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262 Part V: Gearing Up: Outfitting Your Arsenal TEAM LinG
When you encounter a guitar that has several switches (and not just one, as
in the standard pickup selector switch in a Les Paul and a Strat), make sure
that you know the wiring scheme before you start playing. Ask the salesperson,
if you have to, but be sure that you know that you’re listening to the
expected pickup configuration (double-coil versus tapped coil) and combination
(bridge only or bridge plus middle) before you make any serious judgments
about the guitar’s tone.
Workmanship
Most guitars these days exhibit excellent workmanship, or they don’t make it
off the factory floor. Still, mistakes slip through, and sometimes even escape
the sales staff at the store, too. So you do have to inspect any instrument
you play for obvious defects, like cracks, bad joints (with gaps or bad fits),
scratches, rough-sanded or unfinished areas, and glue spots.
For acoustic guitars that cost more than $600, you should expect to find certain
criteria:
Gapless joints — solid wood-to-wood connections between components,
especially where the neck meets the body
Clean and glob-free gluing (in the top and back bracing)
A smooth and even finish application
A good setup: the strings at the right height with no buzzing, the neck
warp- and twist-free, and the intonation true
For electrics, most of the above requirements apply to the wood parts, but
electrics have many more metal parts, so you need to check a few items:
Check that the metal parts are tight and rattle-free.
Check that tuning machines turn easily and that there’s no slop or play
in the gears.
The metal should be smooth.
Make sure that the paint or coating over any hardware isn’t masking any
rough spots.
The frets should feel smooth as you run your fingers along both sides of
the neck.
No single fret should stick out enough to grab or catch the skin of your
fingers.
In either case, acoustic or electric, if it’s built well, it plays well, and you can
tell if the instrument is in harmony with nature — even if you’re having trouble
playing your own brand of harmony on the guitar.