The Bench

Illustration showing how a neck shim tilts a bolt-on guitar neck back to lower high action when the bridge saddles are already bottomed out

Is a Neck Shim a Red Flag on a Used Guitar?

Found a shim in a used guitar's neck pocket? A bench tech's honest take on why it's usually not a red flag, why Fender even shims from the factory, and...

Is a Neck Shim a Red Flag on a Used Guitar?

Found a shim in a used guitar's neck pocket? A bench tech's honest take on why it's usually not a red flag, why Fender even shims from the factory, and...

Diagram of a double-locking Floyd Rose tremolo showing the locking nut, locking saddles, fine tuners and the knife-edge pivot that keeps a guitar in tune

Are Floyd Rose Guitars Worth the Hassle? An Hon...

A working guitar tech's honest take on Floyd Rose tremolos: the double-locking design, the real setup hassle, the floating-vs-decked-vs-blocked middle path, and what to check before you buy one used.

Are Floyd Rose Guitars Worth the Hassle? An Hon...

A working guitar tech's honest take on Floyd Rose tremolos: the double-locking design, the real setup hassle, the floating-vs-decked-vs-blocked middle path, and what to check before you buy one used.

Illustration comparing vintage, medium jumbo, and jumbo guitar fret wire profiles by width and crown height.

Jumbo, Medium, or Vintage Frets: Does Fret Wire...

Yes, fret wire size changes how a guitar plays, and more than most players expect. Here's what vintage, medium jumbo, and jumbo frets really change about feel, bending, and tuning,...

Jumbo, Medium, or Vintage Frets: Does Fret Wire...

Yes, fret wire size changes how a guitar plays, and more than most players expect. Here's what vintage, medium jumbo, and jumbo frets really change about feel, bending, and tuning,...

Diagram comparing one-piece, two-piece, and three-piece solid guitar bodies plus a bookmatched maple top, with glue seams marked

One-Piece vs. Multi-Piece Guitar Body: Does It ...

A repair tech's honest take: multi-piece guitar bodies are normal, structurally sound, and sonically a non-event on a solid-body electric. Here's what the glue seam really means for tone, strength,...

One-Piece vs. Multi-Piece Guitar Body: Does It ...

A repair tech's honest take: multi-piece guitar bodies are normal, structurally sound, and sonically a non-event on a solid-body electric. Here's what the glue seam really means for tone, strength,...

Diagram of a guitar potentiometer cutaway showing the carbon resistive track, wiper, and how oxidation causes crackle

Why Are My Guitar's Volume and Tone Knobs Crackly?

That scratchy crackle when you turn your volume or tone knob is almost always dirt inside the pot, not your pickups or amp. Here's what causes it, how to clean...

Why Are My Guitar's Volume and Tone Knobs Crackly?

That scratchy crackle when you turn your volume or tone knob is almost always dirt inside the pot, not your pickups or amp. Here's what causes it, how to clean...

Gold speed knobs on a honey-burst Gibson Les Paul, the two lower knobs being the tone controls wired to tone capacitors

Do Boutique Tone Capacitors Actually Change You...

Swap the value of your tone cap and you'll hear it; swap the brand at the same value and you usually won't. A plain-spoken, myth-busting look at what a tone...

Do Boutique Tone Capacitors Actually Change You...

Swap the value of your tone cap and you'll hear it; swap the brand at the same value and you usually won't. A plain-spoken, myth-busting look at what a tone...