FAQs
Below you'll find some answers on what Arlen can do for your instrument, and also a general 'All-Things-Guitar' section...
Arlen Guitars
So, How Does Arlen Guitars Work?
The workshop opens part-time, with extended hours in the evenings and weekends, so that customers don't have to take time off from work to bring in or collect their instruments.
Is there a 'Bench Fee'?
Nope! All advice is free - and that includes assessment of the problem and quoting for repairs.
Do I need to pay upfront?
No! I require my customers to be happy with the work carried out before they pay me :)
Is the work guaranteed?
Yes, in that the work I do can be relied upon to last the normal lifespan for the type of repair. To explain further, having a neck reset after 30 years of continual tension have caused it to move, does not mean it won't need doing again in another 30 years... Similarly, a broken headstock once repaired will last forever... or until the next time you drop your guitar! Guitars are organic, living creations after all :)
Can I bring an instrument / project to you just for advice?
Do you work on the viol family?
Of course. No charge or obligation!
Yes... but only in certain circumstances, and only with student or improving instruments. I worked with violins a long time ago... before defecting to the dark zone... but I generally high-value instruments and any specialist work requiring more in depth repairs to luthiers who specialise solely in violins.
The 'Guitar Bits'...
(all based on, er, real questions I've been asked...)
I broke the headstock doing my Angus Young party piece. What should I do?
My strap broke and I've cracked the top / back / side of my acoustic. Can I still play it?
Help! The bridge is coming off!
Most repair shops offer different levels of setup. Why don't you?
How often should I : 1) clean my guitar; 2) change my strings; 3) have my guitar properly setup?
Coated vs uncoated?
My guitar has started humming. What can I do?
Why does this thing never play in tune?
Fretbuzz!?!
I spent the last three hours playing guitar renditions of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Greatest Hits, and now my guitar won't talk to me... What can I do?
Assuming the headstock is still attached... Immediately and fully detune the guitar - speed is of the essence, but don't simply cut the strings - you'll want avoid any further shocks to the guitar. Ooh, might want to stand behind the guitar just in case... unless you've actually decapitated it, of course... Either way, you're going to need to bring it to a luthier.
That depends... If you're just about to walk on stage, you might want to risk it... If you can't see through the crack, maybe... until string tension, dirt and humidity force it to open anyway. My best advice would be to slowly and partially detune the guitar - you'll want to keep some tension on the top but not unnecessarily shock the wood any further, and bring the guitar in. Please, do not attempt to glue the damage - spare your guitar (and yourself) any further trauma!
This happens more frequently than you'd imagine! Immediately and fully detune the guitar and bring it in. Absolutely don't attempt to glue it back - all you'll do is create yourself a bigger repair bill.
If you want your guitar to play half as well as it could do, then get half a setup done. Simples.
OK, controversial, don't all throw eggs at the same time... 1) Every time you pick up and put down your instrument. End of. 2) If you always use the same brand and gauge of string, maybe every 3 months, less if you sweat a lot, more if you're using good coated strings. If, like me, you record a lot, you may want to change them after each track to maintain integrity. 3) Every time you change the gauge or tension of your strings; otherwise, maybe every 6 - 12 months, depending on what / how you play - some trems (Floyd Roses, for example) are more sensitive than others...
Always an interesting discussion, this one... Coated strings do last longer and hold their tone better than uncoated roundwounds... but if you've never tried them, here are a few considerations : The upfront cost is higher; they sound 'different'; they feel slightly unnatural under the fingers. As for tone, they can sound slightly rounded and a little 'chorusey' - more of a 'produced' sound. You may like this... tone purists probably won't. If you ask me to decide for you, I will fit what I think is the best match based on the instrument and the player's style. This goes for all instruments.
Process of elimination : If a hand on the bridge makes no difference, look at the trem cavity / bridge to see if your ground wire has broken off - you may be able to reattach it. If the hum reduces when you ground the bridge, turn off any strip lights or dimmers, move away from power supplies. No difference? Change your lead - leads can go bad... Next look at your amp - engage the earth lift if there is one - if that helps, you have a ground loop - disable the lift, then unplug each electrical item one at a time - when the hum stops, relocate that item to another ring or get it checked by a pro. Failing that, get your amp checked by a qualified amp repairer.
Good intonation is not just the position of the bridge saddle(s); action is the other major player; then there's the gauge and condition of the strings, the degree of neck relief, the quality of the saddle and nut slotting, problems with fretting, how clean and well-adjusted the trem is... Throw in neck condition (a warped neck always plays out-of-tune...) and playing style, and you're getting there. Did I mention body resonance in acoustics? That's fun...
This truly is the bane of all guitarists and luthiers. When you figure out the answer, lemme know!
Seriously though, there are so many factors at play that it's hard to get all aspects working together - the quality of fretting, fret wear from playing, fret wear from stoning, loosely-seated frets, poorly-crowned frets, bent frets, overtight truss rods, warped necks, dodgy or corroded strings, type of string, string tension, scale lengths, alternative tunings... Few guitars play without any fret buzz; it's sometimes a case of diligently managing the various causes and balancing expectations.
Nothing. You deserve your punishment.
to be continued...
