ML Basses have been voted by NoTreble.com as the “Bass of The Week”. They build amazing instruments in a small local shop with a little help of Graph Tech products! Check the review out…….
After 20 years of work making and repairing stringed instruments, Meaulnes Laberge formed ML Basses to focus on building electric basses. One of his striking instruments is the Volcan, an edgy yet elegant design available in 4- and 5-string configurations.
Featuring bolt-on construction, the Volcan is built with a light maple body, three-piece maple neck and an Indian rosewood fingerboard. An interesting piece of hardware is a thumbguard made of ABS, which is slightly textured and scratch-resistant.
Other hardware on the bass includes a Graph Tech black tusq nut, a Hipshot A-style bridge and Hipshot Y-style tuners.
ML offers a few options for pickups including either Aguilar AG J-70s, EMG DCX/CSX, or EMG TWX sets. The controls are laid out for a pair of Volume knobs and a pair Tone knobs, though you have the option to include Aguilar’s OBP-3 preamp. ML also includes an on/off switch on every bass.
The ML Basses Volcan is hand built to order in Canada and has a base price of $2,575. For more, check out the ML Basses website.
After meeting at the 2012 NAMM show, LSL Instruments and Graph Tech Guitar Labs really seemed to hit it off………. more specifically with our “Head Honcho Jr” Tarina Dunwoodie. They discussed the many different parts we manufacture and how they could be incorporated into their line of instruments. Afterwards they were so impressed with the caliber of parts that we build that the suggestion to make a “Tarina” guitar was brought up, and now a few short months later…………………
The Tarina
Check out more about this cool, California based company
Here at Graph Tech, we get asked all the time “what is the difference between TUSQ & TUSQ XL?” or “What exactly is Fossalite?”
Here is a quick run down on the different type of materials we manufacture and why you would choose one over the other………….
TUSQ: Definitely our premium material, both in performance and market presence. TUSQ is typically used on higher end instruments like Taylor, Martin, Gibson etc. TUSQ produces more harmonics in the mid and upper range of the guitars.
Nubone: Nubone is a derivative of TUSQ. It has a lot of the same tonal characteristics as TUSQ. Like all our materials it is completely consistent from piece to piece and within each piece. NuBone amplifies lower fundamental tones and overall volume of stringed instruments. Nubone is used for lower end instruments typically, like Jay Turser, Mahalo Ukulele, Valencia etc.
Fossalite : Fossalite is our newest material. It is extremely hard and it resistant to UV. Fossalite amplifies the lower and mid harmonics of a guitar and other stringed instruments. Fossalite is the same price as TUSQ and another premium material, just a different sound. Fossalite is used on Larrivee Guitars and Walden Guitars.
Every player has had both the pleasure and pain of using a locking trem at one point or another! If you have ever wanted to change your string gauge or tuning you know how much trouble this can cause. Here is a great setup guide you can use when installing your LB63 bridge for both the String Saver and the ghost version.
Changing strings on your locking tremolo
1. Unlock the three clamps at the nut with the 3mm Allen wrench provided with the guitar or bridge. 2. Set the fine-tuners on the bridge to the middle of there tuning range. 3. Change one string at a time (starting at either E string) by first loosening the string and unclamping it at the saddle with the 3mm Allen wrench. 4. Cut the ball end off the replacement string with a pair of wire cutters. 5. Place the freshly cut string end into the center of the saddle and tighten the clamping screw until it is difficult to turn. 6. Thread the other end of the string under its nut clamp and under the string hold down bar, then to the tuning key and tune the string. [Pull on the string until it is tight around the tuning key and retune.] 7. Repeat 2 thru 5 until all strings are replaced. 8. Check your tuning on all strings once again. 9. Re-clamp the three nut clamps. 10. Check your tuning once again making any adjustments this time with your fine-tuners only.
Tuning your locking tremolo
Tuning your locking bridge is certainly a tricky business when the bridge is floating. This is because the total tension of the strings must balance the total tension of the tremolo springs with the base plate of the bridge parallel to the face of the guitar and with the strings tuned to the desired pitch. So, follow these steps and what I just said will start to make some sense.
1. Loosen the three string clamps at the nut 2. Set your fine tuner screws on the bridge to the middle of their adjustment range. 3. Tune the strings to your desired pitch (this can be drop tuning, open tuning, or standard pitch, the procedure is the same for any tuning) with an electronic tuner starting with the low ‘E’. 4. When you have finished tuning all of the strings, check the tuning on the low ‘E’ again. If the low ‘E’ is now flat, re-tune the strings starting again with the low ‘E’ but this time tune the E, A, D, G, and B strings a little bit sharp, then the high ‘E’ to pitch. If the low ‘E’ is sharp, re-tune as just described only tuning the first five strings a little flat. You must tune the strings a little sharp or flat to get to your tuning because every time you change the tension (or pitch) of one string, the other strings change pitch in the opposite direction. 5. Repeat step 4 until all the strings are at the desired pitch. 6. When the strings are at the desired pitch, check to see if the bridge base plate is sitting parallel with the top surface of the guitar. If the base plate is tilted forward away from the body, you must tighten the tremolo springs tension by turning the spring claw screws clockwise and repeat step 4. If the base plate is tilted back toward the body, you must loosen the tremolo springs tension by turning the spring claw screws counter-clockwise and repeat step 4. [Step 6 only needs to be done on initial set-up of the bridge or if you change to another gauge of strings or change to a different tuning.] 7. When the bridge is sitting parallel to the face of the guitar and the strings are tuned to the desired pitch, re-clamp the three nut clamps and re-tune (if necessary) once again using only the fine tuners. 8. When tuning is complete, check the action of the strings off the neck. If your action is to high or to low, adjust the action with the two rocker screws (bridge pivot screws) using the 3mm Allen wrench. This adjustment will slightly change your tuning. If your fine tuners run out of range you must repeat steps 1 thru 7.
Intonating your locking tremolo
[before intonating your bridge you must tune your guitar using the tuning instructions above]
Check the intonation:
1. Tune all the strings on your guitar to an electronic tuner with all the nut clamps released. 2. Determine if the intonation of the string you wish to change is sharp or flat by chiming the string directly over the 12th and checking the tuning. Then, carefully press the string down to the 12th fret and check the tuning again with the string fretted. If the fretted note is flat when compared to the chimed note, then the saddle must be moved toward the nut until the chimed note and the fretted note match. If the fretted note is sharp when compared to the chimed note the saddle must be moved away from the nut until the chimed and fretted notes match.
To move the saddle:
1. Once you have determined which direction (toward or away from the nut) to move the saddle, loosen the string until it is limp. 2. Loosen the attachment screw holding the saddle to the bridge plate while holding the saddle in place. Move the saddle in the desired direction a small amount (about 1/16in on the first adjustment and your best guess on subsequent adjustments) and re-tighten the screw. [Note: If the saddle will not move forward because it is resting against the attachment screw, you can move the screw to the next hole forward on the bridge plate. This will give you more adjustment range. Also, if you need to move the saddle away from the nut to a position where the attachment screw can no longer clamp the saddle firmly, you can move the screw to the next hole back on the bridge plate.] 3. Re-tune the string and check the intonation again using the procedure outlined above (check the intonation). 4. Repeat this cycle until each string is properly intonated.
When you’re finished with the intonation procedure re-tighten the nut clamps. This will not change your intonation setting.
1. Check to see if the base plate is sitting parallel with the top surface of the guitar. If it seems to be tilted forward, toward the pickups, then you need to tighten the springs and retune the guitar and check the tilt again. If it is tilted back toward the body of the guitar loosen the springs and retune the guitar. Repeat this procedure until the bridge sits level. 2. Make sure the nut is attached securely by tightening the nut attachment screws. This is critical for tuning stability. 3. Make sure the string clamps at the nut and bridge are very tight. 4. Make sure the saddle intonation screws are tight.
If these things have been done correctly and your bridge still does not come back to the proper pitch when using the tremolo the knife-edges may be damaged. To check this you must remove the bridge. You can easily remove the bridge with the strings still clamped in the bridge by removing the tremolo springs. [Be sure to hold on to the bridge when removing the springs.] If you don’t feel comfortable doing this take the guitar to a good guitar repairman. Check the knife-edges. They should not be dull or rounded or chipped.
There truly are thousands of guitar picks to chose from on the market today, here is a great review from Tone Fiend of some of the most popular! Including the new TUSQ picks (shipping soon!)
Check out the audio samples of the most popular types!
Guitar pots are a crucial variable volume control used on almost every guitar and bass on the market. The way a pot increases or decreases a signal can be important to many players. There are 2 main types of pots used in electric guitars.
Audio and linear: Both pots have the same overall resistance, so the tone is the same, how they differ is where they reach the 50% value.
Audio pots will decrease the signal most in the last 50% of the rotation and are used marked with A or Aud (ex. 250KA, A500K, 250 Aud, etc….) This can be used for more of a gradual audio reduction in some cases. Linear Pots will reach 50% of its total resistance in the 50% rotation point and are usually marked with B or Lin (ex. 250KB, B500K, 250K Lin) This will be more of a consistent reduction throughout the entire rotation of the pot.
Guitar Center the largest chain of musical instrument retailers in the world with 223 locations throughout the United States. As a large chain store, Guitar Center, prides itself on having an excellent collection of guitars that you can look at, touch, feel and play.
Not only will you find a good selection of Graph Tech’s most popular nuts and saddles, to upgrade an enhance your guitar in a pinch, you’ll also be able to see a large selection of guitars that already feature Graph Tech products!
The next time you’re perusing the wares at Guitar Center on a lazy Sunday afternoon, see if you can identify which guitars have Graph Tech products. If you pick up a guitar that sounds more amazing than it looks, it might just have Graph Tech gear on it. You can also tell by cling stickers and hang tags on the guitar.
Guitar Center has humble roots, just like Graph Tech. Founded modestly year 1959 in Hollywood CA, they have grown to employ over 10,000 employees and generate over a staggering 1.7 billion dollars of revenue today. For about a year now they have stocked over a dozen Graph Tech products at over 150 of their stores. Not in a DIY mood? Even though Graph Tech products are made for do-it-yourself, we can understand if you want a professional to handle your gear. So you can pick up your Graph Tech upgrade and have it installed here too.
There seems to be a lot of confusion about the pots used in an electric guitar. Why are there different types? What do their values mean? How does all this vary the tone of the instrument?
A guitar sounds the way it does due to many factors, and the pots are no exception. Here is are some things to consider when choosing these ingredients in your “tone recipe”
250K vs 500k: These are by far the most common valued pots available for the passive electric guitar market. Typically guitars with humbuckers use 500k pots and single coil guitars use 250K.A general rule is, higher value pots give the guitar a brighter sound, and lower value pots give the guitar a warmer sound. Humbuckers tend to have a fuller, darker and louder character and are complimented by the use of 500K pots. Single coils on the other hand have a brighter, snappier tone and the 250K pots adds a little more warmth and body. This is acheived because higher value pots put less load on a pickup so treble frequencies aren’t bleed through the pot to the ground, and lost.
Graph Tech uses 250K pots on both the MIDI volume pot (Hexpander system) and Acoustic volume pot (Acousti-phonic system), but you can use a 500K (or even 300K) to further fine tune the sound of your instrument.
Your Hands are Your Living & Your Instrument is Your Life; PrePlay Cares for Them Both
DELTA, B.C., January 19, 2012 – Graph Tech Guitar Labs, the world’s largest manufacturer of premium guitar nuts and saddles is thrilled to announce the “pump action” release of PREPLAY™. PREPLAY is the first product in the new CHOPS line of professional hand care for musicians.
Most seasoned pros know what acidic hands can do to their instrument, hardware and strings. Acid, from sweaty hands can attack an axe and deteriorate a guitar’s finish, shorten string life and eat away at precious hardware. PrePlay is formulated to balance skin pH on contact; thereby neutralizing the acid and protecting the instrument. The lubricating nature of this product also adds slide, glide and comfort feel to the neck.
“We have been working on this project for 18 months to get just the right formulation, specifically for guitar Players. It needed not only the right benefits, clean, condition, pH balance, and fast absorption, it also need to have the right feel once you Played guitar. We are excited to have PrePlay as our flagship product in the Chops hand care line for musicians.” says Graph Tech, President- Dave Dunwoodie.
PREPLAY contains natural ingredients and oil extracts including sandalwood, lemongrass, black tea, mallow, clove, Irish moss, rosemary and chamomile. No nasty chemical smells either. PrePlay has a fresh, clean citrus smell.
Using PrePlay is easy. Pump once, rub in and Play. It’s fast absorbing and non greasy. PrePlay has never been tested on animals but it has definitely been tested on some guitar monsters. PrePlay comes in a 30ml pump action bottle that contains up to 200 uses.
Suggested retail price is $19.95 or about 10¢ per application.
PrePlay will be available in music stores worldwide MARCH 2012.
About Graph Tech Guitar Labs
Founded in 1983 by President Dave Dunwoodie, Graph Tech Guitar Labs manufactures more guitar nuts and saddles than any other company in the world. Focused on innovations to improve guitar tone and vibration for optimal performance, Graph Tech is the maker of TUSQ® and Black TUSQ® XL man-made ivory, String Saver™ saddles, String Saver™ Classics steel saddles, ResoMax™ Harmonic Bridge System and ghost® Modular Pickup Systems. The world’s leading retailers, luthiers, and guitar manufacturers choose Graph Tech products including: Carvin, Fender, Gibson, Godin, Hagstrom, Ibanez, Jay Turser, Lag, Larrivee, Martin Guitars, Peavey, Samick, Schecter, Taylor Guitars, and Yamaha Custom Shop.
For more information about this topic or to schedule an interview with Dave Dunwoodie, please contact Joe Markovitch at 604-940-5353 ext 32 or email joe@graphtech.com.
DELTA, B.C., January 19, 2012 – Graph Tech Guitar Labs, the world’s largest guitar nut and saddle manufacturer is excited to announce the launch of their much anticipated product, TUSQ Picks at NAMM 2012.
“Guitarists understand that every component of a guitar that is chosen brings out certain characteristics, from the wood, to the frets, to the nuts and saddles and the strings, creating their sound and their tone. Picks are an important link in the tone and how you actually play, ” says Dave Dunwoodie, President, Graph Tech. There are not a lot of times something comes along in a pick that is truly different, but this is one of those times. The tone, the feel, stiffness, the weight, the thinness, the articulation is unlike anything out on the market now. It is truly something you just have to try,” says Dunwoodie.
Harmonically rich, lightweight and durable, TUSQ picks generate great tone and extend the subtle nuances in picking styles and attack.
“We’ve had guitar manufacturers, artists and fans ask us for years when we would design and produce a TUSQ pick. Even with the number of large R&D projects happening at the Graph Tech, we knew this was something that was not only logical in the evolution and development of our brand, but more importantly, something that our customers really wanted to see happen,” says Dunwoodie.
As with all TUSQ products, you can hear harmonic possibilities by dropping a TUSQ pick on a hard surface and producing the discernable ‘tinkle’ of a trusted TUSQ man-made ivory product.
The initial launch of TUSQ picks at the winter NAMM show will have three flexes available and available in packs of 6 with more sizes to come.
About Graph Tech Guitar Labs
Founded in 1983 by President Dave Dunwoodie, Graph Tech Guitar Labs manufactures more guitar nuts and saddles than any other company in the world. Focused on innovations to improve guitar tone and vibration for optimal performance, Graph Tech is the maker of TUSQ® and Black TUSQ® XL man-made ivory, String Saver™ saddles, String Saver™ Classics steel saddles, ResoMax™ Harmonic Bridge System and ghost® Modular Pickup Systems. The world’s leading retailers, luthiers, and guitar manufacturers choose Graph Tech products including: Carvin, Fender, Gibson, Godin, Hagstrom, Ibanez, Jay Turser, Lag, Larrivee, Martin Guitars, Ovation, Peavey, Samick, Schecter, Taylor Guitars, and Yamaha Custom Shop. For more information, visit www.graphtech.com or call 604-940-5353.
