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Some of the common head types are: Flat, Flat Undercut, Oval, Oval Undercut, Round, Fillister, Pan, Binding, Truss, Hex, Sems, Hex Washer, Socket Cap, Hex Cap, Elevator, Wood, Dowel, Stud, Slotted Set, Threaded Rod, Socket Set. The head of the screws can be: Socket, Hex, Slotted, One Way, Pozidrive, Phillips, Torx, Square. The most common…

There are many types of screws used in popular instruments and it would take a dozen pages to list them all. Most guitar and bass companies use the same types of hardware. Instruments can become hard to repair when you can’t find components that fit or are the same values. I wish instruments builders would…

A “bezel” or mounting ring as it is commonly called is a ring or surround that is used to mount the pickup for height adjustment. Mounting rings are very common in Gibson instruments and allow you to balance the output from neck, middle or bridge pickups. I usually adjust the pickups by first pressing the…

When players see a pickup with a higher DC resistance they automatically think the pickup will be much hotter than others. This is true at times but with steel guitars, the placement of the pickup close to the bridge turns the hotter pickup into a sustaining pickup with a nice tone. My friends at George…

The easiest way that I found was to carefully wrap masking tape around the edge of the knob to protect it from scratching. I carefully held it in a small hand vice and took my soldering iron and carefully held it to the metal shaft. As the shaft would heat up and softened the plastic…

I would radius the bottom of the mounting ring to the same radius as the arch in the body or close to it. I would use a piece of sand paper face up using an object with a similar radius. I don’t like using the top of the guitar because you have to remove most…

The first thing I thought about when I read your letter was the occasional high humidity where you live. I grew up in southern New Jersey and remember when my guitar would be covered in moisture when opening my case. Leaving your guitar case open when you rehearse allows the lining of the case to…

There are several things that you can do to remove the excess steel wool. First I would remove the strings from the instrument as they become magnetized and attract the steel wool filings. To thoroughly clean the pickup I would remove the magnet. Remember how it was taken out!! You can use a fine brush…

I often use a fine tooth brush and masking tape. You can also use a fingernail brush and keep the masking tape close to catch the fine steel wool fibers. This happens often when polishing your frets, fingerboard and fine finishes. I avoid using steel wool because it can get inside your pickup and most…

Most of the time you can get excessive moisture in your case by leaving it open during rehearsals and where high humidity can be a problem. I use a humidity control called Desiccants. They are activated clay packets that can eliminate mildew and rust damage. The bags come in various sizes to protect a designated…