Spuds Top Tips !!

[DrKev]

You can use a cheap ohm meter to detect a buzzing fret by probing the string (at the post is okay), and then touchng the other probe to the frets. When you find the buzzing fret, since the string is touching it, the circuit is complete and the resistance goes to zero.

What a fantastic idea! Brilliant!!

If the knob is really stubborn, you can use two guitar picks to get it off. They need to be medium-heavy. Slide one under the knob, slide the other under the knob directly opposite, and pull up on the picks.

I use two teaspoons. Probably not as safe on the finish but with care it's very fast and easy.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

Better yet would be to use a thin piece of cloth - like the end of a t-shirt. Just slide it under and weasel it around the pot shaft and pull off the knob.

This is the best way!

 

[zenmba]

spud has certainly started a great thread!

perhaps someone can help me...

...as I use cables for effects send / return in addition to amp input from pedalboard, and cable for amp switching, I'd like a DIY solution for a cable "snake" to clean up the cable spaghetti mess.

I know there are products on the market, but know you guys have a cool fix.

Thx! -Billy

 

[SteveB]

spud has certainly started a great thread!

perhaps someone can help me...

...as I use cables for effects send / return in addition to amp input from pedalboard, and cable for amp switching, I'd like a DIY solution for a cable "snake" to clean up the cable spaghetti mess.

I know there are products on the market, but know you guys have a cool fix.

Thx! -Billy

Zip ties? Velcro cord wraps? You can use these to bind those cables together, and if one goes bad you don't need to buy a whole new snake.

 

[Jimmyb]

You can probably pick up some plastic cable wrap from a DIY store. They use them for tidying up office cabling from PC's.

 

[zenmba]

Zip ties? Velcro cord wraps?...

Steve, yeah, that is certainly the most practical. I could fasten with Velcro and tape to the stage (see below). I do use Velcro to wrap cables after use to keep them separated.

You can probably pick up some plastic cable wrap from a DIY store...

Jimmy, that is closer to what I had in mind. I have three lovely female vocalists in my rock band and don't want them to trip!

 

[floyd99]

i work in theatre and we often have cable runs across traffic areas. what we do is lay a strip of carpet over the cables, then run a line of gaffa along the edges to stick the carpet to the floor and stop the edges from being 'catchable'.

probably overkill for your purpose but thought i'd mention in conjunction with the other ideas. myself i just gaf the cables down if it's needed.

 

[DJ.]

i work in theatre and we often have cable runs across traffic areas. what we do is lay a strip of carpet over the cables, then run a line of gaffa along the edges to stick the carpet to the floor and stop the edges from being 'catchable'.

probably overkill for your purpose but thought i'd mention in conjunction with the other ideas. myself i just gaf the cables down if it's needed.

I do a lot of photography and I can second the gaffers tape. Works very well, sticky but does not leave residue, and comes in colors that can make it practically invisible if that is an issue.

 

[zenmba]

Great idea! Coupled with the Velcro solution, this should work for me! I did look for gaffer's tape at the local hardware stores to no avail.

Have you guys bought it at the music store? I never saw it there, but I wasn't looking either!

 

[DJ.]

Never bought it at a music store.

Just google it and you will find plenty of resources.

Gaffers Tape - Uline

 

[kbaim]

Buy strings by the box instead of individually, try to get the store to go lower on the price (always ask!).

I find that I'm way more inclined to change strings if I have a bunch. And my guitar always sounds better with a fresh set.

Also, always bring a wrench for the truss rod to a gig. Just in case.

 

[Spudman]

Two tips that I have always found useful are:

• Don't shave your legs when you have goosebumps
• Never kick a skunk

Otherwise...save your old toothbrushes for cleaning gunk and dead skin from the bridge and saddles.

For getting knobs off - use a t-shirt slid under the knob - then lift. You'll never get a scratch and you'll have plenty to hold on to for leverage.

If your wife or gal (or yourself) has a bottle of fingernail polish they never use you can put a dot on each end of all your cables so you can tell which ones are yours.

 

[ShaneV]

Here's one; if you have an old EBMM case, one of these: RadioShack.com - Cables, Parts & Connectors: Tools & soldering equipment: General tools & tool sets: Kronus™ 25-Piece Mini Tool Set will fit in the storage compartment perfectly and is so far beyond useful it isn't even funny. Not sure if it'd fit in the new SKB cases.

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

Zip ties? Velcro cord wraps? You can use these to bind those cables together, and if one goes bad you don't need to buy a whole new snake.

I zip-tied my send/return/switch cables together for my rig. I used about 60 of them, putting one every 3-4 inches. Sure, the ends of it may look like medusa on a good day, but controlling the mess and only having "one" cable to deal with is a big plus. I also ran my power supply cable out the other side of my pedal board just in case there is any AC noise from it.

 

[DavidOfOz]

If your wife or gal (or yourself) has a bottle of fingernail polish they never use you can put a dot on each end of all your cables so you can tell which ones are yours.

In one band I was in, we each colour-coded our leads/cables with coloured electrical tape. I'd wrap small peices of red and blue tape around the ends of my leads a couple of inches from the end. The bass player, keyboard player and other guitarist used different colour combinations. (eg the other guitar player used blue and green tape.)

It probably looked a bit wierd. But, man, it made packing up at the end of a gig easier, and reduced the number of lost (accidentally borrowed?!) cables. And we knew that anything without coloured tape probably belonged to the PA hire company.

 

[GuitaRasmus]

Now we're talking! Don't know ya' - but I'm sure digging this! Right on the money all the way around.

AMEN to all of that. I like the way you think!

Thanks! I guess I just don't get the whole "Oh no! My guitar got a scratch! It's to small to see with the naked eye, but now I have to sell it!"-thing. No offense intended on anyone. I just think that guitars are meant to be played, loved, spanked, caressed and make music - not to retain the highest possible resale value.

 

[ShaneV]

Thanks! I guess I just don't get the whole "Oh no! My guitar got a scratch! It's to small to see with the naked eye, but now I have to sell it!"-thing. No offense intended on anyone. I just think that guitars are meant to be played, loved, spanked, caressed and make music - not to retain the highest possible resale value.

True.
I'd rather have a guitar that has no resale value for my #1 personally, reduces the odds of someone trying to walk off with it.

 

[Astrofreq]

To each his own. If someone enjoys his guitar looking like it's straight outta the factory, you know, that's totally understandable. I just prefer mine to look like no one else's to a reasonable extent. I'm not going to saw off a horn or anything, but I don't have a problem sanding off someone else name. We all buy guitars that reflect our personalities. If I can do things to my guitars that brings that out more, then I'll do it, usually it's subtle things like stickers.

 

[SteveB]

I zip-tied my send/return/switch cables together for my rig. I used about 60 of them, putting one every 3-4 inches. Sure, the ends of it may look like medusa on a good day, but controlling the mess and only having "one" cable to deal with is a big plus. I also ran my power supply cable out the other side of my pedal board just in case there is any AC noise from it.

Sounds good. I always tie my mess of wires together nice and neat with zip ties and then tape anything that's loose down with gaffer's tape. The only thing that moves freely is the cable from my JP6 going into the EB Splitter box on my pedalboard.

The pedalboard is entirely within the effect loop of my amp, so I have cables for send and return, the magnetic signal from the EB splitter to the amp, the mic cable from the piezo DI box going to the stage box, the amp footswitch, and my power cables to deal with.

I'd be the first one to trip over those wires if I didn't find a way to manage them!

 

[Norrin Radd]

After reading SteveB's tip, another came to mind for me - go wireless!!!!

The X2 wireless has changed everything for me - a wireless with no tone loss that functions perfectly. Just came back form practice about 20 minutes ago where I used it again - the thing is amazing! And it really reduces the tripping over cables issue.