Guitar Speak! Ask Your Questions Here!

[bobthecanadian]

Ok, so this was brought up in another thread, but thought it would be good to have it's very own.

As guitar players, and especially Strat players, we, at times, have our own vocabulary. So, this thread's aim is to deal with the words that are common to our obsessions.

I'll start!

FMT - Flame Maple Top
QMT - Quilt Maple Top
MIM - Made In Mexico
MIJ/CIJ - Made in Japan/Crafted in Japan
Pot - Potentiometer (the thing under the volume and tone know)
VR - Variable Resistor (same as pot)

Now it's your turn! Add what you think is useful or ask a question!

Bob

 

[tazzboy]

MIA - Made in America
MIM - Made in Mexico
MIK - Made in Korea
CAP = Capacitor

 

[Strat-Talk]

MOP = Mother of Pearl
NOS = New Old Stock (as in an old unsold guitar left in a stock room)
Relic = New guitar artificially aged
Closet Classic = New Guitar with light Aging (as if stored not used)

 

[GuitarSlinger]

pups - pickups

 

[Tlud]

This is a fairly obvious concept, but here is a diagram of C-shape versus V-shape neck. Stratocasters come with these varieties. All a matter of personal preference.

 

[mr_hankey]

GAS- Guitar Acquisition Syndrome

I've got a few other ones, but they might be censored.

 

[bobthecanadian]

AlNiCo - Aluminum Nickel Cobalt (the alloy used in some pickups)

Ceramic - another kind of alloy

 

[Rypsolisti]

I have couple of questions. Just bought a Vintage Hot Rod '62 Strat, awesome guitar and sounds terrific! Is it normal with Fender Vintage '57/'62 pickups that the polepiece for B-string is very low compared to the others? It's the same thing with each pickup and it sounds great so I guess it's fine but it looked a bit weird.

Another thing, is it okay if the neck isn't 100-percent straight? I took the neck off from my VHR '62 and tighten it a little bit but it still seems to be leanig up(the first fret is kinda like higher than last fret).

Thanks!

 

[GuitarSlinger]

Well I'm insanely jealous of you, Ryp, other than that your guitar should be fine. A neck isn't dead on strait (unless set up to be) and usually have whats called neck "relief." To do a quick check on if your relief is too much (or too little, its all up to preference) do this:

Stick a capo on the first fret (this makes it easier, though I never use one) and push on the string you're checking down AFTER it's highest fret (not ON the highest fret).

Check the "play" (distance) between the string and the 12th fret, as well as the sting and the 6th fret. This means that when you're pushing the string down with your pinky, you need to strech to hit 12.

If you don't have a capo its no problem. What I do is hold down at the first fret of the string I'm checking and stretch to the sixth with my pinky. If you do it this way, make sure that you're covering the same distance with both of your hands. Meaning the stretch from the last fret to the 12 fret with your right hand should match the stretch you are doing at the same time with your left hand at the other end of the neck.


You want the distance to be relatively the same at both spots on the neck, it lets you know your neck isn't bowing or anything like that.

Do that for all the strings. If you have large gaps between string and fret, tighten your truss a bit and check again. If you have little to no gap at all, you'd want to loosen to truss. I prefer to have barely a gap at all, which leads to a more "strait" neck.

 

[mustang_steve]

BTW, use a decent capo...I found most ratcheting stypes suck badly....the below is one exmpale of a ratcheting type (I've never used this specific one...the one I had was marked "Young Capo", it was just horrible):

Personally I prefer trigger capos...easy on, easy off and excellent performance.

 

[bobthecanadian]

I have couple of questions. Just bought a Vintage Hot Rod '62 Strat, awesome guitar and sounds terrific! Is it normal with Fender Vintage '57/'62 pickups that the polepiece for B-string is very low compared to the others? It's the same thing with each pickup and it sounds great so I guess it's fine but it looked a bit weird.

Another thing, is it okay if the neck isn't 100-percent straight? I took the neck off from my VHR '62 and tighten it a little bit but it still seems to be leanig up(the first fret is kinda like higher than last fret).

Thanks!

Staggered polepieces are normal. If you think you have one that is too freaky look at the Fender website at other guitars that are like yours and see if they look the same.

The neck doesn't have to be perfectly straight. As long as it is comfortable to play and you aren't getting any dead spots or buzzing you will be fine. If you are in doubt, take you guitar to get it set up. Actually, you might want to take it for a set up just because it is new. Tell the repair guy how you like it and he will take care of it for you. Things like are action, string guage, intonation, playing style, etc can all affect each other. If you take it for a good set up now you will be a happy camper. You may learn a thing or two along the way as well.

Good luck!

PS - I'd like to see some pictures of your guitar when you get a chance. inquiring minds want to know!

 

[Rypsolisti]

Thanks for your help guys!

It plays very well, it's comfortable, no dead spots and no fret buzz. Well actually there is little buzz on the low e-string on the second fret or something but it's very little and it doesn't even bother me. I guess I could take her to guitar tech, people always seem to praise their guitars after a guitar tech has set up them so why not.

Here's few pics, tomorrow I'll post some more and some better ones hopefully.

 

[Rypsolisti]

And here's two more.

 

[lotech]

MOTS- Mother Of Toilet Seat: That Plastic pearloid stuff some pick-guards are made of, and some guitars and amps, particularly Magnatone lap-steels, were sort of shrink-wrap covered with.

 

[bluesbabe101]

OHSC- original hardshell case

 

[bobthecanadian]

Just saw this one in another thread

WTB = Want To Buy

 

[ajgus]

Not really guitar vocab, but general forum vocab...

YMMV- Your Milage May Vary, meaning your experience may or may not differ from mine.

IMHO- In My Humble Opinion. Including this in your post may prevent an impending arguement...but then again it may not

+1- I agree.