Locking Nut String Retainer Bar Adjustment

You know the string retainer bar? Also known as the ‘dammit-I-forgot-to-put-the-string-under-it bar’.
It’s that little thing on the headstock, between your nut and tuners. The strings install under it.

You’ll find them most often on guitars with locking tremolo systems like Floyd Rose and Ibanez Edge bridges, and, on these instruments, it's important that it's properly adjusted.

String Break-Angle at Nut - The problem

String break angle can cause problems if it's not correct. Too shallow an angle, in particular, can be a source of buzzes, rattles, and general tone-sucking.

Get the skinny on sting angles and avoid sucked tone.

SetupGerry Hayes19 June 2017angle, buzz, break angle, guitar, bridge, bass, setup, nut, string

Gene Simmons Sued for Trademark Infringement

OpinionGerry Hayes16 June 2017gene simmons, kiss, comedy, satire, cartoon

String break-angle at nut - A Primer

So, I want to talk about a few tips related to string ‘break angle’ — the angle the string takes over the nut or saddle. However, I reckon that it might be useful to explain what I mean and to give a little background on this area first.

Let's start with the break angle at the nut — that's the angle at which the string leaves the nut and heads for the tuner.

SetupGerry Hayes12 June 2017tuner, string, martin, nut, break angle, headstock, bridge, fender, gibson

Chip Stoppers save the day

I don't have to use these chip stoppers very often but, every now and then, they're invaluable. If you regularly refret guitars, it's worth having them on standby.

Guitar RepairGerry Hayes5 June 2017refret, fret, chip, fingerboard, fretboard, stew mac, repair, guitar, bass, acoustic

Setup FAQ: A Round-Up

I've run through a lot of frequently-asked setup questions over the last few weeks. I figured it might be useful to round them up and present them as a list so they're a bit easier to find.

SetupGerry Hayes29 May 2017setup, setup-faq, sketchy setups, guitar, bass, action, intonation, relief, neck, bow, guide, instruction, how-to

Setup FAQ: Setting up for Dropped Tunings

If you play in dropped tunings or you detune your guitar, you'll probably want to give some thought to the instrument's setup. Do you set up for the dropped or standard tuning? What sort of setup adjustments should you worry about. What's the low-down?

Get it? Low-down. Ha. Click through for more info and fewer jokes.

SetupGerry Hayes22 May 2017setup-faq, dropped tuning, drop tuning, detune, strings, action, setup, relief, neck, intonation, tremolo, floyd rose

Setup FAQ: Where should I actually measure action?

Different guides and instructions call for measuring string height/action at different places along the neck. The most common you'll hear is probably at the 12th fret, closely followed by direction to measure at the 17th fret.

So what's the best way to do it?

SetupGerry Hayes15 May 2017setup-faq, action, relief, setup

Setup FAQ: Do I need to adjust things in order?

There are a number of steps to a guitar or bass setup. Does the order these are performed actually matter?

Yes. Yes, it does.

Here's why…

SetupGerry Hayes8 May 2017setup-faq, sketchy setups, relief, action, nut, intonation

Setup FAQ: Do I need a different setup for slide?

You've got a guitar you don't play much and you reckon you might use it for a bit of bottleneck. Wondering if you need to do anything to set it up differently?

Well, you could just go at it and persevere through the clunks of slides of frets until you're Duane Allman. That's definitely valid. Most of us will find things a little easier if we make a couple of adjustments.