Can You put Inlay on a guitar already made.?
It can be done but it's expensive and pointless. Presumably there are already markers at 3, 5, 7, 9, and 12, and so on, so adding inlay on the other frets is going to be confusing as all get out. If you have a made in USA Breedlove that's far too valuable a guitar to screw up with additional inlay. If it's an Asian-made model it's not as big a deal but you'd still be screwing it up. If you really want it done, take your guitar to a custom inlay artist and he'll redo or replace the entire fretboard for a few thousand dollars. Arguably the greatest inlay artist in the world is Grit Laskin. Here's a gallery of his work: http://www.williamlaskin.com/gallery2.php Good luck.
What is the coolest guitar you have ever seen?
The Shirley.This custom guitar comes from a shop called Frets and Necks in Hartsville, SC. The guitars this shop created are some of the finest instruments I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing and made me realize I need to save my money and buy one of these because I just simply have to have one. Yes I enjoy cheaper instruments as well, but these are made really really really well. These guitars are typically made with re-purposed wood from old defunct pianos, barn doors, etc. Most of the wood is old and has character. Some of the wood is no longer available for purchase due to over forestation or something of the like.The Shirley in particular was my favorite of their series. It’s a strat, but not really, but loads of character and charm. Smooth like butter on the fretboard.The Shirley Deluxe
Guitar Inlay and Knob Replacement Question?
I don't know much about the inlays on a guitar but what I do know is that most of the time.. when they come standard on a guitar they are most like pearl or plastic ingraved into the fretboard. for these they could just be a normal veneer cover so you might be able to carefull take them off.. If not you may be able to just put the new ones on over the old ones seeing as the new ones are stickers. as for the tone and volume knobs. if it is just the knobs you want to replace ( the bits visable on the outside) all you have to do is give them a little tug and they will come off and then just pop the new ones on.. no glue is required for this. <------- This is free if its the actuall pots you want to replace (the whole mechanism inside) thats a bit more complicated. you have to remove the pickguard but if it's the guitar you posted then you'll have to gain access to the electronics from the plate located at the back of the guitar. Then you'll have to remover the knob at the front, de-solder the wires from the pots, and simply remove the old ones. the just pop in the new ones and solder them back on.. Be careful to put the wires back in the right order. <-------- This is also free.... unless you don't own a soldering Iron. then Rock On :) Hope you found this helpful
Can you put new inlays in a guitar neck?
New inlays can be put in any guitar if you are willing to spend the money. It is a long and difficult process and most luthiers will not even attempt it on a guitar that is already built. A good quality mother of pearl block inlay set- all by itself- will cost between $60 and $100, then the work to remove the frets, do the layout, rout for the inlays, install, resurface the fingerboard and refret will likely cost another $350- $400.
Is Sweetwater like fantasyland for your guitar shopping?
Interesting question. Yes, Sweetwater has many guitars that I covet. However, even in this day and age of online shopping, buying a guitar online is not preferred. In my fantasy world, I at least get to TOUCH them, even if I can’t BUY them.When I think fantasyland, I think of Willy Wonka’s candy room. Everything is made of candy. Chocolate river. Trees, vegetation, even the grass, all concocted from something sugary sweet.In the guitar version, I’m able to play every one of the guitars of my dreams. I can pick up a Taylor and compare it to a Gibson. Experience the unique look of a McPherson, and the delicate feel of a Larrivee. And that’s just the acoustics! I can stare in awe at the exquisite inlay artwork on a million dollar guitar. I’m able to gawk at vintage, used and cared for pre-war Martins. There are rows and rows of Strats, Teles and Les Pauls in various hues. Almost every guitar fantasyland I’ve ever been has a lot of wood on the walls, humidifiers and various amplifiers strewn about.I’ve been to a few of them in my day. One that is close by is called Willcutt Guitars in Lexington, KY. My other favorite that no longer exists was in Louisville, First Quality Music Supply.The Promised Land, I hear, is in Nashville. My daughter is going to college soon down south and I hope to have a similar experience at Gruhn Guitars and Carter Vintage Guitars.
What do you like/dislike about the last guitar that you played?
The last guitar I played (about half an hour ago) is my Seagull “Natural Elements Folk CW.” It’s got a laminate body of gorgeous “heart of wild cherry” and a solid spruce top with just a slight arch to it that makes it super resonant, great for doing percussive knocks along while playing rhythm. It’s got a real bare bones aesthetic, no herringbone rosette or fancy abalone inlays, and I personally really dig that look. I string it in Eb with D’Addario silk and steel because I fingerpick a lot on it, usually blues with frequent half and quarter bends. Its tone is perfect for my living room, soft and delicate as I wanna be, and punchy and ringing when I lay into strummed chords with a pick. It has a wide but slim “C” neck shape and plenty of room on the fingerboard for my thick fingers. It keeps its tuning really tenaciously, in spite of using old-fashioned open gear tuners. I have the action set with a slight bow, low in the first few positions for quick chord changes, a bit higher around the 12–14th fret to facilitate my wide vibrato on lead parts. I was inspired to try this sort of setup by Chet Atkins, who liked his action higher up the neck so he could “really dig in.”Dislikes, the electronics it came with. The onboard tuner is fine and easy to use and read, but the piezo pickup and preamp are thin and tinny sounding no matter how I set it. Also, the TUSQ nut was cut slightly too deep on my D string slot, causing just the slightest bit of buzz for a week or two when the seasons change. The really good repair guys in my neck of the woods mostly work with bone nuts, but I kinda like the tone TUSQ gets and the way the strings don’t bind up on it like they do with other materials.
What is the most complete electric guitar?
No matter what, by attempting to cover all bases you’re going to end up with a “master of none” kind of situation. So, to break this down to the simplest of all guitar tone demands (though, assuredly not the complete spectrum of sound guitarists might want), the basic foundation of what most guitar players are willing to build on: Fenders and Gibsons.The major differences between the two camps boils down to what pickups they use to create their respective sounds. Gibson’s bacon is found in the warmth of it’s humbuckers. Fender scrambles it’s eggs on the quack of it’s single coils.So, most Gibsons (The biggest ballers being SG’s and Les Pauls) have two humbuckers as their most common configuration.Fenders on the other hand have two very popular models with two different pickup varieties. The Telecaster and The Stratocaster.So, looking at both separately:Strat on top, Tele on the bottom. The Strat has the same basic set up as the Tele but, with the middle pickup. So, Strat version it is.Luckily, Fender makes a few Strats that mix the two (Les Pauls and Strats). They affectionately refer to them as “Super Strats”.If you’re looking to capture the basic foundation sound of most rock music recorded in the past 60 years, I think that this comes the closest to being “complete” or most versatile guitar you can get.It’s the Standard Stratocaster HSH (HSH meaning humbucker, single coil, humbucker)Besides having the basic three pickup set up of a standard Strat, it also has the double humbucker Les Paul configuration too. The argument might be made that the two humbuckers aren’t the same as two Fender single coils and that would be correct…but, this nifty piece of artwork has a secret. The push pull knob on the second tone knob splits the coils on both humbuckers making them effectively single coiled. So, you can kick out Strat, Tele and Les Paul sounds from the same instrument. The controls are a little spare for a Les Paul but, more robust than a Tele, so there are a few trade-offs.Still…That’s pretty versatile if you ask me.I hope this helps.
Thin U-Neck Contour vs Extra Thin Flat Guitar Necks?
These are features that are merely a matter of personal preference. Neither one is "easier to play" or has "better action." They simply describe the shape of the underside of the neck. Here's a photo of some common shapes: http://www.rocketmusiconline.com/guitar-... The contour...not to be confused with fretboard radius...has very little to do with anything except your personal level of comfort. Some people like thin necks, others feel that a chunky neck is less tiring when they play barre chords. There are no hard fast rules, and the ONLY way for you to make a decision is to play both necks and see what you prefer. This is why I never buy guitars without actually trying them out first. The underside of the neck has no bearing on action. Any contour neck can be set to have whatever action suits your playing style. OTOH, the fretboard radius is the curvature on the top of the neck. In general, a smaller radius (larger curve) is better for chords and a larger radius (shallow curve) is better for solos. Here's a little info on that subject: http://www.rip-n-guitar.com/Guitar-Neck-... http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/necks/radi... Again, I can't stress enough: PLAY THE GUITARS FOR YOURSELF. If you're asking this question because you've been internet shopping, it's time to take a trip to a local guitar store. It's really the best way to buy an instrument. Most retailers are keenly aware of the internet prices and have their merchandise priced competitively. Happy hunting!