September 17th, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Saturday Night Bonus Jam “Point Of Contact”

Chapters
00:00 - Playing the chopper


Notes
Hello friends…a while back my dear dear friend sweet Greggy Voros gifted me a wonderful old 54 Esquire chopper that i have been slowly but surely trying to turn into the monster that i absolutely know it can be.

From the start this guitar had a hell of a lot going for it (super lightweight and the neck is to die for) but it had a long way to go. It started with refretting, then trying to find the right pickups…i ended up finding some great pickups, an original bridge pickup from a 1960 tele custom was a nice addition.

The original bridge saddles were driving me insane, so i just had my dear old friend Phil Crabtree install a set of Callaham compensated steel saddles. I picked it up from him today, Philly works alongside Tom Murphy at the Gibson custom shop. He is one of the sweetest kindest souls that has ever walked this earth. Thats him pictured at the end of this video.

Lord did these saddles help a lot…a MAJOR step in the right direction. The intonation is sooo good now, the string spacing is perfect, and the thing is just ringing beautifully acoustically, great sustain.

I swear the older i get i am focusing more and more on what i have always called the “point of contact” in guitars.

The purity and trueness of the way fretted and open notes pop out of a guitar, whether its electric or acoustic. The way the notes ring and sustain without an amp.

It’s the first thing i look at when i am checking out any guitar I haven’t seen before. It’s amazing how many guitars there are out there, even “high end” instruments, that just have terrible “point of contact”.

Strangled sounding dead notes all over the guitar, which could be caused by many things….a shitty bridge, bad fretwork, a fingerboard that is separating slightly from the neck, a pinched nut slot, and the worst offender, just plain dead wood.

August 26th, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “How To Put A String On A Guitar”

Chapters
00:00 - How to string a guitar


Notes
Well kids, i said i was done with all this horseshit, but then THIS comment came in on the “boys in the back room” video.

“Show us how it’s done then. Lots of talk no walk”

Ok f**kface here ya go…

August 25th, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “The Boys In The Back Room”

Chapters
00:00 - Locking strings...just don't


Notes
Hey kids…the whole “right way to put strings on a guitar” thing has been a hot topic of debate on the Homeskoolin’ channel.

I thought i would run it by the boys in the back room of the repair department of the most venerable, respected vintage guitar shop in North America…Gruhn Guitars in Nashville tn….here's what they said…thought you guys might find it interesting. starring....

1) Greg Voros
2) Tony Nagy
3) Lin Crowson

May 30th, 2022

Homeskoolin Volume 148, Tom Bukovac, “A Queens Tale” Pt 3

Chapters
00:00 - Goulash story


Notes
Sid from Queens recalls the time when he ate goulash as a kid...also starring sweet Greggy Voros from Queens, making a fine Hungarian meal

March 19th, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “The Last One Holdin’ It”

Chapters
00:00 - Gruhn Guitars Inc.
00:37 - Sprinkler system amp wrap
02:28 - George's overrated guitar? Gibson SG
08:36 - Greg's overrated guitar? Rickenbacker
09:46 - Les Paul and the SG
10:27 - Discovery of old guitars / Michael Bloomfield influence
13:24 - Tony Iommi's weren't Gibsons / Redesigning the SG
15:15 - Bloomfield influence cont.
16:56 - Les Paul
19:10 - Unbelievable guitars
25:10 - "Store's best customer" / Collection / Inspiration
28:41 - What guitar would you love to have?
31:39 - Guitar price "bubble"? / New generation of guitar buyers
36:05 - Heavy Metal / Women buyers / Inflation
38:18 - Guitar is a physical art you can feel, hear, and is alive
41:00 - Optimist vs. pessimist truth
42:42 - "Hot tip" of what is going to be valueable?
43:49 - 70's to present guitars
44:07 - 335 vs. Bursts prices
46:33 - "If there were a guitar...would be buying." / Guitars bought
47:49 - Not vintage guitar?
50:43 - Guitar to turn to crap? / Difficulty in supply / Bolt-on copies / Luthier
53:23 - New instruments from new builders and opinions
54:30 - 2 names of builders that are good?  Hugh Hansen, Paul Newson
57:19 - What are some of the things missing from builders who are missing the point?
61:52 - Best craftsmanship in guitar making?


Notes
Maaaaaaaaaany things to think about…..
Starring:
George Gruhn
Greggy Voros
Joel Watrous
David Kreisel
and some sweet woman who’s name we don’t know (Cheryl)

Filmed on 3/19/22 on location in the infamous break room of the greatest guitar store in the world.

January 28th, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Super Bonus “Passion”

Chapters
00:00 - Guitar setup expertise
00:38 - "3/64ths"
01:01 - "Raised the action"
02:05 - Step 1...
02:49 - Mathematics of frets
03:32 - Playing the Tele
03:58 - Nut slots and action
04:43 - "Choke"
05:25 - Nut and bridge height mathematics
06:18 - Choking, relief, radius
08:11 - Width / Height of frets
09:26 - Steps from here
11:03 - Fender go to steel? '54 / Trivia
14:34 - "Bend the piss out of the high E"
15:18 - Playing it again / Explanation
16:15 - Continue setup
17:25 - Creasing and stretching the strings
19:34 - '60 Tele Custom
20:45 - Tuning with fingers and playing position
23:00 - Playing it fully set up, acoustically / Tuning with chords
25:17 - Fret end dressing
29:45 - "Worst Nightmare?"
32:50 - Back to fret softening / Fret end jewelry
38:10 - Make your own glue
39:00 - Leather stropping block and chrome polish
42:50 - File and gouging the wood
44:09 - Playing it fully polished


Notes
This one is pretty inside friends….
it could be considered long and boring for some, i totally get that.

This one is actually aimed at those of you out there who REALLY wanna know the inside shit on how that last little one percentile of top tier professional guitar set up and guitar physics REALLY works.

Did you ever notice that any time you see a person doing anything at the highest level it could ever possibly be done at, there is one common denominator you will find every time…..PASSION…..

I mean TRUE passion and a deep love of the craft. There is also deep respect for doing things the RIGHT way.

Greg Voros, head of the repair department at Gruhn Guitars in Nashville…the boy is a true artist, and a dear dear friend of your drunk old uncle….i cannot tell you how much i respect this dude…this video should give you a real good idea why.

Greg is joined about halfway through this video by Lin Crowson….another Gruhns employee who has freakish expert level knowledge of authenticating and repairing old guitars.

Hope you enjoy folks.