The Vintage Guitar News and Views August edition. 
Got Tone?
Good tone can be attributed to a lot of different factors and a lot of different factors can contribute to good tone.This month let us look at some of those factors that may possibly help you in your own quest for tone(s).Almost every guitar manufacturer today makes several levels in the guitar entries to sell, many are branded by the builders under different names or country(s) of origin by these manufactures.
These guitars are in some respect very good guitars, maybe not as good as their premium conterpart ,but as far as basic construction goes they are a great starting place for many a guitarist. Sometimes the woods used are less than superior such as veneers but the basic shape and funtion is there.
In most cases because the wood(s) used are very similar it is in the electronics or "under the hood" where many of the cost savings facors come into play. These guitars can be produced and sold for less and therefore make good purchases for the beginner or guitarist who wants more than one guitar but may be on a budget. So if you find yourself buying a guitar that is less than the builders premium made brand , what if any contribution can you make to get some tonal payoffs?
The first thing I would reccomend would be a pickup replacement.Most of these guitars pickups are o.k. but are probably made with less superior materials.Ceramics as opposed to alnico magnets,the winding wire gauges, the windings around the bobbins and the wiring used all help in achiving or not achiving good tonal properties. You can get a good used set of quality pickups to save money for other upgrades as well.Just insure the pickups ar what they are stated as being and work.I prefer alnico magnet material as opposed to ceramic matrials used for the magnets as these seem to have (for me) a smoother less brittle sound and a better "sweet spot" .
when adjusting your pickup height Also be aware tere are many differnt types of pickup also, hotter pickups,passive pickups,vintage reissue pickups, etc.etc.knowing the basic sound you are trying to achive will be a plus when you make your selection. Many pickup builders offer sound clips on their web site for you to listen to to aid in this decision.You can get them straight from the builder or an auction site or many dealers such as myself also carry pickups for sale.
The next link in the tone game is probably the potentiometers or"pots". Again to cut costs in manufactring many builders place good but not as good pots in their cheaper guitars.again there are many custom an vintage reissue potentiometer makers on the market today as well as the premium pots used by the major guitar manufacturers.While your replacing your pots you can also experiment with different rated capacitors or "caps" and some are even made the old fashioned way, paper and foil( which I prefer).You can take a piece of cardboard and tape various "caps" onto it and with a long lead mad with 2 pieces of wire with alligator clips soldered at both ends, attach the caps to your pots wiring(remove old caps first)find the one(s) that you seem to favor without having to take apart your guitar and resolder everything over and over again. A good solid position switch is a positive upgrade also as well as a good output jack. If your really into this upgrading then replace the cheap wiring with good quality proper gauge wiring or reproduction cloth or steel braid covered wiring.
What if anything else can you as a guitarist and guitar lover do to help your guitar achive its maximum potential? A good quality bone nut, a fret dressing and leveling, some quality tuners (tuning keys) and proper neck adjustments all come into my mind. It does surprise me that even today how many new guitars have less than stellar fretwork and neck adjustments leaving the factory. We can't forget good coupling at the bridge ,tail piece area either. The correct spring tension on tremolo styled guitars is a must ,My preference is to use all 5 springs and have the trailing edge of the tremolo bridge plate lifting off the body of the guitar only an eighth of an inch or so when tuned properly.On many guitars supplied with separate bridge tail piece set ups I usually like to see if the bridge studs actually go all the way to the bottom of the hole that they sit in, man times I find a gap between the bottom of the anchor post and the bottom of the hole. For this trick I use allen set screws to find the one that fills the gap while allowing me to properly adjust my bridge height to my desired level.
shielding paint and proper grounding(s) usually eliminate most buzzing and unwanted noise(s).All this may sound like a lot of work and it is. But some people find it enjoyable and for my personal guitars,I want them to perform at their best ,It may not help me play better but it does help me sound better when I play and that in turn will make me want to play more which will eventually will make me a better player. If you do not feel comfortable doing these types of upgrades to your guitar(s) have a qualified guitar technician do them for you.
I hope this article was informative and will inspire you in your lifelong journey with guitars, but like always this is just my news and views. So may all your friends stay true, may all your days be memorable and may all our riffs be killer,Greg at Greg's Guitars.
