Waverly Acoustic Guitar Tuners Review

Hello!

I don’t think I have ever reviewed a set of acoustic guitar tuners before, but I have a long-term love affair with the Waverly butter-bean knob set. These things are beautiful to look at and work well; over the years I have owned three guitars that came with them: two Martins and a Santa Cruz.

First off, I have to talk about how these things look. They are open gear tuners, with precisely machined bronze string post gears that are like miniature works of art. The butterbean-shaped knobs are made from solid brass (not cast) and have just the right shape as the OEM tuners on older instruments. These look right at home on the Martin Golden Age and Vintage series guitars, and they are direct drop-in replacements for many older Martins and Gibsons.

These tuners are not just pretty, they are also made to last. The moving parts are a stainless steel worm gear and the bronze tuning post gears are more durable than the brass gears used in lesser tuners. They also hold very well, and operate smoothly thanks to the nylon worm gear bushings that they use. I have not found any play or looseness in any of their tuners that I have used.

There are three different finish treatments available for Waverly tuners: nickel, gold, and aged nickel (for your relic), so you will probably be able to find a set that matches with the character of your instrument.

If you decide to retrofit your guitar with Waverly tuners, they are not cheap, but you get what you pay for in this case: they run from $144 to $199 for a set. There are also conversion peghead bushings available so that you can use them with larger-size holes that are common with Gotoh, Schaller, or Grover tuners.

Mahalo!

Success Story: Long Beach Guitar Repair to the Rescue

Aloha!

I have written before about how happy I am to have Long Beach Guitar Repair nearby, and they recently came to my rescue once again.

There was a neat 1990 cherryburst Gibson Les Paul Standard that I found and it was available at a good price. There are all kinds of blemishes on it, but it is honest playwear, which is not too troubling. But, there was a headstock repair that had been performed before. This is usually not a big deal, but this one had been repaired amateurishly, and though it was sturdy there was excess glue everywhere and it was a complete mess.

It eventually made its way over to the shop, and Chris said that he could make it a lot better. He worked on it for a week or two, with a call in the middle asking if I wanted the original style tuners back on. I like Grovers, but Les Pauls just look right with green tulip deluxe tuners, so I gave the ok. It turns out a few of the screws were broken, so it looks like it was the right choice...

When it came back I was very happy with the results—he got all of the excess goo off, and the repaired area is now smooth as silk. I wish it photographed better, but trust me, it is worlds better.

Chris got the work done under my budget (including nice set up and a little fret work), and I am pleased as punch; I would not hesitate to take any of my instruments there. Everybody there (Chris, Brian and Guillermo) have tons of experience, and they are friendly too!

Long Beach Guitar Repair is located at 2930 East 7th Street in Long Beach, and they are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 AM to 6 PM. Check out their website at longbeachguitarrepair.com or give them a call at 562-621-9000. Say “hi” for me!

Mahalo!

Long Beach Guitar Repair – Long Beach, California

Aloha!

I was profoundly disappointed when World of Strings closed down after 50 years in the business. It was the only good repair shop in town, and they could work on any stringed instrument. Plus, their staff was the best, both friendly and knowledgeable and willing to give informed information and opinions. ,

Fortunately for us locals, the void was not there for long, as last month four of their former employees joined up and opened their own repair shop just east of the old World of Strings location. If you ever frequented the old store, you will instantly recognize these folks and feel right at home. They are Brian Stewart, Chris Baird, and Guillermo Rios. Pam Spangler also came over and is running her violin and bow repair business out of this location.

There is not anybody else in town that you would want to trust your prized instruments to. Spangler worked at World of Strings for over three decades and teaches at Long Beach City College, Rios is a top-shelf flamenco guitarist, Baird was the guitar tech for Korn for more than ten years, and Stewart has been working in the business for almost 30 years (the last 14 at World of Strings). For what it’s worth, my wife thinks that Brian is cute and Chris has pretty eyes.

These guys have worked on my guitars and cello for years, and I would trust them to do any of my repairs, from set-ups to refrets or customization. They have made numerous unplayable Les Pauls work the way they should and helped make one of my semi-hollowbody guitars into the best instrument I have ever played.

They also sell strings and accessories, and they are stocking Ruben Flores and Almansa classical and flamenco acoustic guitars. Also, they have a nice selection of electric guitars and basses that they have built, and I am sure if you want to pick one up they will make you a fair deal for one.

All of this is good, but their experience really pays off for customers that are not really sure what they are looking for. If you have a kid that wants to get into playing the guitar, stop in and they will give you sound advice and will keep you from buying the wrong guitar that either costs too much, or that could be a piece of junk that will discourage the learning process. When you break the headstock off your dad’s old guitar, after you stop crying, loosen the strings and take it in. They have seen it all before and they will reassure you that it can be fixed well, and it will probably not cost as much as you think it will. This kind of stuff is priceless, my friends!

When I stopped in the other day to drop off a cheap-o Martin, it appeared that things are going well, as they all had instruments on their benches and their spirits were good. Their new shop is laid out well, and it is in a better neighborhood – heck, I even found a parking spot out front! Parking was a real bear at the old shop…

Long Beach Guitar Repair is located at 2930 East 7th Street in Long Beach, and they are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 AM to 6 PM. For more details about their business, check out their website at longbeachguitarrepair.com or search out their page on Facebook. Or, if you are social media-impaired you can call 562-621-9000. You will be glad that you did!

Mahalo!

Stewart-MacDonald Guitar Basic Set-up Kit Review

Sugoi!

A few days ago I wrote about Dan Erlewine’s “Guitar Player Repair Guide” and mentioned that many of the tools needed for basic set-ups can probably be found in your home tool box. But there are a few things you will need for a quality guitar set-up that you probably do not have lying around your shop. But have no fear, the guys from Stewart-MacDonald have put together the things you will need in their basic set-up kit.

This kit includes:

A beveled 18” precision straight edge that is machined to be accurate to within 0.0015”. This will help you check neck relief and verify truss rod adjustment changes.

A string action gauge that is designed to quickly measure string height, but is also good for checking the height of nuts, saddles and pickup pole pieces.

A set of eight under string radius gauges so you can match bridge saddle heights to the curvature of the fretboard.

They also throw a set of set-up instructions into the box too, and of course Stew-Mac has an abundance of helpful hints on their web site. By the way, you can get the basic set-up kit in standard or metric sizes (of course the metric system will never catch on).

The metric or standard kit will set you back $89.11 (which is $5 off the price of these items separately), but you will save at least that much money after you do you first couple of set-ups. They are well-made tools and are certainly worth the money. You can find the basic set-up kit and most any other repair tool you can imagine at stewmac.com

Mahalo!

Dan Erlewine’s Guitar Player Repair Guide Review

Buenos dias, amigos!

There are few things as miserable as having a guitar that does not play right, and generally, it is a pain to have somebody work on your stuff. Whether it is just a set-up or a major overhaul, you are at the mercy of repair shops that may not listen to what you really want, and might put your beloved instrument into repair shop prison. I have had great luck with my local repair shop, but chances are good you will not be so lucky, so you might want to take the steps to learn how to do your own repair work.

But how? It is not like there are luthiery schools on every corner, and they do not teach repair at ITT Technical Institute. Well, you can learn a lot from one of the best in the business by purchasing up Dan Erlewine’s “Guitar Player Repair Guide”.

Mr. Erlewine has been around forever, and has invented many repair tools that are used by your local guitar repair guy. He has built and repaired very high-profile guitars, and has produced DVDs, books and magazine columns devoted to guitar repair. He is the real deal, in other words.

The “Guitar Player Repair Guide” is over 300 illustrated pages that cover the most common procedures that may need to be performed on acoustic and electric guitars. He breaks down the procedures into three categories: “Basic” for folks that are new to working on guitars, “D.I.Y” for those who are skilled hobbyists, and “Deep” for those are not afraid of heavy-duty repairs. The procedures range from cleaning your guitar and replacing the strings to resetting necks, replacing frets and fitting acoustic guitar bridges. He even includes instructions on how to properly pack a guitar or amplifier for shipping.

Dan provides a listing of tools in the back that are needed for each of the three categories. Chances are good that you already have many of the basic repair tools at home, such as a guitar tuner, screwdrivers, hex wrenches and pliers. So, for a small investment in a few specialized tools you can start doing your own set-ups and repairs. Everything you need can be purchased online through Stewart MacDonald.

My copy came with a DVD that covers guitar inspection, setting intonation and stringing up your guitar. The only thing I do not care for about the book is the way it is bound. I really wish it was spiral bound so it would lay flat on my workbench. The older editions were spiral bound…

I highly recommend that you purchase Dan Erlewine’s “Guitar Player Repair Guide”. I got mine for $29.95 from Stewart MacDonald, and surprisingly it was signed by the author. You will save at least that much the first time you do your own set-up. Trust me!

Mahalo!

Amplifier Repair Tip: GPS Electronics of Norwalk, California

Howdy!

If you need your amplifier repaired and you are in the Los Angeles area, I have the hot ticket for you: do not take it to your local guitar shop, because they are probably going to send it out somewhere else for repair. And that somewhere else is probably going to be GPS Electronics over in Norwalk, so go there first and cut out the middle man.

GPS Electronics has been in business since 1996 and does work for music stores, the local theme parks (we have some big ones), city governments, school districts, churches, and of course everyday musicians like us. They specialize in guitar amplifier repair, but are also have tons of experience repairing PA systems, keyboard, pedals, speakers, and mixing boards.

Besides retail repairs, this shop is also an authorized warranty service center for Ampeg, Crate, Fender, GK, Marshall, Peavey, Yamaha and many more manufacturers. That says a lot about the experience of the technicians and the confidence that these companies have in GPS Electronics.

I recently needed to have my Ampeg B15T repaired (it had gone teats up), and I took it over to George (the G, of GPS) to have them look it over. Their shop is located in an office park and there are no big signs, so make sure you get your directions straight before you head over.

From the front counter I could see a few of the repair benches in the back, and noted that the shop was tidy and the technicians were neatly dressed, and there was a metric ton of amplifiers on shelves waiting to be worked on. It seems like it would be a good place to work, not a sweatshop or filthy hell hole.

George wrote up my repair order and gave me a date (about a week out) when I would receive my estimate. He called me up a week later with a very reasonable estimate ($82), and quoted me three days for repairs to be completed.

Well, three days later my amplifier was done (with no extra charges) and it worked fine when I got it back. This may not sound like a big deal, but in this day and age it is difficult to find shops that do a good job, not to mention keeping the promises and commitments that they make. I wholeheartedly recommend that you give them a try.

GPS Electronics is located near the 5 Freeway in Norwalk, making it a convenient drive from Los Angeles or Orange Counties. They are open Monday through Friday from 10AM to 6PM, and are closed on weekends. You can reach them at 562-802-0840, or check out their page of Facebook.

Mahalo!

Stewart MacDonald Guitar Supply

Como estas?

If you like working on guitars, or if you just enjoy woodworking, you have check out Stewart-MacDonald of Athens, Ohio. They have been selling guitar parts and luthier’s tools for over 40 years, and are the best in the business.

I first found about Stew-Mac when I needed to find some grabber strap buttons for a Kubicki bass, and The Man recommended that I check with them. They had them, and pretty much every part I have needed since then. They carry OEM parts for both electric and acoustic guitars, as well as a panoply of bodies, necks, pickups, bridges and tuners in case you want to build your own guitar.

Stewart-MacDonald also has every tool you will need to build or set-up your own guitar, rewind your pickups or replace worn out frets. For example, they carry files for every application, including ones for nut work and cleaning up sharp fret edges. If you need it, they have it.

If you are still learning guitar repair or set-up, they also have sell plenty of how-to books. My favorite is Dan Erlewine’s How to Make your Electric Guitar Play Great!. Every guitarist should have a copy of this, even if they don’t ever plan on working on an instrument. It gives a lot of insight into why guitars play the way they do, and how minor adjustments can change the way they play. It is $20 well spent.

There are also juicy repair hints on the stewmac.com website in the “Trade Secrets” section. I am on their mailing list so I get the Trade Secrets newsletter via e-mail, and there are lots of clever tips on improvising tools and repair solutions.

Go to stewmac.com and see what they have to offer!

Mahalo!