Monthly Archives: April 2018

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Things that Bug…..(An occasional Blog about little things that can plague a guitar players life, and the possible cures we have for them here at Scan…)

LOKNOB:

So you set your board up, and run through at sound check. Everything sounds great, and you know that when it comes to your solo in that certain track, your new killer pedal will let you soar like a bird above the band and melt the faces of all who listen, then , come the night, come the track, come the time for  the solo, you kick the pedal in and wumph… it falls flat on its face….

While you’re in the band room drinking with boys, someone, some well meaning, interested spectator has been checking out your board, and decided to have a bit of a twiddle with your pedals, and your killer settings have gone…..

What’s the cure? Security guard, Doberman at the ready?

Naah, that’s where LOKNOB comes in ….

https://www.scan.co.uk/shop/music-and-pro-audio/guitars/guitar-and-bass-pedal-accessories

 

The LOKNOB replaces one of the knobs on your pedal and allows you to lock the setting into place, where it can’t be changed by a casual kick of the shoe or a curious roadie.

 

Check out the full range and see about having one less annoying little problem to deal with…..

Equipment & Instruments

In Praise of Tuners

I declare myself of a certain age, whereby I can remember the days, pre-internet, when gigs were plentiful, and rock music abounded from most hostelries on a Friday and Saturday night.

Some of these bands were ‘covers’ bands, playing soft rock tunes that the punters would know and enjoy, others were ‘original’ bands playing music that appealed mainly to the gang of friends and family that constituted a fan base.

However, there was one common denominator back then, and that was Tuning.

Almost without exception, there would be a mandatory 2 minutes between each song, where the plaintive tones of the open E, B, G, and D strings were played, usually twice, accompanied by the frenzied twisting of machine heads, and cries of “Shush” , Shuddup” as guitarists tried to quieten the drummer whilst trying to hear the top G of the Bass player ( the one least likely to have gone out of tune due to rapid thrashing )

Sometimes they got it nearly right, but I swear I have sat through many hours of spirited cacophony, which taxed all but the loyalist of fans…

Nowadays of course, there is no such excuse.

The cost of a standard guitar tuner can be as little as £13.00

LN82773 

And it seems the only confusing part is the wealth of choice afforded to the prospective tunemeister. Some come with built in metronomes, some with strobes and some with the ability to tune anything from a ukulele to Jet engine. ( OK, probably not the latter, but the Peterson Stomp Classic looks like it could have come from a Pilots dashboard… LN83289 )

 

But seriously, from Banjo’s to 7 string guitars and 6 string Basses, we have a tuner for you, to suit your pocket and your needs.

Check them out here….

https://www.scan.co.uk/shop/music-and-pro-audio/guitar-pedals-and-effects/tuner-pedals

 

Tips & Tricks

Guitar Tuning Issues and the Perfect Fix

I think that guitar players and guitar techs would all agree that there is nothing more frustrating than a guitar that will not stay in tune.

Your guitar going out of tune can be the thing of nightmares whether on stage, half way through a song or after a few string bends. You hit a chord that sounds something akin to the first chord you ever tried to play.  Your fingers are in exactly the right place, you’ve spent years practising and honing your guitar skills but now you look and sound like a right (insert your own choice of insult here).

There are many reasons for a guitar not staying in tune: old strings, new strings that you haven’t stretched, strings on the wrong way (you’d be surprised!) badly cut nut, the list goes on. Assuming that your guitar is in half decent condition and set up ready to play, I would always go for friction being your issue and the lovely people at Big Bends have a solution for that.

Ladies and Gentlemen I Give You Big Bends NUT SAUCE!!!

(Ok stop sniggering……….I do not find the name of this product in the least bit funny and I have never made any childish comments at all.)

Back to business. As a guitar tech and a guitar player I have tried many different tricks and products to keep the string moving freely through the nut and this product is the best I have used. If you are tuning up and you hear a metallic “ping” or if you find any string slightly sharp after bending, the odds are on that the string is catching in the nut slot. Loosen the strings and clean the slots of the nut on your guitar and apply a small amount of nut sauce into the slots then tune your guitar back to pitch. It really is that simple! Use this every time you change your strings and your guitar nut will stay lubricated and clean. Application is easy thanks to the………erm….. applicator and it does not spill anywhere it is not wanted. It is also ideal to add to your string saddles as this is your next point of friction. Here it can help to reduce string breakage and will also reduce the wear on the saddles. Tremolo systems, from vintage to Floyd Rose styles, benefit from a little nut sauce on the pivot points, keeping everything moving freely with reduced friction, which increases tuning stability at all points on the guitar.

You are now free to bend that g-string as much as you like, in the knowledge that it will always end up back where it’s supposed to be. (You can’t have expected me not to have gone school boy humour at some point!)

All the guitars at Scan are inspected and set-up before they are sent out to you the customer and Big Bends Nut Sauce is always on our set up benches to be applied as part of our set up routine.

Sometimes the smallest purchases can make the biggest difference to you guitar; this is definitely one of them!