Premier Guitar features affiliate links to help support our content. We may earn a commission on any affiliated purchases.

Guitar Shop 101

DIY: Replacing Strat Single-Coils with Stacked Humbuckers

Here’s a DIY project for tone chasers: how to turn a $199 single-coil Squier Bullet Strat into a beefy humbucker-voiced 6-string, with coil-splitting in the neck pickup.

Read MoreShow less
Photo 1

This handy tool can be a guitarist’s best friend.

A digital multimeter (Photo 1) is the perfect tool for testing many components on a guitar or bass. We use them in the shop for testing pickups, output jacks, switches, and batteries, and you can also use them for testing cables and wiring harnesses. Best of all, you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a good multimeter. I still use the one I bought at Radio Shack 23 years ago, and such luthier supply companies as Allparts and Stewart-MacDonald have excellent multimeters designed for working on a guitar, priced from $25 to $35.

Let’s explore five ways to use a multimeter:

Read MoreShow less
Photo 1

Put some shimmer and spank into your dual-humbucker guitar with this alternative wiring scheme.

Recently a client brought in a 1995 Fender Strat and asked me to replace its two humbucking pickups (Photo 1). The original pickups had been upgraded years ago with a set of Seymour Duncans—a JB in the bridge position and a Jazz in the neck slot. These are excellent pickups and typically sound great in most guitars, but my client said they were too dark for the type of music he plays.

It was tempting to sell him a new set of pickups, but instead I recommended we rewire the pickups in parallel (more on this in a moment) to see if that would provide the brighter tone he was looking for. Because both pickups have a 4-conductor harness, I knew we could pull this off using the existing 3-way blade switch and without adding any extra switches to this guitar—an important consideration for the owner.

Read MoreShow less
Photo 1

Got a funky blade switch on your T-style guitar? Here’s how to install a new one.

Recently a client brought me a very cool 2004 Fender Tele (Photo 1) that needed a new blade switch. His guitar played well (and looked great too) but the switch had started to cut out at random times onstage. It’s not uncommon for a Tele switch to wear out—especially if you use it vigorously—so let’s see what it takes to replace it.

We’ve previously covered how to install both 3-way Gibson and 5-way Strat switches, so this project will complete the set.

Read MoreShow less
Photo 1

A client wanted her D-12-20 to fret in tune all along the fretboard. Can it be done?

Intonating a flattop’s bridge saddle is tricky, and that’s especially true when it comes to vintage 12-string guitars. Back in the day, it was rare to find an acoustic 12-string with a compensated bridge saddle. In fact for many players, the slightly out-of-tune jangle was a big part of a 12-string’s aural mystique. But times have changed, and as music and recording technology have evolved, most musicians and producers expect a 12-string to play reasonably in tune all along the fretboard.

Read MoreShow less