Parts Guitar and bass parts are a very important subject and can easily take up an entire chapter. I have tried many different parts from bridges to machine heads and every part in between. Basically if the designer of the part is around he will try to sell you on that part no matter what. He will tell you all the best features and why it is better. Then you try the part and it does not work, or needs allot of setup to get it to work. Many inventors have sent me their samples of parts to try so I have a very good idea about what people are trying to improve on, mainly bridges and machine heads.

Machine Heads Ok I like Sperzel, that is all I will use on my non locking guitars. They are so well made that you don't feel any play in the gear. Again this is my personal preference but I can talk anyone into using them. There are a few different machine head styles out there, they are what we call Die-Cast or Open style.

Gear Ratio Gear ratio is defined by how many revolutions of the button is equal to one revolution of the shaft. Tighter tolerances usually mean more revolutions. When the gear ratio is say 18-1 the gear is very accurate so once the string is tight a small turn of the button is all that is needed to tune the string. Because the size of the gear needed on bass tuners the ratio is usually higher. Usually between 20-1 and as high as 28-1 on large open machines.

Open Tuners These are what you find on many acoustics and also most of the vintage guitars. They are usually geared around 14-1 or 15-1. This type of tuner has a stamped plate and stamped cover. The gear is almost always visible when you take the cover off. These consist of a flat bottom plate and a gear that sits above the plate held in with a set screw. In my mind these are the cheaper style of tuners and lend themselves to slipping, bending and breaking. This style of tuner is also what most nylon string guitars use, and on most nylon models you can easily see the construction of the tuner.

Die-Cast With die-cast tuner construction, the tuner housing is cast and the gear is inserted in the cast. Die-casting is very accurate so there is little margin for error on these. Once the gear is inserted and the grease is sealed in the tuner there is no further need for lubrication. Die-cast tuners on guitars are much heavier and this needs to be addressed during the design of the guitar, so as the guitar is not too headstock heavy. This is why you may not see many 12 string guitars with all Die-cast tuners.

Bridges I have tried many bridges for both guitar and bass and I have also repaired many a bridge. My opinion on both guitar and bass bridges is as follows. The less moving parts the less chance that the bridge will go out of adjustment and break. Guitar Bridges I split guitar bridges down into a few different styles. Standard Non Tremolo or Fixed This type of bridge is usually flat mounted on the top of the guitar and strung through the body and up over the saddles. These are good bridges for people that do allot of bends and don't want the strings going out of tune. Standard Tremolo Bridges These are the bridges that a Strat uses, It normally has between two and six screws and the springs are attached in the back. It works well for basic tremolo effects but not for vigorous arm use. Locking Tremolos This is a basic Floyd-Rose® or any other tremolo that locks in at the saddles as well as the nut area. These bridges generally only allow for basic height adjustment on either side of the bridge and not individual string adjustment.

Bridge and Tailpiece. These are bridges that sit on the body and are adjusted by two studs or spinners on either side. The strings are attached to a separate tailpiece. I believe this was designed for carved top guitars because it does not need any flat surfaces to screw into. It is said that the tension on these bridges can be adjusted by raising or lowering the tailpiece. This changes the angle of the strings break-over on the saddle and increases or decreases the tension.

Tele Style Bridge To me this is any bridge that has a pickup ring stamped into it. This could be a standard Tele pickup or even a humbucker. The strings almost always go through the body. Stop Bridge This is the bridge that I think of on a Lespaul Junior. It is a combination tailpiece and bridge. The strings go through the front of the bridge and wrap up and over the saddles. The older style ones usually do not have any intonation adjustment but there has been many styles of bridges designed to over come this, such as the Baddass or the Schaller bridges. Arch Top Bridges This is a bridge that has a wooden base that is sanded to match the exact arch of the top. It uses either a wooden saddle and tailpiece or a tune-o-matic bridge on the wooden base and a tailpiece. The wooden bridge is generally ebony or rosewood. Milled Bridges These are usually made from brass on a machining center. They are the some of the best bridges but almost impossible to find and the price is very high. Bridges To Stay Away From. Any bridge that has adjustable string spacing either by wheel or by saddle movement. I have never seen a good one of these that stays where it is supposed to. It it is also very difficult to get the string spacing exact after changing strings. Bass Bridges There are two kinds that I use and they are stamped and die-cast. Stamped Bridges They are just as there name states made from stamped metal. The strings usually go through the back of the bridge. This is what tends to be used on most cheaper basses. Die-Cast This is any bridge with a cast bridge plate, these tend to be much more solid than a stamped bridge and the strings usually go through the back of the bridge or through the body. I only use die-cast bridges on my basses. Bridges to stay away from. Again as with guitars any bridge that has to much adjustment. The best bridge for me are ones that have just height and intonation adjustment with easy string change. Saddles For guitar and bass there are again mainly two types of saddles. They are cast and stamped. Many people like the sound of stamped steel saddles on there guitars (especially Strat players) For a standard tremolo bridge I prefer these stamped steel saddles but for everything else I use a cast saddle.

Knobs This is always a personal preference to each player so no one can say what is better. Standard Strat Knobs. These are plastic knobs that are numbered and state volume or tone on them. They are available in usually black, white or cream but nowadays every other color too. I use this type of knob whenever there is a tremolo arm so the arm does not hit the knob.

Numbered Speed Knobs. These have the numbers inside them and are very large and easy to grab. They usually are black or gold. Hat Knobs These knobs to me are the worst because they are small and smooth so they are hard to grab. Many Lespauls use these. Barrel Knobs. These are the metal gripped knobs that are available in chrome, black, gold and many other colors. Many of these have set screws and are used on active electronic pots. Rubber Knobs These are more popular nowadays and many people like them because they are easy to grab and turn. They come in many shapes and sizes. These are great to make an active bass quieter when touching the knobs. String Nuts. Here is a subject that I will here from many people on. The material I use depends on the bridge more than anything. I prefer the sound of bone or even the Tusq® material but on a tremolo this sometimes is tough to keep in tune so I use graphite on them. Only real graphite not any plastic imitation. Bone Nuts These are the best for a strong bright sound and they are the most fun to work with because its like being a dentist for a half hour or so. Graphite Nuts. These are great also but make sure it is real graphite! Graphite is very expensive so if you by 10 nuts for a dollar they are probably molded plastic. Molded Plastic. These were designed to make production easy they have the exact string space as well as the sting slot size molded in them. They don't really sound that good but they do work Brass Nuts. Remember these? Back in the early 1980's this was all the craze it is supposed add sustain to the guitar. The problem with brass is that it is soft so it does not work well with tremolos but I do sometimes use these for basses. Locking Nuts These are the basic nuts that go with the Floyd-Rose® tremolo systems. They are cast and usually screw in from the back or the top. Fretwire: There are many types of fretwire out there and the size you choose has allot to do with the neck radius and your playing style. Fret hardness however can change from model to model, harder frets have a much quicker attack, longer sustain and last much longer than softer frets. Most inexpensive guitars use a 110 hardness fretwire that is easy to install however it's life is much shorter then a harder fret. High-end guitars tend to use at least 175 to 190 hardness wire. I prefer harder wire but many people out there like the softer wires, they say they sound better or more true. I don't understand them though. Small Thin Frets Small frets are used on most guitars that have a round radius fretboard, this is good for bending without loosing the notes on the next fret. (Good Intonation) Medium Thin Frets Medium frets have a little more meat under them so they are easier to play than the smaller frets and good for medium radius fretboard's. (Good Intonation) Short Wide Frets Short wide frets are good for chords and note playing but the actual intonation per fret can vary by where the fret crown is. High Jumbo frets One of the easiest for playing notes also can vary the intonation depending on the crown of the fret.