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Saturday, August 11, 2018

Time For a Tune-up


Time For a Tune-up



Tune-up?  Is this cranky old man out of shape?  Well yes, but the tune-up is not for me.

“But” you ask, “You just turned in your 11-year-old Jeep for a new Honda…surely it does not need a tune-up.” No, not the new car.

My guitar, my precious all mahogany Martin guitar needed a tune-up.  “Tune-up a guitar?” you ask. “Don’t you always have to periodically adjust the tuning?”  Why yes, that is why they have pegs to tighten or loosen the strings to put them in tune, this is a different tune-up.

Several strings on the guitar were buzzing.  Now I am not a skilled musician, I do not play as cleanly as a pro and I have a tin ear, but can hear a buzzing string.  If I fret perfectly, the string should not buzz, especially on a higher end instrument. The buzzing drove me up a wall.

When I put the guitar away in its case with a humidifying device, the buzzing stopped, but if I forgot to put it away for a day or two, the buzzing came back.  I suspected the buzzing was because the guitar neck was affected by low humidity.  Research on the internet confirmed my suspicions.

Adjusting the neck on a Martin guitar requires a special tool.  It also requires some special knowledge and experience.  I have neither, so I took the guitar to a guitar mechanic also called a luthier.

I picked it up today, and the strings do not buzz, the action (playability) is much nicer, and the strings are perfectly in tune whether played open, or the same note fretted.

The luthier advised a guitar needs a tune-up once or twice a year and at least every two years.  My guitar is over two years old.

The luthier is not cheap, worth it, but not cheap.  I intend to buy the special tool, read up on the tune-up process, and practice on one of my less expensive guitars…or maybe just grit my teeth and pay a professional to do it right every other year.  Yeah, that is probably the way to go.  

13 comments:

  1. Hm, I suspect that the comment from the Luthier that your guitar needs a tune up once or twice a year is a bit of a stretch. Kind of like taking your vehicle to a transmission place and they tell you the thing is about to fall out any minute. "There's metal shavings! Ahhh!". (Well yes, the drain plug is magnetic, and all transmissions give off a few metal shavings after several hundred thousand kilometres, or miles if you prefer)
    Good business for the Luthier if you take it to him that often, of that I'm sure.

    Anyway, I've had my Martin for coming up on twelve years and it's never needed a "tune up". Mind you, it stays in its case or in an air conditioned environment. Maybe that's the thing.

    Good luck.

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    1. His recommendation is overkill for me for sure, probably not for a professional. I have a friend who changes strings for every gig. I think this guy works on salary so not trying for extra business, we talked for a long time about Martins and a trip to Bethlehem.

      I am sure you are right about keep it in proper conditions, but also you may not notice a difference after many years in how it plays, a tune up and you may be surprised at the subtle differences in feel, play and sound...one thing about Martins, simple looking, but SOOO pretty; and they even smell good.

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  2. Sweetie has a 35-year-old Martin D40, and he takes it to his luthier friend each year just to be looked at. It seldom actually needs anything, i think every couple of years, or if it starts to buzz, would be fine.

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  3. I had no idea guitars needed that kind of maintenance. You learn something new every day! Enjoy the beautiful sounds with your re-tuned guitar.

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  4. Who knew?? I guess hanging on the wall like my cheapo does is a form of abuse. Thanks for the new word, "luthier". Enjoy playing your perfectly tuned Martin.

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  5. I had no idea guitars needed such technical tuning! I'm sure you could teach yourself how, but I'd probably take it to the shop every couple of years, or when the sound seems off.

    Not that I know anything about guitars. Mine comes from Sears, and couldn't be any cheaper, unless maybe it was a plastic toy ukulele out of a bin at the Dollar Store. My repertoire includes the intro to Sweet Home Alabama. Okay. That's my WHOLE repertoire. Don't judge...

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  6. I'm pig-ignorant when it comes to guitars, let alone their welfare and cure. I like listening to their music, though.

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  7. I know for sure that I would pay the professional. I also didn't know this tune-up needed doing. I've never heard of it before.

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  8. I learned something new!
    Remember that post on expertise from just a week or so ago?

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  9. I take my Tailors in about once a year. My guy doesn’t charge me to check the intonation.
    If it needs work, then he charges a small fee.
    I buy a lot of stuff from him.
    He’s thinking of retiring at the end of then year. I’m happy for him but my guitar is fretting :)

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    1. "My guitar is fretting" I see what you did there!

      My latest purchase was a Taylor 12 string...I might bring that in when the strings need changing, I suck at restringing.

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  10. I'm going to ask my hubby about this because he doesn't take his guitars in for a tune up and he's super fanatical about taking the cars in for their servicing. Maybe he does the tuning up here? But I doubt that.

    betty

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    1. I suspect he takes really good care to leave his guitars in the proper conditions and humidity. He probably knows how to make an occasional guitar neck tweak himself without even thinking about it.

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