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Tone Tips: Tweak Talk
October 14, 2018
Installing new pickups is, of course, a valid option if you’re not satisfied with a guitar’s tone, but tweaking elsewhere could get you where you want to be and save dollars.
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All the World’s a Gain Stage
July 16, 2018
A beginner’s guide to what makes tube amps growl, bark, and purr—from preamp tubes to output transformers and every cathode in between.
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DIY: No-Brainer Mods!
April 17, 2018
How to transform four affordable axes—a Gretsch Jet Club, an Epiphone Les Paul SL, and a Squier Vintage Modified Jag and Precision bass—into absolute gems.
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Bass Bench: Chasing Grounding Gremlins
March 23, 2018
If you hope to eliminate noise and hum from your bass, here are the important things to consider.
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Acoustic Soundboard: There’s the Rub
March 22, 2018
Understanding why and how frets wear (hint: it’s not just from fretting) could help extend the life of the ones on your guitar or let you know when it’s time for a complete replacement.
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Mod Garage: The Triple-Threat, Solo Humbucker Wiring
August 18, 2017
Like to keep things simple? Here’s how to coax three sounds from a stripped-down guitar sporting one 4-conductor ’bucker.
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DIY: Build Your Own Rotary Speaker!
July 6, 2017
Dig those head-spinning tones? Here’s a step-by-step guide for making your own Leslie-inspired cabinet.
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Mod Garage: Build a Pickup Phase Tester, Part 2
June 25, 2017
When installing replacement pickups from different manufacturers, it’s a crap shoot whether they’ll be in phase with each other. This fun DIY project helps you avoid out-of-phase nightmares.
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Mod Garage: Build a Pickup Phase Tester, Part 1
June 2, 2017
Do you like to try out different pickups in your guitars? This handy, inexpensive device will spare you a lot of potential grief.
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DIY: How to Refinish Your Axe
April 18, 2017
StewMac tech guru Erick Coleman on how to give your instrument a sweet new look in five easy steps—sans fancy tools.
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DIY: How to Set up Jazzmasters & Jaguars
April 12, 2017
Offset addict Michael Adams reveals setup secrets for making Fender’s ingenious, sorely misunderstood axes sing.
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Ask Amp Man: Upping the Gain on a Super Reverb
September 26, 2016
How to get more drive with a simple mod.
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How to Buy a Used Amp
July 22, 2016
Tim Schroeder—amp builder for Jeff Tweedy and Nels Cline—offers seven tips for avoiding the post-purchase blues.
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Guitar Shop 101: How to Repair Delaminated Neck Binding
June 21, 2016
Got some loose fretboard binding? No worries—here are a few easy steps to fix it.
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Thurston Moore Gets His Yuri Landman / Premier Guitar DIY Drone Guitar
June 9, 2016
Check out the new video footage of Yuri and Thurston chatting about the instrument’s unusual design, then watch Moore test the guitar at a gig the same night.
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Mod Garage: Restoring Vintage Guitar Tuners
June 3, 2016
Old tuners can seize up—especially if they haven’t been used in years—but it’s not hard to bring them back to life.
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Mojotone Introduces the Studio One Amplifier Kit
May 31, 2016
A DIY kit that can drive anything from a 1x8 speaker cabinet all the way up to a 4x12 without breaking noise regulations.
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Guitar Shop 101: Curing Sticky-Neck Syndrome
May 20, 2016
Do you feel like you’re fighting your guitar’s neck? Here’s how to create that smooth, “played-in” feel.
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DIY: It’s Alive!
April 29, 2016
Luthier Frank Falbo on the Dos and Don’ts of building a parts guitar.
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Mod Kits DIY Introduces the Step Ladder
April 29, 2016
The Step Ladder is ideal for anything from getting a slight boost while playing single-note
acoustic guitar leads or for jumping from clean to overdrive in a high-gain electric
guitar amp.
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