I just got my first electric guitar!!!

[wjfkddf]

nah it was a used guitar I ordered online from guitar center. I guess it'll be fine. But does the crack get bigger and bigger as time goes on if I don't drop-fill it in?

 

thanks!

[skipclone 1]

From the pictures it looks like a very small person with a very poor golf swing. I don`t see a crack. If it is a crack that goes through the body that could become a problem. If it`s just on the surface even if it`s pretty deep, don`t worry about it.

[wjfkddf]

thanks for the reply guys, I'll just leave the dings alone.

[5 string Mike]

If you are concerned about theft, one thing that would be a good idea to do is take plenty of pictures (especially identifying /unique markings, etc.) , document serial numbers, etc. so in the case it ever does come up stolen, you have ample proof to identify it if it's ever found.

 

If someone does swipe it, they will likely try to dump it at a pawn shop. Many states require pawn brokers to acquire some form of photo ID and fingerprint from a seller, and check the serial numbers for a hit on the theft database.

 

There have been several instances where forumites here have had gear stolen and it got flagged at a pawn shop and were able to get it back. The main reason why is the documentation.

 

[Caevan O’Shite]

On the one hand, that's not a "ding" or even a crack- though cracks may or may not develop from it. That's a gouge, a hole, deep into the wood! Probably created from being banged hard against something very unforgiving.

 

On the other hand, it probably won't make any difference, especially if you keep excessive moisture from seeping into the wood there; I think you'll be alright. I refer you to Rory Gallagher's famously worn and weathered 1961 Strat (pictured below):

 

Gallagher's Stratocaster Wikipedia

 

The most notable effect that the years of touring have had on the guitar is the almost complete removal of its original sunburst finish. Although the Strat was left abandoned in a rainy ditch for days after being stolen from the back of a tour van in Dublin, this is not believed to have caused any ill effect. All of the wear was caused by Rory's playing, not misuse... ...When the Strat was recovered after two weeks, Gallagher swore he would never sell it or paint it after that.

http://www.rorygallagher.com/images/strat_9x15.jpg

[Larryz]

I would put a little filler in the hole (like a wood glue and sawdust mixture) and then paint over the filler with black finger nail polish...

[wjfkddf]

Thanks for the reply guys, oh and about the gig bag/case. I think I'll just use the cheap gig bag I've been using for my acoustic guitar for electric guitar. Case or not I think there will always be a risk of being stolen no matter what. I'll buy a case when I get enough money.

[wjfkddf]

just got my cable! will try it out when I get home! (although I won't be able to tell what is right or wrong haha)

[p90jr]

congrats, dude! my 1st electric was one of these:

 

http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b506/dtlaguitars/EBAY%202013/04%20APRIL%202013/1970s%20Univox%20Lucy/1970s_Univox_Lucy_007_zpsfa08314a.jpg

 

I still have it...well, the neck and body, at least need to get a new pickguard and pickups sometime.

 

 

Dan Armstrong or Univox? Both are pricey these days. Sweet either way!

 

I still have my first electric, a Memphis Les Paul Custom copy. It's in the corner of the garage... I left it at my parents house in a closet when I left for college. My stepdad found it and had someone clean it up and restring it and then proudly presented me with it! The neck is horribly warped, the intonation is shot and the pickups sound horrible... just as it was toward the end of my being able to stand it as a kid while saving up for something better. He doesn't understand my lack of nostalgia for it, but he's a horn player who doesn't understand how unplayable it is... it's of no use as an instrument, which is why attempts to give it to my little brother or his buddies when they were 12 and wanted to start punk bands didn't work, even.

[p90jr]

On the one hand, that's not a "ding" or even a crack- though cracks may or may not develop from it. That's a gouge, a hole, deep into the wood! Probably created from being banged hard against something very unforgiving.

 

On the other hand, it probably won't make any difference, especially if you keep excessive moisture from seeping into the wood there; I think you'll be alright. I refer you to Rory Gallagher's famously worn and weathered 1961 Strat (pictured below):

 

Gallagher's Stratocaster Wikipedia

 

The most notable effect that the years of touring have had on the guitar is the almost complete removal of its original sunburst finish. Although the Strat was left abandoned in a rainy ditch for days after being stolen from the back of a tour van in Dublin, this is not believed to have caused any ill effect. All of the wear was caused by Rory's playing, not misuse... ...When the Strat was recovered after two weeks, Gallagher swore he would never sell it or paint it after that.

http://www.rorygallagher.com/images/strat_9x15.jpg

 

still the coolest looking guitar!

 

Adrian Belew had one in about the same state that was cool.

 

and Richard Thompson's main strat forever was getting there... I think he played it so much he wore it down (even changing the neck a few times) to where it's just not serviceable anymore...

[wjfkddf]

Haha just tired out stuff man but everythings so confusing! all these settings on the amp and the knobs to control, guess I need to look stuff on the internet to understand all these settings.

 

How do I set the amplifer to make a clean or rock tone?

[Larryz]

I would crank the treble all the way up on the Strat tone knobs and run the volume on 5. On the amp I would run the volume and reverb (if equipped) on 4. The gain turned just below the volume to start with. The bass, treble, mid, presence all at high noon. Then go for it! Turn things up or down until you run out of energy and try it during the day and at night before changing the settings...then repeat the process till your ear senses something you like. Have Fun with it!

[wjfkddf]

Should I reset the amp or something? The buzzing sound is killing me. Maybe it's because I'm using headphone? ugh..

 

 

Amp: Twn, Green

FX: Chorus ON, 1, 1

Delay 1, 1

Reverb 5.5

Pre Gain: Max

Low 5

Mid 5.25

High 4.75

Post Gain 2.5

 

[Caevan O’Shite]

Should I reset the amp or something? The buzzing sound is killing me. Maybe it's because I'm using headphone? ugh..

 

 

Amp: Twn, Green

FX: Chorus ON, 1, 1

Delay 1, 1

Reverb 5.5

Pre Gain: Max

Low 5

Mid 5.25

High 4.75

Post Gain 2.5

 

 

Try lowering the Pre-Gain and slightly raising the Post-Gain. Find a balance-point between the two where you can roll-back the Volume-knob on the guitar and pick more lightly to get cleaner tones, and bring it back up some for grindy overdriven rhythm tones, and full-up again for more heavily overdriven and distorted lead tones.

 

If you haven't noticed already, the hum will be lessened if you are touching the strings, bridge, or other metal hardware like the output-jack, that is connected to the ground-wire in your guitar's circuit.

 

The single-coil pickups at the neck and middle positions will be more susceptible to picking up hum and noise than the humbucker at the bridge.

 

The chorus effect might make the noise worse- experiment.

 

Make sure that you're plugged into a properly wired AC outlet; little testers with three colored LED's on 'em are cheap and plentiful (get one that has 'wrap-around' indicator-lights so that it's still easy to read when an outlet is upside-down). The further your guitar is from a computer (ESPECIALLY any big old CRT monitors!), the better; and being plugged into the same circuit as some types of lights, dimmer-switches, electrical appliances, etc. can induce hum and noise- probably hard to get around if you're in a dorm room or the like.

[wjfkddf]

The thing is that even if I try to mess up with pre gain and post gain, once I raise the volume a little, the static sound gets loudr..

 

Edit* after I balanced out the pre gain and post gain, I lowered the tone knob in the middle all the waydown to 1 and raised the volume knob to max. Now I don't hear statics. What do these tone knobs really do?

 

By the way, the tone knob on the top right doesn't seem to do anything

[skipclone 1]

The thing is that even if I try to mess up with pre gain and post gain, once I raise the volume a little, the static sound gets loudr..

 

Edit* after I balanced out the pre gain and post gain, I lowered the tone knob in the middle all the waydown to 1 and raised the volume knob to max. Now I don't hear statics. What do these tone knobs really do?

 

By the way, the tone knob on the top right doesn't seem to do anything

 

Possibly because of your pickup selection, try all the switch positions and adjust the tone knob each time.

[wjfkddf]

It seems that the tone knob on top right works for the middle pickup and the one on the bottom works for the neck pick up. But what I want to know is why does the static sound goes away when I lower the tone knob to 1? Isn't maxing it makes a brighter sound?

 

*Raising tone knob to max does seem to be making it sound brighter but when I raise the tone knob, the static continues..

[Larryz]

Remember to let us know when you're playing with the tone knobs on the guitar or on the amp. On your Strat you have a 5way switch. 1st position is the neck, 2nd position is the neck and middle, 3rd position is the middle, 4th position is the middle and bridge, 5th position is the bridge. The 1st tone knob next to the volume works the 1st and 2nd position, the 2nd tone knob at the bottom furthest from the volume works the 3r, 4th and 5th positions. If the one on the bottom is working the neck pickup, it's time to take the guitar back and they should rewire it or exchange it. If you're getting buzz just by working the tone knob, it probably has a bad pot or someone was playing around with a soldering iron....the tone knobs should allow you to change the bass and treble roll off without any added buzz, whether you run on full treble or full bass settings...maxing the tone knobs on 10 do make it brighter, lowering the tone knobs to 1 do make it bass'ier...

[wjfkddf]

Oh so it works 5 ways? I didn't know that. Yeah I just tried the 3rd position and messed around with the tone knob on the further top right and it seems to be working, so nothing wrong on this part. About the buzz, it's not really just by messing around with tone knob (I can notice that it does make it bassier or brighter), when I change the gain up or down, the buzzing starts making sound too. I guess since I set the gain incorrectly, raising the tone knob (which makes it brighter with higher volume) makes the buzzing sound... What would be the good setting for pre gain, post-gain and master volume for clean tone?

 

Just noticed that the 5th position, changing the tone knobs don't effect it. Is this a defect?

[Larryz]

I would do a whole bunch of different things to run down the buzz problem:

 

1st: unplug the headphones and just listen to the speaker, any buzz? if not, the problem is in your headphones.

 

2nd: try a different guitar chord, any buzz? if not, the problem was in your guitar chord.

 

3rd: take your rig to another location like a friends house or the music store, any buzz? if not, the problem was at your location where you plug in.

 

Headphones can make a problem seem worse than it really is. Try turning your gain off and just work the volume. This should give you the cleanest tone. Many times the gain on the amp will have a loud rushing noise as high gain tends to do that. When you touch the strings and start playing you may not notice the rushing noise until you stop playing. There are many variables to play around with while trouble shooting.

 

4th: take your guitar to the guitar store and plug it in a different amp. Do you still have the same problems? if not, your guitar is probably OK.

 

5th: take your amp with you and try one of their guitars through your amp. Do you still have the same problems? if not, your amp is probably OK.

 

also make sure you check your power cord while your at the guitar store and I'm betting they will have some one there who can help you spot the problem...

 

hope some of these ideas are helpful...keep us posted!

 

ps. make sure your guitar cord is plugged in all the way on your amp and on your guitar. It can cause a buzz too if not plugged all the way in or if you have a loose jack...

 

 

[harvey]

 

Just noticed that the 5th position, changing the tone knobs don't effect it. Is this a defect?

 

On a Stratocaster the two tone knobs usually only apply to the front two pickups (neck and middle). The pickup controlled by position 5 (the humbucker in your case) doesn't have a tone control.

[skipclone 1]

When you say buzz-do you mean crackle? like the sound is cutting in and out? people of a certain age would say it sounds like a radio with a bad signal-in any case that is probably a tone pot that needs to be cleaned or replaced. Take it to the shop, cleaning should be cheap and don`t get ripped off on a replacement-it should be reasonably priced.

In fact, take that tone knob and dial it between min and max about ten times. See if it helps.

[Larryz]

 

Just noticed that the 5th position, changing the tone knobs don't effect it. Is this a defect?

 

On a Stratocaster the two tone knobs usually only apply to the front two pickups (neck and middle). The pickup controlled by position 5 (the humbucker in your case) doesn't have a tone control.

 

I have to disagree Harvey (no worries). On my stock Strat the top tone knob works on position 1 and 2 and the bottom tone knob works on position 3 4 and 5. I went up stairs last night and dragged it down and checked it before posting. However, you may be right on the fat Strat as mine has been customized and I can't recall if the tone knob worked on the humbucker, but I'm pretty sure it did. I know it did on my double fat Strat before it was customized...

[wjfkddf]

When you say buzz-do you mean crackle? like the sound is cutting in and out? people of a certain age would say it sounds like a radio with a bad signal-in any case that is probably a tone pot that needs to be cleaned or replaced. Take it to the shop, cleaning should be cheap and don`t get ripped off on a replacement-it should be reasonably priced.

In fact, take that tone knob and dial it between min and max about ten times. See if it helps.

 

Yes! IT does sound like a radio with bad signal-in. It especially worsens when I raise the pre-gain or post-gain or volume. It sounds like the engine-running sound of some sort?

[wjfkddf]

 

Just noticed that the 5th position, changing the tone knobs don't effect it. Is this a defect?

 

On a Stratocaster the two tone knobs usually only apply to the front two pickups (neck and middle). The pickup controlled by position 5 (the humbucker in your case) doesn't have a tone control.

 

I have to disagree Harvey (no worries). On my stock Strat the top tone knob works on position 1 and 2 and the bottom tone knob works on position 3 4 and 5. I went up stairs last night and dragged it down and checked it before posting. However, you may be right on the fat Strat as mine has been customized and I can't recall if the tone knob worked on the humbucker, but I'm pretty sure it did. I know it did on my double fat Strat before it was customized...

 

Just asked about this in the strat-talk last night before going to sleep and it seems that tone knob does not work for 5th position (humbucker). It seems that there were quite lot of people who thought it was a defect at first just like I did. Thank you for checking it out for me!

[Caevan O’Shite]

 

Just noticed that the 5th position, changing the tone knobs don't effect it. Is this a defect?

 

On a Stratocaster the two tone knobs usually only apply to the front two pickups (neck and middle). The pickup controlled by position 5 (the humbucker in your case) doesn't have a tone control.

 

I have to disagree Harvey (no worries). On my stock Strat the top tone knob works on position 1 and 2 and the bottom tone knob works on position 3 4 and 5. I went up stairs last night and dragged it down and checked it before posting. However, you may be right on the fat Strat as mine has been customized and I can't recall if the tone knob worked on the humbucker, but I'm pretty sure it did. I know it did on my double fat Strat before it was customized...

 

The original, standard control functions for Fender Stratocasters are master Volume, neck-pickup Tone, and middle-pickup Tone, with NO Tone control for the bridge-pickup. Fender lists the same for this HSS Standard Stratocaster model on their 'site. Variations in different models here and there and modified customizations certainly exist, but that's been the standard scheme for the past half-century.

[Larryz]

http://www.gearhounds.com/fender-50th-anniversary-american-deluxe-stratocaster-2-color-sb.aspx <--- mine is one of those "variations in different models" 50th anniversary with S1 switching. The bottom tone knob controls the middle and bridge. I never used the tone knobs and ran them on full treble on two of my American Standard Strats with Delta Tone made around the 1997 which is why I forgot about the original standard wiring on the first strats having no bridge pot and if going way back, having a 3way switch.

 

http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/The_Fender_Delta_Tone_System_Part_1 <---two of my Strats came with Delta Tone wiring which also uses a middle and bridge tone pot on Fender American Standards made prior to S1 switching and used for at least a decade or so...

 

Fender has been making Strats with the bottom tone pot working the middle and bridge pickups for many years. Especially since the S1 switching came out on the American Deluxe around 2004 (which is the same specs as the 50th anniversary linked above) of which I have two models both with S1 switching and a middle and bridge tone pot.

 

http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/strat-bridge-pickup-tone-control-1 <--- However, for those that want a bridge tone pot on the older models, there is also a simple mod kit as many players wanted to roll off some of that original bridge treble before Fender copied the idea.

[Caevan O’Shite]

That's fine, I'm just pointing out that the vast majority of Fender Strats from 1954 on- including wjfkddf's and harvey's- came from the factory with Volume, neck-pickup-Tone, middle-pickup-Tone, and either a three-way selector-switch or a five-way selector-switch.

[wjfkddf]

alright now this is weird, all of sudden my 2nd and third strings are making buzzing sound in some parts of the frets. I think I'll take it to my friend who has experience in playing electric guitars maybe he can help out.

[Larryz]

That's fine, I'm just pointing out that the vast majority of Fender Strats from 1954 on- including wjfkddf's and harvey's- came from the factory with Volume, neck-pickup-Tone, middle-pickup-Tone, and either a three-way selector-switch or a five-way selector-switch.

 

Ps. Sorry to Harvey and wjfkddf as you're Strats could very well use the two tone knobs on the two single coils and not on the humbucker as Caevan points out...

 

I didn't want to sound argumentative and I was just trying to point out that Fender started moving away from no tone pot on the bridge pickup back in 1997 +/- when they started putting it on their American Standards with single coils. So the wiring may have stayed the same with the two pots working the front and middle only from 1954 through 1997. I never owned a pre-97 Strat and my '97 American Standards and '04 Amererican Deluxe's have always had a tone pot working on the middle and brige pickups positions 3,4 and 5 and the upper tone pot worked on the front and middle pickups positions 1 and 2. They actually started making it possible to roll off the highs on the bridge pickup back in 1983 with a master tone for all 3 pickups but it didn't catch on. My buddy still has one but won't sell it to me. I've always wanted to copy his setup and EMG filled the void and now I have two custom jobs with a master tone.

 

From what I have read, the 1st Strat had a 3way and Leo didn't feel a tone pot on the bridge was needed as he felt that no one would want to roll off that beautiful chimey jangley treble. That's why Strats had the tone pots only working the neck and middle pickups until The Delta tone system came out on the '97 American Standards. It was the users that came up with the idea of using the front and middle and bridge and middle to get that phase sound. Fender then adopted the 5way switch after listening to the users out there that were doing aftermarket modding...

 

As long as I'm prattling, I really like my Taylor T3 with a dual tone circuit switch using a push/pull pot which gives me even more tone choices...