The pros and cons of using guitar neck inserts have been debated many times on guitar forums. While some say they do not hear a difference in sound with inserts, I do. I have tested and used neck inserts for years and I install them on every guitar that I build. Continue reading
Tag Archives: neck
Should I Buy a Custom Made Electric Guitar?
Electric guitar players can struggle with factory guitar shortcomings: buzzing, uncomfortable necks, inexpensive electronics, poor fret and nut work. They invest their time and money changing the neck, hardware, and pickups with mixed results. Continue reading
Three Questions to Ask Yourself Before Ordering a Custom Guitar
You can help your custom guitar builder guide you to the guitar that is best suited for you, whether you want to show off a unique look, dial in your signature sound, or combine features not normally found on one guitar. Start dreaming about your fantasy guitar by asking yourself three important questions. Continue reading
Fat Humbucker Sound and T-Style Neck in Hybrid Guitar
Many Crook hybrid guitars start out the same way. Players aren’t sure what they want, they just know what they have isn’t quite cutting it. A hybrid isn’t just about focusing on one feature. The guitar comes about because a customer is looking for the right feel and a particular sound they haven’t been able to find in one guitar. Continue reading
Goldtop Lescaster with Bigsby Upgrade
I recently finished a goldtop Lesquire guitar for Tristen Smith of Big Machine Records. Normally last-minute changes aren’t good, but his late request for a Bigsby tremelo led me to a new product that raises the bar of the lowly Bigsby to a precision instrument. Continue reading
Adjust Your Pickups in 3 Steps
Many of my customers who love the sound of their new guitars will buy the same pickups for another guitar and wonder why it doesn’t sound the same. I tell them pickup height adjustment is a big part of getting the sound you want. For every guitar that I build, I spend a lot of time adjusting pickups. Here’s the simple method that I use. Continue reading
Custom Short Scale Bass with Long Scale Bass Sound
Having been a mechanic for 25 years, Don was troubled with hand flexibility issues that made it hard to continue playing his 34” 4-string bass. He was looking for a short scale bass that would still sound like a long scale and would be comfortable and lightweight enough to play from his favorite chair. We talked about how to customize a bass that would fit his needs. Continue reading
Guitar Tuning Problems? Quick Nut Fixes
Have you ever tuned your guitar and checked its intonation, but when you play an open chord it sounds out of tune? You reach up and re-tune and now the chord sounds fine. When you play a different chord, it’s out of tune again. It’s like a cat chasing its tail. Before spending money on a new set of tuners, you may find that most of the time, the problem is with the nut. Continue reading
CNC vs. Handmade Guitars
Having spent hours bent over jigs, routers and drill presses, I pray I never have to go back to doing body construction in-house. There’s nothing wrong with using templates and hand routing, but it is hard to maintain tight tolerances. Continue reading
Is Baked Birdseye Maple or Flame Maple Stable?
Due to stability issues, I haven’t been a fan of highly figured maple necks, so baked maple (or roasted maple) was a new product that I had to try out. Continue reading