Many guitars, even those made by major manufacturers, are sold with stock pickups that are not always the best sounding or most suitable type for the instrument. So, many guitarists look to upgrade to custom or premium pickups. Upgrading your pickups is a great way to give your guitar a new lease of life.  You […] The post When Should I Replace My Guitar Pickups? appeared first on GuitarAssembly.com | Resources for guitar building ..read more

In this article, we learn how pickup tone varies. A brighter sound is found the further you move away from the neck towards the bridge. The post What are the differences between neck and bridge pickups? appeared first on GuitarAssembly.com | Resources for guitar building ..read more

If you have the right tools, you can refret your guitar at home without worrying about wrecking the fingerboard. You just need a flat surface and a few specialist tools for the job. These include a fret bending jig, a fretting hammer, specialized pliers, and a sanding block matched to the radius of the neck.  The post What fretting tools do I need for my first build? appeared first on GuitarAssembly.com | Resources for guitar building ..read more

The best wood glue to use for almost all aspects of guitar building is Franklin Titebond aliphatic glue. When set, it is often stronger than the wood itself. The post Which Glue is the Best to Use for Guitar Building? appeared first on GuitarAssembly.com | Resources for guitar building ..read more

Yesterday I noticed that the frets on my acoustic guitar were looking way past their best and had lost their luster. It still plays like a dream, but the frets are just looking tired and need a little bit of sprucing up. So here we are going to put the shine back onto those frets […] The post Guitar Frets: How do I properly clean and polish my frets to a mirror finish? appeared first on GuitarAssembly.com | Resources for guitar building ..read more

Single coil pickups produce a clear and bright sound, synonymous with Fender-style guitars. Humbuckers on the other hand sound much fuller and warmer and eliminate the characteristic hum you find with single coil pickups. The post What are the differences between single coil and humbucker guitar pickups? appeared first on GuitarAssembly.com | Resources for guitar building ..read more

Whether you’re working with a newly acquired guitar kit, upscaling an old body in need of some TLC, or just fancy refreshing or changing your own guitar’s paint job, you’re going to need to prepare correctly. Part of this preparation is going to be absolutely essential to the quality of your guitar’s finish. So my […] The post How do I hand sand my guitar body properly before I apply paint? appeared first on GuitarAssembly.com | Resources for guitar building ..read more

Up until a few years ago, I played in bands pretty much consistently for 15 years, and in each one I played in, we regularly had problems with intonation. In one band I was in when I first started playing, it was the curse of most practices. Not because of my guitar, but because everybody’s […] The post Intonation: How do I check and properly set the intonation on my own guitar? appeared first on GuitarAssembly.com | Resources for guitar building ..read more

How often have you been tuning up a brand new guitar string only for it to instantly give out on you? Here we'll break down exactly why this is happening? The post Guitar Strings: Why do my strings keep breaking in the same place on the neck? appeared first on GuitarAssembly.com | Resources for guitar building ..read more

Wooden guitar necks naturally twist and warp with humidity, atmospheric changes, and changes in string tension. So here we'll learn how and when to make small, occasional truss rod adjustments to keep the neck in an optimal playing position. The post The Truss Rod: How do I know when, how, and which way to adjust it? appeared first on GuitarAssembly.com | Resources for guitar building ..read more