Ask any guitar related question and have it answered on the Workshop Diary page.

ASK

Here are some of the questions and answers since I began this feature.

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Inspired by the Charlie Jones bass, i was wondering what an all acrylic guitar would sound like. Most acrylic guitars like the one you've made for the siouxsie guitarist seem to all have a wooden neck- would an acrylic neck suck the tone out of a guitar?.

You'd be surprised, having an acrylic neck doubles the tone.. if anything it is too bass/mid heavy and needs electrickery to counter the effect.  The problem is that the acrylic is not strong enough on it's own to cope with the string tension.  The only way to do it would be to laminate the acrylic and some sort of timber or metal.. which is possible, but not easy!

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Not having ready access to timber from overseas, what would be the best english timber to make a neck from in laminate form. Question from the wooded waste lands of Cumbria.

I'd use either sycamore or English walnut.. both are light but pretty strong and are also very pretty.. if you have access to good wood of course.. oak could be used.. but I think would be too heavy.. and ash would probably make a good multi-lam neck too.. Good luck and have fun!

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Given that every detail will have some effect on the sound of a guitar, are there any woods that you would definitely not recommend, or is it a 'horses for courses' situation?

to be honest you can build an electric guitar out of pretty much anything, there are some woods I wouldn't like to use because of a cross-grain pattern which would make it hard to work with or others, like Iroko, which have a lot of waxy resin in them which blunt tools very quickly.. from the sound point of view any wood can be made to sound good.. either by combining it with other timbers or using different construction techniques.. tone chambers, through/bolt on necks etc etc...

I notice that your hollow body builds have mahogany tops.  Would the tone be adversely affected if the tops were made of maple or some other more decorative timber?  Keep up the great work!!  Cheers.

The top does affect the tone to  certain extent but I can accommodate this with changing various other bits.. for example the tone chambers or headstock break-angle.. we can basically build the guitar with any spec you need, the whole point of all our models is that I'll cut and change the build to fit the player, scale length, body size, inlays, timber choice etc.. otherwise I just end up getting bored and a bored luthier doesn't give his best all the time.

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I've read conflicting views on the use of lighter fluid to clean the fretboard and the use of lemon oil. It does seem that lighter fluid would be harsh on the wood (but then, so is all that detritus and oils from the skin!). And some say lemon oil doesn't work on wood oils.

Lighter fluid seems a bit harsh when cleaning fingerboards but really doesn't do any harm, I wouldn't advocate using it on a weekly basis though as that could possibly do damage.. there really is no other way to really clean a fingerboard well.. the lighter fluid actively pulls the dirt and grease out of the 'board.  When using it it s important to apply a lot of oil to the fingerboard afterwards as the lighter fluid does dry everything out.. Lemon oil...?  I've never had a problem with, it's sold in most guitar shops and used pretty much universally in furniture building.. I can't see a problem there.. though as an alternative quality boiled linseed oil is also a very fine choice!

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Have you really put a tone chamber in the neck of 05Ric's bass?  What effect does it have?

There are two tone chambers running down the neck, I noticed that guitars with the old aluminium truss rods have a slighlty better sound, even though the truss rods are not very good and this is because they create a mostly hollow channel down the neck, with enough strength due to the multi-lam neck construction we use you can have chambers which dramatically increase the sustain and warmth you get from the instrument..

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when oiling a fret board, what kind of oil are you using?  and how does having an oiled fretboard effect the speed at which one's hands move across said board.

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'Did you name Crimson Guitars after King Crimson and what does Robert have to say about it?'

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How much sustain do you lose by fitting a trem of some kind, compared to a solid, Badass-type bridge? And tone?

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From a guitar set-up point of view, whats the secret behind a 
getting great harmonics? Are there any set-up tricks to make 
harmonics jump out of a guitar?

Unfortunately not really, it mainly depends on how the guitar was built, One of my Stigmata models had amazing harmonic response on a certain set of notes but the next one just didn't.  The set up was the same but I had changed the thickness of the body by about 15mm ... Having said that there is always the buzz feiton system, this puts a guitar in tune all over the guitar and will have some effect on the harmonic response.. Crimson Guitars is a liscenced Buzz Feiton retro-fitter!  Other than that I would just say get to know your guitar and ind it's sweet spots.. and double-check that your intonation is correct to start with.

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'Why do some guitars have a seperate body and top and some just a single body like the stratocaster?'

It's to do with the tone generated by various timbers.. Alder, poplar, swamp ash and basswood are all used on S***t guitars of various types.. they are all light timbers which resonate freely with the strings, and this is part of the reason why you get the recogniseable sounds of this guitar (other reasons are the springs for the trem, the bolt-on neck and the fact that the pickups have no contact with the body whatsoever!  The Les Paul however is built out of dense solid timbers, mahogany on the back which has a lovely rich/warm open tone, and a maplecap which adds to the highs and clarity of the guitar.  The mahogany neck is glued in place which promotes much more interplay between the strings and the body.. in my opinion giving a much better sound.. I'm going on a tangent here.. but what the hell.. most of the reason why strats sound the way they do is the pickups, I believe.. there is minimal connection between the strings as they vibrate and the body.. However, a much larger portion of the sound of the LP is generated because everything is connected and vibrates in harmony.. each to their own.. both guitars have a lovely tone.. however it all works out..

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'I'm after a UK built custom Baritone Guitar but am used to a very light Parker, does the Baritone have to be heavy in order to produce good bass/mids response?' 

    Weight.. I think it's a bit of a mis-nomer to say that a guitar has to be heavy to have good mid to low range response.. I can probably make it so that it weighs around 6lbs and still has the tone we want!   Tone chambers reduce the weight and add to sustain and warmth.. whilst there are several other things that can be done to help, for example using a multi-laminate rosewood neck will add to the strength and the tone..  and we can't forget that the pickups, I use Wizard Pickups custom wound in the UK, have a lot to say in the matter of what your guitar sounds like!  I'd say it's a 50/50 split.. though like any luthier I'll probably change my mind next week...

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When building an instrument that uses two opposing materials (Man Made Carbon Fibre fretboard and a Natural Wooden neck) does the rigidity of the man made materials cause any problems with the breathing wood during binding and in general life? Would the neck expand and contract with the conditions as well with the carbon attached (or cause splitting)

I'm not that well versed in the uses of Carbon fiber etc but do know that one of the reasons that it works so well on guitars is that it has a 'grain' similar to wood.. so it does bend/warp etc in a set direction.. just like wood, although it is obviously much stronger than timber in the other direction.. I've never seen a carbon fiber fingerboard that has come away from the neck due to natural movement in the timber.. so, I'm pretty sure that that would never really be an issue..

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"What is the best method to scrape off the finish on an acoustic guitar? What about chemical solvents?"

This is a roject which should only be undertaken if you really feel confidant with your abilty with tools.. that said it should be pretty straight-forward.. the first ever 'repair' job I did was on an old Ovation acoustic I had, the finish on the front was a goner and I used a very sharp Bowie knife (I grew up in Africa..) to scrape all the laquer off.. it took a few days and made a mess but it turned out sounding amazing..

firstly you need the tools... a cabinet scraper, rubber gloves, a mask, sand paper from 180 grit to 600 and whatever finish you'll be adding to the guitar later..

once you know how to keep the scraper sharp.. this is a question all of it own... and have read the instructions on the varnish remover you're goig to use.. you can begin.. varnish remover tends to struggle with modern guitar finishes as they are sometimes very very hard.. mainly on production guitars that is.. you'll need to leave the stripper on the guitar for about half an hour and then, using the scraper take off a layer of gooey mess that is left.. you an end up doing this 5 or 6 times depending on the guitar.. but hopefully there will be very little work tidying up afterwards, the stripper shoul take all the varnish off and leave a perfectly smooth surface for you to sand clean and refinish..  IMPORTANT ... don't leave the varnish stripper on for too long.. the gooey gunk will dry over about an hour and is then much more difficult to get off...  god luck!!

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What is the difference between stainless steel frets and standard frets?  Does it affect the sound?

Stainless frets are purported to last three times longer than standard Nickle/silver frets.. though I've seen standard frets that are almost as soft as lead before, it really depends on how much you spend (like everything else in life!!)  From my point of view stainless frets take twice as much time to install but really are worth it in the long run.. who needs built-in-obsolescence??  As to affecting the sound.. yes.. they make the guitar sound a bit brighter than normal frets, BUT... only if you have very sensitive lab equipment and another test guitar made from the exact same timbers etc.. it really isn't something you'd notice in real life!!

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In your opinion, what are 5 best innovations in guitar design over the years and How do you feel these innovations have affected the Guitar industry in general.

Well... at first glance I thought this would be a bugger of a question to answer, and then quickly realised that every inovation that comes to mind, apart from one, hppened years ago!

1- Stainless steel strings!  About a hundred years ago these were none-existant.. gut was used exclusively and the volume was nothing in comparison to what we need and are used to today..

2- the humble truss rod.. this came about because of the extra tension of the metal strings.. but it makes guitar playing much easier due to the obvious benefits of being able to easily adjust the neck relief

3- The Frying Pan.. this was the first (supposedly) electric guitar, it was a lap steel guitar which looked like your common kitchen appendage.. this paved the way for everything, although it was the right time for this idea and it would all hae happened anyway! 

4- The electric bass... in this respect only will I dof my hat at Leo Fender.. he invented the bass guitar!  Genius!

5- The humbucking pickup.. think about it, where would guitar playing be without Lloyd Loars humbucker?  Kudo's for Gibson in employing this man, as well as the humbucker he was responsible for the es335 and I think the L5 acoustic... what can I say?

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'When using new standard tuning what is the best scale length?'

there are two conflicting options here.. the first is that the NSTuning, being from low C to G above high E, has more tension that standard tuning.. this creates more stress on the neck which can cause problems.. it also means that if you are used to playing a 'normal' guitar the extra tension can take some getting used to.. this means that using a shorter scale length is better if you don't want the tension and you want it too feel 'normal' ..  the other option is a longer scale, this is beacuse the more tension you have the better the bass response on the lower strings.. and this is an essential part of the Crafty sound?  I would say that this is really subjuective, if you don't mind the longer scale length that would be best in my opinion, but every player is different.. and sometimes a compromise is the only way to go?

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'How would you recommend your guitars be stored from day to day, in order to maximize their longevity, safety, and playability?  Are there concerns regarding being kept in a case, hung on a stand, or exposed to certain parameters of humidity and temperature?  How does one provide the optimum home for a Crimson Guitar?'

Well.. very good question.. as with anything there are many answers..

first option.. keep her in the case.. this will obviously protect against both accidental knocks and scrapes and also should attenuate the extremes of humidity/temperature.. that is if you have a good case of course.  the down sides are thus, you can't see your beautiful guitar and who wants to look at an ugly flight case anyway.. if I tried to store one in any of the living areas (where I enjoy playing my guitars) my wife would throw it at me after a day or two! the other issue is the opposite to the plus side already mentioned.. keeping it in an environment that is as stable as possible, like the case, means that the timbers will react every time you take it out to play.. especially if you have the cold-van to hot/humid stage scenario! 

second option... floor-standing guitar stand... only if you live on your own, don't drink, have no social life, pets or next door neighbours asking for a cup of sugar!!  Asking for trouble..

my favourite option... good quality wall stand.. she's on show at all times (no wife could complain about a pretty guitar on the wall.. surely!?), open to the atmosphere in your house (as long as you keep it fairly stable you'll be fine) which means you won't have to retune every five minutes when you take her out.. and it also means that she can be placed out of the reach of prying little fingers.. 

then again I think that it is a question that everyone will answer differently.. it's up to you..

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'Fanned frets, what are the benefits?'

this is not something that I've ever done myself, though if someone orders a guitar like this I wouldn't complain!  Basically it's not really about the frets at all, it's about the scale length and the string tension.. on the bass side of an instrument the longer the scale the better the sound (I am generalising here!) therefore to get the best range of sounds from a guitar you lengthen the scale at the bass and keep it short at the treble.. hence needing to 'fan' the frets in order to keep accurarte intonation etc.. this is especially important on multi-stringed instruments where you tend to get only a portion of the guitar/bass/Stick etc playing to it's optimum while the other sections are left in a kind of semi ok state... ie great mids and crappy lows etc.. An added bonus is that people say that it is more comfortable, ergonomically speaking, to play and they even believe that the intonation is more accurate?  As I've said i have not played one of the instruments and do not know this all for a fact, but something must be right.. they are apearing all over the place.. I've even seen a very respected Crafty playing an acoustic with this setup!!

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'what's the most usefull tool in your workshop?'

there really is no real answer to this.. apart from the very few tools that I don't really use very much everything has it's place in my daily life.. what tool I use most is probably my router.. at least with electric guitars it is absolutely essential!  my favourite tool however is called Jessica and she's a little pointy-marking-out thingy.. it's the only tool I've ever named but I do really like it and use it constantly.. (this refers back to today's first question I fear..) . anyway, router, bandsaw, planer/thicknesser, a few sharp chisels and a plane are all I really need in order to build a guitar.. just don't tell my wife that..

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'What do you mean by a 'compound radius' on the fingerboard?'

basically it is this, instead of planing the fingerboard with a perfect radius I give the nut a radius of, for example, 9 inches and the 22nd fret a radius of 15 inches.. it's also called a conical radius.  This is done because a 9 inch radius is useful for the playing of chords and the flatter 15" radius makes playing ripping solo's easier.. it doesn't fit to everybody's tastes but it does, in my mind, make for a much more comfortable neck...

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'Can you make me an accurate copy of a '58 hardtail strat?' ... it goes on...

NO!!!! .......sorry.. I do not make direct copies of anything.. most of the time I don't even copy my own guitars.  On moral grounds I will not build a guitar that can be passed off as something other than a modern custom guitar.. I WILL NOT put someone elses logo on a guitar, I will not 'relic' a guitar that could be mistaken for a Gibson, s**t etc... it's just wrong... I feel a story coming on... a friend of mine is an incredibly accomplished violin maker.. three years ago he saw one of his instruments in Sotheby's... being sold for £750,000!!! The person who had bought it had specified a specific maker to copy and asked for the violin to be aged so that it 'didn't look out of place in the orchestra'?? My friend had to phone Sotheby's and tell them that the violin had only been built 2 years before that.. they didn't believe him until he showed them where, on the inside of the top, his signature was..  need I say more??

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Ben what difference to the tone of the guitar does your choice in pickups or electrical goodies have?

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How much is the sound of the guitar affected by the various types of finish that are available (Paints to natural types) and what would you reccomend as the best for producing a more realistic sound.

Good one.. the traditional options are laquer or oil.. you obviously get three or four different types of laquer, and many more types of oil..  the absolute worst finish in my opinion is polyester.., it's so thick and horrible that you get very little 'natural' tone out of the guitar.. next along is 2-pack laquer, as used by most people these days, this can be applied much more finely and allows a good amount of tone through as well as achieving a really high gloss, there are UV cured laquers which dry in about 30 seconds and these are very very good for acoustics, but the setup costs preclude a small luthiert useing these. And then the best ever laquer, though the most difficult to apply and maintain, is Nitro-cellulose.. this is very thin, and breathes with the timber, it also doesn't have a very glossy look and looks more vintage than vintage..

In my books the best finish is no finish from a one point of view, but you do need to protect your investment and therefore we turn to oil.. it protects the timber very well, is easy to keep up by adding more oil over the years, and sounds absolutely fantastic.  It also is possible to get a lovely matt sheen similar to that of Nitro laquer... what more can you ask?

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'what is your favourite guitar, and how has it influenced your career?'

Good question, I assume you mean what's my favourite guitar as built by someone else?  From the day I could imagine being on stage clutching a sweaty guitar in my mitts I imagined that that guitar would be a Les Paul Black Beauty... I'm not sure if that's just because that was the first electric guitar I saw or becuse it's such a beautiful thing?  Now I can look at one and I see the design faults and unneccessary little bits, and that annoys me (it's like watching a movie with someone trained in media who takes it apart bit by bit and thereby ruins the experience!) 

it's pretty obvious, looking back, that my work has been influenced by the LP, even before I started working with Robert I had been trying to improve on the design for years, no mean feat that!.. anyway, I'm happy being influenced by such a wonderful guitar... By the way, did you know that the reason for the black paint and white binding is that that made the guitar stand out on TV, which was black and white back then!!!

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When choosing the timber for a guitar what steps do you have to go through before making the final choices (weight, tone etc) and does the type of timber used affect the other parts of the guitar greatly (fingerboard choices etc) Do some timbers sound better with different string lengths

What I am supposed to say here is 'Every little change in the timber will affect the tone of the guitar!!!'  In reality there is much more scope for playing around than you might think.. example .. general theory says that Swamp Ash is one of the best timbers for S***t guitars.. but if you buy a piece of swamp ash that was cut from the bottom of the tree it will be nearly 25% heavier than that from the top.. therefore a different sound! Some luthiers say that maple used as a cap for a guitar is a (I quote!) tone killer! and some say it adds brightness and aids note seperation... who's right?  both I think... it does add brightness and clarity to the sound but it also inhibits the vibration of the body and is detrimental to the sustain and warmth..  The choice of fingerboard material has even less impact, here your choice should be based more on aesthtics and 'feel' than tone, I'm sure in a laboratory you could measure slight differences, but in a giging situation all you have to do is fiddle with your tone control (or bring in a few more punters) and you'll have a different sound!  I believe that with an electric guitar once you have a good acoustic tone you're halfway there.. get yourself a really nice set of pickups and a good lead (not to mention amp!) and you will have all the tone you need!!

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I've noticed that you use only the flatmount Kahlers on the guitars
you build/upgrade - even on Fripp's various Les Pauls for which Kahler
make a specific "stud mount" whammy. Why? It seems to me that would
cause issues with neck angles and whatnot.

Kahler have made the stud-mounted version but I prefer using the more streamlined model for several reasons.. mainly it is less bulky and doesn't interfere with the playing position of Roberts hand.. obviously this is of prime importance as Robert has been playing L P type guitars for pretty much his whole career and he doesn't need anything changing his technique.. the other reasons are less important, but, I prefer the look of these newer versions, they're more streamlined... and then there is the simple fact that I'm a glutton for punishment, using the flatmount is harder to do on a reto-fit guitar therefore that's how i do it..  though obviously if you need a kahler fitted I'd suggest the stud-mount if you want to do it yourself...  There aren't really any issues with the neck angle as the unit is supremely adjustable..

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'What is re-vibrating a guitar??'

This is a phrase that I snaffled from Robert Fripp.. it basically involves any process that takes an old guitar and makes it play better.. (vibrating a guitar is the first time she is set-up..)  This involves fret-work, truss-rod adjustments, nut work etc etc.. pretty much anything a repairman does could be caught under this phrase... 

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'Ben, what do you think of composite materials being used in guitar making, especially necks?'

first off I think that too many people say that Graphite is the next best thing.. people have been building carbon-graphite composite necks for at least 20 years.. if not more..  they do have a very good strength to weight ratio, which helps with a neck heavy guitar design.. and they do sound similar to wood as they have a grain similar to that of timber.. however, they're expensive, difficult to repair and I just don't really like the look if they're not painted..  Most guitars (not basses!) built these days have a neck built out of a single piece of timber with a scarfed on headstock.. this is not really very strong and can react adversly to temperature/humidity changes (think a sweaty flood-lit stage!) however with a little thought and a bit more work a really stable neck can be built from timber that will have all the characteristics of graphite.. it's even possible to make it lighter and thinner than normally advisable with a one-piece neck... hence multi-laminate is the way to go.. plus it's pretty!