The Fret Files
Episodes
Ep 113 – Q&A
01 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions concerning Tom Bukovac, Ibanez lawsuit era quality, touching up the finish on a Parker Fly, straighte...
Ep 112 – Q&A
15 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions concerning potentiometers, undersaddle pickups, are the frets really in the “wrong place”...
Ep 111 – Q&A
01 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions concerning 335 wiring problems, string trees, rusty polepieces, paulownia, shaped neck joint heels, a...
Ep 110 – Q&A
15 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions concerning a stripped truss rod nut, pickup polarity, when to use sealer in the painting process, bas...
Ep 109 – Q&A
01 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa talk Gibson lawsuits, bakelite vs. garrolite, left handed guitar parts, matching the copper on a vintage Danelectro ...
Ep 108 – Q&A
15 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa talk price increases at Reverb.com and the missing 1959 Gibson Ledger. Questions are taken regarding Wilkinson roll...
Ep 107 – Q&A
01 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa talk price increases, a 1961 Custom Telecaster for sale, and a great youtube channel called “Rescue and Restor...
Ep 106 – Q&A
15 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions regarding Fiesta Red, Eric Johnson, James Cotton, Jack White, 1950’s Telecasters, and more. To...
Ep 105 – Q&A
01 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions regarding Washburn guitars, rewiring a 335, lacquering over headstock decals, touching up paint, into...
Ep 104 – Q&A
15 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions regarding fret removal, fret crowning tools, microphonic pickups, residue removal, and ‘overdoi...
Ep 103 – Q&A
01 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa talk guitar news and then answer questions about Alnico magnets, pickup phase and hum cancelling, refretting, coffee...
Ep 102 – Q&A
15 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa answer questions about string gauge, Danelectro volume and tone controls, how often to oil your rosewood fingerboard...
Ep 101 – Q&A
01 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa answer questions about how to get started in a guitar repair career, guitar wiring, tune-o-matic post spacing, refre...
Ep 100 – Q&A
15 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa answer questions about tune-o-matic bridges, guitar straps, fingerboard inlays on a Harmony Meteor, how long does it...
Ep 99 – Q&A
01 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa answer questions about ebony fingerboards, fake ebony fingerboards, warped fingerboards, reverse headstocks, Danelec...
Ep 98 – Dave Staudte
15 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric interviews veteran luthier, guitar repair guru, and Taylor Guitars employee Dave Staudte from San Diego, Ca. Eric and Dave talk...
Ep 97 – Q&A
01 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa answer emails with questions about pickup polarity and “phase,” rewiring the electronics in an archtop, ...
Ep 96 – Q&A
15 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa answer emails with questions about removing fingerboards, polishing nickel hardware, removing minor scratches, Eric&...
Ep 95 – Q&A
15 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa answer calls and emails with questions about refretting maple Fender necks, relic’ing modern guitars, how to r...
Ep 94 – Q&A
01 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa do a little guitar news, and then answer questions about Les Paul wiring, installing side dots, using double sided t...
Ep 93 – Q&A
15 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa answer questions about how to properly pack a guitar for shipping, what to do about finish cracks, how to optimize y...
Ep 92 – Horror Stories
31 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take a few questions (like what causes figuring in maple) and read submitted Guitar Horror Stories. Enjoy! To par...
Ep 91 – Q&A
15 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about Martin vs. Taylor neck joints, finishing with shellac, unoriented alnico magnets, helping a ...
Ep 90 – Q&A
01 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa talk about pore filling, getting the wax off of pickups, binding repair, Supro guitars, special taper pots and more...
Ep 89 – Q&A
15 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa talk about weak high strings and what could be causing that, fretwork, tone pot circuits, warped cheap 12 string gui...
Ep 88 – Q&A and amp kits
01 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and his buddy Nat talk about the amp kits they built together. The kit in question was the Trinity Amps “Triton” mo...
Ep 87 – Q&A
15 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa talk LCR meters, tube amp kits, and take questions from listeners about chambered bodies, truss rods, gluing down lo...
Ep 86 – Q&A
01 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa do a little guitar news, and then answer questions about Jazzmasters, pickguards, oil for fingerboards, tone capacit...
Ep 85 – Q&A
15 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa talk slab vs veneer Fender rosewood fingerboards in a follow up to last episode. Then they take questions from lis...
Ep 84 – Q&A and News
01 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa talk guitar news, namely the David Gilmour guitar auction. Then they take questions from listeners about guitar fin...
Ep 83 – Q&A
15 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about P-90 polepiece spacing, winding Strat pickups, borescopes, picks, and Kay “...
Ep 82 – Q&A
01 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about hiking with a guitar, potentiometer values, intonation on a National resonator, ...
Ep 81 – Q&A
15 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about truss rods, Taylor acoustic guitar setups, out of phase pickpus, pinning archtop...
Ep 80 – Q&A
02 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about guitar humidification, Tele bridge pickups, Baritones vs. the Bass VI, gluing in...
Ep 79 – Q&A
15 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about glossy finishes, ground wires, stainless steel frets, and lots of follow up abou...
Ep 78 – Q&A
01 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about moldy guitars, pickup resistance, painting guitars, guitar polish, adding a pic...
Ep 77 – Q&A
15 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about finishing maple fingerboards, shop lighting, humbuckers, slanted nut slots, hid...
Ep 76 – Q&A
01 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about Alnico II magnets, spraying lacquer on necks, fixing a volume pot taper issue, r...
Ep 75 – Q&A
14 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about tailpiece ground issues, pickup wiring, neck resets, zero frets, Jazzmasters, r...
Ep 74 – Q&A
01 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about impedence, filling dings, how to store your guitar, re radiusing necks, how to...
Ep 73 – Q&A
15 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about ‘partscasters,’ stuck truss rods, Asian import neck resets, tone ci...
Ep 72 – Q&A
15 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about Richlite, crack repair, gluing fingerboards, replacing pots, wet sanding, and le...
Ep 71 – Henry Cooper
01 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric interviews blues guitarist Henry Cooper. Eric and Henry talk about how to get your own tone, and discuss Henry’s path to...
Ep 70 – Q&A
15 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa read Eric’s list of “Things Not To Say To Your Luthier.” Then they take questions about Gretsch ...
Ep 69 – Horror Stories!
31 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about pot resistance, fret buzz, tuning noises, and more. The second half of the show is the annual...
Ep 68 – Q&A
15 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa read “the top pet peeves of guitar technicians, and then take questions from listeners concerning Z pickups, f...
Ep 67 – Q&A
01 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners concerning microphonic pickups, vintage guitar modification ethics, removing marker fr...
Ep 66 – Todd Lunneborg
15 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric chats with Todd Lunneborg of TL Guitars about road teching for major touring bands and what the job entails. We also chat abou...
Ep 65 – Q&A
01 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa announce some merch available… namely stickers. Get them at pinupcustomguitars.com. Then come the question...
Ep 64 – Q&A
15 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa do a bit of guitar news about George Harrison’s Maton MS-500, and then take questions about truss rods and sku...
Ep 63 – Q&A
01 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about waterslide decals, truss rods, fixing a warped top on an old Kay acoustic, neck resets, and mor...
Ep 62 – Q&A
15 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about pao ferro vs. rosewood, bakelite pickguards, left-handed pots, refretting a Gibson with ‘...
Ep 61 – Q&A
15 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa talk about how to get different tones without pedals, and then take questions about electric guitar pickups, filling...
Ep 60 – Q&A
01 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about truss rod adjustments, restringing, removing finishes, removing frets, and a discussion about j...
Ep 59 – Q&A
15 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about pickups, rosewood, and custom guitars. To participate in the show, you can leave a message with...
Ep 58 – Scott Freilich
01 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric does some news, takes a call, and then an interview with Scott Freilich about repairing warped necks with a heat press/neck stra...
Ep 57- Q&A
13 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about capacitors, machine screw neck inserts, strat tremolos, headstock cracks, water ...
Ep 56 – Q&A
15 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about stripped pickguard screw holes, 60 cycle hum, lacquer checking, Harmony and Kay ...
Ep 55 – Q&A
01 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about nut slots, quartersawn necks, fret leveling with nibs, scoring the underside of ...
Ep 54 – Q&A
15 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about headstock shapes, installing nuts, tapered reamers, blocking Stratocaster trem...
Ep 53 – Q&A
01 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about breaking out into your own busines, truss rods, fret arbors, saving a vintage 30...
Ep 52 – Q&A
11 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about ‘fret dust,’ pickup winding direction, Coodercasters, Supro lap stee...
Ep 51 – Q&A
14 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about roasting your own neck, cutting fret slots, guitar wiring guidance, cutting nut ...
Ep 50 – Q&A
07 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about fret ends, Les Paul wiring, rub-on stain, and Dearmond pickups. To participate i...
Ep 49 – Q&A
30 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa talk guitar news, and take questions from listeners about frets, washers, neck resets, and left handed pickups. To p...
Ep 48 – Neal Brown
16 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric interviews Neal Brown, inventor of the Seattle Super Switch. It is an 8 position switch for 3 pickup guitars. Eric and Neal ...
Ep 47 – Q&A
09 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about finish cracks on a Martin, intonation problems, capacitors, and Falcate bracing ...
Ep 46 – Q&A
02 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about guitar wall hangers, guitar repair books, how to get “that tone,” an...
Ep 45 – Horror Stories!
26 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, GUITAR HORROR STORIES! Also, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about using raw bone from the butcher, shipping a guita...
Ep 44 – Mark Arnquist
19 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric interviews guitar repair guru and former Rickenbacker employee Mark Arnquist. To participate in the show, you can leave a messag...
Ep 43 – Q&A
12 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions from listeners about conversion necks, open tunings, luthier conferences, compound radius setups, and...
Ep 42 – Dale Fortune
05 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric interviews luthier, repairman, and former Rickenbacker employee Dale Fortune. To participate in the show, you can leave a messag...
Ep 41 – “0le Fuzzy”
28 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric does a little Guitar News and then interviews A. D. Barron, AKA “0le Fuzzy,” the Telecaster collector and enthusiast...
Ep 40 – Q&A
21 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about guitarist neurosis, bass setup tips, pickup winding, fighting feedback on acoustic pickups, coi...
Ep 39 – Chelsea Clark
14 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric interviews Chelsea Clark of “Guitars and Caffeine” based in Los Angeles, California. We talk about her backstory, ...
Ep 38 – Guitar News and Q&A
30 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa discuss some guitar news, mainly the passing of Eric Danheim of Big Tex Guitars. Questions include a host of electro...
Ep 37 – Guitar News and Q&A
01 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa discuss some guitar news, mainly the passing of Bill Collings. Questions include the new CITES rosewood laws, metal ...
Ep 36 – Guitar News and Q&A
02 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa discuss some guitar news, mainly this USA today article about an Elvis guitar, and the Washington Post article about...
Ep 35 – Q&A and Headstock Mysteries
31 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about no-load potentiometers, left handed bracing on acoustic guitars, headstock mysteries, and how t...
Ep 34 – Q&A and Moving to Idaho!
28 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about “CE” markings, neck resets, eBay feedback ratings, and more. Also, they talk about their BI...
Ep 33 – Q&A and Shrinking Tuner Buttons
01 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about shrinking plastic tuner buttons, acoustic guitar bridge glueing methods, lowering the action on...
Ep 32 – Q&A and Shop Safety
27 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions and talk about yellowing finishes, working with bone, pickup polarity, acoustic guitar pickups, shop ...
Ep 31 – Q&A and Fret Sprout
30 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about fret sprout, how to store loose pickups, getting stuck metal parts unstuck, torrefied tone wood...
Ep 30 – Q&A and Xmas
21 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about slotted headstocks, alnico magnet strength, Takamine guitars, Paulownia wood, and also discuss ...
Ep 29 – Q&A and Lipstick Pickup Showdown
22 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about pickups galore, humidifiers, fretwork and intonation. At the end of the episode is a great Dane...
Ep 28 – Q&A and Horror Stories
21 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about beveled pickup polepieces, warped necks, pickup winding, setting intonation and read GUITAR HOR...
Ep 27 – Q&A and Customer Relations
02 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa talk about dealing with problems between customers and repair specialists, strobe tuners, hard wired tone roll offs,...
Ep 26 – Q&A and Mark Tossman
31 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa talk about neck resets, linear vs. audio taper pots, sustain loss during a refret, and more. The second half of the ...
Ep 25 – Q&A and Headstock Breaks
02 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa talk about headstock crack paint touch-ups, pickup winders, advice for the diy refinisher, short scale Fender guitar...
Ep 24 – Q&A and Rusty Polepieces
01 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa talk about capo tuning problems, neck shims, router humps, zero frets, why pickups go bad, and why Eric no longer ta...
Ep 23 – Q&A and News Follow Up
25 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa follow up on a news story from last month, talk guitar wiring, slotted headstocks, bone nuts and more. To participat...
Ep 22 – Guitar News and Q&A
02 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa bring back an old segment… Guitar News! They also field questions about guitar pickup phase and hum cancelling pro...
Ep 21 – Q&A and Jason Verlinde
23 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa field questions about favorite guitar books, filling fingerboard divots in ebony, the pros and cons of jumbo frets, ...
Ep 20 – Q&A and Bridge Pins
19 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa field questions about resources for learning, acoustic guitar bridge pins, the effect of a broken headstock on a Gib...
Ep 19 – Q&A and Setup Tips
20 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa field questions about top loader tele bridges, how to keep CA glue from drying out in the nozzle, how to set up a gu...
Ep 18 – Q&A and Bizarre Pickups
01 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa field questions about sealing the inside of acoustic guitars, how to find a loose brace, neck shims, body cracks, an...
Ep 17 – Q&A and Horror Stories
26 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In this special Halloween episode, Eric and Melissa share Guitar Repair Horror Stories from listeners. There are also tech questions about pine guitar...
Ep 16 – Q&A and Neck Heaters
27 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about how to correct a warped neck, will a refret change the feel of my favorite guitar, what is the ...
Ep 15 – Q&A and Gibson/Fender Discussion
26 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about Telecaster input jack cups, scale length’s effect on tone and pickups, soldering irons, synth...
Ep 14 – Q&A and Harmony Truss Rods
22 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric and Melissa take questions about why Fender bridge pickups are slanted, why Gibson stopped doing the volute, how to properly shi...