Great video, one addition that goes hand in hand with soldering, electronics and others: Multimeter!! It's a must have, learn how to test continuity, resistance, charge, etc. That way you can: Test your analogue cables, your power cables, your electric circuits, your 9v batteries if they are charged or not, if you have a short circuit somewhere, if a transistor is busted (Yes Glen, not everybody have/like tube amps), if your electronics are not fried, and many other things. It is Diagnosis 101 tool.
10:23 is some of the best general life advice you have ever given and idk if you realize it. I was much like that, very introverted and afraid to talk to anyone. I held myself back for so long due to a lack of confidence, and the fear of I would make myself look stupid in front of people. One day I decided to work on it, and just randomly at a book store started a convo with a young couple about my age. Those two helped me get a job that now allows me to travel the world, I’ve become a happier and more confident person, and I’ve found myself dragged down less by fear and anger. Being a musician means you have to be able to be good with a crowd. And you won’t make it in the music industry if you are afraid to introduce yourself to people. Remember, treat everyone with kindness and respect, you’ll be surprised to see how many musicians and artists you enjoy actually enjoy getting to know fans. Most people know you aren’t there to harass them, and most will always appreciate you. But you’ll never know if you live in fear. Have self awareness and don’t be a weirdo, but be kind. It’s not as scary as your mind is telling you.
A small point to add to the soldering point: learn DEsolder as well. Knowing how to solder will help with making connections, but sometimes, you need to break the connection, say in the instance of bridges. As you said, solder is not glue, so you want to remove as much as you can before applying new solder, as most solder contains a flux (rosin) in the core that helps it flow around the joint. A desoldering iron or just plain solder wick will help.
My tip: Use feeler gauges to measure string height (the distance between the fret wire and the bottom of the string). Why? It is difficult to see the little tick marks on a ruler when you're dealing with 64ths of an inch, and the positioning of the ruler can distort the indicated height. With feeler gauges, you can get as close to perfect as possible. Also, use a capo on the first fret to eliminate the nut from potentially influencing the measured height. Also, after experimenting with setting up my neck so it's perfectly straight and raising the action to eliminate buzz, I've found that adding a small amount of relief, as recommended by the guitar manufacturer, is the superior method-you get much more sustain that way. And lastly, use the neck pickup, roll off the tone knob, and use the twelfth fret harmonic to measure pitch when doing intonation adjustments. The 12th fret harmonic eliminates the amplitude of the vibrating string and gives you a more accurate reading. For the first string (the thin, high E), I use the open string, as that string is so tight, that it basically has a negligible amplitude, plus the tuner does not respond well to the harmonic at that high of a pitch.
This sounds like a lot of fuckin work brahbrah. Just stomp on your tuner pedal and turn the peg until it's pretty close to the note you're trying to tune it to lol
It can be more if you check several octaves on the same string, intonation is also the last thing todo, if you add/remove relief after you need to intonate again, same when using different strings gauges or material that has an effect on the tension. Never used a feeler gauge on the 8th fret, I use a capo at 1st, finger pushing down at 12th and check that there is reasonable relief with a finger of my fretting hand, feeler gauge will make it more accurate though. Also important when it comes to intonation and saddle position, low E and G furthest to the back of the bridge followed by A and H and D plus high E most towards neck, if that isn’t the case there is most likely an issue with the nut. Saddle hight should also follow fretboard radius, there are gauges available for that too, but not really needed if action is set by checking for buzz on all frets for each string, unless the action is set higher than it would be just to avoid buzz. And another tip, if pickups have adjustable polepieces it can be a good idea to adjust them to get the same output balance between the strings, a db meter helps but ears should hear it too if the gain isn’t clipping so hard that it starts to mud and eq not to scooped while slowly strocking and picking with an open G chord to let all notes ring, especially usefull for solos and songs like Paradise City that have that all notes definition on the chords.
To add to that tip... don't own feeler gauges?? If you know the amount of relief you need, there's a chance a string gauge might be just the amount you need... use as scrap bit of string as a feeler!!
@@TheOriginalSolarflares How do you not manage to get propper distortion going without fret-buzz? Isn’t it weird that some metal players can park trains under their strings while still having propper distortion? A tiny amount of buzz from going low action is fine as long as notes don’t get chocked when doing bends or a held note doesn’t ring out like it should, personally I prefer to have the action just on the edge, just below 2mm at the 24th fret, and with perfectly leveled frets a relief that is barely noticeable, almost straight.
@@TheOriginalSolarflares Through repeated experimentation, I have found that if I set up my strat according to factory spec, the instrument feels and plays great. As mentioned in my original post, I always wanted to have a perfectly straight neck, so I tried that for a long time, but switching back to having just a small amount of relief, as recommended by Fender, made a world of difference in terms of how well the guitar sustained. It was like a totally different instrument. In theory, intonation, tuning, and fret buzz are at their minimum when the neck is straight, but I have found that in practice, a small amount of relief is a necessary concession.
Glen, #1 Solder has saved me so much money over the course of the last decade. Those suckers out there still playing $80.00 for "High Quality" Mogami guitar cables, meanwhile I paid a total of $150.00 for the same Mogami cable reel, Neutrik silent connectors, other connectors, etc. and now have plenty of nice guitar cables and dozens of patch cables. Spot on with this point.
Fun fact, this video is by far the the best and most useful video glenn has ever made. I have most of these skills but rarely implement them. That doesn’t matter though, because when the need arrives I’m the person to do it! Example: A mic broke over a decade ago, it was one of my oktavas. Found out a cable got loose inside, got some solder fixed it myself. That was a several hundred dollar savings from having the skill. A couple of years after that my guitar input jack broke, had to solder it myself. These are easy fixes i have no problem spending the time to do. That being said i hate building my own cables and paying a local shop or friend a few dollars over cost of the cable to do it for me is something i’m happy to pay for to save me time (i’m slow with cable building). As a professional, audio engineers are REQUIRED to do many of these skills in studios and in other situations. You are the tech to fix things and make sure it keeps working. I worked at a university for 6 months, i was required to fix patchbays and network gear. While it wasn’t soldered in, it was all crimping network cable. I first did that stuff in HS wiring up internet/network for my entire house with my dad. It was fun. Also replacing tubes is super easy, I don’t know why people get so scared by it. The deoxit sounds helpful, I’ve heard about it before, but forgot the name of it. Gonna pick up a can of this asap. My guitar is annoying af with the pots. Thanks for the reminder Glenn! Cable wrapping is still something i can’t do fast all the time. Gonna try this method and see if it speeds up my workflow with it. Maybe i’ll hate doing it a little less 😂. Basic, but we all have gaps in knowledge. Also love how you explain guitar maintainence. I’ve done it once, and never felt like i did it right. I dig how you explained the process. I usually just hand off my guitar to a tech friend who can do it all fast so i’m saving my frustration on it all. Anyway thanks again or the video Glenn! All these skills are what separates the pros from the hobbyists imo.
the reason I like your channel is because you are looking out for those that are on a budget . you also have great videos on reviewing mics, guitars , amps etc. your videos on how to get drum and guitar ,vocal sounds is very useful. we have disagreed on a couple of things but thats ok. no one agrees on 100% on everything. thank you for your channel.
What some people may not understand about the way you demonstrate to wind cables is that by alternating each loop, the cord does not get twisted. If you simply roll up a cord, say ten loops, unfurling it without unrolling it induces ten twists. Alternating each loop causes a twist to the left, then a twist to the right, then a left, then a right and on balance, the entire thing is *not* twisted. I do something similar with a garden hose by winding it into a figure 8 on the ground.
This is the kind of content that makes you so valuable and watchable Glenn! I think a lot of people will find extremely useful long-term lessons in this. Great job.
Ah, the old "CBC Twist" as an AE mentor of mine that worked in CBC Vancouver studios called it. Such an important tip and over the years I'm still shocked at how many people are clueless about this
Hey Glenn, I completely understand the struggle of hating working on assembly Line. I’m a painter in a crane factory and in truth it’s a life and joy sucking abyss. But I just wanna say thank you for your videos. They help me get through my day easier watching them on my breaks. Your tips have been super helpful for me in recording my first songs. I’m currently in the process of recording for the first time. I studied commercial music in college before dropping out due to the pandemic and unfortunately my recording class was cut short due to everything being shut down in the middle of the semester. But I digress. Again I greatly appreciate the tips and enjoy getting to watch the show. Thanks Glenn!
The point about soldering, I had a cheap pencil type soldering iron and when I upgraded to a nice soldering station, the old one got chucked in the gig bag alongwith a few feet of solder wire and a roll of desoldering braid... Granted this might not produce the great solder joints you'll get in the shop but for a quick repairs 30mins before showtime in the backstage, it'll do!! You can always reheat the joint and make it pretty again back home!! BTW, I'm a drummer and I always carry my gig bag full of tools, spare strings for bass and guitar, various patches.. XLR to 1/4 in various genders in order to patch signal in or out of various sources that might not have the right connections... Oh! and I might have the unicorn traits of showing up to gigs and playing in time!!
Tube amp builder here! You don’t actually need to use a cloth to remove the tubes from your amp since they don’t reach high enough temperatures for that to matter (unlike halogen headlights from cars). Also, the standby switch was designed for doing maintenance work on the amp: so “letting the tubes warm up” without the standby on before use, and turning it off but leaving the heater on so the tubes “cool down” is essentially useless (and can even drain the life out of your tubes). (There is a video were Collin from CSGuitars explains it better and I’ll leave a quote from a professor of mine here as well: “In WWII tubes were used on the tank’s electronics, what makes you think they are so fragile?”)
As a field electronics technician, you are right about soldering. It's a skill that even some guys in my line of work are not good at. There's some bad information out there. Best thing you can do is tin both items you're going to solder, use heat shrink for extra protection (remember, these cables can also be used out in the elements), and then check for continuity and make sure it measures out properly. After that, if you're ever worried a cable might be damaged, use contact cleaner and canned air to clean the connections and check continuity again. It's a lot quicker than just running a new cable and hoping it works.
Heyy GLEEEEEN ! - one you might want to add to this, is understanding of placement and use of far field and near field monitoring and the difference between the two. Flipping between the two has cleared so many errors for us over the years.
Damn Bro that cable wrapping method is fricking AWESOME! Possibly the best tip I've gotten on youtube about ANYTHING! I'll be watching your channel lots more, with neatly wrapped cables...... keep on keeping on....!
Great video as usual but the added short tutorials were fantastic. Saving this in my favorites. Thanks Glenn! P.S. The very first thing my mom taught me after my 1st day in High school was time management. Because of her, I was able to accomplish so much more than my peers then and now. It even made caring for her when she had cancer easier. I mean, it’s the most valuable skill I have. She was one of a kind and I advise all parental figures to pass on this skill to the next generation.
Great vid! As a guitarist and tech guy, I learned to solder and basic repairs early on when I would help my dad as a kid connect the new stereo speakers and fix random things. It helped when I got older, was able to repair my own pedals, cables, and be more self reliant and save money on repairs, which let me buy more gear :)
I bought a TS-100 soldering iron several years ago. It's great; small and portable, can run it off an RC battery pack, little case that holds the iron, battery, solder, and a small solder sucker. Easily goes into a case or gig bag for taking to shows.
12:43 As someone who rents a room in a house and can’t really do a lot of heavy installation to treat my recording space, I would absolutely welcome a video about acoustic hacks!
Time Management - I’m impressed you showed the Important/Urgent quadrants. I also use this if I ask someone to do something for me, Important/Urgent means I need it ASAP, Important/Not Urgent - gotta have it, can wait a few days.
Learning guitar soldering and wiring has helped me install my jeep stereo and and work on my e bike wiring it seems so easy to take for granted but setting up a guitar is very fussy and combines several disciplines from mechanical engineering, carpentry, to electrical work it's a lesson in applied physics for sure.
Holy dang, I was trying to look for the John l sayers forum recently but noticed it wasn’t online after he had passed and got worried it was lost forever. So glad it’s back online!
Good points regarding soldering, can also be used to build pedals, especially expensive limited ones, and modify/repair pedals and other equipment with hand soldered components. One tip, never cheap out on connectors/plugs unless you 100% know that they don’t fail when they shouldn’t. Some examples, there are cheap XLR’s with hollow pins, Jacks with weak tip connections and so on, probably fine if they rarely are touched after plugging them in, but if they are moved a lot you really don’t want them to break when you need them, especially on longer cable runs. Some of the cheaper connectors also have issues with getting resoldered, had some jacks that didn’t like that, so in the end it does pay of to get good durable connectors even if they cost slightly more. Be aware that even Neutrik has some crap connectors in their catalogue, so always a good idea to check user reviews to see if there is something negative with a valid technical explanation when it comes to durability and soldering/resoldering them. One more thing, always check which min/max cable thickness they can be used with.
I love those kinds of video. They age well and I think there's valuable informations I wish I had layed out like that when I started out. Soldering was the last one I did here and the 42€ I paid for it were payed off 5 times already in one month. Saves money, time and stress
Thank you very much. You're helping me fill the holes in my education for my own personal studio. I'm rather good with electronics already. But I never thought to use cat5 cable as audio line for analog. It's an absolutely brilliant idea. I have the equipment to make my own cat5 cables already from a job I used to work installing phone systems and Data systems in grocery stores. Now that I'm retired I have all the time in the world to play around in my studio. Your information has been absolutely valuable for me. I suggest do people that I know who do tech stuff with their own equipment and play to check you out and learn something from you because you have alot to offer. 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘 Keep on Rocking. Glenn May the ugly tech Gremlins never visit your studio.
I'd love an acoustic treatment video! I moved my studio into a 14' by 11' foot room. The catch is that it only has a 5'11" ceiling. Now I'm not recording bands but I do record vocals and acoustic instruments. It's just a hobby studio but it has some killer gear in it. I am in the process of putting bass traps in the corners and it has carpet on the concrete floor and rock wool in the joists in the ceiling. Plus acoustic panels on the wall behind my 2 pairs of studio monitors.
Really fantastic video! And honestly, that's the best, most direct, easy to understand explanation of cable wrapping and guitar intonation and truss rod adjustments I've ever seen. And as someone who played drums a long time, and always enjoyed tuning, I have no idea why so many drummers take tuning and getting new heads as something that doesn't matter. It's mond boggling.
I followed advice on a luthiers' TH-cam channel, and used a piece of wood and a clamp (2 is better) to straighten the neck before turning the truss rod. It really takes the scariness away! I had turned it a quarter turn, that was as far as it would go without forcing it. Then I clamped it overnight, and tried it again, another quarter turn without applying pressure, I readjusted the clamp several times, over three days, and ended up getting a full turn out of it. Each time I tightened the clamp, or even just moved it (2 clamps would have been good), the truss rod would give just a little more, without applying much pressure. I'd leave it overnight, and then tighten the clamp a little bit, and try the truss rod again, which would again turn a little bit more, without me applying much pressure. By not much pressure, I mean turning easily, without denting my thumb. It was good advice, straighten the neck and then adjust the truss rod to hold it in position, rather than making the truss rod do the work of straightening the wood. I bought a second hand acoustic bass, sight unseen, and the neck is bowed beyond what a truss rod can fix, but now, and with lowering the bridge, at least it's playable.
Would love to see a course on spectre digital that’s specifically just for mixing live drums. I’ve watched a lot of the past videos you have uploaded but I would love to specifically see a course dedicated to mixing drums. Thanks for all the tips!
I was just about to take up learning how to solder so I could finally change some pickups, you probably just saved me from burning my arm Glenn thank you for the tips.
The acoustic treatment video would be so insanely helpfull!! Its such a shame I couldn't join the meet up in Amsterdam cause of work, hope I'll catch the next one!!
I loved your DIY acoustics video! I'd love to see you do a series of DIY stuff for a home studio, Like making your own cables as you've mentioned here.
I love how much you listen to your audience and take their suggestions, I remember seeing you react to the comment that suggested this video in a VC and you saying you'd definitely think about doing a video about it, and here we are, YOUR AWESOME GLENN!!
Damn. I’ve been running sound for a long time and more recently got into home recording. This was seriously edifying, especially the thing on wrapping cables. Thanks, man.
Soldering is just an amazing skill in general and you can turn around "broken gear" pretty easily. I bought a 412 cab loaded with Celestion Seventy 80s from a guy who thought 2 of the speakers were blown out for $60. I had a hunch that this is probably incorrect when I bought it too. Tested the speakers and they were fine. Turns out, one of the switch jacks was no longer making a proper connection. Literally a $0 fix for me as i already had one laying around from taking cheap amps apart. Deoxit is also amazing! I bought a used 200 watt bass amp for $80 as well and the guy said that the knobs were crackling. I bought it right there and sprayed the pots with deoxit. Done. A lot of repairs are pretty simple (not all), but if its like low voltage electronics, like a guitar or a cab, you can probably fix super easy.
Hey Glenn, just wanna say thanks for the Peavey 6505 Combo tip, I've just got one for about 300 us dollars , and it just sounds great, it's a real beast ! What's even more great it's that it was allready turned into a head, so no need for me to do something else. Maybe I'll just swap the tubes with some new russian ones 'couse they are way cheaper, but first I just wanna play it some more to see if that is the case. So, thansk again and keep up the good work !
Here's another tip about soldering. Tin your speaker wires. Heat up the bare end of the wire and put a little solder on it. It'll hold all the strands together when you put them in those spring clips. Tinning also helps when you are connecting to things like those little loops on rectifier pots.
Would definitely love an acoustic hacks video. I’m a uni student in a share house with a decent sized carpeted bedroom with large windows and have been playing music for a while but want to get into recording. A video for hacks to help would be awesome. Cheers from down under
Regarding building your own network cable, as someone working in a data center as an audio engineer(when I am also a network engineer/analyst), unless it doesn't fit, STP can almost always be substituted for UTP, including things like Dante. We use STP when we need to push high-capacity data over copper when fiber isn't an option. The key here is to buy a quality cable crimper. I've been having great results with the Klein VDV226-110. Ends, like cable, can be bought in bulk for cheap. I also suggest the new thru-hole connectors as it helps spot mistakes before you crimp that cable down. Do make sure you buy the appropriate connectors because in my direct experience, the Cat5/5E connectors and Cat6 don't always play nicely with the other cable type. Also, buy a quality cable tester, which can be a slow as $25. I have multiple due to features each have. One is basic, one can also test for PoE, and another does some cool active-port functions so you can do single-ended cable tracing. For the investment in tools and bulk materials, you'll quickly see how much money you've saved if you had to buy it. Also, spend the money on boots for the connectors. They help prevent snags when pulled AND can be used as inexpensive cable identification. Plus, you'll develop USEFUL job skills outside that environment. Yeah, it's good to have that day-job to help pay for your music ventures because last I checked, gear ain't free.
Yes, yes, yes, thank you. I was soldering components as a teenager, having never learned how to use a clamp or a vise to hold things in place. I was carefully holding the parts in place with one hand and watching it like a hawk while blindly reaching for the hot iron with the other. I have a lovely scar on my left index finger that has never gone away. I would also add that if you're going to make a habit of sticking your hand inside of tube electronics, keep an eye out for exposed capacitors. Amps aren't the problem that televisions used to be (yes, I'm old) but laying your finger across a fully charged capacitor can mess up your whole day. If there is one sitting out where you could touch it, putting a screwdriver on the leads to short it out costs nothing in time compared to the cost of sending an unnecessary amount of current up your arm.
Learning the basics of electronics and mastering the soldering process can open the potential to building a great deal of the outboard kit in your studio if you have the motivation. This will save you a ton of money and give you knowledge that will bring you even closer to being on par with the pros.
First of all thanks for all the amazing tips! I have a questions that would be awesome to have it answered! I am building a room to record vocals and acoustic guitars only ( and yes I have seen and going to use the DIY bass traps video tutorial of yours ) Right now I am trying to treat the room as better as possible for such recordings. My question is where the heck should I place the mic in the room and how would I know where the sweet spot is? I have been searching the internet for a couple of days and the only hints I got so far is 1. Never in the center of the room 2. As far from walls as possible ( WTF ? isnt the center of the room the furthest place from all the walls ) 3. Some say to point the mic in corners 4. To mute one ear and start singing while moving inside the room and see what place sounds the best To be honest, this sounds like mumbo jumbo BS. I was thinking to get a portable speaker and throw white noise from the speaker while maintaining the same distance from the mic and the speaker and start moving mic and speaker around the studio to see what eq would be flatter... For some reason this makes a lot more sense that what I have found so far. Do you by any chance have any hints / tips for finding the best mic position inside a recording room? Thanks a million even for reading this \m/
An acoustic treatment video would be great. Huge advocate for acoustic treatment. I have Primacoustic panels in a small room and it made a huge difference. I made some DYI panels for a larger space - love how much it cleaned up the sound.
This is your stage tech basics video, and you nailed it!! (35yrs as an IATSE stage tech) Definitely make the acoustic treatment video. I’d love to hear and see your ideas. Great channel, with so much great advice. You do great work Glenn. Thank you.
Wow! This is really good. Thank you. I did know a few basic things but I know little about soldering or custom making my own cables. The impedence stuff, I really need to sit down and learn. But I'm guessing it's like anything else. You learn it once and it's yours forever. Very useful info man. Greetings from Mexico.
Great show Glen! Hey, can you do a show on what these different mic placements mean: -Balanced -Bright -Dark -Dark 2 - Fat - Thin I have a bunch of celestion IRs, but they don’t tell you what each of these mean, and how to blend together to get a good sound.
All great tips, thank you Glenn! Got out my pen and notepad for this one. That bonus tip was completely lost on me, mic cables as ethernet cables? I gotta look into that more
Your channel is awesome for two reasons. First, you're a consummate professional with an engaging demeanor. Second, you give advice that is broadly applicable. Sure, you're targeting metal engineers and musicians, but I take everything you say to heart (I'm not a metal guy). Thank you, Glenn. Keep up the good work!
After spending a lot of money to get my guitars set up and never getting them adjusted to my taste, an old dude from a 2nd hand guitar shop one day told me to save my money: he showed me the basics of setting up an instrument. took him about 10 minutes. It really demisified the whole thing: there is no magic involved. Then all it took was a couple of practice and i've been setting up all my gears for years, including floyd rose. And I wonder why people find them so hard to deal with. All it takes is basic knowledge of the mechanics of it and doing the steps in the right order. It's not rocket science.
Totally agree, although it's not rocket science, the more guitars you work on the better you get. A lot is about getting the confidence in your own soldering skills for electronics, and learning what YOU like when it comes to each guitar, so you can set them up perfectly each time. Key thing is developing a routine - steps in the right order as you say - so that you work through a checklist, and if there is still some issue at the end, you can work your way back through each stage to find the mistake or problem. Final tip I would add is, get a good nut for your guitar. I'm a total Graphtec TUSQ evangelist, as they solve so many standard turning problems due to the constant lubrication never snagging on the strings. Prefer them to bone even, unless the bone nut has been masterfully cut which is a whole skill in itself :)
@@martin-1965 yep, the graph tech nut has, in my experience, solved most tuning problems I've encountered. usually people blame the mechanics, but unless they are really really bad, most of them will do the job. And changing the nut is usually a lot cheaper ^^ And also, don't play Gibson.
Totally right. One of the first things after I got my first (cheap) guitar (late 2000s) was to find out how to set it up. It was a mess out of the box and even I could tell, as clueless as I was. Never ever have I paid anyone to work on one of my guitars. Nowadays I do fretjobs and cut my own nuts. Is it as good as the work of a custom job luthier? Probably not. But I think I get the job done pretty well and it's close enough. I bought a used guitar from ebay for like 30 bucks to learn on how it's done, went on to my budget instruments and ended up not fearing to do it on my "four figure" instruments as I got enough experience doing it on the more affordable stuff. I recently bought a used 2010ish Ibanez where the seller claimed to have polished the frets. Well he did, but mostly he polished the fretboard. It's a mess and I'm looking forward to get it fixed. Regarding the Floyd Rose I have to say it's not hard, but it's (at least to me) a very annoying process to go through. But it's not like you have to do it several times.
Wow, I remember Glenn made a video, where he showed this method of wrapping cables years ago. Since that day I wrap my cables only that way! Thanks, Glenn!
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Would LOVE an acoustic treatment video! Keep up the amazing content, Glenn! 🤘🏻
YES!
Agreed!
This would be awesome Glenn
Yes!!!
Yes I agree too. A tear down on, why, how, and the recording comparisons. Taking into account some common areas to sound proofing too
Great video, one addition that goes hand in hand with soldering, electronics and others: Multimeter!! It's a must have, learn how to test continuity, resistance, charge, etc.
That way you can: Test your analogue cables, your power cables, your electric circuits, your 9v batteries if they are charged or not, if you have a short circuit somewhere, if a transistor is busted (Yes Glen, not everybody have/like tube amps), if your electronics are not fried, and many other things.
It is Diagnosis 101 tool.
10:23 is some of the best general life advice you have ever given and idk if you realize it. I was much like that, very introverted and afraid to talk to anyone. I held myself back for so long due to a lack of confidence, and the fear of I would make myself look stupid in front of people. One day I decided to work on it, and just randomly at a book store started a convo with a young couple about my age. Those two helped me get a job that now allows me to travel the world, I’ve become a happier and more confident person, and I’ve found myself dragged down less by fear and anger.
Being a musician means you have to be able to be good with a crowd. And you won’t make it in the music industry if you are afraid to introduce yourself to people. Remember, treat everyone with kindness and respect, you’ll be surprised to see how many musicians and artists you enjoy actually enjoy getting to know fans. Most people know you aren’t there to harass them, and most will always appreciate you. But you’ll never know if you live in fear. Have self awareness and don’t be a weirdo, but be kind. It’s not as scary as your mind is telling you.
A small point to add to the soldering point: learn DEsolder as well. Knowing how to solder will help with making connections, but sometimes, you need to break the connection, say in the instance of bridges. As you said, solder is not glue, so you want to remove as much as you can before applying new solder, as most solder contains a flux (rosin) in the core that helps it flow around the joint. A desoldering iron or just plain solder wick will help.
As much as i like to support local guitar techs...service is getting VERY expensive. This video is gold!
Earliest I have caught a Glenn video.
Same bro.
Thanks for watching!!
Shit wasnt here a while ago when I was lookin
Cause it was already in the can
same
My tip: Use feeler gauges to measure string height (the distance between the fret wire and the bottom of the string). Why? It is difficult to see the little tick marks on a ruler when you're dealing with 64ths of an inch, and the positioning of the ruler can distort the indicated height. With feeler gauges, you can get as close to perfect as possible. Also, use a capo on the first fret to eliminate the nut from potentially influencing the measured height. Also, after experimenting with setting up my neck so it's perfectly straight and raising the action to eliminate buzz, I've found that adding a small amount of relief, as recommended by the guitar manufacturer, is the superior method-you get much more sustain that way. And lastly, use the neck pickup, roll off the tone knob, and use the twelfth fret harmonic to measure pitch when doing intonation adjustments. The 12th fret harmonic eliminates the amplitude of the vibrating string and gives you a more accurate reading. For the first string (the thin, high E), I use the open string, as that string is so tight, that it basically has a negligible amplitude, plus the tuner does not respond well to the harmonic at that high of a pitch.
This sounds like a lot of fuckin work brahbrah. Just stomp on your tuner pedal and turn the peg until it's pretty close to the note you're trying to tune it to lol
It can be more if you check several octaves on the same string, intonation is also the last thing todo, if you add/remove relief after you need to intonate again, same when using different strings gauges or material that has an effect on the tension.
Never used a feeler gauge on the 8th fret, I use a capo at 1st, finger pushing down at 12th and check that there is reasonable relief with a finger of my fretting hand, feeler gauge will make it more accurate though.
Also important when it comes to intonation and saddle position, low E and G furthest to the back of the bridge followed by A and H and D plus high E most towards neck, if that isn’t the case there is most likely an issue with the nut.
Saddle hight should also follow fretboard radius, there are gauges available for that too, but not really needed if action is set by checking for buzz on all frets for each string, unless the action is set higher than it would be just to avoid buzz.
And another tip, if pickups have adjustable polepieces it can be a good idea to adjust them to get the same output balance between the strings, a db meter helps but ears should hear it too if the gain isn’t clipping so hard that it starts to mud and eq not to scooped while slowly strocking and picking with an open G chord to let all notes ring, especially usefull for solos and songs like Paradise City that have that all notes definition on the chords.
To add to that tip... don't own feeler gauges?? If you know the amount of relief you need, there's a chance a string gauge might be just the amount you need... use as scrap bit of string as a feeler!!
@@TheOriginalSolarflares How do you not manage to get propper distortion going without fret-buzz?
Isn’t it weird that some metal players can park trains under their strings while still having propper distortion?
A tiny amount of buzz from going low action is fine as long as notes don’t get chocked when doing bends or a held note doesn’t ring out like it should, personally I prefer to have the action just on the edge, just below 2mm at the 24th fret, and with perfectly leveled frets a relief that is barely noticeable, almost straight.
@@TheOriginalSolarflares Through repeated experimentation, I have found that if I set up my strat according to factory spec, the instrument feels and plays great. As mentioned in my original post, I always wanted to have a perfectly straight neck, so I tried that for a long time, but switching back to having just a small amount of relief, as recommended by Fender, made a world of difference in terms of how well the guitar sustained. It was like a totally different instrument. In theory, intonation, tuning, and fret buzz are at their minimum when the neck is straight, but I have found that in practice, a small amount of relief is a necessary concession.
I wish I watched a video like this 30 years ago. This stuff was a mystery back then. Awesome stuff.
Glen, #1 Solder has saved me so much money over the course of the last decade. Those suckers out there still playing $80.00 for "High Quality" Mogami guitar cables, meanwhile I paid a total of $150.00 for the same Mogami cable reel, Neutrik silent connectors, other connectors, etc. and now have plenty of nice guitar cables and dozens of patch cables. Spot on with this point.
Fun fact, this video is by far the the best and most useful video glenn has ever made. I have most of these skills but rarely implement them. That doesn’t matter though, because when the need arrives I’m the person to do it!
Example: A mic broke over a decade ago, it was one of my oktavas. Found out a cable got loose inside, got some solder fixed it myself. That was a several hundred dollar savings from having the skill. A couple of years after that my guitar input jack broke, had to solder it myself. These are easy fixes i have no problem spending the time to do. That being said i hate building my own cables and paying a local shop or friend a few dollars over cost of the cable to do it for me is something i’m happy to pay for to save me time (i’m slow with cable building).
As a professional, audio engineers are REQUIRED to do many of these skills in studios and in other situations. You are the tech to fix things and make sure it keeps working. I worked at a university for 6 months, i was required to fix patchbays and network gear. While it wasn’t soldered in, it was all crimping network cable. I first did that stuff in HS wiring up internet/network for my entire house with my dad. It was fun.
Also replacing tubes is super easy, I don’t know why people get so scared by it.
The deoxit sounds helpful, I’ve heard about it before, but forgot the name of it. Gonna pick up a can of this asap. My guitar is annoying af with the pots. Thanks for the reminder Glenn!
Cable wrapping is still something i can’t do fast all the time. Gonna try this method and see if it speeds up my workflow with it. Maybe i’ll hate doing it a little less 😂. Basic, but we all have gaps in knowledge.
Also love how you explain guitar maintainence. I’ve done it once, and never felt like i did it right. I dig how you explained the process. I usually just hand off my guitar to a tech friend who can do it all fast so i’m saving my frustration on it all.
Anyway thanks again or the video Glenn! All these skills are what separates the pros from the hobbyists imo.
Yes please for that acoustic treatment video! That would be amazing!
the reason I like your channel is because you are looking out for those that are on a budget . you also have great videos on reviewing mics, guitars , amps etc. your videos on how to get drum and guitar ,vocal sounds is very useful. we have disagreed on a couple of things but thats ok. no one agrees on 100% on everything. thank you for your channel.
After I watched the wrapping cable tip, I got up and got all my cables wrapped up nicely and easily. Thanks, Glenn!
What some people may not understand about the way you demonstrate to wind cables is that by alternating each loop, the cord does not get twisted. If you simply roll up a cord, say ten loops, unfurling it without unrolling it induces ten twists. Alternating each loop causes a twist to the left, then a twist to the right, then a left, then a right and on balance, the entire thing is *not* twisted. I do something similar with a garden hose by winding it into a figure 8 on the ground.
This is the kind of content that makes you so valuable and watchable Glenn! I think a lot of people will find extremely useful long-term lessons in this. Great job.
The John Sayers forum is fantastic! Good call!
Ah, the old "CBC Twist" as an AE mentor of mine that worked in CBC Vancouver studios called it. Such an important tip and over the years I'm still shocked at how many people are clueless about this
Hey Glenn, I completely understand the struggle of hating working on assembly Line. I’m a painter in a crane factory and in truth it’s a life and joy sucking abyss. But I just wanna say thank you for your videos. They help me get through my day easier watching them on my breaks. Your tips have been super helpful for me in recording my first songs. I’m currently in the process of recording for the first time. I studied commercial music in college before dropping out due to the pandemic and unfortunately my recording class was cut short due to everything being shut down in the middle of the semester. But I digress. Again I greatly appreciate the tips and enjoy getting to watch the show. Thanks Glenn!
The point about soldering, I had a cheap pencil type soldering iron and when I upgraded to a nice soldering station, the old one got chucked in the gig bag alongwith a few feet of solder wire and a roll of desoldering braid... Granted this might not produce the great solder joints you'll get in the shop but for a quick repairs 30mins before showtime in the backstage, it'll do!! You can always reheat the joint and make it pretty again back home!!
BTW, I'm a drummer and I always carry my gig bag full of tools, spare strings for bass and guitar, various patches.. XLR to 1/4 in various genders in order to patch signal in or out of various sources that might not have the right connections... Oh! and I might have the unicorn traits of showing up to gigs and playing in time!!
The over/under method I was taught in production school a few years ago. Definitely has saved my cables since using it at home.
Tube amp builder here! You don’t actually need to use a cloth to remove the tubes from your amp since they don’t reach high enough temperatures for that to matter (unlike halogen headlights from cars). Also, the standby switch was designed for doing maintenance work on the amp: so “letting the tubes warm up” without the standby on before use, and turning it off but leaving the heater on so the tubes “cool down” is essentially useless (and can even drain the life out of your tubes).
(There is a video were Collin from CSGuitars explains it better and I’ll leave a quote from a professor of mine here as well: “In WWII tubes were used on the tank’s electronics, what makes you think they are so fragile?”)
Its so inspiring how into the scene some of these youtubers are. I love Rob and he just will see beauty in all the musicians posting
As a field electronics technician, you are right about soldering. It's a skill that even some guys in my line of work are not good at. There's some bad information out there. Best thing you can do is tin both items you're going to solder, use heat shrink for extra protection (remember, these cables can also be used out in the elements), and then check for continuity and make sure it measures out properly. After that, if you're ever worried a cable might be damaged, use contact cleaner and canned air to clean the connections and check continuity again. It's a lot quicker than just running a new cable and hoping it works.
Heyy GLEEEEEN ! - one you might want to add to this, is understanding of placement and use of far field and near field monitoring and the difference between the two. Flipping between the two has cleared so many errors for us over the years.
Damn Bro that cable wrapping method is fricking AWESOME!
Possibly the best tip I've gotten on youtube about ANYTHING!
I'll be watching your channel lots more, with neatly wrapped cables...... keep on keeping on....!
Great video as usual but the added short tutorials were fantastic. Saving this in my favorites. Thanks Glenn!
P.S. The very first thing my mom taught me after my 1st day in High school was time management. Because of her, I was able to accomplish so much more than my peers then and now. It even made caring for her when she had cancer easier. I mean, it’s the most valuable skill I have. She was one of a kind and I advise all parental figures to pass on this skill to the next generation.
It's like you know exactly what questions I have! I swear everytime one pops into my head, Glenn uploads a video that answers it within a few days
Great vid! As a guitarist and tech guy, I learned to solder and basic repairs early on when I would help my dad as a kid connect the new stereo speakers and fix random things. It helped when I got older, was able to repair my own pedals, cables, and be more self reliant and save money on repairs, which let me buy more gear :)
I bought a TS-100 soldering iron several years ago. It's great; small and portable, can run it off an RC battery pack, little case that holds the iron, battery, solder, and a small solder sucker. Easily goes into a case or gig bag for taking to shows.
The CAT5 cable thing is something new I learned today. Thanks Glenn!
12:43 As someone who rents a room in a house and can’t really do a lot of heavy installation to treat my recording space, I would absolutely welcome a video about acoustic hacks!
Love all the videos, but this has got to be the most useful things condensed into a short video I’ve seen you do. Awesome.
Time Management - I’m impressed you showed the Important/Urgent quadrants. I also use this if I ask someone to do something for me, Important/Urgent means I need it ASAP, Important/Not Urgent - gotta have it, can wait a few days.
Yes indeed Glenn, I'd love an acoustic treatment video!
Learning guitar soldering and wiring has helped me install my jeep stereo and and work on my e bike wiring it seems so easy to take for granted but setting up a guitar is very fussy and combines several disciplines from mechanical engineering, carpentry, to electrical work it's a lesson in applied physics for sure.
Holy dang, I was trying to look for the John l sayers forum recently but noticed it wasn’t online after he had passed and got worried it was lost forever. So glad it’s back online!
Great tip about wrapping cable. That should work with just about anything.
Good points regarding soldering, can also be used to build pedals, especially expensive limited ones, and modify/repair pedals and other equipment with hand soldered components.
One tip, never cheap out on connectors/plugs unless you 100% know that they don’t fail when they shouldn’t.
Some examples, there are cheap XLR’s with hollow pins, Jacks with weak tip connections and so on, probably fine if they rarely are touched after plugging them in, but if they are moved a lot you really don’t want them to break when you need them, especially on longer cable runs.
Some of the cheaper connectors also have issues with getting resoldered, had some jacks that didn’t like that, so in the end it does pay of to get good durable connectors even if they cost slightly more.
Be aware that even Neutrik has some crap connectors in their catalogue, so always a good idea to check user reviews to see if there is something negative with a valid technical explanation when it comes to durability and soldering/resoldering them.
One more thing, always check which min/max cable thickness they can be used with.
I love those kinds of video. They age well and I think there's valuable informations I wish I had layed out like that when I started out. Soldering was the last one I did here and the 42€ I paid for it were payed off 5 times already in one month. Saves money, time and stress
Thank you very much. You're helping me fill the holes in my education for my own personal studio. I'm rather good with electronics already. But I never thought to use cat5 cable as audio line for analog. It's an absolutely brilliant idea. I have the equipment to make my own cat5 cables already from a job I used to work installing phone systems and Data systems in grocery stores. Now that I'm retired I have all the time in the world to play around in my studio.
Your information has been absolutely valuable for me.
I suggest do people that I know who do tech stuff with their own equipment and play to check you out and learn something from you because you have alot to offer. 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
Keep on Rocking. Glenn May the ugly tech Gremlins never visit your studio.
I'd love an acoustic treatment video! I moved my studio into a 14' by 11' foot room. The catch is that it only has a 5'11" ceiling. Now I'm not recording bands but I do record vocals and acoustic instruments. It's just a hobby studio but it has some killer gear in it. I am in the process of putting bass traps in the corners and it has carpet on the concrete floor and rock wool in the joists in the ceiling. Plus acoustic panels on the wall behind my 2 pairs of studio monitors.
Really fantastic video! And honestly, that's the best, most direct, easy to understand explanation of cable wrapping and guitar intonation and truss rod adjustments I've ever seen. And as someone who played drums a long time, and always enjoyed tuning, I have no idea why so many drummers take tuning and getting new heads as something that doesn't matter. It's mond boggling.
I followed advice on a luthiers' TH-cam channel, and used a piece of wood and a clamp (2 is better) to straighten the neck before turning the truss rod. It really takes the scariness away! I had turned it a quarter turn, that was as far as it would go without forcing it. Then I clamped it overnight, and tried it again, another quarter turn without applying pressure, I readjusted the clamp several times, over three days, and ended up getting a full turn out of it. Each time I tightened the clamp, or even just moved it (2 clamps would have been good), the truss rod would give just a little more, without applying much pressure. I'd leave it overnight, and then tighten the clamp a little bit, and try the truss rod again, which would again turn a little bit more, without me applying much pressure. By not much pressure, I mean turning easily, without denting my thumb.
It was good advice, straighten the neck and then adjust the truss rod to hold it in position, rather than making the truss rod do the work of straightening the wood.
I bought a second hand acoustic bass, sight unseen, and the neck is bowed beyond what a truss rod can fix, but now, and with lowering the bridge, at least it's playable.
This video taught me so much! Would love an acoustic treatment vid. Thanks!
Video idea for you Glenn. Tips on how to know when a mix is finished / good enough. How do you know it's time to move on to the next thing?
Would love to see a course on spectre digital that’s specifically just for mixing live drums. I’ve watched a lot of the past videos you have uploaded but I would love to specifically see a course dedicated to mixing drums. Thanks for all the tips!
I was just about to take up learning how to solder so I could finally change some pickups, you probably just saved me from burning my arm Glenn thank you for the tips.
Glad I could help :)
Im a guitar tech and the electronic clean spray is a life saver!
Thank you Glenn! This definitely makes the top 10 most useful videos you've ever made :)
id love a acoustic treatment vid. got my own room to mess with now and it would be great to learn. thanks glenn!
I will say, I am happy to see really talented people be able to make a living from this crazy platform.
The acoustic treatment video would be so insanely helpfull!!
Its such a shame I couldn't join the meet up in Amsterdam cause of work, hope I'll catch the next one!!
I loved your DIY acoustics video! I'd love to see you do a series of DIY stuff for a home studio, Like making your own cables as you've mentioned here.
Giving the people what they want. I love it.
That network cable tip is very useful, cheers!
So may awesome videos, but this one maybe "to me' the most useful .. AND YES! Would LOVE an acoustic treatment video
Always great to see a Glenn upload
I love how much you listen to your audience and take their suggestions, I remember seeing you react to the comment that suggested this video in a VC and you saying you'd definitely think about doing a video about it, and here we are, YOUR AWESOME GLENN!!
Valuable information, Glenn. Cheers from Norway!
I have a few custom cables...and perhaps a soldering scar or two. Great tips!
Damn. I’ve been running sound for a long time and more recently got into home recording. This was seriously edifying, especially the thing on wrapping cables. Thanks, man.
Soldering is just an amazing skill in general and you can turn around "broken gear" pretty easily. I bought a 412 cab loaded with Celestion Seventy 80s from a guy who thought 2 of the speakers were blown out for $60. I had a hunch that this is probably incorrect when I bought it too. Tested the speakers and they were fine. Turns out, one of the switch jacks was no longer making a proper connection. Literally a $0 fix for me as i already had one laying around from taking cheap amps apart.
Deoxit is also amazing! I bought a used 200 watt bass amp for $80 as well and the guy said that the knobs were crackling. I bought it right there and sprayed the pots with deoxit. Done.
A lot of repairs are pretty simple (not all), but if its like low voltage electronics, like a guitar or a cab, you can probably fix super easy.
Hey Glenn, just wanna say thanks for the Peavey 6505 Combo tip, I've just got one for about 300 us dollars , and it just sounds great, it's a real beast ! What's even more great it's that it was allready turned into a head, so no need for me to do something else. Maybe I'll just swap the tubes with some new russian ones 'couse they are way cheaper, but first I just wanna play it some more to see if that is the case. So, thansk again and keep up the good work !
Here's another tip about soldering. Tin your speaker wires. Heat up the bare end of the wire and put a little solder on it. It'll hold all the strands together when you put them in those spring clips. Tinning also helps when you are connecting to things like those little loops on rectifier pots.
Love your channel, man. Thank you so much for the information you present. I don't know what I'd do without it!
Hell yeah man! Bring those acoustic tips!
Would definitely love an acoustic hacks video. I’m a uni student in a share house with a decent sized carpeted bedroom with large windows and have been playing music for a while but want to get into recording. A video for hacks to help would be awesome. Cheers from down under
Regarding building your own network cable, as someone working in a data center as an audio engineer(when I am also a network engineer/analyst), unless it doesn't fit, STP can almost always be substituted for UTP, including things like Dante. We use STP when we need to push high-capacity data over copper when fiber isn't an option. The key here is to buy a quality cable crimper. I've been having great results with the Klein VDV226-110. Ends, like cable, can be bought in bulk for cheap. I also suggest the new thru-hole connectors as it helps spot mistakes before you crimp that cable down. Do make sure you buy the appropriate connectors because in my direct experience, the Cat5/5E connectors and Cat6 don't always play nicely with the other cable type. Also, buy a quality cable tester, which can be a slow as $25. I have multiple due to features each have. One is basic, one can also test for PoE, and another does some cool active-port functions so you can do single-ended cable tracing. For the investment in tools and bulk materials, you'll quickly see how much money you've saved if you had to buy it. Also, spend the money on boots for the connectors. They help prevent snags when pulled AND can be used as inexpensive cable identification. Plus, you'll develop USEFUL job skills outside that environment. Yeah, it's good to have that day-job to help pay for your music ventures because last I checked, gear ain't free.
Yes, yes, yes, thank you. I was soldering components as a teenager, having never learned how to use a clamp or a vise to hold things in place. I was carefully holding the parts in place with one hand and watching it like a hawk while blindly reaching for the hot iron with the other. I have a lovely scar on my left index finger that has never gone away. I would also add that if you're going to make a habit of sticking your hand inside of tube electronics, keep an eye out for exposed capacitors. Amps aren't the problem that televisions used to be (yes, I'm old) but laying your finger across a fully charged capacitor can mess up your whole day. If there is one sitting out where you could touch it, putting a screwdriver on the leads to short it out costs nothing in time compared to the cost of sending an unnecessary amount of current up your arm.
As an autoworker who also works 6 days a week assembling 500 vehicles per shift, this video hit home!
Having had two amps and a couple of leads crap out on me recently, this video has arrived at a perfect time :D Great stuff, Glenn.
I definitely want to see video on acoustic hacks! I’ve built acoustic panels similar to yours but Im sure you have some great tips that I could use!
Of course we want to see a video on acoustics! :)
Learning the basics of electronics and mastering the soldering process can open the potential to building a great deal of the outboard kit in your studio if you have the motivation. This will save you a ton of money and give you knowledge that will bring you even closer to being on par with the pros.
I would absolutely love a video on acoustic treatment. My friend and I are doing home recording for our band and it would be super helpful!
First of all thanks for all the amazing tips! I have a questions that would be awesome to have it answered! I am building a room to record vocals and acoustic guitars only ( and yes I have seen and going to use the DIY bass traps video tutorial of yours ) Right now I am trying to treat the room as better as possible for such recordings. My question is where the heck should I place the mic in the room and how would I know where the sweet spot is? I have been searching the internet for a couple of days and the only hints I got so far is
1. Never in the center of the room
2. As far from walls as possible ( WTF ? isnt the center of the room the furthest place from all the walls )
3. Some say to point the mic in corners
4. To mute one ear and start singing while moving inside the room and see what place sounds the best
To be honest, this sounds like mumbo jumbo BS. I was thinking to get a portable speaker and throw white noise from the speaker while maintaining the same distance from the mic and the speaker and start moving mic and speaker around the studio to see what eq would be flatter... For some reason this makes a lot more sense that what I have found so far. Do you by any chance have any hints / tips for finding the best mic position inside a recording room?
Thanks a million even for reading this
\m/
Acoustic treatment video please. Thanks for all your help
Acoustic treatment video would be awesome!
Excellent tips, Glenn! Thank you!
Been wanting to know how to make a room suitable for drum recording. Acoustic treatment video please!
I would love to see some acoustic tips!
An acoustic treatment video would be great. Huge advocate for acoustic treatment. I have Primacoustic panels in a small room and it made a huge difference. I made some DYI panels for a larger space - love how much it cleaned up the sound.
Awesome video. I'm learning so much from this.
Also ever done a video where you can troubleshoot your room for acoustic treatment or acoustic hacks?
Thank you so damn much for all of your wisdom and lack of bullshit. You rock brother.
Yes please for a video on acoustic hacks as well.
Rock on🤘🤘
this is pure gold knowledge right here
This is your stage tech basics video, and you nailed it!! (35yrs as an IATSE stage tech) Definitely make the acoustic treatment video. I’d love to hear and see your ideas. Great channel, with so much great advice. You do great work Glenn. Thank you.
Wow! This is really good. Thank you. I did know a few basic things but I know little about soldering or custom making my own cables. The impedence stuff, I really need to sit down and learn. But I'm guessing it's like anything else. You learn it once and it's yours forever. Very useful info man.
Greetings from Mexico.
Great show Glen!
Hey, can you do a show on what these different mic placements mean:
-Balanced
-Bright
-Dark
-Dark 2
- Fat
- Thin
I have a bunch of celestion IRs, but they don’t tell you what each of these mean, and how to blend together to get a good sound.
Names like that are going to be largely meaningless. Best thing to do is just experiment and listen.
That video about room acoustic tips would be much appreciated!!
Acoustic treatment video please! 😭 Thanks for being awesome! (:
All great tips, thank you Glenn! Got out my pen and notepad for this one. That bonus tip was completely lost on me, mic cables as ethernet cables? I gotta look into that more
Your channel is awesome for two reasons. First, you're a consummate professional with an engaging demeanor. Second, you give advice that is broadly applicable. Sure, you're targeting metal engineers and musicians, but I take everything you say to heart (I'm not a metal guy). Thank you, Glenn. Keep up the good work!
Always great info , Glenn !!! Thank you !!!
Great information...Thanks Glenn!!!👍
After spending a lot of money to get my guitars set up and never getting them adjusted to my taste, an old dude from a 2nd hand guitar shop one day told me to save my money: he showed me the basics of setting up an instrument. took him about 10 minutes. It really demisified the whole thing: there is no magic involved. Then all it took was a couple of practice and i've been setting up all my gears for years, including floyd rose. And I wonder why people find them so hard to deal with. All it takes is basic knowledge of the mechanics of it and doing the steps in the right order. It's not rocket science.
Agreed!!!
Totally agree, although it's not rocket science, the more guitars you work on the better you get. A lot is about getting the confidence in your own soldering skills for electronics, and learning what YOU like when it comes to each guitar, so you can set them up perfectly each time. Key thing is developing a routine - steps in the right order as you say - so that you work through a checklist, and if there is still some issue at the end, you can work your way back through each stage to find the mistake or problem. Final tip I would add is, get a good nut for your guitar. I'm a total Graphtec TUSQ evangelist, as they solve so many standard turning problems due to the constant lubrication never snagging on the strings. Prefer them to bone even, unless the bone nut has been masterfully cut which is a whole skill in itself :)
@@martin-1965 yep, the graph tech nut has, in my experience, solved most tuning problems I've encountered. usually people blame the mechanics, but unless they are really really bad, most of them will do the job. And changing the nut is usually a lot cheaper ^^ And also, don't play Gibson.
Totally right. One of the first things after I got my first (cheap) guitar (late 2000s) was to find out how to set it up. It was a mess out of the box and even I could tell, as clueless as I was. Never ever have I paid anyone to work on one of my guitars. Nowadays I do fretjobs and cut my own nuts. Is it as good as the work of a custom job luthier? Probably not. But I think I get the job done pretty well and it's close enough. I bought a used guitar from ebay for like 30 bucks to learn on how it's done, went on to my budget instruments and ended up not fearing to do it on my "four figure" instruments as I got enough experience doing it on the more affordable stuff.
I recently bought a used 2010ish Ibanez where the seller claimed to have polished the frets. Well he did, but mostly he polished the fretboard. It's a mess and I'm looking forward to get it fixed.
Regarding the Floyd Rose I have to say it's not hard, but it's (at least to me) a very annoying process to go through. But it's not like you have to do it several times.
I hear you on the tube amp. My 1979 Champ is in pieces in the shop…redoing the whole turret board $$
Love videos like this! Great one Glenn!
Wow, I remember Glenn made a video, where he showed this method of wrapping cables years ago. Since that day I wrap my cables only that way! Thanks, Glenn!
Yes please on the acoustic treatment.
Acoustic hax yes plz! Been struggling with weird reflections and inconsistencies.