Accessories, Featured »

File under: That’s Clever, Why Has Nobody Thought Of That Before.
Check it out. This is the Rock Lock. It was designed by entrepreneur, Chris Goulet to fill what is, in hindsight, a pretty glaring market hole. Namely, something to stop that toerag from making off with your guitar while you’re having a well-earned beer at the end of the night.
As Goulet says, ‘guitar theft is typically a crime of opportunity…’ and this product helps to remove that opportunity.
The Rock Lock is a bit like a laptop lock with a clever …

Acoustic, Featured »

I AM NAVARRO. TREMBLE, MORTALS, FOR I BRING YOU ROCK – ALBEIT NOW IN A MORE ACOUSTICY, THINKING MAN’S STYLE – AND LEATHER PANTS, AND… ERM… KITTENS. YES, I BRING KITTEN PILLOWS.
FEAR NAVARRO, MORTALS. FEAR HIM GOOD.
So it seems that Dave Navarro has worked with Epiphone to come up with a signature acoustic guitar.
And here it is. Decked out in scary black with a scary, ‘dead branches with crows’ pickguard and some scary hexagram inlays, this guitar will terrify any kitten you wish (except perhaps an evil kitten). …

News »

You know what’s cool? A job where you repair and make guitars for a living. That’s pretty cool.
You know what’s even cooler? Getting to see and hear Joe Bonamassa play a guitar you’ve made. To be honest, it doesn’t come much cooler than that.
Or much more scary.
Last week, I met Joe Bonamassa before his show and presented him with his very own Haze Guitars instrument, hand-made by my good self. It was nerve-wracking to say the least but it all went rather well and I think Joe was happy with the …

Featured, How To, Workshop »

I’ve written a little about specific headstock repairs and it occurred to me that might be a good idea to give you an overview with some tips  and considerations on how to prevent broken necks and what to do if the worst happens.  It’s a little long but could well prove useful to know…
The worst thing in the world?
You’re finished the gig and you’re enjoying a well-earned beer at the bar. You’re careful to keep an eye on your pride and joy, propped up against your amp on stage, to …

Featured, News »

Wonder how long I can get away with those cheeky titles.
Anyway, a little while back, we let you know about Taylor Guitars offering a 0% interest financing offer on selected instruments. Taylor have announced that they will extend this offer until the end of the year. So, if you’re considering treating someone special to a special Christmas gift or, if you’re considering treating yourself (who’s more special, after all?) to a spanking new Taylor, you might be able to organise a 12-month purchase plan at zero percent interest. Not too …

Featured, News »

0% interest, that is.
Yep, for the next few months, you can get your grubby hands on a spanking new Taylor through a financing agreement with 0% interest. If you’ve been hankering after a new guitar, and considering financing it, now might just be the time. Until September, 2010, Taylor (in partnership with GE Money) are offering zero percent interest on 12-month finance agreements.
The offer covers new guitars (obviously) from the following series:

500 Series/Acoustic 5 Series and up
T5 Standard and Custom
T3 models
All SolidBody models

Check out how to get your …

Featured, Guitar 101, Workshop »

What the hell is a neck reset and why the hell would you want one?
You’ll often hear talk about neck resets (or sometimes, neck sets) but the reasons it’s required are often glossed over by saying it’s just something that acoustics need sometimes. It’s all pretty simple and it has to do with geometry (stay with me…) and wood.
Huh?
Let me try to make a little sense of that.
Why would I need a neck reset?
When an acoustic guitar is made, it is designed and constructed such that the guitar’s string height …

CDs and DVDs, Featured »

The Lick Library are launching a new DVD tuition course.
In the wake of their Andy James’ Shred Guitar in Six Weeks, comes their latest course, Andy James’ Metal Rhythm Guitar in Six Weeks. The folks at Lick Library say they are confident that, by following the course, you’ll hear and see progress in the timeframe.
The course comprises six DVDs (that can be purchased separately or, at a discount, as a set of six). Here’s what you’ll learn…

Week 1: Standard Tuning: drop picking and palm muting, triplets and left …

Featured, How To, Workshop »

Buzz is the bane of the guitarist. Fret-buzz is the one that gets all the press and, to be sure, it’s a serious pain. Frets are not the only thing that is likely to buzz, rattle and hum on your guitar though. If you’ve got a Gibson (or Gibsonesque – the one below is a Gretsch) guitar it’s possible that your Tune-O-Matic bridge may be the cause of that buzz you hear.
If you can hear a metallic rattle or buzz when you pick a note – sometimes all notes, sometimes …

Featured, News »

Bloody hell! Trev Wilkinson’s been busy.
Trev Wilkinson’s name is pretty well known. The man’s a guitar-tinkering genius in the vein of Leo Fender. Trev’s always come up with splendid ideas on how to make guitars better. His input to brands like Vintage have made for some budget guitars that can punch above their weight and his ideas and inventions have made many pieces of guitar hardware work much better than they ever did before.
Well, it seems that Wilkinson has been turning his giant, bulging brain to the issue …