GUITAR SETUP, MAINTENANCE & REPAIR, by John LeVan.
Product Description:
This guide will use photographs, diagrams and sketches made by the author and some provided by various manufacturers to teach how to clean, condition, adjust the action and properly intonate your acoustic guitar, as well as: John's trade secrets on hand-carving bone nuts and bridge saddles, wiring and fretwork. John has also included a chapter on identifying and diagnosing problem guitars. It even includes a forward written by Bob Taylor of Taylor Guitars. This book is perfect to teach a beginner or a reference for the guitar repair professional.
Foreword
Some years back, while walking through my factory, I was introduced to a young man by my then service manager
at Taylor Guitars,Terry Myers."Bob," he said,"this is John LeVan, the guy l've told you about who's got a repair
hop going up in Aubum." "Aubum?" I thought,"What kind of business can a guy do in repairs up in Aubum?"
Aubum is a little wooded town just north of Sacramento, California, and among my favorite spots, actually. The
year was 1994 and John was determined to become one of our very first authorized service centers.Terry has since
moved to other duties at Taylor Guitars, but at the time he was envisioning repairmen across the country that had
the talent to work on our guitars the way we would; fast, efficient, and above all, able to diagnose the true problem
wilh the guitar. Terry worked hard on that goal, but he needed raw talent and a good attitude from the applicants in
order to accomplish the task. So here was John Le Van, spending his time in our repair shop leaming our guitars,
our methods, our diagnosing procedures; he was leaming to have our eyes.
Well, he went home to Aubum, and it carne to pass that he grew tremendously in knowledge and eventually relocated
to Nashville.This was music to our ears because we now had a man in pIace in Music City, USA to take care
of the many, many Taylor owners there. Nashville is the pIace with probably the highest population of professionals
who use our guitars. John established himself there as an expert guitar repairman who could give great service
to people who needed it, both the players and us at Taylor. Our relationship with John has been a joy.
We all know the idea of any category being divided into good, better, and best. I see a lot of people who want to do
guitar repairs and be an expert at it. But I don't see people who are hungry for knowledge and experience on how
to real1y be an expert, and are willing to put in the time necessary and check their ego at the door in order to leam.
This expertise l'm referring to starts with the skill of looking at a guitar and deciding what the problem is. (You
have no idea how many times a neck is refretted when what the guitar actually needs is to be humidified!) After
that, it moves on to the expertise of how to effectively accomplish the repair, all in the given time allotted, and
then retuming that guitar to its owner at the promised time. John LeVan has done more than gather knowledge, he
has amassed it.When I read this book I see John's habits on the page -look at the guitar, assess the problem, clean
the workbench and gather the right tools, wash your hands, put on a smile, and get it done properly with the least
effort. It's amazing that after less than a lifetime of guitar repair John can be so organized and energized to put
it all in the form of a book like this, thus, passing on the information to others. Please take a good look and leam
some things from a person who is an expert leamer himself.
Chapter 1 - Tools and Materials
Guitar Maintenance Kit - Basic tools needed to perform setups.
Materials - Materials and supplies you'll need
Recommended Tools - List of luthrie tools.
Sources - Where to purchase tools and materials.
Chapter 2 - General Maintenance
Hygiene - Keep it clean.
Cleaning and Conditioning - Proper care of your instrument.
Restringing - Professional tips and techniques.
Transporting and Shipping - Tips on packing and shipping a guitar.
Humidity Effects - Too much, too little or too late.
Chapter 3 - Adjusting the Neck
Diagram of Components - Frets, fingerboard and trussrod.
Measurements - Before and after.
Sighting the Neck - Foolproof techniques.
Proper Adjustments - Adjusting for playing style and design.
Types of Trussrods - Single-action and double-action.
Troubleshooting - Identifying stripped and frozen trussrods.
Chapter 4 - Adjusting the Action at the Bridge
Diagram of Components - Parts of a guitar bridge.
Measurements - Before and after.
Acoustic Bridge Saddles - Concept, materials and common problems.
Tunematic
Hard Tail Bridge
Floating Tremolo Systems
Chapter 5 - Adjusting the Action at the Nut
Diagram of Components - Different shapes, sizes and materials.
Measurements - Before and after.
Angles, Width and Spacing - How to correctly cut string slots.
Proper Adjustments - Calculating the correct height for each string.
Replacement and Repair - Do I film, shim or replace the nut?
Chapter 6 - Adjusting the Pickups
Diagram of Components - Parts of an electric pickup.
Proper Heights and Effects - Pole pieces, adjustable and fixed.
Chapter 7 - Intonation
Definitions - What is intonation?
Tools Needed - Tuners, hex keys and screwdrivers.
Sharp, Flat and Hopeless
Variables and Tempering - Fret placement, nut placement and Bach.
Chapter 8 - Basic Fretwork
Diagram of Components - Tools, jigs and materials.
Fret Leveling - My steel bar and buckshot method.
Recrowning Frets - A tight crown is better than a flathead.
Partial Refretting - How many should you replace?
Burnishing the Edges - Final buff and polish.
Chapter 9 - Basic Electric Guitar Wiring
Diagram of Components - Anatomy of a pickup.
Pickup Harness Color Codes - So many colors, so little time
RW/RP, LFT/W - Fun with acronyms.
Pots, Switches and Jacks - How they work? And what do they do?
Wiring Diagrams - The proper way to read a wiring diagram.
Acoustic Pickup Systems - Application and function.
Troubleshooting - Pickup failure causes.
Chapter 10 - Top 10 Signs of a Problematic Guitar
Electric - Common Problems.
Acoustic - Common Roblems.
Chapter 11 - Miscellaneous Upgrades and Repair
Strap Buttons - Drilling, countersinks and felt washers.
Tuning Keys - Replacement and repair.
Bridge Pins - Too loose, too tight and just right.
Chapter 12 - Other Training Resources
Apprenticeships - Understudy programs.
Factory Training - Crash courses in real guitar repair.
Workshops - ASIA, GGAL and schools on guitar building.
Italiano
English
