Make Your CHEAP Guitar Play Like a MILLION Bucks!
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- Time to pull that old beater out of its case and give it a good setup!
In today's video I go step-by-step to show how I set up my guitars so that they play like a high-end instrument!
If you enjoyed this video, be sure to like and subscribe :)
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Now try making a million bucks sound like a guitar
Thats easy, just buy a line 6 spider III amp and shoot it with a 12g
Give it to me I can make you a guitar
Hai rudy sensei
It's you... again 😂
Easy. Build a guitar with 1m in rare materials like diamonds and platinum etc. OR take 1m in currency and some resin and cast it for the body. Next challenge!
Just bought a cheap Glarry electric that I want to teach myself on... this is the first video I have watched that hasn't assumed I am an expert (even on beginner titled videos) or just consisted of some dude playing riffs over and over again. Thank you for being accessible to all levels and helping me feel a bit less helpless!
I went and got a Glarry just to see if a cheap guitar could be modded into a descent guitar. I just ordered #10. These things are amazing and can get 10 of em for the price of a MIM Strat. Sand of the Glarry and get a decal off ebay, whala it's a Fender 67 Strat that your nieve friends won't believe you own! Here's to Glarry! ~Cheers!
I just bought a Cozart of of Ebay which will arrive next week and I'll begin my guitar journey with it. Good luck on your journey. Hopefully you're still practicing!
@@andrewyoung9516 I had COZARTS when they first emerged. They are made in VietNam and now the IYV guitars are as well, cheap to buy, and are rather nice!
How's the playing coming along?
There’s already to many people playing guitar. Do something else. You’re just gonna end up fantasizing that you’re some rockstar anyways . You’re going to be driving down Street sounds going to come on and you’re going to Act like it’s you playing to a large crowd of people. Just stick to watching TV. It doesn’t look cool playing guitar with short hair.
This was worth watching just for the water freezing thing!
Freezeworks!
i used to watch you years ago playing bo2 zombies
I was looking for a guutar case on Amazon. I ran across a telecaster style guitar by sawtooth. 159.00 out the door. I figured what the heck, decent case with a 59.00 guitar. So I bought a new nut from graphtech, new tuners wilkensons, roller string trees, roller saddles, alnico pickups with western flower engraving bridge and control panel, which all came with 3 contact switch, alnico 5 pups, and large pots, and a new scratch gaurd perloid, along with nice leather strap. Everything cost 114.00 and the guitar went from blah to holy crap, in playing and looks. This is my second cheap guitar build up. Thanks to videos like this one really make it possible. I have two wonderfully playing guitars, all for half the cost of a MIM guitar all done in about 10 hours of work and a very small upgrade price. Thanks videos like these give so much info and joy to watch and put into practice.
I've never pain more than $129 for SKB or Gator cases off Amazon. One is a TSA approved Flight case for my 57 P bass. Good deals if you look for them. GC charges more for crap.
Dude, make another and a video. Sawtooth is Michael Angelo Baito,?
I want you to be teacher for everything, not just guitars. So calm, straightforward, and well-spoken. Thanks for the vid
All these years I never realised the additional role of the string tree - to stop the Sitar buzz. Thanks man - now my guitar no longer sounds like a Sitar with a silent H ;-)
"nut slot" sounds like an insult.
sounds painful
I'm going to hang onto that one.
@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 please don’t hang on to my nut slot
Sounds like something you’d say to degrade a gay bottom or a straight woman
You can just imagine the trailerpark scene:
Him: "I'm going out for a beer."
Her: You better not go to that nut slot again!"
Fantastic advice. Took the fear out of adjusting my cheap guitar. The volume and sound are so much improved. Thank you Darrell.
Fear of adjusting sounds like you may have a religious background. 😢 hope you have moved away from that mental block 🚫
@@less2worryaboutreligous background? What? Seems like he was just scared of ruining his guitar lmfao
Art: Wouldn't knock anyone for trying to pass on knowledge to anyone, but wow what a superb basic instructional video set up for the guitar. So simply explained and got all the content across. The intonation where I have struggled to get in the past went straight in.( maybe i'm a bit thick).
I know a few tuition videos are out there which I may not have seen and are good, but I really enjoyed this and what a nice gent. Look forward to seeing more.
Thanks Darrell. You’re an amazing teacher & presenter. One of the best guitar channels around. Subscribed!
Darrell Braun
Thank you for a thorough,calm demonstration. I wish I knew this at 11 or 15.
This is an awesome video not just for cheap guitars, but any guitar you get out of a box or whatever. As a kid I just didn't understand why the action or tuning was never quite right, this information just wasn't accessible - this video & your fun presentation helped me a lot and I realized what was not setup right with my Strat back in the 90s.
Building a kit taught me SO much about guitars. Everyone really should do it
Go to Warmoth and get better parts than a kit.
I just bought a cheap Harley Benton "T-Style guitar kit" just to have something to test new stuff on.
Turns out it's an amazing guitar! Sure, the electronics are cheap and it needs a bit of adjustment but I'm floored by how good it is :D
This should be compulsory for all guitar students everywhere! Awesome job, thanks!
No doubt!
About 7-8 months ago I decided to pick the guitar back up again, with that being said this video was one of the first ones I watched regarding maintenance, great video and thank you 🤙
Thanks for the video! I still have my first electric from over 10 years ago, a squier strat in sunburst. I didn’t want to get rid of it, but of course never played it. I saw a mix of your videos on updating cheap guitars along with this video and fell in love with it all over again! I rounded the neck better, bought vintage style locking tuners, Tex-mex pickups, upgraded wiring and pots, bone nut, string tree, and gave it a good set-up. Then exaggerated the already many dings and scratches found on any old high-school kids guitar (some relic) and BAM! It has new life! I had sanded off the squier logo back then so I also added some cheeky 60s style American strat waterslide decals. It looks and plays better than some of the high-ends if owned. Incredible! Considering shielding the body and upgrading tremolo next.
I’ve got to say it’s great that there are guys like you sharing these set up
Tips!!! I was quite intimidated when I first started setting up my guitars...wish we would have had RUclips when I started....
Bro because of this video i fixed my guitar yoour a life saver
Hands down the best guitar tutorial on RUclips by far. I was so discouraged when I saw the prices of some of my dream guitars, it wasn't about the brand so much as the sound. I got a cheap guitar a while back and could never understand why it always gave me such a headache! I trashed it for various reasons, now i am off to buy another one with a new found hope. I love the hands on DIY factor, gives me the chance to connect with my gear. Thanks dude, you rock!
That string tree one is very helpful
Hey, I think I did something wrong.
I flossed my nuts with guitar strings, but I got wheeled off in a padded ambulance. Any solutions!
Get lighter gauge strings
nativeboi907 thanks, appreciate it. They tasted really good, but I’m in an even tighter secured cell now. I have to drink my own piss
Did you try doing it in public? That way other people might be able to help.
Had it been an ordinary ambulance I would just have said "wrong nuts", obviously! Being a padded one, maybe next time you just shouldn't tell everyone near you about your venture......they just don't understand your urge to obtain perfectly smooth nuts.....LOL!
Chris Cross thanks, I appreciate it 👌
I can't leave this video without put an amazing like for an amazing work Thank you for all the details
I just got my fender strat. Now i know what to do with it. Thank you sir. You've always been on my top 5 channels.
Intonation adjustments should be done after checking pickup height since the magnet can pull the string toward it if it's too high. Also, with the guitar laying on it's back gravity can have an effect on the neck and strings giving a a slightly different tuning reading :)
I have absolutely no idea why I watched this. I don't play guitar, have never played and have no real interest to start playing. But I still found it interesting.
Believe me, you never get back when you start playing it
go listen to your favorite song with guitar in it. That song you air guitar too. Imagine air guitar.. only YOUR making the sound.. and it feels 10,000 times better.
@@cdreid9999 accurate underrated reply
Me too!
Username checks out
I bought a china fender strat clone and upgraded it. I managed to find a complete pick guard with all of the electronics from a 2020 fender strat squire for $20 on eBay, and a complete set of fender tuning machines for $35 on eBay. Couple that with finding a 65 watt Peavy Express 112 amp with transtube for $150, it sounds really good, but there's a couple of pedals I still need to get the sound I want out of it.
I wouldn't have done the upgrades myself if I hadn't watched your video first.
Sounds like a Winner, good deal 😎
This video should be on disk with every guitar pulled out of the box or store. Absolutely amazing teaching skills here Bro. I know what I'm doing tomorrow.
Even a small "link" to get to this video would be great . . . could easily be printed on included propaganda or on the shipping box
Absolutely fantastic video. Actually showed and explained things instead of just showing off playing skills. I am surprised though that you didn't include shielding.
Low budget guitars are good as you see in this video not everybody can afford high end guitars most of us go according our wallets video's like this are awesome thanks for sharing
Old video but finally got my old purple squier strat set up properly for the first time in the 20ish years I've owned it. What a difference! I always just played my schecter because it came with a good setup but now I almost prefer the strat. The neck was backbowed a TON! The guy that owned it before me stripped a few screws out so I assume he just tightened it all the way. The action was set high enough to mitigate the fret buzz lol. This video along with a few others really helped me get it done with no drama. Better tone and easier to play for a couple hours (it was my first time) of time.
This really is the sort of thing a good guitar teacher should cover day 1, lesson 1. Great explanation :-)
Your videos are worth a million bucks! Thanks for all your teachings. ❤
I can make my cheap guitar sound even cheaper
Blah blah blah blah blah blah
@@davidledford3522 huh?
Me too!
All you have to do Is sma-
what I do is remove all strings and put it in my hot garage for 2 years then before I jam I spritz it with water and this part is important only plug your instrument jack in half way then you will sound exactly like nickelback
Your channel is the best at myth busting and good tips for maintaining of the guitar. I know a lot of it, but I've never really gotten to grips with it. It has usually been a trip to service.
Good hints to any beginner and also for a little bit advanced too...thanks for clear explanation.
I've been playing guitar since 1993 and even I learned something from this video! Great job!! Thank you very much ☺️
This was such a great video! You took a complex topic and made it so simple to understand and work through. Thank you!
I'm in Canada as well, Toronto to be exact.. I have feeling ur from Alberta with temps that cold bro. Shred on luv ur vids
Dude I love your videos I love the way you explain stuff very soothing and knowledgeable
Such a great vid. I think some of this is great to experiment as a beginner, but even on a $300 guitar, a professional setup would still be worthwhile, imo.
Your nut files are just Torch tip files from any local metals and welding supplies store
wtf is a metal welding store. never seen or heard of such a thing
Tom Bombadil fixed it , read it again
@@tombombadil9113 ....go to Harbor Freight, Tractor Supply, Grangers any of the big box builder's stores or your local welding supply....they all have them.....me, I go out to my shop and open the rollaway.
If you think about it, that just makes the process more... Metal
Same car windscreen (windshield) washer nozzle cleaners too😎
My old guitar had some buzzing frets, so I took them off, and now my guitar has a fairly unique sound
YOU LIVE IN CNADA!
Oh, my Goddess. I finally got my workbench stand and new tuner so it was time for me to get to work on my Squire Strat. Just using my nut "files" and a pencil helped my turning issues a lot, and I removed both string trees to lose the zither sound. Holy crap! My intention is already 90% better! I need to check my radius and saddle length, but I'm already loving how much better she sounds! Thanks for the great tips!
I'll be needing someone to send me a million dollars so I can do a proper comparison.
The reason my guitar is always out of tune is because my kids won't stop messing with it.
learn them how to tune it then!
@@swisstraeng the one who keeps playing with the tuners us a year and a half old. Otherwise I would teach them.
Enjoy the moment
This was helpful to watch. I want to get another guitar, this time a cheap strat-style one, but I'm worried about fixing it up because I've never really done that before.
Btw those "nut files" are tip cleaning files for an acetetalyne cutting/welding torch
The “nut files” are a set of tip cleaners for an oxy-torch!😂
Had a look on Amazon.. I think we can all guess which costs more. Yep, nut files cost about twice as much as torch cleaner set.
First thing I noticed
So the inexpensive nut file is a torch head cleaner that is generally sold at welding supply stores. At least appears to be the exact same tool
ENDING IS THE BEST PART
Have a $100 acoustic/electric beater, bought it 15 or 20 yrs ago can't remember. It never sounded good. Finally I watched a video, by a guy who used to build them. A viewer said his guitar was sharp, even when it intonated at open & 12th. The guy said "Its your nut, it's not cut right." He gave a formula about a business card for action at 1st fret. Well I lowered the saddle about 1/32" inch, brought the action down to 5/64 at 12th fret,& about 4/64 at high E. It was still sharp, played easier. Finally I said screw it, the thing cost $100 can't even pawn it. I decided to use the old half pencil trick, all the strings were high. I used a razor blade thats .020 thick, to get the 1st fret action down.(lost my feeler gauges). I slowly brought down each string to the .020 from the fret, I used some files I'd just bought. When all the strings were at .020, I tuned the old beater back up, that old guitar came to life, it sounds 1000% better. Sounded so good I decided to level the frets & recrown. The guitar sounds great, it intonates the entire fret board, EVERY string. Wow, I've played over 50 yrs, & never knew a few thousanths could make such a difference. Did the same to a cheap 335 copy I have, that guitar sounds great as well, with same results. Just a little tweeking can make a cheap guitar sound great.(of course my 1992 USA Telecaster doesn t have those problems, never has.(Just tweeked intonation a small amount). Good advice for people. Great video.
I'm having problems with my indio classic being sharp at the 12th fret. Tried adjusting the saddles but that didn't help. You think if I filed my nut down until I had .020 clearance at the first fret would help?
@@iamjsams755 it would. Also you can try an intonated saddle, it may not help. Also remember when filing a nut slot to keep the angle you're cutting at, to the same angle as the head stock. Take it slow. Also you might try to measure the scale. It should be double the distance from nut to 12th fret.(to the middle of the bridge) My beater is to my suprise 25 1/2"(fender scale). However try the easiest things first. Remember it's .020 to the top of the first fret. Little by little. Have you checked you neck for straightness? Do not try to tighten truss rod with string tension (tight to the right). But check that neck as well. In the mid 70s Martin had a lot of guitars that had the bridge too close, sometimes over 1/4". That will involve removing & relocating the bridge. Not a hard job, but it can be time consuming. I recommend you watch Rosa String Works here on You Tube. Jerry has a lot of videos that show you how to do about everything. He's old school, but you learn a lot from watching. Also a guy called the Guitar Doctor, he has a great video about setting up guitars. He's the guy who said "Check your nut, usually if the nut is cut to the proper depth, your whole guitar will intonate." Some times people squeeze the life out of their guitars while depressing frets. I use Reg Gage (10s) Electric strings on my acoustic, I have since the mid 80s, they sound great, & don't have the torque acoustic strings do. Remember when you're filing the nut, do a little at a time, check it then file more if it's needed. Keep the angle the same as the headstock, make sure you've got the right size files too.(I made my slots a couple thousanths wider. It allows the strings to move easier.) When you're checking your filing, put the string back tune it to pitch, while its still ringing slide the feeler gage under the string,over the 1st fret, it should buzz. If it buzzes you're there. Another guy you can watch is Dave's World of Fun Stuff. He is a bit irreverent, but you can learn a lot from him too. Of course there are guitars that are so poorly made, nothing helps, short of a complete overhaul, those are really pricey. Please be careful, watch some videos from the guys I mentioned, first. Good luck.(hopefully you're mechanically inclined, used to using hand tools, etc) Practice 1st if you're not used to using tools.(there's a lot of guys around me that can't even change a flat tire. So my comments aren't meant to insult you. Just so you know) hopefully you've got the proper files needed. A decent set is $110 from Philadelphia Luthiery Supplies, there are,10 files in that set. Good luck, be patient, work slow, use the proper tools.
Forgot to ask, is your Indio an electric or acoustic? If it's electric here's a tip, if your tuner reads sharp the string is too short, move the saddle back, if it's too flat shorten the string. You'll have to detune each time, but it's cheaper than strings. If it's a Classical guitar with a straight (not slanted saddle) filing the nut may be your only hope. Hopefully, this will help. Check out the people I mentioned.
@@bluesingmusic3443 Thanks, your reply is a gold mine of information. I just got a Hosco (made in Japan) nut file set off eBay. It is sized for 10-46 strings. It's cosiderably cheaper than the Stew Mac set or the ones you mentioned. However some people have complained that they cut a "v" shape rather than a round slot. I really couldn't justify 110 for tools to work on a 100$ guitar. I was hoping I could deepen the nuts slots with the Hosco files and then round them out a bit with the appropriate strings (maybe with a fine grit sandpaper wrapped around them). What's your opinion on this approach. Thanks again for all your valuable suggestions.
@@iamjsams755 those are decent files. Dave's World of Fun Stuff calls SM "the evil empire". He uses those. I've heard the Harbor Freight has precision files, but I can't find them, on their website, I may not be using the proper nomenclature. Philadelphia Luthiery Supplies has those files but they're around $75. You sound like you're good to go. Your idea about the sand paper sounds good. Also if you've got a good touch, you can "rock" the file in the slot a little bit to round it out. I bought a set of Needle files, but the ones I got, only 1 file would cut the plastic, I gave them a scathing review of course. You're well on your way, I hope it helps your guitar!
I really learned that I have to work on my facial expressions to get that sound just right.
Those (nut files)are actually a oxy/acetylene tip cleaners,so depending what your music store charges for them you may get them cheaper at welding/hardware/tool supply store.
I wish I had access to this video 20 years ago 🤯
Thank you Darrell
1:00
We LOVE IT HERE!
For a nut file I found my cutting torch tip cleaners worked fantastic.
After I got my new locking tuners to do a full proper setup, I got a cheap Ibanez to learn on, ended up switching to 10s and replacing the tuners (mainly because theirs were cheap feeling and I want chrome) not that I have much skill but I'm sure it be good to have it properly set up to eliminate any future headaches down the road plus just good to know
Nice! I did the same with my Squire...Sounds like a real one now with my Line 6 Spider 75 :)
Hello from Prague, CZ. Thank you for sharing very good and helpful information. I have a problem like the one mentioned in the beginning 0:05 (normally on the B and G strings), but my guitar has a Floyd Rose system ... how can I fix it without damaging the guitar? Thanks a lot!!. Gerardo
You Canadians are like the nicest people. eh? You know what I'm talkin' aboot.
Thanks D for all your great vids.
You made that guitar sound as pretty as it looks, my man!
great job, multipurpose use of a torch tip cleaner
I've been seeing some of your videos and you do seem to know what you are talking about and have good quality advice in here, so I subscribed.
So, that's the mystery of a guitar set-up bursted😁
Hi darrel, great tutorial... Your video makes my indonesian made cheap guitar play n sound very well.... Thanks...
So many great videos and themes! Thanks for the great guides. Do you have a 2023 cheap pickup comparison?
Honestly there needs to be a class, that teaches you how to repair guitars.
Elisa Singh I think guitar stores should at least have a one day workshop on this when someone buys their first guitar.
Luthier classes exist
TokyoBlue I’m assuming that would make it harder for them to sell their overpriced setup packages lol
Stewmac youtube channel would be the closest thing.
@@thatziggs4062 You just watched this one. Dan is trying to sell overpriced tools you will never really need.
"the nut is the most important of all issues" I concur! Be good to your nuts....
Nice video. I think it is important to loosen the strings before tightening the trust rod, so you don't have to fight the tension of the strings.
While the ratio tuners would have put this build over the $100 preset limit, Darrell did put them on a Squire in a different video, so don't think they're wasted on a cheap guitar. Update 9-2022: I've had my Indio for over a year and a half. When it arrived I used the sanding sponge on the fret ends and did the string tree removal/ swap. I put Ratio tuners on my Indio last weekend and added the shielding foil. The neck was straight when it arrived. The bridge adjustment screws on mine were not long like in the video so they must have corrected that.
Hi Daryl the files you show are really cleaning tool for a oxy / acetylene burning torch there used for keeping the nozzle of the torch clean
I'm getting a Epiphone Les Paul SL and it sounds fine but then again it's my first guitar.
Great stuff! Excellent delivery of information & instructions!! Thank you
subbed! getting a cheapie epiphone les Paul I saw at a pawn shop for $75 tomorrow. Guitar is beautiful, just wanna hot rod and learn with it.
There's some of the best information I've ever have been taught on how to tune a guitar I sent it to my great nephew so he can tune his guitar right thank you actually I love your channel but it's so hard to choose a lower end model of some of these guitars did you make them all sound great
Thank you so much! I have one nice guitar, and a butt load of knock offs that need some TLC in a big way! Maybe now I can help them out a little.
Just so much new stuff to learn . TXS for all the info .
Upgraded tuners, and Ernie Ball Super Slinky strings are a major upgrade for play-ability, and tuning stability on a budget guitar.
I had a Kay Les Paul copy as a kid and I blamed that thing for my poor playing!looking back it was a lovely looking instrument and wasn't a bad buy for a beginner.Tbese days I'm rockin a Jackson Dinky which plays much better than the Kay but I still can't play the damn thing well and it cost me over £500 with a hard case !
Wish I had this video 15 years ago when I got my Squire Bullet first guitar. That thing was buzzy
Hey Darrel Braun Guitar what was the very first video you every did on RUclips?
Ever*
If you go to the videos section on his channel, you can sort oldest to newest and the first video he did _on this channel_ will be on top. Dunno if he did videos for other channels before this one.
Wonderful lesson. I have an acoustical and a squire sawtooth that purchased recently. They both need set up. I live in Ohio, USA. I don't have access to the tools that you have. So I just have to find a shop or person locally that can do it. Thanks again for the lesson.
Those nut files you are using are EXACTLY identical to the tip cleaners they use on acet/oxy torches. Same case and everything. and I bet the torch ones are cheaper.
Thanks man, been following this, Def gave me something to work on during these times at home
Great video. I liked all the nut stuff, but you didn't mention the fact that many nuts are very rough, sharp and protrude over the edges. The only guitar I've had that didn't need this, was a Strat deluxe (though another deluxe in the same shop was awful...).
Great video. I play bass and keyboards, but I love this video.
Awesome video dude! SUUUPER helpful! Thanks!
Thx for the great instruction. Really really appriciate it !!!
You did a great job of tuning that cheap guitar up to point of it sounding pretty good .
A thought on the nut files and the sanding block - just because you use very little pressure, doesn't mean you're suddenly polishing instead of sanding, the abrasive particles don't magically become much smaller (which is what you want for polishing) with less pressure. So I doubt the wisdom of using nut files for smoothing out the nut.
Those are for filing nuts, they are for cleaning and filing the contact tip of a MIG welding gun. I mean they work fine for filing nuts, but that's actually what they are.
This is really good info
Take your time and will come easy to you
Just like playing guitar
Im just wasted 23 min watching guitar upgrade that I never gonna do. Still good video for dedicated people
I enjoyed your playing, woke me the hell up!!!!!
Nice video. Some informative maintenance tips.
i am playing for years. where have you been my whole life?
Adjusting the neck with a capo installed, that's a new one.