The Bench

Diagram: a guitar fingerboard shrinks in dry air while the metal frets stay the same width, leaving sharp fret ends overhanging the edge

Why Does My Guitar Have Sharp Fret Ends? (And W...

Sharp, scratchy fret ends almost always mean the fingerboard shrank in dry air, not that the frets are bad. What causes fret sprout, whether rehumidifying reverses it, the permanent fret-end...

Why Does My Guitar Have Sharp Fret Ends? (And W...

Sharp, scratchy fret ends almost always mean the fingerboard shrank in dry air, not that the frets are bad. What causes fret sprout, whether rehumidifying reverses it, the permanent fret-end...

Genuine fine nitrocellulose finish checking across the top of a 1990s Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus in cherry sunburst

Are Relic'd Guitars Worth It? An Honest Take on...

A factory relic is a cosmetic choice, not tone, history, or an investment. Here's what relic'ing really is, how the fake wear (and finish checking) is made, whether aged guitars...

Are Relic'd Guitars Worth It? An Honest Take on...

A factory relic is a cosmetic choice, not tone, history, or an investment. Here's what relic'ing really is, how the fake wear (and finish checking) is made, whether aged guitars...

Used Gibson Les Paul in Heritage Cherry, a set-neck carved-top guitar with a tune-o-matic bridge where neck angle matters when buying used

A Maxed-Out Tune-o-matic: How to Spot a Bad Nec...

The bridge on a used Les Paul tells you more than most buyers realize. Here's the 60-second straightedge test for a bad neck angle, what actually causes it, whether it...

A Maxed-Out Tune-o-matic: How to Spot a Bad Nec...

The bridge on a used Les Paul tells you more than most buyers realize. Here's the 60-second straightedge test for a bad neck angle, what actually causes it, whether it...

Close-up of two uncovered humbucker pickups on a black Gibson Les Paul

Why Do My Pickups Squeal at High Gain? Micropho...

Microphonic squeal at high gain isn't a broken pickup — it's the coil acting like a microphone. Here's what causes it (a loose cover, a loose mounting, or an unpotted...

Why Do My Pickups Squeal at High Gain? Micropho...

Microphonic squeal at high gain isn't a broken pickup — it's the coil acting like a microphone. Here's what causes it (a loose cover, a loose mounting, or an unpotted...

Close-up of the fretboard and frets on a Gibson Les Paul Custom, the part of the guitar a setup dials in

What Does a Guitar Setup Actually Include — and...

What a guitar setup actually includes — truss rod and neck relief, nut slots, action, intonation, and pickup height — plus an honest take on what it costs, what it...

What Does a Guitar Setup Actually Include — and...

What a guitar setup actually includes — truss rod and neck relief, nut slots, action, intonation, and pickup height — plus an honest take on what it costs, what it...

Black Taylor T5z Standard hollowbody hybrid guitar showing the visible bridge humbucker, f-hole, and acoustic-style pin bridge.

Is the Taylor T5z an Acoustic or an Electric? A...

The Taylor T5 and T5z are thinline hollowbody hybrids — not true acoustics, not standard electrics. A bench tech explains how the 5-way switch works, how a T5 differs from...

Is the Taylor T5z an Acoustic or an Electric? A...

The Taylor T5 and T5z are thinline hollowbody hybrids — not true acoustics, not standard electrics. A bench tech explains how the 5-way switch works, how a T5 differs from...