For the love of God please someone get this darling man his own show. He’s just wonderful to watch and I always learn so much from him whenever he’s featured on TPS.
Yep, I agree, I suggest something like a luthier ASMR show. his voice paired with files, drills, metal, wood, chisel, sandpaper. It's not just an opportunity, it's almost a duty to make that show :D
"I want everything to sing." That is such an awesome way to think about guitar fixing. I totally understand why you'd want this man to work on your guitars simply based upon that quote alone.
We need to see him work his magic on a Gibson Les Paul as well. The fret polishing with steel wool & oil for the rosewood board was something new for me. Its a real pleasure listening to him & please Dan make this a regular segment on your channel maybe like "Tips from Jonny".
Daniel Steinhardt I genuinely don't think I've heard you play better than that little section at the end of this vid. Just beautiful note choice and feel man!! Had moments of Joey Landreth about it (obviously sans slide). The inspiration of a beautifully set up guitar.
I wish Sir Jon could work on all of my guitars. Unfortunately, I would have to ship them all from the USA. Wonderful craftsman and very informative. Thanks to Dan and Jonny
What I love about shadowing a master (thats exactly what this is) is you get to cover all three levels of knowledge. The three level of knowledge: what we know, what we don't know, and what we don't know we don't know.
Great episode and Jonny is obviously a master. One reason he might prefer to hear the 19th fret harmonic a fraction sharper than the fretted note is because the natural harmonic there is actually sharper than the fretted note. Guitars are equal temperament instruments so natural harmonics and fretted notes should only be the same at the octave and unison points e.g. open, 12th and 5th fret harmonics. The other harmonics wont match and the 7th and 19th fret harmonics will always be a little sharp compared to the frets.
This Master Luthier is the kind of guy that after he sets up your instrument to perfection and pay him, you simply want to kiss and hug for bringing your guitar back to life!! Money isn't everything and people like him deserve more than that... More money & Gratitude. And TPS, Here is an idea... We need you to TPS him on his own T-Shirt and a gig bag with his name on it for the world to see. Thanks Dan and deeply grateful to Jonny Kinkead for sharing! Kudos J.K.
Just watched this again and learned even more. Jonny is a national treasure and so easy to listen to with his quiet but authoritative delivery. Just Brilliant.
This is like that scene from toy story 2 where Woody's arm is fixed. This man is fixing my soul as well as the guitar. ASMR for guitarrists at its best.
The thing about great luthiers and repair people is that cumulative knowledge of tricks, tips and techniques from a lifetime of setting up instruments - priceless in many ways. I love looking at all the bits and bobs in that shop, everything is really packed in there! Great Video, keep up the good works.
Brilliant, elegant and revealing. This man is The Guitar Whisperer. Please continue to divulge his secrets, I beg of you. Jonny Kinkead is my spirit animal.
Not only a wealth of knowledge and experience through what must be years (I'm sure I heard Dan say he's made 500ish guitars BY HAND), but also that genius streak of being able to express what, at times can be quite complex concepts, in language that is easy to follow & understand. Thank you, Dan for introducing us to this guy, and yes, like others have said, get him on the show more (maybe a weekly or monthly hour where he can show us how.... well, everything really 😃!)
So I have watched the "Re-fret" video (all of it) and now this one, and I must say that I could listen to Johnny teach me about how guitars work all day long. So cool. So much information and such a depth of knowledge. I would welcome any and all future Johnny videos. Thanks fellas!
I just got an EOB Strat, and will be getting it set up like this! Possibly change the neck for a professional II maple neck. But, Wow! I can't believe how much better it played after Jonny set yours up
Thanks so much for this video. It gave me the courage to tackle the set-up on an inexpensive guitar I keep in my office. Mission accomplished, and it now plays 1,000 times better! You know, a good set-up can be just as inspirational as good tone!
Johnny Kinkade is easy to be with, a master luthier and an excellent teacher. I Soooo want one of his guitars!! It is likely I will never get the pleasure of playing one never mind cherishing it as my own! Do not give him his own show but get him on that pedal show more. We need him making guitars!!! : ) Thank You TPS. THANK You Johhny!! Peace to you.
i just wanted to say thank you to Jonny Kinkead and Dan , i followed along with my strat , and i feel like its made a world of difference , i had a bit to much bow in my neck , it was a little hard to play in the middle around 9th -15th i got that sorted . i also noticed my nut was a little low , i was able to raise it up by shimming under my roller nut that let me lower my action a little from my bridge with no buzz. thank you for the walk through .
I hope this Good man has a apprentice…so that his amazing skill lives on. New to Stratocasters but This is one on my list, Thank You for making this video. The Stratocaster sounds perfect 👌🏽
Hi Guys, I see your videos for about three years now. They are always interesting. The downside is, that I became a poor man. But who cares? Now I own a great pedalboard and bought several new guitars. So thank you guys, for your effort and your passion. I love the video series with Jonny. It's not only about his voice. His sense for the details is incredible and I love it. If these videos would have come out 20 years earlier, I am sure that I would build guitars today. His descriptions are really inspiring and interesting. Maybe we see something more of him in the future. So thanks to Jonny for sharing his knowledge with us. To suggest a new topic: a series about acoustic guitars could be quite interesting. I guess, there are some different things to take care of. Greetings from Germany
In a build it for the lowest cost, mass produced world...it is so refreshing to know there are still crafts people caring about every detail, taking pride in each and taking the time to do it right. I want to live a world were that is the rule not the exception.....
He used to teach guitar building. I have a tele that was made by one of his students at the Kingsdown workshop maybe 30 years ago. I liked the guitar so much I married his sister (the student's not Jonny Ks'.).
Probably the most comprehensive video on the entire internet for a Strat setup, the link to this should be embedded in a QR code inside every fender case.
I want to play this video on repeat so that I can absorb all of its genuine knowledge, talent and skill into my being. Absolutely fantastic work! TPS has to be one of the best channels on the tube.
I also enjoy the dialogue between the two of you, the fact that you ask questions that we all have and the fact that Johnny knows when to say he does not have a definitive answer but must experiment.
Thank you for doing the two videos and Q & A with Jonny. This has increased my knowledge of the setup and refretting process 10,000%. It also demonstrates the importance of finding and supporting a good, local luthier. Keep up the good work. Cheers.
Can we please have Jonny as a regular on your show. His insight into setting up and working on a guitar is simply amazing! i guess what he does not know about guitars could be written on the back of a postage stamp with a big thick marker.
Since I moved out of Bristol in 2015, I've had to learn ho to do all this stuff myself ... because I no longer have access to Jonny! The man is a genius, and such a brilliant teacher.
Having stumbled through a few electric setups myself (with mixed-to-poor results), this video was hugely enlightening. I only hope I can find a local luthier with half the sense / experience / chops to undo the messes I've made.
I've watched a ton of setup videos but learned some things here that were explained perfectly that I've never heard before. Such as the approximate number of winds on the tuners to obtain the right break angle at the nut and intonation being more to taste and playing style once you're in the ballpark. Also, it made me smile to see Ed use a tuning fork as that is how I tuned my first guitar (or from a telephone dial tone). ☺☺☺
So glad Jonny decided to do these videos. I'm learning a lot, and though I don't do much work on guitars myself, the occasional adjustment I do need to do will be more informed, and I'll be able to communicate with guitar techs and luthiers a bit more intelligently. Thank you!
MORE of this sort of thing please!! And if Jonny doesn't mind I'd like to set up an easy chair in the corner of his shop and just sit there all day drinking coffee and watching him work. LoL
Thanks, Dan. Extremely helpful to all players. It suddenly struck me, Dan, that you think and visualize at the molecular level, where electrons live. Ed is at the microscopic level where scratches and imperfections live, just out of plain sight. Everyone should grab a magnifying visor as Ed has. (they are inexpensive) You'll be amazed at the machine scratches left on at the factory. Think about the cost increase for the hand-work required to offer a perfected guitar. A magnified look at frets and fretboard for affordable guitar is eye opening. With great faith and confidence, I leave all my guitars in the hands of my friend, Larry Cragg (please look him up) first discussing only the string gauge for each string, and he does his magic, right down to his own pegs on the acoustics. It all makes a cumulative and dramatic difference. Larry has changed my life. Every player will benefit from a proper and detailed setup. The difference between off the shelf and a proper setup is remarkable. (p.s. Nice Curt Mangans...)
Absolutely brilliant. Thank you to Jonny for sharing his knowledge, and thanks to TPS for producing and sharing this bit of RUclips treasure. Every guitar player should watch this multiple times.
Action ALWAYS before nut, because if you set the nut where you want it (nice and low) and then you adjust action, you run the risk of going to low and having to shim or replace the nut. A professional luthier taught me to always adjust in this order (1) neck relief (2) desired action by capo on the first fret and measuring height at the 13th fret - taking the nut out of the equation. You can always raise the action, raising the nut required shimming or superglue/baking soda, etc. (3) Nut action/height (4) intonation.
Man, dans jazzy playing in this video is gorgeous. I’d love to hear him play like this on a regular TPS episode and pick up some of those chord shapes.
An example of someone who had virtually no relief in his neck was Shawn Lane - mainly because his strings were so mega low. I love these videos - guitar building is an alchemy of traditional luthiery, engineer and love :)
Thanks for the Vlog Dan and for sharing your knowledge Jon Kinkead. I have Jon's book on building your own acoustic guitar (beautiful book, gorgeous guitars!). In my dreams I would have a luthier/teacher like you.
YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!! I suspect that there are a lot of TPS fans like me who work on their own instruments and want to learn more, more, and more. I'm to the point of having done about 10 refrets at this point, and I'm almost not terrible. Every little scrap of info from someone like this is super valuable to us repair nerds. THANK YOU and please keep this series going!
Dan and Mick I love your show. Thanks so much for this video with Jonny Kinkead. What a gentleman and a treasure of knowledge. This episode is a true diamond in the gemstones of That Pedal Show!
The info at 57:10 is gold. That little blip. I guess that’s one way of saying it. My first guitars weee not not locking so when you used the trem a bit, that little quick jerk actually works great for getting the guitar back to tune or pitch.
Phenomenal Dan. I just bought a EOB yesterday and this was tremendously helpful for knowing where to start when it arrives in a few days. And you posted this on my birthday! Rarely are stock Fenders and Gibson's "ready-to-play" anyway from the factory but this was more specialized for this axe. A+++ Cheers!!
Every new guitar, no matter how custom shop or cheap, needs a good setup before you make your final decision. This is the argument in favor of finding a nice boutique shop. They know their customers will pay for the quality service up front, so they'll take the time to give each guitar a really nice setup when it arrives. Whereas the cheapest listing you can find on reverb very well may not... Not to make you paranoid of using reverb for good deals, but highlighting how important it is to have a good relationship with a local shop.
Yes, totally agree. Unfortunately in a lot of places there are none, and people get stuck with Guitar Center. And they won't touch an instrument to adjust anything at all unless it's over a grand.
In the UK there are dealers like Richards Guitars where his tech does a full set up on every guitar they ship out. Watch his video about Natalie's Vintage Telecaster.
Totally agree. Those stores are hard to fine, but after a couple years of going around I finally found a luthier that just absolutely knocks it out of the park. Whenever I find a guitar I want, I always plan on spending an extra bit to have him work his magic and tweak/replace a few things I prefer.
Yes it is an art form but setting up your own guitar can be done and with a bit of practice, and you can make a side business helping out folks that don't have the time or are fearful of getting their hands dirty with your own instrument. Cheers!
I'm sure everybody else has said this too: but Dan's playing here was lovely - on a Strat - and yup, NO PEDALS :) Top class show, top class episode, top class playing. Obviously Jonny is now officially a national treasure, for the nation of guitar-heads that is. Props to all involved.
Actually those things are OK to have as tool for perhaps polishing or cleaning nut slots but I wouldn't want to try slotting a nut blank with them, they don't cut very well.
Welding tip cleaners? What gauge are those? I've seen some saw blades that are like 0.14 so they might be fine for starting slots, but otherwise my go-to for wound string slots is a popsicle stick with a piece of string superglued on one edge: I can have even more gauges than nut files!
Mr. Kinkead, you remind me of my grandfather who I miss dearly. Your patience, depth of knowledge, attention to detail, and teachers heart are a treasure as well as an example of the best of the human spirit. My granddad Luther Wallis and you sir are of a class of few. Thank you for a wonderful hour. All the best to you sir.
Hey Dan! Fender makes a little stiff spring to go in the vibrato arm hole....it will take up any slop that you still may have, works GREAT! You don't nescessarily have to screw the arm in as far either. Be careful if you take the arm out after, the spring can fall out if the guitar is turned over. Also...could you ask Jonny if he ever uses a notched straight edge to check neck straightness? Cool video! Learned lots of tricks! Thanks!
Once again I am astounded at the attention to detail and the conscientious way in which Mr. Jonny handles his business. He's an astounding teacher and extremely interesting. Thank you guys for sharing some more of his work with us.
Brilliant stuff. Great knowledge but interesting the difference with others who'll have all these precise measurements for action, relief, nut height etc. I go with Jonny that each guitar has its own personal ideal set up. The measures help towards it but feel and sound is the important measures really
The measurements are a sure fire way of making your guitars feel consistent. I set strats up with 10'000 inch relief between the 7-9 fret and I play hard so have 1.5-2mm or 4-6 64ths string hight. I play with 10s so I can pick up a Strat and play another of my strats and they both feel consistent in how they play. If you only have 1 guitar or want each guitar set up for depending on how you want that to feel then you start with the measurement as a starting point then tweak up or down as needed. For me I know if I broke a string when I was gigging I could pick up a backup Strat and not miss a single note because the action and truss rod was not all different
I always start with a measurement of relief and action. But I still vary that, i.e. 7.25" radius, more relief and higher action than a 9. 5" or 12" radius. But I always normally end up just tweaking for feel at the end.
The sustainer is so cool. I wasn't sold on that thing until I heard Dan playing it unplugged and you could hear is sustaining acoustically. Now I want one.Dan I love your playing, you always inspire me to pick up my guitar and have a shwang. Thanks for another great video.
It's like watching a skilled craftsman from an almost forgotten era. The people of the future will probably call this wizardry. He does what he does so we can do what we do and the masses should rejoice. They probably won't, but that's okay. Alchemy wasn't understood back then either. Artistry still lives!
![Strats, Pickups & Rabbit Holes - Blue Is Finally There! Maybe. [Mick's Strat Vlog] That Pedal Show](/img/1.gif)
For the love of God please someone get this darling man his own show. He’s just wonderful to watch and I always learn so much from him whenever he’s featured on TPS.
He has such a soothing voice and pleasant disposition ...
@@scot-combs he's like the Bob Ross of guitars
Yep, I agree, I suggest something like a luthier ASMR show. his voice paired with files, drills, metal, wood, chisel, sandpaper. It's not just an opportunity, it's almost a duty to make that show :D
@@jessebell03 Right?! "Now let's just put a happy little string tree right .... here."
I agree! This man needs his own show. His way of explaining things is unparalleled.
"I want everything to sing." That is such an awesome way to think about guitar fixing. I totally understand why you'd want this man to work on your guitars simply based upon that quote alone.
This guy is a great teacher.
Yes!!! Now I want to go there my self! :)
I agree ,great teaching vibe
Agreed!JJ
What a gem of a man. I hope he has an apprentice to carry on his legacy of knowledge into the future.
if he doesn't, I volunteer!
He really is 👍
Johnny Kinkead is literally a national treasure on guitar expertise.
Love the setups. More Jonny in the future!
But I had to laugh at 1:33 at “Something sounds like something’s doing something.” LOL. New TPS t-shirt?
I'll buy it
Maybe some TPS branded nut sauce?
My favorite was “Ears are just as good as machines.” 😂
My favorite was “Ears are just as good as machines.” 😂
My favorite was “Ears are just as good as machines.” 😂
Johnny has turned into a proper star. Night and day from the first VLOG. You should do a "Johnny's tip" once a month.
I also approve of the 'is it time for elevenses now?' mug... always!!
“The more gubbins you put on a guitar ...” such a gentle burn from a top chap. More of this!
This man is a national treasure.
as i get older i appreciate more and more someone teaching me something especially about guitars thanks very much
See, you'd think this would bore a three-year-old boy. But after it he said "more guitar man daddy!" And I totally agree!
This is like a Bob Ross of guitar maintenance video and I'd like a series of this please and thank you
On intonation.. "You just as well do it by ear". What an absolutely wonderful man, I sat glued the whole episode..
We need to see him work his magic on a Gibson Les Paul as well. The fret polishing with steel wool & oil for the rosewood board was something new for me. Its a real pleasure listening to him & please Dan make this a regular segment on your channel maybe like "Tips from Jonny".
I'm a bit away from Bristol but I'd drive down and drop off the guitar. I've just bought a Gibson LP that needs a set up.
not even he can save a gibson ;-)
Daniel Steinhardt I genuinely don't think I've heard you play better than that little section at the end of this vid. Just beautiful note choice and feel man!! Had moments of Joey Landreth about it (obviously sans slide). The inspiration of a beautifully set up guitar.
Ah, that’s very kind, thanks Neuk :)
I'm glad the Strat is set up properly and we might get more Daniel Stratocaster action in the future ;)
Thought exactly the same thing. Beautiful.
I am guessing that Paul Reed Smith’s head would explode at Johnny Kinkead’s approach to intonation.
Didn't know how much I didn't know about truss rods.
What a treasure! Jonny is such a gentle and humble man. Thanks, Dan for introducing us to him.
I wish Sir Jon could work on all of my guitars. Unfortunately, I would have to ship them all from the USA. Wonderful craftsman and very informative. Thanks to Dan and Jonny
What I love about shadowing a master (thats exactly what this is) is you get to cover all three levels of knowledge.
The three level of knowledge: what we know, what we don't know, and what we don't know we don't know.
What a fabulous chap he is.
Great episode and Jonny is obviously a master. One reason he might prefer to hear the 19th fret harmonic a fraction sharper than the fretted note is because the natural harmonic there is actually sharper than the fretted note. Guitars are equal temperament instruments so natural harmonics and fretted notes should only be the same at the octave and unison points e.g. open, 12th and 5th fret harmonics. The other harmonics wont match and the 7th and 19th fret harmonics will always be a little sharp compared to the frets.
Thanks I didn't even pay attention to this part
You don't happen to be a piano tuner as well do you? I thought it was only us few who cared about inharmonicity!
That's some mighty fine pickin' and a-strummin' at the end there Mr Steinhart.
Cheers mate :)
Jonny is such a lovely bloke, fortunate enough to have had a couple of guitars built by him and it’s such a pleasure to spend time with him.
I came back to watch this after the acoustic build vlog. Could watch this all day long!
Not only is this guy extremely talented but he seems like the nicest guy. I could watch and listen to him endlessly 👍
This Master Luthier is the kind of guy that after he sets up your instrument to perfection and pay him, you simply want to kiss and hug for bringing your guitar back to life!! Money isn't everything and people like him deserve more than that... More money & Gratitude. And TPS, Here is an idea... We need you to TPS him on his own T-Shirt and a gig bag with his name on it for the world to see. Thanks Dan and deeply grateful to Jonny Kinkead for sharing! Kudos J.K.
Just watched this again and learned even more. Jonny is a national treasure and so easy to listen to with his quiet but authoritative delivery. Just Brilliant.
"Eccentrically loaded strut"! Sounds like the walk of an 80's glam guitarist around the stage.
After more then forty years of playing and adjusting my guitars, I’m still learning from this master Luthier 👍🏼🎸
This is like that scene from toy story 2 where Woody's arm is fixed. This man is fixing my soul as well as the guitar. ASMR for guitarrists at its best.
I absolutely love watching this Gentleman show and explain his craft
The thing about great luthiers and repair people is that cumulative knowledge of tricks, tips and techniques from a lifetime of setting up instruments - priceless in many ways. I love looking at all the bits and bobs in that shop, everything is really packed in there! Great Video, keep up the good works.
Brilliant, elegant and revealing. This man is The Guitar Whisperer. Please continue to divulge his secrets, I beg of you. Jonny Kinkead is my spirit animal.
Not only a wealth of knowledge and experience through what must be years (I'm sure I heard Dan say he's made 500ish guitars BY HAND), but also that genius streak of being able to express what, at times can be quite complex concepts, in language that is easy to follow & understand.
Thank you, Dan for introducing us to this guy, and yes, like others have said, get him on the show more (maybe a weekly or monthly hour where he can show us how.... well, everything really 😃!)
So I have watched the "Re-fret" video (all of it) and now this one, and I must say that I could listen to Johnny teach me about how guitars work all day long. So cool. So much information and such a depth of knowledge. I would welcome any and all future Johnny videos. Thanks fellas!
The natural sustain and harmonics you can hear at around 41 minutes are incredible!
Not exactly natural, that guitar has a sustainer pickup that was engaged.
Took me decades to learn the information in this one hour video. Wow, what a great show
I just got an EOB Strat, and will be getting it set up like this! Possibly change the neck for a professional II maple neck. But, Wow! I can't believe how much better it played after Jonny set yours up
Lovin’ this cat. Nothing like someone who is totally into his or craft. A real pleasure watching, listening and learning. Great job👍
Thanks so much for this video. It gave me the courage to tackle the set-up on an inexpensive guitar I keep in my office. Mission accomplished, and it now plays 1,000 times better! You know, a good set-up can be just as inspirational as good tone!
It’s the good set up that facilitates good tone :)
When do we get to see a vid on Jonny building some acoustics?
Some of my favorite playing from Dan ever! Beautiful chords and melody accentuated by the sustainer!
I thought that too. Mick here. Amazing playing!
Good ol' Johnny takes the intimidation away from tweaking your own guitar.Yep! Time for the J.Kinkead Happy Guitar Fix it Show
Johnny Kinkade is easy to be with, a master luthier and an excellent teacher.
I Soooo want one of his guitars!! It is likely I will never get the pleasure of playing one never mind cherishing it as my own!
Do not give him his own show but get him on that pedal show more.
We need him making guitars!!! : )
Thank You TPS.
THANK You Johhny!! Peace to you.
i swear that's a drum sample at 18:06
You totally could cut it out and use it.
i just wanted to say thank you to Jonny Kinkead and Dan , i followed along with my strat , and i feel like its made a world of difference , i had a bit to much bow in my neck , it was a little hard to play in the middle around 9th -15th i got that sorted . i also noticed my nut was a little low , i was able to raise it up by shimming under my roller nut that let me lower my action a little from my bridge with no buzz. thank you for the walk through .
I hope this Good man has a apprentice…so that his amazing skill lives on. New to Stratocasters but This is one on my list, Thank You for making this video. The Stratocaster sounds perfect 👌🏽
Best layman's explanation of how a truss rod works I've ever seen. Well done, Jonny!
Jonny episodes have become my absolute favorites!
Paul Camus ditto just brilliant
Hi Guys,
I see your videos for about three years now. They are always interesting. The downside is, that I became a poor man. But who cares? Now I own a great pedalboard and bought several new guitars. So thank you guys, for your effort and your passion.
I love the video series with Jonny. It's not only about his voice. His sense for the details is incredible and I love it. If these videos would have come out 20 years earlier, I am sure that I would build guitars today. His descriptions are really inspiring and interesting. Maybe we see something more of him in the future. So thanks to Jonny for sharing his knowledge with us. To suggest a new topic: a series about acoustic guitars could be quite interesting. I guess, there are some different things to take care of.
Greetings from Germany
In a build it for the lowest cost, mass produced world...it is so refreshing to know there are still crafts people caring about every detail, taking pride in each and taking the time
to do it right. I want to live a world were that is the rule not the exception.....
Well said Brandon
This guy should start a school. I'd sign up in a heartbeat! Amazing teacher and well of information.
He used to teach guitar building. I have a tele that was made by one of his students at the Kingsdown workshop maybe 30 years ago. I liked the guitar so much I married his sister (the student's not Jonny Ks'.).
Probably the most comprehensive video on the entire internet for a Strat setup, the link to this should be embedded in a QR code inside every fender case.
That man is such a wealth of knowledge. I would love to sit with him for a day
I want to play this video on repeat so that I can absorb all of its genuine knowledge, talent and skill into my being. Absolutely fantastic work! TPS has to be one of the best channels on the tube.
I also enjoy the dialogue between the two of you, the fact that you ask questions that we all have and the fact that Johnny knows when to say he does not have a definitive answer but must experiment.
Thank you for doing the two videos and Q & A with Jonny. This has increased my knowledge of the setup and refretting process 10,000%. It also demonstrates the importance of finding and supporting a good, local luthier. Keep up the good work. Cheers.
Jonny is a setup genius. I wished I had someone local who with his expertise.
Can we please have Jonny as a regular on your show. His insight into setting up and working on a guitar is simply amazing! i guess what he does not know about guitars could be written on the back of a postage stamp with a big thick marker.
Since I moved out of Bristol in 2015, I've had to learn ho to do all this stuff myself ... because I no longer have access to Jonny! The man is a genius, and such a brilliant teacher.
Having stumbled through a few electric setups myself (with mixed-to-poor results), this video was hugely enlightening. I only hope I can find a local luthier with half the sense / experience / chops to undo the messes I've made.
I've watched a ton of setup videos but learned some things here that were explained perfectly that I've never heard before. Such as the approximate number of winds on the tuners to obtain the right break angle at the nut and intonation being more to taste and playing style once you're in the ballpark. Also, it made me smile to see Ed use a tuning fork as that is how I tuned my first guitar (or from a telephone dial tone). ☺☺☺
So glad Jonny decided to do these videos. I'm learning a lot, and though I don't do much work on guitars myself, the occasional adjustment I do need to do will be more informed, and I'll be able to communicate with guitar techs and luthiers a bit more intelligently. Thank you!
the sustain on this guitar is incredible. This guy killed the setup
MORE of this sort of thing please!! And if Jonny doesn't mind I'd like to set up an easy chair in the corner of his shop and just sit there all day drinking coffee and watching him work. LoL
Love Love Love ,This luthier he does need his own show. love to spend the day just hanging in his wonderful shop
Thanks, Dan. Extremely helpful to all players. It suddenly struck me, Dan, that you think and visualize at the molecular level, where electrons live. Ed is at the microscopic level where scratches and imperfections live, just out of plain sight. Everyone should grab a magnifying visor as Ed has. (they are inexpensive) You'll be amazed at the machine scratches left on at the factory. Think about the cost increase for the hand-work required to offer a perfected guitar. A magnified look at frets and fretboard for affordable guitar is eye opening. With great faith and confidence, I leave all my guitars in the hands of my friend, Larry Cragg (please look him up) first discussing only the string gauge for each string, and he does his magic, right down to his own pegs on the acoustics. It all makes a cumulative and dramatic difference. Larry has changed my life. Every player will benefit from a proper and detailed setup. The difference between off the shelf and a proper setup is remarkable. (p.s. Nice Curt Mangans...)
What a treasure that man is! Please have him on again. 👏👏👏👏 ❤️
Dan, seriously, this strat suits you. This is the best playing from you that I heard since long! Nice vid! Keep them coming
I have the same Strat and it is seriously an inspiration machine- there's just something truly magical about it
Absolutely brilliant. Thank you to Jonny for sharing his knowledge, and thanks to TPS for producing and sharing this bit of RUclips treasure. Every guitar player should watch this multiple times.
Action ALWAYS before nut, because if you set the nut where you want it (nice and low) and then you adjust action, you run the risk of going to low and having to shim or replace the nut. A professional luthier taught me to always adjust in this order (1) neck relief (2) desired action by capo on the first fret and measuring height at the 13th fret - taking the nut out of the equation. You can always raise the action, raising the nut required shimming or superglue/baking soda, etc. (3) Nut action/height (4) intonation.
I’ve been setting up my guitars for years and I get them playing well but I’ve learnt so much from that film.
Man, dans jazzy playing in this video is gorgeous. I’d love to hear him play like this on a regular TPS episode and pick up some of those chord shapes.
Oh please please... TPS Nut Sauce has got to get in the store
I like this.
An example of someone who had virtually no relief in his neck was Shawn Lane - mainly because his strings were so mega low. I love these videos - guitar building is an alchemy of traditional luthiery, engineer and love :)
Thanks for the Vlog Dan and for sharing your knowledge Jon Kinkead. I have Jon's book on building your own acoustic guitar (beautiful book, gorgeous guitars!). In my dreams I would have a luthier/teacher like you.
YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!! I suspect that there are a lot of TPS fans like me who work on their own instruments and want to learn more, more, and more. I'm to the point of having done about 10 refrets at this point, and I'm almost not terrible. Every little scrap of info from someone like this is super valuable to us repair nerds. THANK YOU and please keep this series going!
The nut slot height advice alone in this video is something I've never seen before and invaluable.
Dan and Mick I love your show. Thanks so much for this video with Jonny Kinkead. What a gentleman and a treasure of knowledge. This episode is a true diamond in the gemstones of That Pedal Show!
Man, Dan’s playing at the end is magnificent. All those extended chords sound so good, such a melodic player. Simply awesome.
Ah, cheers Matt, that’s very kind :)
I am so enthralled with this. Thank you 🙏
You're so welcome! 🤓🙏
The info at 57:10 is gold. That little blip. I guess that’s one way of saying it. My first guitars weee not not locking so when you used the trem a bit, that little quick jerk actually works great for getting the guitar back to tune or pitch.
Phenomenal Dan. I just bought a EOB yesterday and this was tremendously helpful for knowing where to start when it arrives in a few days. And you posted this on my birthday! Rarely are stock Fenders and Gibson's "ready-to-play" anyway from the factory but this was more specialized for this axe. A+++ Cheers!!
Every new guitar, no matter how custom shop or cheap, needs a good setup before you make your final decision. This is the argument in favor of finding a nice boutique shop. They know their customers will pay for the quality service up front, so they'll take the time to give each guitar a really nice setup when it arrives. Whereas the cheapest listing you can find on reverb very well may not... Not to make you paranoid of using reverb for good deals, but highlighting how important it is to have a good relationship with a local shop.
Yes, totally agree. Unfortunately in a lot of places there are none, and people get stuck with Guitar Center. And they won't touch an instrument to adjust anything at all unless it's over a grand.
Not many Lutiers in Detroit rock city. I Know it makes no sense, unfortunately Guitar Center has taken over .
In the UK there are dealers like Richards Guitars where his tech does a full set up on every guitar they ship out. Watch his video about Natalie's Vintage Telecaster.
Totally agree. Those stores are hard to fine, but after a couple years of going around I finally found a luthier that just absolutely knocks it out of the park. Whenever I find a guitar I want, I always plan on spending an extra bit to have him work his magic and tweak/replace a few things I prefer.
Yes it is an art form but setting up your own guitar can be done and with a bit of practice, and you can make a side business helping out folks that don't have the time or are fearful of getting their hands dirty with your own instrument. Cheers!
40:16 lol I had to stop & replay this cause I thought he whacked Dan's guitar with the pitch fork! LOL
I am not sure how anyone can give a thumbs down...these episodes with Jonny are fantastic and he should have his own channel.
I'm sure everybody else has said this too: but Dan's playing here was lovely - on a Strat - and yup, NO PEDALS :)
Top class show, top class episode, top class playing. Obviously Jonny is now officially a national treasure, for the nation of guitar-heads that is. Props to all involved.
The sustain on that guitar is insane!
Ah, you know it has a Sustainer in it, right?
@@ThatPedalShow no lol .. xD ok thanks, still sounds pretty good!
@@cawfeedawg Lmao!
Hear that? Still ringing. You could go make a cup of tea, come back and it would still be ringing...aaaaaaaaaa.....
@@ThatPedalShow Its great! It would be awesome if we could apply it to other pickups!
Home luthiers tip, you can get a set of welding tip cleaners to use for lowering your nut action and cleaning nut slots. Nut files are pricey!
Great tip. I would never have thought of using something that welders use, for a guitar. :)
Actually those things are OK to have as tool for perhaps polishing or cleaning nut slots but I wouldn't want to try slotting a nut blank with them, they don't cut very well.
Thanks. I will look into that for sure!
Welding tip cleaners? What gauge are those? I've seen some saw blades that are like 0.14 so they might be fine for starting slots, but otherwise my go-to for wound string slots is a popsicle stick with a piece of string superglued on one edge: I can have even more gauges than nut files!
The stewmac nut files are a little pricey, but they do work extremely well.
This is why I watch you tube, Jonny took his time and used good sense. Thanks.
Mr. Kinkead, you remind me of my grandfather who I miss dearly. Your patience, depth of knowledge, attention to detail, and teachers heart are a treasure as well as an example of the best of the human spirit. My granddad Luther Wallis and you sir are of a class of few. Thank you for a wonderful hour. All the best to you sir.
Hey Dan! Fender makes a little stiff spring to go in the vibrato arm hole....it will take up any slop that you still may have, works GREAT! You don't nescessarily have to screw the arm in as far either. Be careful if you take the arm out after, the spring can fall out if the guitar is turned over. Also...could you ask Jonny if he ever uses a notched straight edge to check neck straightness? Cool video! Learned lots of tricks! Thanks!
Go to 18:05 for a great drum sample
Once again I am astounded at the attention to detail and the conscientious way in which Mr. Jonny handles his business. He's an astounding teacher and extremely interesting. Thank you guys for sharing some more of his work with us.
Brilliant stuff. Great knowledge but interesting the difference with others who'll have all these precise measurements for action, relief, nut height etc. I go with Jonny that each guitar has its own personal ideal set up. The measures help towards it but feel and sound is the important measures really
Over time, I am sure the senses become trained and attuned. For me, I will probably measure a bit more so that I have a baseline.
The measurements are a sure fire way of making your guitars feel consistent. I set strats up with 10'000 inch relief between the 7-9 fret and I play hard so have 1.5-2mm or 4-6 64ths string hight. I play with 10s so I can pick up a Strat and play another of my strats and they both feel consistent in how they play.
If you only have 1 guitar or want each guitar set up for depending on how you want that to feel then you start with the measurement as a starting point then tweak up or down as needed. For me I know if I broke a string when I was gigging I could pick up a backup Strat and not miss a single note because the action and truss rod was not all different
I always start with a measurement of relief and action. But I still vary that, i.e. 7.25" radius, more relief and higher action than a 9. 5" or 12" radius. But I always normally end up just tweaking for feel at the end.
The sustainer is so cool. I wasn't sold on that thing until I heard Dan playing it unplugged and you could hear is sustaining acoustically. Now I want one.Dan I love your playing, you always inspire me to pick up my guitar and have a shwang. Thanks for another great video.
Ah, that’s very kind, thanks so much :)
Best TPS video EVER!
It's like watching a skilled craftsman from an almost forgotten era. The people of the future will probably call this wizardry. He does what he does so we can do what we do and the masses should rejoice. They probably won't, but that's okay. Alchemy wasn't understood back then either. Artistry still lives!
I’m watching this again today🤦🏼♂️. That luthier is incredible!