Repair and Maintenance » The Gigging Musician

Snakeskin – The Latest Miracle Pedalboard Part

Posted by Paul Schille at 5:00 am Gear, How To's, Repair and Maintenance

Feb 032011

Male Flanged Inlet

So I’ve already written about the first Miracle Pedalboard Part, the Male Flanged Inlet. This part mounts flush in the side of your pedalboard and allows you to attach any extension cord into the side and power up your whole board. No soldering necessary, just a few screws and you’re set to go.

Pedalboard End

So as I was finishing up my new board, I built a new snake so that setup would be as quick and easy as possible. I have a power cable, a cable for the amp input, and a cable for the channel switching on the Boogie. Each is color-coded or labeled so that anyone could easily set up my rig, just match the colors and you’re good to go. The finishing touch was to bundle the snake and for that we come to the next Miracle Pedalboard Part, Snakeskin. I was turned on to this stuff by good friend Charlie Morgan at Morgan Sound and it really finishes off your setup nicely. Made of braided nylon, it is very much like those Chinese finger handcuffs you probably played with as a kid. As you stretch it out it gets smaller around, and you push it together it gets much larger around. You simply cut this stuff to the desired length, push it together to widen the opening, feed your cables through, stretch it back out, and you have a the perfect snake. A couple of small zip ties to keep everything in place and you’re set.

Close-up

Finished Snake

Now to be fair, getting all your cables through this stuff can pose a challenge. It seems to take me hours to get everything through and lined up just the way I want it. For some reason my daughter can thread multiple cables through this stuff in no time, so from now on the job is hers! It comes in various diameters, you can get it at most electrical supply stores, and it really cleans up and finishes off your rig nicely.

Tadalafil

The String Cleaner by Tone Gear

Posted by Paul Schille at 7:58 pm Gear, Repair and Maintenance

Jan 102011

I remember seeing the advertisements for The String Cleaner when it first came out a couple of years ago, and being pretty skeptical that it would do any better job than the old washcloths, baby diapers or microfiber cloths that I tossed in all of my guitar cases. A friend of mine, who can’t help but try everything new that comes out, ordered a couple and gave me one and I’ve been using it ever since! I am fanatical about keeping my strings clean and wipe them down thoroughly after every set or rehearsal. And even with that I change strings every show or two as I hate to deal with dead strings, and especially hate breaking strings live!

So one day I pulled out The String Cleaner just to see if it could get anything that the towel hadn’t and I was amazed at how much more stuff came off the strings, especially on the underside. I now use The String Cleaner at the end of every show and I’ve noticed a difference the second night on a set of strings. Will that old rag in the bottom of your gig bag work? Sure, but if you want to go the extra mile, you won’t be disappointed with The String Cleaner. Voted Best in Show at NAMM.

A Trick Les Paul Fix

Posted by Paul Schille at 1:53 pm How To's, Repair and Maintenance

Jan 062011

We’ve been getting some great comments from our followers on Facebook and I thought I would pass this one along here as I’d never heard of it before. This from Mark Yoakam:

“Hey everybody, thought I would share this.

A couple of years ago my Les Paul started making this crackling noise. After checking the jack, cord and pots to no avail, a friend of mine told me that in dry climates (I live in Colorado), Les Pauls have a tendency to pick up static in the control cavity. I put an anti-static dryer sheet in there, problem solved. Mind you, this static isn’t so bad live, but in the studio it’s a nightmare.”

Thanks for the tip Mark! We’re always looking for great tips and tricks you’ve learned along the way, so send us your best stuff and we’ll post it here for all to see. After all, that’s what it’s all about here at The Gigging Musician.

Intonation Refresher

Posted by Paul Schille at 7:46 pm How To's, Repair and Maintenance

Jan 032011

When it comes to setting up and adjusting my guitars, I have a luthier who does absolutely amazing work. He knows what I like and has an uncanny ability to get the absolute best out of each guitar he works on. That being said, there are times when you need to be able to make simple adjustments on your own and I thought I’d touch on one here, intonation.

As much as we travel my guitars can take a beating, so being able to quickly check the intonation is vital for keeping the guitars in tune during the show. For some reason I could never remember which way to move the saddle depending on what was sharp or flat, so I asked my luthier how he did it and immediately put it in my iPhone so I would always have it with me. Here goes…

1) Tune either the open string or the 12th fret harmonic

2) Fret note at the 12th fret

3) If the fretted note is SHARP – Move the saddle BACK or away from the headstock

4) If the fretted note is FLAT – Move the saddle FORWARD or towards the headstock

I always loosen the string just a bit before moving the saddles as I find they seat better and tend to stay in place longer that way, but I’ve seen several people make the changes with tension on the string, your call. Don’t be afraid to jump in and give this a try next time your guitar isn’t playing quite in tune, with a little practice it becomes second nature. Hope you find this useful!

The O-Ring Solution

Posted by Paul Schille at 9:56 pm Gear, How To's, Repair and Maintenance

Jan 022011

Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive

As I’m putting the finishing touches on the new pedalboard, I needed to find a solution for an ongoing problem I’ve been having with one of my pedals. One of the most-used pedals on my board is the Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive. I use it on the clean channel to give it that Vox-y clean with just a bit of hair on it, and then will add it to the drive channel to give it a bit more bite. Great, versatile pedal and I find that it’s on most of the night.

With and without O-rings

Only problem is that the shafts in the pots are pretty loose and I find that I’m having to reset the knobs at least once every show after knocking them out of position with my big feet! Obviously not ideal. So I went down to my local Home Depot tonight to see if I could find a solution. I figured a rubber washer might do the trick, but after looking at a few of those I came across some O-rings and my problem was solved. I tried a couple different sizes and ended up with the 3/4″ OD x 9/16″ ID x 3/32 thick rings. At $2.27 for 10 of them it was a bargain, and I even have enough left over for Ray to use as he just ordered a Sparkle Drive to use on his bass (I’m sure you’ll hear more about that once it arrives!). A perfect fit as the knobs will still turn, but won’t be easily moved by bumping them with my foot anymore.

When Was the Last Time You Polished Your Frets?

Posted by Paul Schille at 5:00 am How To's, Repair and Maintenance

Dec 172010

And no, get your minds out of the gutter! I mean when was the last time you had that just-refretted feeling on your favorite axe? One of the simplest things you can do to keep your guitar playing like new is to keep your frets polished in between crownings. And the easiest way to do that is to use these handy little fingerboard guards from Stewart MacDonald.

These things are ultra-affordable and easy to use. Just hold the guard over the fret and go over it lightly with steel wool and you’re set to go. An extra 5 minutes next time you restring your guitar and you’ll wonder how you ever lived without these things. $10.88 for a set of 6 guards. You can’t beat that!