Top 5 Small Things That Make Your Guitar Build Look Pro

[@OgamiItto70]

Strap button felt washers/pads. That's my tip for extra "pro-ness." Good video.

[@warmoth]

Solid advice. Felt pads are a must for the pro look.

[@MixingGBP]

I like to use the hard plastic washers that typically come with screws used to mount rack gear instead of felt, but that is only because I have a ton of them. I think it makes the screw stay tighter because the felt is softer than the plastic.

[@62SG]

One detail that always stands out to me is black pickup rings not having black screws. Gibson always uses black screws to mount their pickup rings. Epiphone do it too but only as of fairly recently. Most other manufacturers don't, especially in budget lines, and it's a super cheap and easy detail to incorporate into your build. In the same vein, a three-screw truss rod cover is a telltale sign that a Les Paul or SG was manufacturered overseas, so it's another easy detail to class up a bit.

[@AtomicFacePunch]

I have had success correcting 'leaning' pickups by simply removing them from the ring and flipping over the tension springs. One would not suspect that the spring orientation would make the slightest bit of difference, but this has worked for me consistently. There are torsional forces at work in the universe which are hard to fathom. Plus, it's a harmless thing to try.

[@warmoth]

I have tried that also, and it hasn't worked for me. But as you say.....perhaps we are just not meant to understand everything. LOL!

[@ddixon1016]

@@warmoth The one thing to do before checking the pickup is to make sure your pickup ring isn't causing the problem, especially on a carved top. The pickup ring surface should be parallel to the strings.

[@Toobzilla]

@@ddixon1016 unless someone has bent tne p/up mounting feet, The pull angle of the height adjusting screw is, in my experiences anyway is always the problem, the pull angle is determined by whatever the head of the screw pulls against, ie: p/up mounting rings, pickguard, etc. bending the feet to any measure at all will cause interference between the screw shank/mounting ring, pickguard or the p/up cover/mounting ring, pickguard. drilling the guide holes in the rings hasnt proved to be a viable option either as you now lose the defining angle that you want for consistent point of reference. here's what I do, before installation, i lay the feet of p/up mtg legs on a flat surface and determine that the top of p/up and the feet are at the same angle, then, I use a protractor, but you can also a business card w/ straight edges to lay on the top of instrument and using a string tuned, to pitch as a guide take a pencil and scribe against the business card so that you now have the string/neck angle relative to the top of the instrument, you now have a now have a tool that you can use to determine and correct the angle of the p/up rings. you can then lay a sheet of sand paper and work the underside of the p/up to match. I havent tried flipping the springs, i can see where that may help, but it would be limited. in the case of Gibson SG's where the guard mounted pups are severely mis-matched, i have a fix for that as well, but this has been way too wordy & nerdy as is. leave a reply & i can explain it if desired. great content Warmoth! appreciate the tutorials!.

[@GerryBlue]

The humbucker tip was gold

[@GCKelloch]

All HB's should have feet with three holes like that. I think Carvin was the first to make them like that. I'd go ahead and drill holes on either side of one of the screw holes in the mounting brackets, and use two height screws in one side and one on the other side so the pickup angle can be precisely adjusted. It makes a bigger difference at the bridge, but worth it at the neck as well.

[@warmoth]

That particular pickup had three holes in each foot because it was a Seymour Duncan "trembucker". SD puts three holes in their trembucker feet, but only one in the standard humbucker feet. Not sure why.

[@SweetSpotSC]

Your videos are always full of great tips. I really appreciate them. Thank you.

[@barnettg66]

I use small strips of electric tape to bundle my wires. A little easier to remove than a zip tie if you later need to tinker, but sticky enough to stay stuck for forever if you never tinker with the wiring again.

[@ramencurry6672]

I would check the tape every 25 years though just to make sure it’s still sticky

[@rainerklama6365]

Thank you also much for all your suggestions , there is always something new to learn !

[@RyRyTheBassGuy]

There are other reasons (and more common) for your pickups to not be parallel with your strings. 1. The is pickup ring doesn't match the angle of strings (pretty common with Gibsons thanks to their lax QC on neck angles). Easy enough to fix with some foam under the low side. 2. The pickup cavity bottom isn't routed at the same angle as the neck. This is why you rarely see inexpensive instruments with angled necks have direct mounted pickups. 3. The damn pickup cable is under the foam. If the foam is dense enough this can be an issue.

[@warmoth]

All true. Later, I wished I had mentioned there were other possible causes, but didn't have time to reshoot. Thanks for mentioning them here.

[@RyRyTheBassGuy]

@warmoth Also, let's not overlook the mounting screw hole not being drilled straight. I've seen that before 🤦

[@Eskimo1973]

And I'm now going to make myself feel really good about my life!

[@warmoth]

Zip ties FTW!!!!

[@davidpellissier6028]

Hey Arron, I say you play at Tulalip on Sunday night. You and the rest of the band did a great job! You had a great tone with your Warmoth Explorer and that Friedman Amp. Can't wait to see you play again.

[@warmoth]

Haha....thanks! That was a fun show! I jumped in my car the minute the show was over and managed to get back over Snoqualmie pass before the weather went crazy. Hope you made it through the Bomb Cyclone OK!

[@drischord]

@@warmoth Aaron, did you move back to Washington? Or just visiting from Georgia?

[@89ji76]

Honorable mention: all access neck joint contour from the meadowhawk. Those look very professional… Wonder when they’ll be available on other necks/bodies

[@WindsurfMaui]

Thanks Aaron. All good points especially #2. I have been tracking the Black Friday screaming deals. Looks like there is some good stuff there.

[@lyricbread]

Fun Fact: If you don’t follow these 5 small things, you’ll end up with a Gibson.

[@warmoth]

Science!

[@cameronfarrell9076]

Rekt

[@phillamoore157]

Aaron…please sell me that meadowhawk!! PLEEEAAASSSSEEE! Another great video, brother. I always learn something new.

[@marianoarnaiz]

Thanks Aaron!

[@cattnipp]

Thank you so much for not using the term “scoshe” anywhere in your vid!!!

[@santosguitar6744]

Nice !

[@smokestacklightning]

Yeah love me some Warmoth

[@ShredCo]

M3 (3mm x 8mm) Countersunk Machine Screws - Are the new screws you're talking about in tip #1.

[@warmoth]

These are the ones I'm talking about: warmoth.com/scrpg1

[@4stringz.]

awesome vid again! Would Warmoth do a neck abalone block inlay if the abalone material was provided by the customer?

[@warmoth]

Nope. Inlays take WAAAAY more R&D than most people realize, and so we don't use customer-provided material or do one-offs.

[@4stringz.]

@ cool. thanks for the reply 🎸

[@peterschaefer1665]

Hello Aaron! Who makes the personalized trust rod plates?

[@lancecluster]

Good question.

[@GerryBlue]

Maybe a jeweler, or where they engrave stuff like mugs, medals or trophies?

[@PaullysGuitar]

Philadelphia Luthier Tools makes them, along with custom neck plates, knobs, etc.

[@warmoth]

Philadelphia Luthier! I have had many made by them over the years. Check it out: www.philadelphialuthiertools.com/custom-engraved/

[@joshuafreedman7703]

😁

[@tymanngruter1808]

Stanless frets! Please do it? 👍♨️👍

[@warmoth]

Warmoth has offered stainless steel frets for over a decade now.

[@clemguitar63]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/m33WpZmLhJ6CkJo

[@JustMe-mn5hk]

Concerning the output jack, why would you put a lock washer underneath when it absolutely does nothing to lock? A regular washer would do just as well, or better yet put the lock washer outside which would actually lock the nut!

[@GCKelloch]

It inhibits the jack from twisting even if on the inside, and it looks cleaner. Your preference.

[@JustMe-mn5hk]

@GCKelloch oh I see ever since they invented the lock washer I've been using them wrong! I thought it was to keep the nut from turning but it's to keep the bolt from turning! My bad!😂

[@GCKelloch]

@@JustMe-mn5hk No. It's just that it can be used differently in this case for a cleaner look. As I said: "your preference".

[@JustMe-mn5hk]

@GCKelloch yes, I was just trying to make a joke I guess that's why I'm not a comedian! I do love the look of a clean guitar, but I can't glue to popsicles together! Lol.. hope you have an awesome day!

[@1man1guitarletsgo]

I always fit the lock washer underneath, because it does prevent the jack socket spinning. Depending on the guitar and output jack design, however, I may prefer to have the socket slightly proud (and not flush with the nut), so that my leads will click in properly. And another thing: I _always_ use Pure Tone jack sockets. If you don't know what they are, check them out. They're far superior to even the best Neutrik ones.

[@philliphanford2792]

I just want it to look pro, it can be fake pro for amateurs but fake them out OK let's go.

[@myopicautisticmetal9035]

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[@warmoth]

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