The Fret Files

In this episode, Eric and Melissa announce some merch available… namely stickers. Get them at pinupcustomguitars.com. Then come the questions about action adjustments, Martin guitar values, fish glue, humidity problems, and a neat trick on how to turn a linear potentiometer into a logarithmic pot – link here… http://sound.whsites.net/project01.htm To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa do a bit of guitar news about George Harrison’s Maton MS-500, and then take questions about truss rods and skunk stripes, modifying neck profiles, knobs and pots, leather guitar straps, and lead free solder. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about waterslide decals, truss rods, fixing a warped top on an old Kay acoustic, neck resets, and more lefty-centric comments and questions. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.  

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about pao ferro vs. rosewood, bakelite pickguards, left-handed pots, refretting a Gibson with ‘nibs’, pickup suggestions, and some great follow up emails about ergonomics in the work shop. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.  

In this episode, Eric and Melissa talk about how to get different tones without pedals, and then take questions about electric guitar pickups, filling stripped holes, ergonomics in the shop, deglossing sticky necks, and setting up a paint booth. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about truss rod adjustments, restringing, removing finishes, removing frets, and a discussion about junky pickups. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about pickups, rosewood, and custom guitars. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric does some news, takes a call, and then an interview with Scott Freilich about repairing warped necks with a heat press/neck straightening tool. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about capacitors, machine screw neck inserts, strat tremolos, headstock cracks, water damage, compound radius fingerboards and more. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link. SONY DSC

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about stripped pickguard screw holes, 60 cycle hum, lacquer checking, Harmony and Kay guitars, Telecaster bridges, and more. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about nut slots, quartersawn necks, fret leveling with nibs, scoring the underside of bridges, and more. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about headstock shapes, installing nuts, tapered reamers, blocking Stratocaster tremolos, removing finishes, and more. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about breaking out into your own busines, truss rods, fret arbors, saving a vintage 30’s Harmony, Telecaster finishes, and more. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about ‘fret dust,’ pickup winding direction, Coodercasters, Supro lap steel pickups, and a great follow up on roasting your own maple neck. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about roasting your own neck, cutting fret slots, guitar wiring guidance, cutting nut slots on a narrow neck, and the “Hank Penny” Telecaster. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about fret ends, Les Paul wiring, rub-on stain, and Dearmond pickups. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa talk guitar news, and take questions from listeners about frets, washers, neck resets, and left handed pickups. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric interviews Neal Brown, inventor of the Seattle Super Switch. It is an 8 position switch for 3 pickup guitars. Eric and Neal also talk about some history, including the legends behind who discovered the in-between sounds on the early Stratocasters, and the history of the CRL blade switch. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about finish cracks on a Martin, intonation problems, capacitors, and Falcate bracing on acoustic guitars. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about guitar wall hangers, guitar repair books, how to get “that tone,” and whether or not to replace the bridge plate on a vintage Gibson acoustic guitar. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, GUITAR HORROR STORIES! Also, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about using raw bone from the butcher, shipping a guitar, fret polishing, and shelf stable hide glue. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, go to EricDaw.com and click the contact link. Thanks for listening!

In this episode, Eric interviews guitar repair guru and former Rickenbacker employee Mark Arnquist. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about conversion necks, open tunings, luthier conferences, compound radius setups, and which way should Gibson Tune-o-matic saddles face? To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric interviews luthier, repairman, and former Rickenbacker employee Dale Fortune. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric does a little Guitar News and then interviews A. D. Barron, AKA “0le Fuzzy,” the Telecaster collector and enthusiast and the mind behind the term “Telecaster Nitty Gritty.” To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about guitarist neurosis, bass setup tips, pickup winding, fighting feedback on acoustic pickups, coil tapping vs. coil splitting, and a very special question- “who makes the worst guitars in the world?” Who could it be??? To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link. Subscribe on itunes here.

In this episode, Eric interviews Chelsea Clark of “Guitars and Caffeine” based in Los Angeles, California. We talk about her backstory, her current shop, the “America for Music” project, and the ethics issues that sometimes arise in guitar repair and restoration. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link. Subscribe on itunes here.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa discuss some guitar news, mainly the passing of Eric Danheim of Big Tex Guitars. Questions include a host of electronics questions, lots of follow ups on episode 37, how to fix an off-center Bigsby, and fret arbors vs. the hammer in method when it comes to refrets. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa discuss some guitar news, mainly the passing of Bill Collings. Questions include the new CITES rosewood laws, metal nuts, “Cooder Casters” and the phase problems inherent in the Valco lapsteel pickup, when to replace nut files and more. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa discuss some guitar news, mainly this USA today article about an Elvis guitar, and the Washington Post article about the impending death of electric guitar sales. Also, Eric started a youtube channel, you can view his videos here. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about no-load potentiometers, left handed bracing on acoustic guitars, headstock mysteries, and how to get low action. Also, Bob Tedrow from Homewood Music in Alabama has a great tip on how to use steel wool in your shop without getting steel wool particles everywhere!. Also, Eric started a youtube channel, you can view his videos here. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about “CE” markings, neck resets, eBay feedback ratings, and more. Also, they talk about their BIG MOVE TO IDAHO! To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about shrinking plastic tuner buttons, acoustic guitar bridge glueing methods, lowering the action on a National Resonator, and lowering action when working with under saddle pickups. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions and talk about yellowing finishes, working with bone, pickup polarity, acoustic guitar pickups, shop safety, and more!. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about fret sprout, how to store loose pickups, getting stuck metal parts unstuck, torrefied tone wood, and more!. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about slotted headstocks, alnico magnet strength, Takamine guitars, Paulownia wood, and also discuss feedback on the Danelectro style lipstick tube pickup shootout from last month. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about pickups galore, humidifiers, fretwork and intonation. At the end of the episode is a great Danelectro pickup comparison between 5 different manufacturers of lipstick tube style pickups. The 5 pickups we compare are a vintage 1960’s original pickup, an Asian made reissue, a Seymour Duncan, a Kent Armstrong, and Doug Tulloch’s new Nep-Tone pickups. The results might surprise you. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about beveled pickup polepieces, warped necks, pickup winding, setting intonation and read GUITAR HORROR STORIES! To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling or texting 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa talk about dealing with problems between customers and repair specialists, strobe tuners, hard wired tone roll offs, paint problems, and warped necks. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling or texting 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa talk about neck resets, linear vs. audio taper pots, sustain loss during a refret, and more. The second half of the show is a great interview with guitar repair master Mark Tossman. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling or texting 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa talk about headstock crack paint touch-ups, pickup winders, advice for the diy refinisher, short scale Fender guitars, and how pickguards effect tone. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling or texting 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa talk about capo tuning problems, neck shims, router humps, zero frets, why pickups go bad, and why Eric no longer takes custom orders. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling or texting 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa follow up on a news story from last month, talk guitar wiring, slotted headstocks, bone nuts and more. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling or texting 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa bring back an old segment… Guitar News! They also field questions about guitar pickup phase and hum cancelling properties, how to tame a rowdy bridge pickup, how to dampen string vibration behind the nut, b-benders, and can an old acoustic guitar be disassmbled and made into a new acoustic guitar? To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling or texting 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa field questions about favorite guitar books, filling fingerboard divots in ebony, the pros and cons of jumbo frets, good options for an economically priced Strat bridge, and more. Then Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journaljoins Eric for an in depth ‘behind the scenes’ interview about the magazine. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling or texting 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa field questions about resources for learning, acoustic guitar bridge pins, the effect of a broken headstock on a Gibson Les Paul, how to quiet the hum in a vintage ES-330, how to adjust the Danelectro bridge properly, and more. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling or texting 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa field questions about top loader tele bridges, how to keep CA glue from drying out in the nozzle, how to set up a guitar without repeating steps, Gibson headstock angles, and how to free up rusted or busted saddle adjustment screws. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling or texting 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa field questions about sealing the inside of acoustic guitars, how to find a loose brace, neck shims, body cracks, and the infamous Gold Foil pickup. The Bizzare Guitar Pickup Encyclopedia referenced in the show can be found here To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling or texting 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this special Halloween episode, Eric and Melissa share Guitar Repair Horror Stories from listeners. There are also tech questions about pine guitar bodies, acoustic neck resets, fret levelling files, and how to modify a volume pot for a specific desired result. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling or texting 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.

In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about how to correct a warped neck, will a refret change the feel of my favorite guitar, what is the zero fret, are coated strings any good, Gretsch pickup upgrades, and acoustic endpin instrument jacks. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with your question or comment by calling or texting 757-774-8482. To email the show, visit Eric at EricDaw.com and click the contact link.