The electronics inside a passive guitar are fascinating. Compared to all the other pieces of modern technology we carry around and use every day, guitar circuits are very primitive. Yet often, it is their simplicity that bares some of the most intriguing complications. The Problem Allow me to explain one such complication here. Passive electric guitars (any guitar that doesn't require a battery) use wiper potentiometers to act as what we know as the volume knob. The function of this potentiometer is simple. When at ten, all of the signal from the pickup is being sent to the output of the guitar. When at zero, all of the signal is being sent to ground. The complication arises when you realize...
As some of you may already know, I live in Toronto, Canada. Generally speaking this part of the world is well known to have a dry climate. While there are many incredible guitar manufacturers inside Canada that deserve recognition (foreshadowing), lots of popular models and brands of guitars are built in climates that are comparatively humid like Japan, Indonesia, Mexico, even California and Tennessee. While this fun fact may seem at first to be of little consequence, owning a guitar in a dry part of the world brings to the surface a problem that is not unique to dry areas but is certainly made worse in them. I'm talking about electro magnetic interference. Electro magnetic interference occurs when radio waves, static...
I think its safe to say that most guitarists today are familiar with the iconic Gibson headstock design, with its trademark "moustache" carve and 3 strings each side. I myself am the proud owner of several Gibson guitars that bear this headstock. However, it is an open secret amongst guitarists that this headstock design is deeply flawed. And while I myself am certainly no luthier, I thought it might be fun today to talk about the two major issues that have plagued Gibson headstocks since some of their earliest instruments. The Problem With The D and G Strings Perhaps the least egregious of the two major issues, the Gibson headstock design creates a problem involving the D and G strings on...
I have been fortunate enough over the years to teach musicians from all walks of life, including skilled professionals such as engineers, architects, and photographers. So many of these individuals are adept at using technologically advanced software programs and hardware for their jobs, and I find it interesting how occasionally the inner workings of the electric guitar can deceive their otherwise analytical minds and seem so mysterious to some of the most innovate and creative classes of people. The truth is, the technology behind the most coveted models of electric guitars was perfected in the 1950's, and has not advanced wildly in its complexity. This is especially true when compared to the exponential rates of growth associated with other common household...
It's no secret that since the 1950's, the guitar market has been dominated by two highly recognizable companies. I don't mean to downplay the influence of smaller companies or the countless independent luthiers making extremely high quality, beautiful sounding instruments, but many guitarists including myself are proud owners of Fender or Gibson products. Over the years, a whole range of after market parts meant to improve the stability or tone of these instruments has been developed by small business owners, and in this article I hope to bring to your attention two of my favourite companies for after market Fender or Gibson style guitar parts. Callaham Guitars Callaham Guitars is a small business run by Bill Callaham out of Virginia. ...
