4 Words Guitar Builders Keep Getting Wrong

[@worshipgeek]

Referring to "coil splitting" as "Coil tapping". Coil tapping diverts the current at any determined point along a coil (like tapping a maple tree to divert ots sap to make surup). Coil splitting allows the circuit to "address" independently the two coils in a humbucker.

[@RainerK.]

Doesn't just apply to luthiers, but the whole industry.

[@williardbillmore5713]

Coil tapping is an electronic term usually applied to transformers where the secondary coil is tapped at different numbers of windings to get different voltages out of it. The "split" term indicates the coils are split in half, like splitting a candy bar (evenly) with your friend. In my opinion both terms are correct when referring to the altering of a two coil humbucker pickup to get a single coil or double coil out of phase sound. It is both a split (cutting in half) and a tap ( tapping the overall coil wire shortening the electrical path). In that case the two words are a distinction without a difference.

[@meadish]

I believe Kirk Crowbane of Nerve Honor wrote a song about the terminology confusion regarding guitar finishes, Poly wanna lacquer.

[@HighlineGuitars]

Best comment yet.

[@restojon1]

Well played 👏 👌

[@RickDeNatale]

The tremolo thing can be blamed on Leo Fender, who was not a musician. He got the terms tremolo and vibrato backwards. The “vibrato” effect on Fender amps is actually tremolo.

[@sihall1975]

Master Builder, particularly when referring to big company custom shops. If your body and neck are coming of a production line CNC, someone else is painting it and the pickups and electronics are pulled off a shelf, then surely you only qualify as a "Master Assembler"?!

[@stuartbarker9373]

Tremolo bars often aren't correctly called vibrato bars either. They're more often used to provide a glissando effect. But then a glissando is often misnamed because it's more of a portamento really.

[@nicolazocco9881]

🤣

[@Rockingoodman]

I came here to say this, but you worded it so much better than I would have. Thank you both. It has bugged me for years when people correct me and call it a vibrato bar. I rarely play surffer music. Me and Eddie almost exclusively apply portamento with those things. Whammy is also changed in meaning with the digital effects that bear the name. I'm with Chris, it's been a tremelo bar all my life. Maybe I'll use my Chinese "crescent" wrench to adjust it.

[@my_tube9405]

A string is not made of string. Yet, a string is a cord. But you need multiple strings to make a chord and sometimes multiple cords to make a string. - I was a bit of an ass of a guitar instructor now that I look back on it.

[@HighlineGuitars]

I have the same tendencies. Drives my wife crazy sometimes!

[@ChrisFranklyn]

There's a phrase "Words have usages, not meanings" which covers three of your cases. If you know what's being said and it's not ambiguous (like poly, as you point out), then I'm not sure why people have to be gatekeepers. People also forget that KZbin has a global audience - even different English speaking nations uses the same words differently. Hairspray in the UK is called lacquer at times... I'm not sure I want nitro on my head 🤣

[@SkyscraperGuitars]

Lacquer is ABSOLUTELY one of the most misunderstood and misused word in guitar building. In other languages it is a truly universal word for paint... We've sort of pigeonholed it in English, but as you pointed out - not totally.

[@davedupuis2069]

Lol I loved the wood tapping by the "luthier"

[@KennethCrickmore-sl8jl]

so as I make guitars as a hobby I can call myself an amature luthier

[@HighlineGuitars]

Hobby Luthier.

[@griffisguitars2921]

Intro was pure gold

[@payday1963]

Fret board vs finger board are they the same or different?

[@HighlineGuitars]

A fret board has frets, a finger board does not.

[@nusior]

@@HighlineGuitars In Polish we have one word for both types: "podstrunnica". it's literally "under-strings-board" :D

[@harveyd_5-11under]

Hi, my name is Harvey, and I'm a part-time luthier, and I build ukuleles. The first step is realizing you have a problem.

[@timothymallon]

The term "tremolo" to describe the wiggle stick was a mistake by Leo Fender. Gibson still refers to it as vibrato as does other manufacturers. The term seems to only really apply to Fender and/or Fender shaped instruments and makers of parts for Fenders. Do I still call it a tremolo? Sure, because I'm a heathen...on a Fender! On a Gibson, I'd call it a vibrato or a Bigsby or a wiggle stick, or a whammy bar...but ONLY on Fender do I call it a tremolo because Leo made a mistake. Not only did Leo make a mistake with the vibrato being called a tremolo, he also called an amp's built in tremolo a vibrato. This is a well documented mistake by Leo Fender. In the case of the tremolo bar, the name stuck. At least the mistake didn't carry on for decades in the amplifier and a vibrato. It's not "technically incorrect" It's LITERALLY incorrect. Its as annoying as the word "ironic" that always gets misused to the point where it has somehow become a legitimate phrase in places where it isn't true. Or another example is the word "literally" which is so often used in place of the correct words, "figuratively" or "metaphorically" IE: I literally drank 100 gallons of water today, it was so hot. No...you metaphorically drank 100 gallons of water

[@gregaltenhofel7326]

Good show. BTW I like calling it a Wiggle Stick. Because it's not a Tremelo mostly, also because I like saying Wiggle. So, I suppose it would be a Wiggle Stick Cavity.

[@kirkwilson6229]

Pickguards are actually scratchplates. Spanish guitars that were not played with plectra had guards on them because players grew their right hand nails out and the nails scratched through the finish and even the wood. No one hits that part of the guitar with a pick playing normally. That one drives me crazy, but I almost never bring it up, because the misuse of the term pickguard is so prevalent.

[@rocket69218]

That's not why it's called a pickguard though, it's called a pick guard because it guards the wood from damage from the picking hand while you are picking. ... nothing to do with a plectrum hitting it. It's not misuse, just an alternative term.

[@supernoobsmith5718]

Another one: We call frets, nickle silver, when they're really mostly copper with the consistency of play-dough.

[@HandlebarWorkshops]

"This is the dictionary definition of 'lacquer', so I'm correct in calling all of these finishes lacquer" "Forget the dictionary definition of 'tremolo', I'm still correct in calling it a trem." Love your videos and I've learned a lot from you, and you are absolutely correct. But the irony made me literally LOL.

[@TristanJCumpole]

Multiscale. Fanned fret(s) is/are not the same thing. Unless it's Fanned Fret(tm) in which case it's not a multiscale, or at least not a compound set of scales with correct intonation. I'm a machinist anyway, so being absolutely specific about what I mean is important so that people interpret what I am saying with the original meaning intended.

[@pokeround]

Here's a pair for you: 'fret buzz' and 'string rattle'. When I was a guitar behbeh in the eighties I remember reading (possibly in Ralph Denyer's The Guitar Handbook but I'm not sure) than most of what was called fret buzz was actually string rattle - the string vibrating against the fret due to poor levelling or crowning. Real fret buzz (according the the oracle, whoever it was) was caused by the fret itself vibrating due to it being poorly seated. Common usage granted, what would your opinion be on this admittedly minor point?

[@HighlineGuitars]

That's a good one. Frets don't buzz, but the strings do. Rattle I mean.

[@asterisk606]

The world of wood finishes is, indeed, a confusing and convoluted one with the tons of different types of finish and the overlapping and prevalence of generalized terms.

[@restojon1]

In London on the pub band circuit we used to call the tremolo or whammy bar a "w*nk handle".

[@davidclink2032]

"Xerox copy", "Thermos bottle," or electrostatic duplication or vacuum insulated container. As an engineer I learned the slide rule then dumped it fir a calculator. Does that mean I'm less of an engineer? Knowledge defines who you are not the tools used. Gibson used to make bodies on a pin router. Speed, precision, fewer lost fingers and hours of specialized training brought on CNC. So their not luthiers? If you only repair, not build are you a luthier? Semantics is a meal best suited to politicians.

[@danandratis]

Good video thanks - I'm going to go knock on some lumber to see if it's tonewood - cheers from Canada

[@joem6859]

Chris, thanks for sticking to your guns. A CNC machine is just another tool, you still have to know what details are required to make a successful instrument, something that someone would won't to plunk some cash down. Shellac comes from the secretion of the lac beetle from india( my cliff clavin imperso), dated several 3000 years back, according to Wikipedia. So maybe the term lacquer is related to this, if you dissect the word lacquer. In this case we have entomology and etymology intersecting, lol. Sometimes 'poly' is just another term for finish or lacquer. There are also water-based and solvent-based 'poly' finishes. I prefer the acrylic or polycarbonate resin water based finish. The polycarb is extremely tough, it will laugh at you while you're trying to level with 320 by hand. The usage of the tremolo term is probably fender's mistake. Maybe Leo?? maybe one of his marketing guys or gals? Looks like you upgraded your CNC?? Must've missed that one, have to look back. Noamy and Cliff are two of my all time favorite TV characters, the best. you still working in the garage?

[@HighlineGuitars]

I will always work in my garage. It's my happy place.

[@scottakam]

Many people say a neck is twisted when they mean it has too much or too little relief.

[@TootEmCarMan]

You make some very intersting points in this vid. :) I was reluctant to refer to myself as a luthier but after your clearing up it's meaning I am now happy to call myself one. I built my very first guitar at Crimson Custom Guitars. Check out Crimson's WOTB (What's On The Bench) episodes 204 and 205 (I am Rik) to see what I managed to achieve. My second build is now under way and I plan to build quite a few more. :)

[@TootEmCarMan]

@@paulneeds Cheerz dude. :)

[@TootEmCarMan]

@@paulneeds I look across to my guitar and even now am soooooo proud of what I achieved. It plays really well and with the Crimson humbuckers also sounds fantastic. I have a Squirer that I fitted Mexican Fender pickups into then spent some time dialling it's setup in and it plays really really well and the guitar I uilt plays equally as well. I just need to come up with a name for it.

[@nusior]

Looking forward to see it! Unfortunately I'm way behind in watching Crimson. It happens all the time! Not watching for some time> well I'm gonna catch up> oh snap 2 years worth of videos? ok let's binge watch it. Then I'm up to date, cool. Couple weeks passed so I'll check what's new in Dorchester. And what do I find? 250 new videos because I stopped in June 2019 :D So now I'm again binging it. Already In october! It's werid seeing them not knowing what's gonna hit in like 4 months... Sooo you're saying after building one guitar I can call myself a luthier already!?!?! :D Anyway gonna remember to pay attention to Rik when I finally catch up ;)

[@thebigswede1736]

Are you talking about the whammy cavity? I'm confused.

[@HighlineGuitars]

No. Whammy Cavity was my high school girlfriend’s nickname.

[@onpsxmember]

The misusage of tremolo / vibrato goes on so long that effect pedal builders produced the other effect. People misusing it on a big scale makes it widely known but not right. Can't do no wrong with whammy. Welcome to the whammy cavity cover. I call dibs on the band name.^^ If I'm not mistaken it started when Gibson had the crude bridge called the Vibrola bridge and other big companies could see a potential lawsuit if it was close to that name so Tremolo was chosen instead. Since there are far more guitars with a whammy of other companies or the others are referred to by the model of said bridge, it stuck.

[@matthewfanning3350]

Coming in 🔥 Ya gotta do what you gotta do

[@nicolazocco9881]

It would be more interesting to know how and why that was called "tremolo" originnally...at least interesting to me. Any clue? Thanks (Just found your Channel and It blows my mind...thanks for the videos)

[@HighlineGuitars]

Some things are just unknowable.

[@timothymallon]

@@HighlineGuitars It's not unknowable. It was Leo Fender. He made a mistake and called the vibrato unit a tremolo and the name stuck. It was a mistake on Leo Fender's part that started this whole nonsense. and to make matters worse, an amp that had a built in tremolo, he called it vibrato. True story! He had his words backwards!

[@wjewell63]

I live in florida and I discovered spar urethane. ,it is self leveling at least here in the tropics it is....

[@glenben92]

"acoustic-electric" or "electric-acoustic" - I've heard it used to describe both hollow body electrics and electro-acoustics, the former I find the most egregious of the two but the ambiguity is the issue. A 335 is not an "acoustic-electric" guitar haha

[@jdl2180]

I wonder how many people younger than 50 know who Cliff Clavin is?

[@jeremystonecipher4159]

38 and had to Google it.

[@billstayer7517]

41, no search engine was needed. Cheers 2u!

[@dennisboyce813]

Overspray..... in referring to a instrument that has been touched up or refinished. Overspray in the painters world is paint or varnish that has come to rest in an unintended place. I think that when describing a finish that is no longer original it would be better to call it what it is.

[@benwhyte7871]

You have been a "cliff claven" (whatever that is)about lacquer , more people reference "vibrato arm "( correctly) than refer to polyurethane as laquer

[@iamroberty]

The intro cracked me up 😄

[@RaskGuitars]

I like how people over complicate the meaning of Luthier. I've seen people say, "you are only a true Luthier of you've built several instrument types." Or, "it's an experienced guitar repair tech that can do any repair." 😂

[@jeremystonecipher4159]

Is the word "primer" misused? When referring to paint. It seems that in the application of painting guitars, primer is actually used as a sealer or an undercoat. Should wood even need a primer? Metal sure but not wood.

[@HighlineGuitars]

I use primer to check the surface condition after sanding and before painting.

[@tomswift6198]

Life became a lot simpler after I realized that when the violin guys talk about "violin varnish" they mean what the civilized world calls "shellac". Sometimes they call it "spirit varnish" as if that makes it any better.

[@HighlineGuitars]

Didn't Stradivari use cow vomit mixed with beer and animal fat? That's probably why his violins stink.

[@KennethCrickmore-sl8jl]

Fender dtarted it by calling their bridge the syncronized tremolo bridge system. LOL look it up.

[@alamaralaa]

In regards to words that many people get wrong (pronunciation, not meaning) one of the words that gets me like fingers on a blackboard is Height. The word is pronounced "Hite", not "Hie-th". People don't say "Lie-th" for light, they say "Lite" so why "Hie-th"? Another is Across. Notice there is no "T" in the word so why do people say "Acrost"? It's "Uh-cross". Just sayin... :^)

[@sihall1975]

Oh jesus, this! The Height thing kills me everytime I hear it. I assume it's because width, length and depth all end in th, so height should too, but then it's only Americans that seem to do it and let's be honest, they're not the sharpest tools in the tool box! 😉

[@alamaralaa]

@@sihall1975 Hey, I resemble that remark! :^)

[@sihall1975]

@@paulneeds I feel your pain! Weirdly I had a conversation with someone a few days ago about the "an istoric" thing. They claimed that because aitch doesn't start with an H, then all words beginning with H should be preceeded with "an". Obviously it's not correct, but it kind of made sense to me! LOL

[@nusior]

Add etc. to it. It's Et Cetera not exetera or something :D

[@deanallen927]

"Polyurethane is really popular among the d.i.y. weekend warrior guitar makers". like Fender.

[@davedavid7061]

I'm a cabinet maker. I don't go all pedant if someone calls them cupboards

[@HighlineGuitars]

I'll bet you would if they called them bed frames.

[@davedavid7061]

@@HighlineGuitars I guess I was trying to comment on the idea of your video of people commenting on trem and vibrola and such.maybe it came across wrong.

[@HighlineGuitars]

@@davedavid7061 No, I'm just having some fun on a Friday!

[@scottakam]

What's the term for a person that always corrects people for using the wrong term?

[@HighlineGuitars]

Savior.

[@RobWence]

I believe the word you’re looking for is “Right”

[@pauldbrown1010]

Pedant, or knowledgeable.

[@benkatof5852]

Your definition of lacquer is a correct one, but is not the correct one. Lacquer does not have to be clear - it can be any color. Clear lacquer is commonly used as a term to differentiate between varnish, shellac, polyurethane etc as all of these behave differently. So, you could call any clear coat a lacquer, most people who use it do not. You a right that there are many types of lacquer including acrylics, but calling poly(urethane) or varnish lacquer is at best confusing. Anyhow, very informative video!

[@billgreen4592]

"Ground Loop." As it applies, or actually doesn't apply, to electric guitars.

[@HighlineGuitars]

Boy do I know that now!

[@pauldbrown1010]

My pet peeve? Saying "sodder" instead of sol-der. A sodder might be someone who digs up clods of earth? But they'd hardly use a "soddering iron" for this, maybe a mattock 🤣

[@HighlineGuitars]

Sometimes I deliberately mispronounce words because it drives certain people batty. Guaze instead of gauss was one that I am proud of.

[@kevinallen1761]

So sorry circumstances compelled you to make this video. Probably would have been more satisfying to say "F-Off, Kevin". ( I learned that Kevin is the male equivalent to Karen, funny)

[@sparrowhawk81]

Not to mention tremolo picking which has nothing to do with volume or pitch. Fun stuff sigh.

[@davidguest6051]

Years ago, when I studied the classical guitar, I read much about it's history. I was led to believe the "lute" pre dated the guitar. Thus the word "luthier". A builder of the "lute", I guess? Maybe a builder of guitars should be called a "guithier".....no?

[@deanallen927]

I'll seal my letter with wax and have a guy on a horse ride 36 hours to bring it to you.

[@williardbillmore5713]

Since it was Leo Fender that screwed up the language and was confused as to what Tremolo and what vibrato means, I have always felt that the term tremolo should only be used when talking about Fender vibrato systems. All other vibrato devices on other brands should be correctly called vibrato. I play classical as well as electric guitar and tremolo is a technique of playing single notes repeatedly and rapidly. The term can, and is used, when talking about the technique on many other instruments as well. So I only use the term tremolo, or whammy bar meaning vibrato when I am talking about the mechanics of a Fender guitar. Leo also used the word vibrato incorrectly when he put electronic tremolo systems in his amplifiers, he called THAT vibrato. One guy had the two words mixed up. We shouldn't mess up the whole language for music because of one mans ignorance. I will exchange the words for Leo's products only because he patented his products under those names. Fender Tremolo and Fender Vibrato. In all other applications I use the correct terms in the correct places. I E, a Bigsby is a vibrato device, and even if I am using the technique on a fender guitar playing single notes repeatedly and rapidly is still tremolo technique.

[@HighlineGuitars]

Actually, it was Clayton Kauffman, who first used the term tremolo instead of vibrato when he was granted a patent for an ‘Apparatus for Producing Tremolo Effects’ in 1932.

[@williardbillmore5713]

​@@HighlineGuitars I found it pretty funny that this was left on Clayton Orr (doc) Kauffman's memorial page online; *" Thank you, Doc for inventing the first vibrola for the guitar in 1928, getting it patented in 1932. You were an inventor & true pioneer. Rest in peace".* Doc Kauffman also lived in Fullerton, California where Fender set up his first dedicated guitar factory in 1946. Leo’s first stringed instrument design was a Hawaiian lap steel guitar that came with its own patented pickup and amplifier, produced in 1943/1944 under *Leo’s joint venture with Clayton Orr ‘Doc’ Kauffman, K & F Manufacturing Corp.* The two parted ways in early 1946 when Leo decided that he wanted to focus solely on manufacturing. Both incorrectly called their vibratos "tremolos"... Leo Fender got the misnaming of his vibrato, (tremolo) systems directly from Kauffman. They were business partners and fellow inventors working together in Fullerton California for over two years in the, *"K & F Manufacturing Corp.*

[@heyjarrod]

Dime called it a whammy bar, I’m calling it a whammy!!! 🤘🏻🎸🇺🇸 Actually, I’ve always had Floyd Roses. So most of my life, playing in my genre, we called the bridge, a Floyd. Ha ha. 😝🎸🇺🇸🤘🏻

[@alexanderguestguitars1173]

in other words , don't just parrot out the word "Polly" :-{}. And if you're in the UK - "sodder" because we call it solder. (Sorry. Couldn't resist that one!). Good points though. Excellent vid. I only jest.

[@tomfoolery2082]

If I know what were talking about I'm good .

[@jonahguitarguy]

Must be a lot of bored no it all's watching your channel. The one that gets me is fretboard vs fingerboard. Is it fretted or isn't it? And I'm not specifically talking about your channel.

[@Tzuau78]

Did you mean ‘know it all’ or are you coining the ‘NO it all’ term? because I think you have hit on something there! Sooo many ‘no’ it all types on KZbin 😆

[@jonahguitarguy]

@@Tzuau78, I'm blaming auto correct for that one. That's my story...

[@sonicalmods781]

Build! Damn I hate the term build... It's a project damn it...

[@freiermann7]

Hey this is the internet, our opinions are the only acceptable opinions and we will let you know it! Haha

[@TimTrOn3000]

Volute.

[@TristanJCumpole]

No, _volute_.