The Bench

Diagram comparing series and parallel humbucker wiring: series routes the signal through both coils for a full, hot output, while parallel feeds both coils at once for a lower, brighter output, both hum-cancelling.

Series vs. Parallel Wiring: The Humbucker Trick...

Parallel wiring gives a humbucker a brighter, lower-output, single-coil-ish voice while staying hum-free - the mod many players reach for instead of a coil-split once they've tried both. Here's what...

Series vs. Parallel Wiring: The Humbucker Trick...

Parallel wiring gives a humbucker a brighter, lower-output, single-coil-ish voice while staying hum-free - the mod many players reach for instead of a coil-split once they've tried both. Here's what...

Illustration comparing how thin, medium, and heavy guitar picks flex against the string and change the attack

Does Your Guitar Pick Actually Change Your Tone?

Yes, and it's the cheapest tone change you can make. How pick thickness, material, and shape actually affect your sound, from the bench.

Does Your Guitar Pick Actually Change Your Tone?

Yes, and it's the cheapest tone change you can make. How pick thickness, material, and shape actually affect your sound, from the bench.

Diagram showing where guitar action comes from: nut slot height, neck relief set by the truss rod, and saddle height, measured at the 12th fret

How to Lower Your Guitar's Action Without Getti...

Action isn't one adjustment. Here's the bench order — relief, then saddles — how to read the buzz that stops you, and the fret and nut limits that set your...

How to Lower Your Guitar's Action Without Getti...

Action isn't one adjustment. Here's the bench order — relief, then saddles — how to read the buzz that stops you, and the fret and nut limits that set your...

Side-view diagram of a Gibson headstock showing the break-back angle, grain runout, and the volute adding wood at the weakest point

Does a Volute Actually Make a Gibson Headstock ...

Does that little carved lump behind the nut actually strengthen a Gibson headstock? An honest bench answer on volutes, grain runout, and why these necks really break.

Does a Volute Actually Make a Gibson Headstock ...

Does that little carved lump behind the nut actually strengthen a Gibson headstock? An honest bench answer on volutes, grain runout, and why these necks really break.

Bound rosewood fretboard on a 2016 Gibson Les Paul Traditional with binding nibs capping each fret end

Do Gibson Fret Nibs Actually Matter? (And Shoul...

Fret nibs are the little bits of binding capping each fret end on a bound Gibson. Here's what they are, why a refret almost always removes them, and whether that...

Do Gibson Fret Nibs Actually Matter? (And Shoul...

Fret nibs are the little bits of binding capping each fret end on a bound Gibson. Here's what they are, why a refret almost always removes them, and whether that...

Diagram: what actually changes as a guitar ages and how little each change moves the tone

Do Vintage Guitars Actually Sound Better?

Aging does a few real things to a guitar's sound - a thinner, harder finish, slightly less-damped wood, marginally weaker magnets - but the effect is small and never automatic....

Do Vintage Guitars Actually Sound Better?

Aging does a few real things to a guitar's sound - a thinner, harder finish, slightly less-damped wood, marginally weaker magnets - but the effect is small and never automatic....