Guitar full setup.

Bridgend Tuition and Repair profesional setup for bass and guitar. Only £25!

"Why is having a guitar setup important?"

Problems such as fret buzz, tuning stability problems, electrical problems and high guitar action can all be corrected  with a pro setup. Many new guitars also have these problems not just older guitars or second hand guitars, this is often attributed to low standard factory quality checks or guitars being setup with high action and a very bowed neck "just to be safe".

My customized Washburn Dime 333, this is my work horse:)

"What does the guitar/bass setup inclued?"

Full setup and guitar M.O.T. which includes:
intonation, action and truss rod adjustments.
Fret and fret board cleaning (polishing).
Checking floyd rose blades and locking nut.
Pots and input jack cleaning (if needed) .
Tuning peg adjustments. Re-string.
Any other minor problems.
General scrub and light polish... 

Jackson soloist. Full setup.

Ibanez ZR trem fault :(

S series guitar with ZR (zero resistance) trem.
This is a common problem that has happened to alot of people. This design fault is often a pain to sort out and also getting the new parts can be a bit of a hassle. I have heard of stories of people ordering from the Ibanez company in japan and waiting up to a year for the part to arrive and at amazingly high postage and packaging costs:( But have no fear Bridgend Guitar Tuition and Repair is hear:)

The problem is with the trem stud that holds the ZR trem to the body. I've seen alot of these things snap from adjusting the action (string height) and it's a shame because the idea behind the ZR trem is awsome (I own an S series with the trem and love it:). The fault seems to be that the thread at the top of the pin on the outside is to close to the allen key slot in the inside and thus weakens the top of the stud. The weaknes is especially noticeable in the corners of the hexagon shaped allen key hole.
I offer a £25 charge for fixing the problem which would include drilling the studs out and I can also get the studs for about £21 including shipping costs:)

Ibanez S series.

Getting a guitar gig ready.

These set of photos will help do demonstrate how to make a guitar "gig ready". Pickups not only pick up the vibrations of the strings but also the vibrations of other loose hardware. Filling cavities (as well as proper cavity shielding) is a brilliant way to stop these vibrations and will also help to stop guitar feedback.

This is a close up of the main pot cavity, it has been filled with cloth (foam could also be used) to insure no vibrations can reverberate through the chamber. The same process has been aplied to the toggle switch chamber and also to the pickup cavities in the front of the guitar. The unpadded cavity acts as an acoustic chamber and creates extra reverberation from the strings and other parts of the guitar, much like an F hole on a semi hollow guitar. The cavities are also properly shielded with conductive paint, sometimes this is also done with copper. This helps rid of alot of hum due to earthing problems.

The biggest broblem with unwanted reverberation is from tromolo springs. Rubber tubing is inserted int the spring thus stoping the spring from creating unwanted noise. This is a much better method i have found than using foam or cloth as the springs usually pinch the soft material and create tuning problems.

Dampening metal hardware is a sure way to stop unwanted noise.

Dampening the strings above the nut (especially if no locking nut) is a briliant way to stop unwanted noise. Though I used cloth here alot of people use black rubber witch looks much more aesthetically pleasing.

Under the pickups i've put cloth (foam also used) to help with the noise from a suspended pickup, pickups that are screwed streight to the body don't usually need this. I know that Satriani and Paul Gilbert use this technique.

The electrical tape on the front of the pickups serve a number of reasons. It stops the strings whilst being slackend by the floyd rose catching the side of the pickups. Stops the pickups from gradually lowering due to right hand technique loosening screws. And to stop the pickups from rocking slightly.

Bridgend Guitar Tuition and Repair now offers this service as part of the £25 full setup (if wanted).