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What's the best way to prevent the effects of weather on my stratocaster as a result from taking it from a real humid area to a dry desert? Just keep it in the case whenever you're not playing it- even in the house. It's handy, and looks cool keeping your guitar on a stand; but in the desert enviornment, it's almost a sure bet that the average humidity in your room will be in the optimal 40-50% range next to never. Air conditioning and heaters both suck humidity out of a room. Besides that, there's not much to...

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What are cents? Cents are a term used to express a value of pitch when describing frequencies and intervals in equal temperment. An equally tempered octave would consist of 12 semitones of equal value. One cent = 1/100 of a semitone. An octave therefore = 1200 cents. Here's a link where you can get into it as deeply as ou like: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/music/imgmus/cent.gif

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What is a degree? A degree is akin to a "step" when relating a note to a scale. For example, the 4th degree of the C major scale would be an F- the 4th step of the scale. (do re mi FA...) The 6th degree of a G major scale would be E. Degrees can also refer to "degrees of consonance" as outlined by 19th century German scientist Hermann Helmholtz. When two tones are sounded...

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What is an action? Action (just 'action', not AN action) is the term used to describe the height of a guitar's strings from the fretboard. In other words, the distance between the bottom of the string and the fret- or fingerboard. A guitar whose strings are set up low to the fingerboard is said to have "easy action"- in reference to its ease of playability. It is one of the procedures...

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Guitar Help: I need a "pickguard" or "golpader" for my classical guitar for playing flamenco, where I am "tapping" on the side of the guitar. However all I can find are for acoustic gutars or electric, and not for classical. Golpeadors are unique to flamenco guitars- as you said, they are protecting the top of the guitar when tapping on it. Classical guitars aren't found with them. There are a few things that set one type apart from the other (mostly having to do with dimensions and wood choices) that give each type of guitar its different voice. The classical style of play doesn't go in for the rhythmic...

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How do whammy bars work? There are a few different mechanisms that have been designed and developed; but in a nutshell, a "whammy bar" (aka tremolo, vibrato, or "wang bar") is a lever which is attached to the bridge assembly that when depressed, relaxes the tension of the strings- thereby lowering the pitch. Fender Stratocasters come equipped with one as standard equipment. The bridge assembly is...

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I can never get a clear sound from my strumming because while I'm fretting my fingers always accidentally touch 2 rings. What am I doing wrong? Having your fingers come down straight down (or close to it) on to the strings will eliminate one finger from touching more than one string. Generally, I've found with people I've taught that it's a matter of properly positioning your hand- and turning your wrist and forearm slightly- making it more comfortable to have your fingertips touching the strings at closer to a 90 degree...

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Do higher priced pins make a difference in the sound on a acoustic guitar? Different bridge pins DO make a different in the sound of an acoustic guitar. They won't make a KMart "Blue Light Special" sound like a Martin; but they will alter the character of a guitar somewhat. (especially on a quality-made, solid-top guitar) Anything that touches the strings directly will alter the sound of a guitar to one degree or another. A different nut, bridge,...

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I've played many guitars but they always fail my test: first tune with 5th-fret harmonics, then test E, G, and D-string pitches when played at the open, 9th, and 14th frets, respectively. Never seems to work perfectly. Does perfect intonation exist? As of this writing, truly perfect intonation DOES NOT exist on guitars. Luthiers have tried for many, many years to come up with a way of compensating for the use of equal tempermant on guitar fretboards; but have yet to devise a way to totally eliminate the slight "out of tuneness" that results when a string is pressed down to the fretboard. The reasons are pretty complicated-...

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What should I look for when buying an amplified acoustic bass guitar? Well, I'm not going to recommend any particular brands or models; but first the obvious: Look at what you look at for any guitar. That is, playability and quality workmanship. Your budget may determine much of you get to look at; but a guitar that's put together well (in the woodshop sort of way- no messy glue joints, fret end edges are not noticeable as you run your hand up and down...

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Why should I never negotiate a car's price according to the monthly payment? The reason you hear that advice is that negotiating a price is a one topic conversation: "How much?" It's very easy to keep track of where you stand. Once you've negotiated a car's price, the monthly payments will be determined by a number of factors, but the amount you're borrowing is only determined by the price, plus tax and license, minus your down payment. ...

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What is the best way to prevent electric guitar strings from rusting? The single most effective way of preventing strings from becoming soiled and dull sounding (and getting longer life out of them) is to simply wash your hands BEFORE you play. This alone will prevent the majority of the gunk from accumulating. The dirt and oils from your hands will collect in the windings of guitar strings; making them lose their tone, and eventually their elasticity (making...

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What is a dobro? Have any musicians gained prominence playing it? A Dobro is a guitar which incorporates a thin, aluminum resonating cone inside the body to help amplify it acoustically. It was an idea to help a guitar be heard in a band setting before there were amplifiers and electric guitars. The name "Dobro" nowadays is used like a generic (like a "Coke" or a "Kleenex" isn't necessarily that brand); but the word was...

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What are the best bass guitar brands? The best? Well, that's a question which requires an opinion- as any answer is subjective when it comes to the "best" of anything pretty much. If most expensive translates to the best, there are a number of custom makers or "boutique" manufacturers which use very high quality materials and make them by hand. Companies like MBass offer instruments for $4,000....

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Is Rickenbacker a good bass guitar brand? Yes, Rickenbacker is a very good brand. Good enough for Paul McCartney of The Beatles, Chris Squire of Yes, Roger Glover of Deep Purple and many other professionals, they've been around since the late fifties. The 4003 is the current incarnation of the venerable 4000 series bass. The "horseshoe" style magnetic pickup and the available "Rick-O-Sound" stereo output...

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