Artist Guitars Pty Ltd Blog

How to choose a guitar is a bit like choosing which tool to use

Choosing which guitar to buy can be a confusing process. We recently built a site for beginners to help them choose the guitar that suits them best. The site is www.guitarsforbeginners.com.au This is a subject that can confuse people and I have been thinking about ways to explain this so its easier to understand. When you choose which guitar to play its a bit like choosing the correct tool to build a house with. If the job needs a hammer, then a screwdriver just wont do the job properly. So to think of it in guitar terms, if you are playing your favourite Metallica song (with lot's of heavy distorted guitar), then a nylon string acoustic is going to make life tough for you. So when you think about guitar you really need to consider what the song you would like to play is, or what the sound you would like to sound like. Once you know this information its real... continue reading

---

Use our new website to choose your guitar

We have built a custom site to help beginners choose their first guitar www.guitarsforbeginners.com.au We would love to hear what you think of it !... continue reading

---

New Support note - How to change strings on an acoustic

One of our most popular artucles is how to change your strings, we have just updated the support note on how to change your acoustic strings like a professional. how to change your acoustic strings like a professional Or check out the other articles in our support section ... continue reading

---

How to book your free Guitar lesson

If you have bought one of our guitars and would like to find out how to book a lesson, its really easy. Just email us Name... continue reading

---

Pickups... what's what and what for...

Greeting all, it’s time to read up on the heart and soul of all guitars... the pickups. This is topic that I am most passionate about. I have tried almost all of them over my 20 years in the industry, so here is some info to get you started on your pickup journey and how you can improve the guitar to currently own. The Single coil. They come in various styles, sizes and output. On our guitars they come on all our ST & TC styled guitars. These single coils are great for a variety of cleans sounds, from blues, funk, country and right through vintage and modern rock. Our pickups are Wilkinson single coils, with alnico magnets and have the standard single coil 'hum'. The Humbucker. These are more varied in different types than any other guitar pickup in existence. With our guitars they are found on some of our ST styled guitars, our AG guitars, SG, LP and FLY gui... continue reading

---

Redeeming your Rewards Points

When you buy any items from us you gain points as a reward. It's our way of saying thank you. These points then go towards your next purchase, giving you discounts on everything you buy. Here's how to redeem your rewards points. Step 1. Log into your Artist Guitars account . If you don't already have an account, you'll need to create one to gain reward points. You can register for a new account by clicking here . Once you have registered, you can start shopping on our website and earn reward points for every purchase you make. These points can be redeemed at any time. Step 2. When you are done purchasing your items, proceed to the checkout and ensure you have entered your Billing address and Shipping address correctly.... continue reading

---

How to work out what is the best Adaptor for your pedals

This is a subject that we find confuses a lot of people. So here is how to work out the best supply for you. Power supplies have changed over the years and the power supplies you can buy today are much better than what you could buy in the past. Now all pedals sold in Australia have to meet efficiency requirements and that means that they are all generally digital supplies (digital or switch mode) So here are the basic steps 1. Are your pedals all 9v center negative - the vast majority of pedals use this standard voltage and plug size, Ibanez, Boss, DOD all use the same size and voltage 2. If you have a multi effect you should be careful - zoom use a standard supply but boss (in there multi effect range) and other manufacturers sometimes use a different connection or voltage 3. Now you need to work out what the total mA your pedals require, this will usually be written in the owners manual, some are really... continue reading

---

Buying a guitar - things that you should NOT worry about

Greeting all, I have noticed over my 20 year experience how people approach buying guitars and what they tend to stress about, which at the end of the day those issues should not cause any stress at all. Below is a couple of common issues: STRING ACTION - the height of the strings from the fret board This is the most common complaint people make when trying out a guitar, beginner or professional. And surprisingly it’s the least problem to worry about. First of all, although all our guitars. like all other manufacturers, come with a factory standard set up, OF which these set-ups differs depending what type of guitar it is.... confusing? Not really. First IMPORTANT rule about strings that you MUST remember for your WHOLE musical life.... all strings VIBRATE in an ELIPTICAL manner. This elliptical vibration, the larger it is equals louder v... continue reading

---

How to tune a 12 string guitar

Here are some simple details on how to tune a 12 string guitar When the strings are different thicknesses then you tune an octave apart (Low E,A,D,G) When the strings are the same thickness you tune in unison (B and High E)... continue reading

---

The 5 most common causes of strings breaking

This is a topic that can be quite confusing for a lot of people. Strings break for a number of reasons, but if you have some of the reasons it will make it much easier for you to avoid string breakage 1. playing too hard When I first started playing guitar I used to break a lot of strings, but I noticed recently that even though I play guitar everyday I rarely break a string (and trust me we have a lot of guitars !). The difference is that as I have been playing for a longer time I have started to play softer and with more control. It also allows me to get a better sound as a guitar will sound its best when the player has control of his dynamics and volume. I wouldn't say I was a great player, but the experience has helped 2. Old strings If your strings are rusty or dark then its time to change them ! 3. Nut too tight or creaky Do you ever hear your strings creaking as you tune ? This is caused by... continue reading

---

Why playing a guitar in will make it sound better

I noticed a very curious thing in our showroom over the years. When someone would try a guitar on display they would often choose the guitar that had been hanging on the wall over as new guitar in a box. That got me to thinking, what made the same guitar on the wall sound better than the guitar in the box ? Now this answer mainly applies to solid top and solid wood guitars. Plywood guitars generally don't play in. The answer is quite interesting that a few different factors make the guitar sound better. 1. The wood in the guitar is a little older, had been held at pitch (which adds some tension to create a resonance in the wood) & the wood starts to age and react with the tensions in the guitar. The vibration of the notes creates fibers in the wood that eventually will help it to have a great tone (which can take up to 10 years) 2. The first few times you play the guitar you will take some of the very fine hard edges... continue reading

---

Will TRS cables solve the buzzing noises in my studio ?

Here is a recent question from one of our customers Q I want to buy some of your TT10 TRS cables, are these the right cables for my studio monitors to run to my Mbox? The ones I have make annoying buzzing sounds. I really need balanced cables. Answer If your Mbox is buzzing there can be many causes of that, balanced cables help but they wont solve every issue. Balanced cables work best when you have a very low signal, lots of electronic noise (lights) as they will shield out the noise by a process where the noise is introduced into both cable equally and then subtracted at the mixer. ... continue reading

---