Guitar OR

Come down for some great music in a very relaxed setting.  I will again be handling the instrument teching at this years folk fest.  It can be fairly high paced, as touring acts often aren’t aware of how dry Calgary can be.  After a long plane ride, acoustic instruments often need a series of adjustments to get them playing their best again. The experience that I have in dealing with instruments from around the globe transfers perfectly to a folk fest type situation.  As well, the knowledge I gain from working with traditional and demographically unique instruments, gets transferred to all the instruments we see at Guitar O.R.

Guitar O.R. had the opportunity to help the many artists at Calgary Folkfest 2008. From Autoharps to Bouzekis, and everything in between.

Helping Jewel out on her Alberta appearance was an exciting night. Her many Taylor acoustics didn’t travel as well as she did, judging from the many subtle adjustments that were needed.

   As the guitar technician for St Johns Music, some of you may have had me work on your instrument without even knowing about it.    Working together has been a great relationship for both parties,  as it allows St Johns Music to offer high quality stringed instrument repair services and makes is possible for Guitar O.R. to work with clients that may not be aware of what we can do.

   Part of my responsibilties include keeping the store stock playings its very best.  Maintaining this high standard requires many minor ( and some major ) adjustments.  Such was the case this past May.

    As the seasons change, so does the main ingredient in guitars, being wood.  Like all instruments made of wood, June and July are great months to have a complete set up done.  This will ensure that it plays its best for the entire summer, and into the fall.

   Or if you’re in the market for a new guitar or bass, St Johns Music is a great place to start.

You can't fix the problem until you get a chance to play it

"Wild Thing. you make my heart sing" Da da da da

Introducing to the Guitar O.R. team, Mr Jordan Haber.  Jordan recently graduated from the highly acclaimed Roberto Venn School of Luthrie from Phoenix AZ.  Adding Jordan to the team has made it possible to keep up the high quality of work that you have come to expect, without adding to the turn around time.  Something that everyone enjoys and can take advantage of at Guitar O.R.

Here's a handbuilt Sitar straight from India. And people say changing strings on a 12 string acoustic is a lot of work!

I see a lot of great instruments. From vintage to visual, Lutes to Autoharps, stringed instruments come in all shapes, sizes, tunings and tones.  Here are some of the highlights from last month.

Yes, we do Autoharps. Here is a 1970's Oscar Schmidt 15 bar beauty that needed some real TLC.

"The Twins." A couple of mid 60's Fender Jazzmasters made popular by the surf culture.Yes, we do Autoharps. Here is a 1970's Oscar Schmidt 15 bar beauty that needed some real TLC.A 1963 Hofner "Beatles" bass. check out the befor and after section for a picture of how it came into the shop.

Does your guitar always sound a little out of tune? Is your E string in tune, but your 3rd fret is sharp? Its a pretty common issue. Without getting into too much detail, the guitar by nature is never really in tune. Its what you call a tempered instrument and the distance between frets is based on a mathematical equation to find the best “balance” between sharp and flat notes. There are a few ways in which we can maniputate the guitar to minimize these issues, however there are a couple of great products on the market to help us achieve better, more reliable results. One being the Buzz Fieten system, and one being Earvana. For various reasons ( I’ll let you do the research and decide on your own ), I’m a big fan of Earvana.

Essentially it is a replacement nut that reduces distance from the nut to the 12th fret. Resulting in a lower amount of string tension, which minimizes the fretted notes from going sharp when pressed. After having installed a number of them, I’m confident that you will be amazed at how big a difference it makes. The pictures in this post are that of a Gibson 336 that recently came through the shop. With it being such a beautiful guitar, the owner wanted the quality of pitch to match. The Earvana nut was just what it needed. No more sharp notes on the G chord that constant retuning wont fix.

The Earvana nut is available for all makes of electric and acoustic guitars. Its made of high quality material similar to graphite, and it does’nt require any irreversable work to be done on your guitar. To book an appointment to have one installed on you guitar,call or email now.

Earvan nut installed

Gibson 336

These images have been published with permission from the owner, Del Anderson. Thanks Del Read the rest of this entry >>