turn the saddle screws anti-clockwise, if the note is sharp, you need to move the saddle back to increase the scale length you do this by turning the saddle screw clockwise, you must see the saddle moving, so it may take a couple of turns. NOTE, Loosen the string first before you do this and, flatten the note; retune to pitch. Once you are happy with the intonation at the 12th, it’s worthwhile doing the same at the 17th fret - especially if you play higher up. Special note: On Gibson/Epiphone, they do tend to play a little sharp so you will need to accept some slight variation with intonation, it is really a personal choice, however, my preference would be to have the intonation a little flat - just because it is easier to bend to pitch than to bend down, but I always try to get it as close to perfect as possible. If you have a PRS and the strings wrap around the bridge then you can adjust the intonation, by adjusting the screws, but you have to access them from the front and this can be a little awkward. If you have a bridge without individually adjustable saddles, then you have to adjust the bridge by moving it backward or forward… Better left to your local guitar tech guy/girl. likewise, if you have a Floyd Rose tremolo, they do give you a way to adjust them, but it is tricky.

TOP TIP: when looking at the saddles, the way they should look generally is the low E saddle is further back, the A moves forward, the D is forward of the A, and the G saddle drops back again because it is thicker than the core wire of the D, then the B moves forward and the high E moves forward of the B. So, you have 3 at an angle and 3 at an angle, so if you have saddles that are out of that orientation, it’s a good indicator that the guitar might need to be intonated.

Question: the saddle on my squier strat lifts when I bend a string so the notes are out of tune can I put a block in the saddle?

Answer: Yes you can, however, the main reason is that the tremolo setup is wrong! quite simply, and you can adjust the tremolo setup yourself, let’s take a look at how you can do it: You can either have it flat to the body or have it floating, and there is a range in between, so, if you don’t want to use it, then remove the back cover and tighten the claw until it pulls the tremolo flat to the body, then re-tune to pitch, now bend your strings as in the normal playing position, and see if the tremolo starts to lift if it does, then you need to loosen the 6 screws at the front of the plate by 1 turn, at this point, you should see some clearance between the plate and the bottom of the screw head, this is normal. now re-tune to pitch, and bend your strings as normal, once the tremolo does not move, you are good to go, this may take a bit of repetition as you may have to adjust the claw screws again. Just remember that the string tension is pulling against the spring tension. Now, if you still want to use the tremolo, just for “dives” then again do the adjustments mentioned earlier keeping the tremolo flat to the body, this will incur loosening the claw screws…If you are not happy doing it yourself, take it to your local guitar tech.

Question: I’m thinking of changing the knobs on my guitar, but I don’t know which ones, because some fit and some don’t can you help, please?

Answer: Well, this is a bit long-winded, but I hope it answers your question: Firstly let’s have a look at what do guitar knobs do? Guitar knobs are designed to control the output of a guitar from the pickups to the jack. There are usually two basic types of knob setups but the possibilities are almost endless. The first is a master volume knob with 2 tone knobs as commonly found in Stratocasters with a pickup position switch that gives you different sound combinations to choose from & adjust. The second is simpler and is a volume knob and a tone knob that affects two or more pickups on the guitar. These might be easier to wire up but the tone knob might have to be adjusted every time you switch between pickups, whereas with multiple tone knobs, you can have different tone settings for each pickup. The knobs on a guitar are generally connected in the same manner with minor variations here and there. One of the more common wiring configurations is where the "tip" or "hot" wire leads to the pickup, then to the tone knob, the volume knob, and then finally back to the output jack. Other things are thrown in the wiring system such as ground wires, batteries, and even active components but this is the basic outline from pickups to output jack.

The tone knob controls the clarity of the pickups; it controls the sound from bassy and dark to clear and bright.

The volume knob is obvious in that it controls how loud or soft of a sound the guitar will produce through the amp, but it can also help to tame down distortion & make more of a crunchy tone instead of full-on saturation. Some guitarists are major tone-seekers & focus heavily on tweaking the sound that comes out from the amp, guitar, and all the components in between ranging from pedals to picks & other hardware bits. In this area, tone not only has to do a lot with the amp/pre-amp settings you have, your pedalboard, or other gear you might possess, but also the settings your tone knobs are set at. The tone knob has the final say in all of this & it's all within instant reach.

So, how do I remove my old knobs? If you want to get that stubborn protective plastic out from under the knobs on a new guitar, replace them, or, see what types are compatible with your guitar, you need to first remove them. The best way to take the stock knobs off your guitar is to wedge a sturdy thin material between the surface and the knob itself. Thin, sturdy guitar picks, old credit cards, or sometimes even business cards are useful. Then keep nudging and gently pulling up, it usually pops right off! Other popular methods include getting a thin piece of cloth wrapped tightly under the knob and then gently pulling it upwards. I suggest using a combination of both, using a pick to pry it up, creating a space to then nudge the cloth between the old knob and the surface of the guitar, and then using the cloth to pull it up safely.

What are the Different Knob/Pot Sizes?

Unfortunately, guitar knobs are not universal, so you have to match the control shaft on your guitar and the knob you buy. The control shaft is the part of the guitar that protrudes from the potentiometer. It's the piece that will be inserted into the knob and give it a snug fit. Typically, it will have a set number of splines that define its fitment but there are also some variations that are totally smooth & require knobs with a set screw. If you're looking to buy a replacement set of guitar knobs but don't know which ones will fit, we recommend removing one of your existing knobs to check the splines. Splines are the ridges or "teeth" on the control shaft and there are generally 2 types of fitment that can be determined by counting them. There are potentiometers that have "coarse" splines & there are ones that are "fine". This also breaks down into one being a metric (coarse) size using millimeters & one being an imperial (fine) using inches for the measurements. Unfortunately, the two are not interchangeable, although you might be able to modify the knobs if you have the knack for those sorts of modifications & have the tools.

Coarse Spline: Also called Metric size, or imported knobs, are the most popular control shafts - Especially the "Alpha" brand pots. You will find these on most imported guitars, and to go out on a limb, perhaps on over 80% of all guitars unless otherwise stated. They are a 6mm split shaft, with 8 splines on each side, which makes 16.  When looking for the type of knob, remember that a knob that fits the metric pot will say 18 splines, this is because the inside of the knob itself has 2 extra ridges to account for the split in the split shaft. The ridges of these potentiometers are thicker and there are fewer of them compared to the imperial-sized knobs/pots.

Fine Spline: Also called Imperial size, which includes USA-based brands, like CTS & Bourns are .235" in diameter which translates to 5.95mm. These knobs are slightly smaller than the metric ones & have finer "teeth" or 10 splines on each side, which make for a total of 20. When looking for a knob that fits the imperial size, the description will market it as having 24 splines. Again, to compensate for the illusory 4 included in the split. Fine spline shafts have thinner and more ridges & a knob that's fitted for this type of potentiometer will not fit a coarse-splined pot. Typically, you will only find these on higher-end guitars and the guitar's product description will usually include the potentiometer brand there as part of the hardware specifications.

Solid Shaft:

Lastly, there is the solid shaft, the type of guitar knob that fits these uses a set screw to fasten the knob onto the smooth, ridgeless shaft. These knobs & pots are typically sized in a 1/4" diameter or the equivalent of 6.35mm. So, you could potentially install one of these knobs onto a coarse or fine potentiometer but it might require an extra brass "sleeve" insert but the side-screw should help to secure the knob in place. A solid shaft however, will only take a knob that is also its same 1/4" diameter as the other 2 options are just too small.

Guitar Knob Styles

Now that you know the technicalities, we can get into what looks good and is best for your style and instrument.

Hat Knobs

These are the ones you’ve most commonly seen before, the hat or bell knobs have a thicker diameter and then get thinner towards the top. They are seen on Strat’s as the classic solid-colored plastic knobs with the numbers on the bottom and on Les Paul’s, which are usually black, gold, or amber and translucent with numbers inside.

Speed Knobs

Commonly seen on Gibson guitars and PRS, speed knobs are also referred to as hatbox or barrel knobs. They are solid cylinder-shaped with the number dials presented beneath see-through plastic material. They can also be found in black, gold, or amber color.

Phone: 07365 109796

Email: elsdonguitartech@gmail.com

5 Elsdon Road, Burton Manor, Stafford. ST17 9PY