QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Just bought my first guitar, what gauge strings should I put on it?
If your just starting out learning the guitar, the first thing you should do is replace the strings that came already on the guitar, as new guitars usually come equipped with very cheap guitar strings.  And since you are just starting out, you want to get a set of 9's as this gauge strings will be easier on your finger tips as you practice guitar.

What brand guitar strings are the best to purchase?
Depending on who you talk to, you will get many different answers to this question, and each guitar player has his or her own preferred brand they go with.  I suggest you try out different brands as you go along, this way you will learn which brand of strings is best suited to your style of play.

How often should I change the strings on my guitar?
Again, depending on who you talk to you will get many different answers.  Some people change their strings every week or so, some change them every month or so, and some keep the same strings on their guitar for several months.  The main argument for changing your strings often is tone, the newer the strings the better the tone you get from them.  But a number of well known guitar players actually prefer older strings on their guitars, again because of the tone they are shooting for.  As a rule, if you have been playing guitar for under a year, you most likely won't even notice the different between older strings and newer ones.  That said, once one of your strings breaks, you want to replace all the strings at the same time.

What gauge strings are best when using alternative guitar turnings?
You can use 9's or 10's but it becomes harder to get the guitar in tune and keep it in tune, and depending on how much lower you go, the strings simply become too loose.  12 gauge strings are better, but in general you want to go with an even higher gauge stings, the heavier strings will stay in tune much better, and not be loose, and will give you a better overall tone.

Should I take my new guitar to a guitar shop and have it set up by them?
If your just starting out and don't know how to set up a guitar, yes.  Either that or have a friend who knows how to do a set up do it.  There are also a large number of YouTube videos showing you how to do a set up as well, but having a guitar shop do it does not cost much money. 

What benefits come from having a guitar set up properly by a guitar shop?
They will completely go over your new or used guitar, among other things they will adjust the truss rod, if needed to straighten out the neck of the guitar.  They will also adjust the action of the guitar, so it is important to tell them if you want the action of the strings to be low, medium or high action.  If you are uncertain of how you want the action to be, look this up online and research into why some players prefer high action and why others prefer low action.   

Should my first guitar have a Floyd rose on it?
My advice would be no.  For someone just starting out, a Floyd Rose is not easy to set up or get properly into tune.  If your considering a guitar with a Floye rose on it, I suggest you watch several YouTube videos on how to properly set one up, this will give you a good idea of what your getting into.  The good news is that the more you do set one up and change strings on it, the easier it gets.

I purchased a guitar with a Floyd rose, do I have to purchase special strings for it?
No, but you might have to make a quick adjustment to the strings you do buy.  Strings made just for a Floyd Rose have no tiny ball or bead on one end.  So to use any string on a Floyd rose, you need to use a wire cutter and remove the ball or bead on the end of the strings.

How do I improve the sound of my guitar amp that came with my guitar?
If you bought a guitar that came with an amp, chances are pretty good it is a low priced amp.  There is  a a cheap way  you can do this to  really bring the amp alive and greatly improve its sound, and this involves purchasing a stomp box or two.  Stomp boxes start at around $15 to $20 for the low priced ones, and they work pretty good if your just starting out.  I would suggest a distortion or Fuzz box, A good second stomp box to have is a Compressor/sustain er which sells for about the same price.  You can run them together or separately and either one will greatly improve the sound coming from your amp.  The sustain-er pedal will allow your notes to ring out longer and really helps when bending your guitar strings or doing hammer on's  and pull offs.

My guitar came with a brand new guitar cord, why does it crackle or keep cutting out on me while I am playing my guitar?
This is a common problem with guitar cords that come with a guitar.  This is due to the guitar cord being a very cheap cord.  Some cords begin to experience problems almost as soon as you start to use them, others will keep working for several months before they begin to experience problems.  You need to purchase a better guitar cord, even a $10 to $15 guitar cord will solve the problem.

How can I improve the sound or tone coming from my guitar?
There are three things right off that most guitar players do to improve their over all guitar tone.  The first thing is to replace one or more of the guitar's pick ups.  The cheapest way to do this is to go to a guitar shop and ask what they have on hand for used guitar pick ups.  In most cases if you purchase a pick up from a shop, they will usually install it for free, or for a very low cost.  Or you could research different pick ups and purchase new ones.  The second thing you can do is either change the gauge of strings you are using, the heavier the gauge the better the tone, or you can change the brand of strings you are using, but that is less effective.  The third thing you can do, and it will make a difference, is to raise or lower the height of you pick ups.  The closer your pick ups are to the strings, the louder they will be, and the further away from the strings they are they will become weaker.  What height you want depends on the tone your shooting for.  With your guitar plugged in and on, raise or lower the height of the pick ups a little at a time and try out how it sounds.  Keep doing this until you get the sound you want from your guitars pickups.  Just keep in mind, you can get too high or too low and you do not want your strings to be so high that they are touching the strings when you fret them.

Why doesn't my guitar sound as good as the one I saw demonstrated on YouTube?
A lot of the guitars being demonstrated on YouTube have been made by either people who make the guitar, or people who are selling it.  What happens is they add a ton of effects to make the guitar sound as good as it can, so you and I will run out and buy it.  The guitar is being played through some type of pedal or effects, and in some cases the guitar in the demo has had its pick ups replaced with much more expensive ones.  Than there is the amp they use, costing hundreds if not thousands of dollars more than the one you have.  This is why it is important that you go to a guitar store and try out the guitar before you buy it.  If you don't know how to play yet, have some one go with you and try it out so you can hear what it sounds like. 

How can I play my guitar through my laptop or computer?
There are a number of different devices you can purchase to do this.  There is a cable with a USB plugin on one end which goes between your amp and your computer.  An online search will reveal other ways you can do this, I myself use a Line 6 Tone Port, and other companies offer similar devices.  Line 6 devices are fairly simple to use, the Tone Port has a headphone jack, a mic jack if you wish to use one, and a guitar cable plug in.  Many Line 6 devices come with dozens of amp models, dozens of stomp boxes, and many special effects pedals.  There is usually a built in guitar tuner as well.  By themselves they are well worth the money you spend on them, but they will never equal a live amp.  But you can come pretty close by running one or two pedals between the guitar and the Line 6 device, this gives you an almost live sound.
The Line 6 devices usually come with a cable, one end plugs into the device and the other end has a USB connector to plug directly into your computer.

Which foot pedal is the best one to buy?
There are a number of foot pedals on the market at various prices.  I have owned a few of the higher priced ones, but my favorite one is a inexpensive one put out by Behringer, called the Hellbabe.  I believe at the time I paid around $29 when it was on sale and I love it.  It can easily give you that wah wah wah sound you get from a whammy bar without putting your guitar out of tune and you can adjust its knobs to get other sound effects as well.


What is a guitar or stomp box chain?
This is where you run two or more stomp boxes or other devices between your guitar and your amp, by way of patch cords, or short sections of guitar cords.  When you hear a band perform on stage, they almost always have a chain set up, turning one or off various pedals or other effects with a tap of their toe.  You can search online for how to set up a chain and in what order to set up which pedals.

What is a string winder and should I purchase one?
A string winder fits over the guitar tuners on your guitars head stock.  Once you have the string in place, you simply crank the string winder, which in turns your guitar tuner peg - the faster you crank, the faster it takes up the slack of the string that you are placing onto your guitar.  They may be a bit cumbersome the first few times you use one, but they greatly increase how quickly you can change your guitar strings.  And they only cost a few dollars.

What is the best guitar pick to use?
Depending on who you ask, you will get a variety of answers.  You want to experiment with different ones until you find the one that best suits you.  Some guitar picks are very thin, others are very thick, and many fall in between.  Nylon picks generally have a brighter sound and are flexible.  Many guitar players like  Jimmy Page, David Gilmour, and Gene Simmons use nylon picks.

Should I use strap locks, and why?
It is only a matter ot time when the day will come that your guitar strap is going to come off of the medal peg on your guitar, sending your guitar crashing to the floor.  I have seen guitar necks cracked, guitar pegs broken off or seriously bent, and other damage caused by guitar players not using strap locks.  A set of strap locks will hold your guitar securely to you guitar, thus protecting it from sudden and unforeseen harm.  Strap locks are worth every cent you spend on them.
Today there is a new type of strap lock, and they work very well.  The locking mechanism is built right into the ends of the guitar strap and they don't cost that much either and are easy to use.  No screwing or unscrewing, just a twist to tighten or release the strap from the guitar.

What are active guitar pickups?
Active pickups are pickups that require a battery in order for them to operate.  One of the huge benefits of an active system is the absence of any kind of electrical noise. One of the big draw backs to active pickups is that if you leave your guitar plugged in, even with the amp off, your battery gets drained and goes dead.

 Why does my budget electric guitar make a constant humming or buzzing sound?
All electric guitars have their insides shielded to prevent a loud humming sound.  Some low priced budget guitars may be poorly shielded or have no shielding at all.  You can purchase a cheap roll of shielding tape, and shield your guitar yourself if you have this problem.  With the faceplace removed, you should see either tape of paint on the inside sections of the guitar and down by the inside of the guitar jack. 

 What material should I use to clean my guitar?
They sell spray bottles of guitar polishing and cleaning fluids, but they cost money.  Another method of cleaning your guitar for free is to simply use a damp - not wet, cotton cloth (torn up tee shirt works great) and wipe your guitar down.  Use another soft cotton cloth to rub and polish the guitar.

What is fret board cleaner?
Fret cleaner is usually a spray you apply to the fret board once the guitar strings have been removed.  for this reason, guitar players usually apply fret cleaner at the same time they replace their guitar strings.  There is an oil  or compound in fret board cleaners that help keep the fret board wood from drying out, which helps your fingers move up and down the fret board when playing the guitar.

 What does a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates Humbucker sound like?
Sweet-sounding, but with a slightly rude edge, they deliver great sustain and chimey highs that make harmonics jump right out. 

The original custom Pearly Gates pickups were wound for the famous '59 Les Paul Standard that defined the raw, rebellious sound of Texas blues rock.  Today some Fenders come equipped with a Pearly Gates at the Bridge.

What does a EMG 85 humbucker sound like?
The 85 uses two Alnico magnet-loaded coils with a wide aperture to maintain a beefy low end and a fatter top end. Because of a more natural tone, it works great as a rhythm and blues pickup because it has loads of output but isn't muddy. It's a perfect choice as a rhythm pickup in combination with an 81 in the bridge.

What does a EMG 81 sound like?
The EMG-81 pickup is a high-output pickup designed especially for the lead guitarist. The 81 is at its best for high volume overdrive and amps with a master volume.  Distortion during lead passages is consistent, sustain is long and the breakup fades smoothly.  This pickup offers very sharp attack and very long sustain times.

What does a Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB Humbucker sound like?

The Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB Humbucker 4 conducter pickup uses a completely balanced coil configuration to produce great harmonics and a high output with just the right blend of sustain and distortion.

 What does a Seymour Duncan Hot Rodded humbucker sound like?
This is one of Seymour's favorite set of humbucker pickups because you can use them for playing all styles from blues to rock to metal. Strong definition with bold, dense tone.

What does a  The Seymour Duncan APH-2s Alnico II Pro Slash Humbucker sound like?
The tone of this pickup set will be familiar to anyone who has heard Slash's recorded tone.  The Alnico II Pro Slash is wound with just enough boosted output to push a stock Les Paul toward the sweet sustain and rude crunch that characterize Slash's sound.

 What does a Seymour Duncan SH-8 Invader Pickup sound like?

The Seymour Duncan SH-8 Invader Pickup employs a combination of 3 large ceramic magnets, hot coils, and 12 black oxide cap screws to give this awesome pickup bolts of volts for an electrifying force of energy. The wide magnetic field pumps power into your amp with unique brightness and a totally new sound.
What does the Dimarzo DP100 Super Distortion humbucker sound like?
Many of the classic rock sounds of the '70s and '80s came from this pickup. Hot output and mid-boost get maximum scream out of your amp. 4-conductor versatility with coil-splitting capability.

 What does the The Gibson '57 Classic Plus Pickup sound like?
The Gibson '57 Classic Plus Pickup mimics those late-1950s humbuckers that received a few extra turns of wire.  This process gives  the pickup slightly higher output without sacrificing its rich vintage tone, which helped overdrive tube preamps to a smooth level of saturation without becoming overpowering.