The Bench

Japanese-made Fender ST-62 Stratocaster reissue in Surf Green

Are Japanese-Made Guitars Actually as Good as A...

MIJ vs USA, straight from the bench. Why the lawsuit-guitar label is mostly myth, how Fender Japan earned its reputation, what the Made in Japan vs Crafted in Japan decal...

Are Japanese-Made Guitars Actually as Good as A...

MIJ vs USA, straight from the bench. Why the lawsuit-guitar label is mostly myth, how Fender Japan earned its reputation, what the Made in Japan vs Crafted in Japan decal...

PRS S2 Standard 24 in Mahi Blue with a Pattern Thin neck profile

PRS Neck Profiles Explained: Pattern, Pattern T...

Pattern, Pattern Thin, Pattern Regular, Pattern Vintage: on a modern PRS the width is basically the same, so what you actually feel is depth. Here's the ranking, the real numbers,...

PRS Neck Profiles Explained: Pattern, Pattern T...

Pattern, Pattern Thin, Pattern Regular, Pattern Vintage: on a modern PRS the width is basically the same, so what you actually feel is depth. Here's the ranking, the real numbers,...

Diagram showing a grounded Faraday-cage guitar cavity blocking electric-field and RF noise while magnetic 60-cycle hum passes through to the single-coil pickup

Does Shielding Your Guitar Actually Kill the Hum?

Cavity shielding cuts the RF buzz and dimmer noise single-coil wiring picks up out of the air — but it does nothing for the magnetic 60-cycle hum a single coil...

Does Shielding Your Guitar Actually Kill the Hum?

Cavity shielding cuts the RF buzz and dimmer noise single-coil wiring picks up out of the air — but it does nothing for the magnetic 60-cycle hum a single coil...

Diagram of guitar neck relief showing too much forward bow with a maxed-out truss rod, correct relief, and back bow

Is a Maxed-Out Truss Rod a Dealbreaker on a Use...

A maxed-out truss rod sounds like a death sentence, but it usually isn't. A bench tech explains what "maxed out" really means, single- vs dual-action rods, how to rule out...

Is a Maxed-Out Truss Rod a Dealbreaker on a Use...

A maxed-out truss rod sounds like a death sentence, but it usually isn't. A bench tech explains what "maxed out" really means, single- vs dual-action rods, how to rule out...

Diagram of the electric guitar signal chain from string and pickup through amp gain, EQ, and speaker, showing where tone is shaped

Does the Amp Matter More Than the Guitar? An Ho...

For the sound out of the speaker, the amp wins. For how the guitar feels in your hands, the instrument wins. An honest take from the bench on where your...

Does the Amp Matter More Than the Guitar? An Ho...

For the sound out of the speaker, the amp wins. For how the guitar feels in your hands, the instrument wins. An honest take from the bench on where your...

Diagram of a Stratocaster tremolo block and how it anchors the strings inside the body cavity

Does a Steel Tremolo Block Actually Improve You...

A guitar tech's honest take on swapping a Strat's zinc tremolo block for steel or brass — what actually changes, why it's usually mass and not the metal, and when...

Does a Steel Tremolo Block Actually Improve You...

A guitar tech's honest take on swapping a Strat's zinc tremolo block for steel or brass — what actually changes, why it's usually mass and not the metal, and when...