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Artist Guitars Blog

The top 5 Answers in our recent survey
The top 5 Answers in our recent survey As you might know we recently surveyed our list and got lots of great responses. Here is the top 5 things people answered and how we are going to tackle these 1) Simpler freight We have made our whole site freight free, with a couple of simple (and affordable) upgrades for those that want them. We will be offering more packs with better value, bulk packs to save money. 2) More Guitar Tips and Tricks We are working on more info for our support section . We have also been talking to a number of teachers about running a higher level of lessons, more details to be announced soon. 3) Monthly Specials All of our newsletters will now include a monthly special (just check down the... continue reading
How to Stretch your strings and keep your guitar in tune
How to stretch the strings on your guitar to help it stay in tune! Check Out our YouTube video on how to stretch your strings stretching your strings is one of the easiest ways to help your guitar stay in tune. We have created a short video showing you how to do it.The reason you need to stretch your strings is that you need to take out all of the slack from the system. ... continue reading
What is the difference between a humbucker and single coil Electric Guitar Pickup
So what is the difference between a Humbucker and a single coil? How did pickup design all start? The first commercial pickup design went into mass production in 1932 by the company that would end up becoming Rickenbacker Guitars. Many people had experimented with pickup design, Les Paul (the inventor of the famous Les Paul Gibson guitars) had experimented with microphones but nothing had achieved mass production status until Rickenbacker. Guitar pickups were designed as the big band era came into life and orchestras became bigger and it became too difficult to hear the guitar (little did they know how it would turn out years later with the birth of rock and roll). Humbuckers were invented in 1934 by Electro Voice (the people who these days make speakers) but it wasn't till 1955 that they were used in a guitar by Gibson. Enough of the history - What is the di... continue reading
How to Choose the correct sized Violin
How to Choose the correct sized Violin Here is a simple way to choose the most comfortable Violin size • The first step is to have the player stretch out his or her arm fully ensuring that there is no bend in the arm. • The second step is to measure the total distance from the neck to the center of the palm. After following the above instructions, use the measurement and the sizing chart below to determine the proper violin size. Artist Guitars has a range of student violin's ... continue reading
How to Keep your Guitar Nut working at its best
One of our good customers was asking me recently about how to solve a nut issue on a 12 string How do I stop my 12 string guitar snapping the High G string each time I tune it up? We have 2 different things that really help this issue 1. Change your high G to a 9 gauge - We find that by using a slightly thicker string these last a lot longer (most 12 string sets use an 8 gauge) 2. Grab a pencil; rub the pencil in the slot Why do you use a pencil? If you ever hear your strings creaking, it just means the string is getting caught a little in the nut. Rub a little pencil into the slot and the graphite from your pencil acts as a lubricant and lets the string flow a bit easier. It does leave a little mess but it will make your guitar tune a lot easier. You can also get specially... continue reading
How to choose a guitar that fits your sound
This is one of our most asked questions - How to choose the right guitar for a particular sound Guitars come in all different shapes and sizes, and personally I wish I could have them all at home for when I needed them (but I only live in a small apartment so it’s not very practical) The first step in choosing a guitar is to work out if you want something basic (your just a beginner) or you can play well enough that its worth spending a bit more money to get a nicer guitar If you want a beginners guitar, one of our laminated wood guitars will suit you perfectly, The sound of these guitars is very similar to each other, and I think the best thing to consider is the size. It's best to get something that is super comfortable, learn to play your instrument and then progress to a nicer instrument. I’m a higher level... continue reading
How to tune your guitar using Harmonics
So we have all been there, you’re at a friend’s house and they have a guitar and it’s terribly out of tune - but they don’t have a tuner. So what is the best way to tune a guitar using harmonics and how does it all work? I learnt this great little trick about 20 years ago, one of the guys I was working with showed it to me and I have never tuned a guitar the "old way" since. So a lot of you will have learnt how to play using harmonics The basic way you do it is as follows First your low E (6th string) has to be reasonably close to tune. If not your whole guitar will be tuned to a different note (which as long as its relatively in tune will sound OK) Low E, 6th String, 5th fret harmonic = A, 5th string, 7th fret harmonic A, 5th String, 5th fret harmonic = D, 4th string, 7th fret harmonic D, 4th String, 5th fret harmonic = G, 3rd strin... continue reading
How to match bass or guitar amplifier heads heads to other brand speaker boxes?
So there are 2 things you need to consider when you match a speaker head and an amplifier. Power handling (How many Watts it can handle) and impedance. Wattage is pretty easy and most people understand it, but impedance is a little tricky. I like to think of impedance of like being the gears in your car, the lower the impedance (say 4ohms) is like running your car in first gear, and a high impedance (like 16ohm) is like running in 4th. So you might think why don't I just get a 2 ohm speaker and get the most out of my amplifier. Well what happens is that your amp will run so hard it will blow up? (Not great for your gig or your wallet) Most amps will have minimum impedance written on them, so never go lower than this value. If you have a Valve / Tube amp it’s often 16 ohms or can be adjusted - just make sure it’s matched. What About If I have 2 speakers - Can I get double the volume by running them both?... continue reading
Why a bone nut & saddle improves your tone
So today we answer another one of the common questions in our recent survey Tell me more about the materials on your guitars - what makes them different and how can I set-up my guitar to play better One of the key factors that make our solid top guitars sound so good is the bone nut and saddle. At this point in any guitar you want the hardest material possible (Diamond would be awesome if it was possible for any human to afford it!) one of the hardest materials that are easily available and easy to shape is bone. A bone nut will give you a nice stable point on the guitar for the strong to anchor too and it also allows for maximum transfer of sound energy to the neck and to the top of the guitar (through the saddle). So how do I make a bone nut sound or play better? A bone nut needs a little period of time to settle in. It also really benefits from havi... continue reading
Guitar tone woods, what solid wood means and why you need it (and when you don't)
A lot of people are confused about what the different acoustic guitar woods are, and what they do. When I first started working in guitars (It doesn’t seem that long ago but it’s close to 20 years now) I had no idea what the different woods were for acoustic guitars and what the differences actually did. I’m going to distill some of the information I have learnt over the years for you today. What is the difference between, PLY, Laminated, Solid Top and Solid wood ? Ply wood and laminated wood is exactly the same thing, in this type of wood there are 2 or more pieces of wood glued together. It's a cheaper way to make a guitar. Solid Top Guitars using a solid piece of wood for the top piece only (it’s usually split into 2 pieces and glued together, but it’s solid all the way through). And Solid Wood guitars use solid woods in all tone sections of the guitar so does tha... continue reading
21 Reasons Why YOU Should Learn Guitar...
Thinking about learning an instrument? At The Ultimate Guitar Academy , we believe you should choose GUITAR! Here's why... 1. We offer a FREE TRIAL LESSON at UGA . You really don't have anything to lose!... continue reading
Why you should always keep your Guitar in-tune and your neck straight
Should I remove my strings if I’m leaving my guitar for a long time, or planning on taking a flight? The answer to this is a very strong "NO”, most guitars have a truss rod, this is a long metal bar inside the neck that changes the bend of the neck. In most guitars it only works one way (To straighten a bowed neck) but in our guitars we use a 2 way truss rod (So it can go both ways if necessary). Why? Everyone tells me I should loosen the strings and I’m worried about the pressure on the neck Normally when your guitar is new your neck will always bend a little (away from the string like a smile) due to the tension of the strings (even on a Nylon string guitar), the truss rod's purpose is to counter balance this bend and make your neck (almost) perfectly straight. A well adjusted neck does need a slight bend, but this is so little most people can't see it has a bend in it.... continue reading