MusicLandCentral Blog

TAX DAY SALE

2011-04-18T12:05:00.000-07:00

MusicLandCentral.com is offer an additional discount off of our already low prices of 15% on any order 299.99 or more.

Use Coupon Code TAXDAY at checkout to receiev your 15% discount.

(Can not be combined with any other offer.

Daily Deals

2011-01-04T13:36:00.000-08:00

MusicLandCentral.com is proud to announce a series of after holiday specials. including great deals on the Ministar Lestar, Castar, Basstar and Rokstar.

http://www.musiclandcentral.com/deofdaov50of.html

PICKBOY GUITAR PICKS

2010-12-02T12:54:00.000-08:00

MUSICLANDCENTRAL.COM is offering PickBoy guitar picks in mix and match packs. No need to buy 10 or 50 of one pick here. Choose your own mix!!

PickBoy Guitar Picks

2009-06-03T13:01:00.000-07:00

MusicLandCentral.com is proud to annouce it is now offering PickBoy Guitar Picks. MusicLandCentral.com is the only company offering the custom pack option to it's customers, which allows you to select any number of any style pick you want. Mix and Match! At MusicLandCentral we do not force our customer to buy 50 of one style.

HAGSTROM GUITAR HOLIDAY SALE

2008-11-17T10:20:00.000-08:00

We have an increditible offer for all of our MusicLandCentral customers. Through the holidays we will be offering an extra 10% savings off of our already low prices on Hagstrom Guitars and Basses.

Complete your order at MusicLandCentral.com and just use the coupon code HAGSTROM on the checkout page to receive this extra discount

Jay Turser Guitars now Features Graph Tech NuBone Nuts

2008-09-19T08:22:00.001-07:00

Jay Turser Guitars now features Graph Tech NuBone nuts and saddles on its instruments to deliver improved tuning performance and tone, as well as precision string slotting.

Nuts and bridges made of NuBone contribute enhanced harmonic sustain and rich, uncolored tone, and they can be manufactured to exact specifications within .002 of an inch. Graph Tech will custom make each NuBone nut and saddle for Jay Turser to ensure a perfect fit.

"If you really care about the sound of your instruments, then you need to be very discerning about the about the materials you use,” says Dave Lee, head engineer/designer at Jay Turser Guitars. “NuBone saddles and nuts produce a beautiful clarity and tone, and we are passionate about tone."

Located in British Columbia, Graph Tech Guitar Labs is the world’s leading guitar nut and saddle maker, with products that include Tusq and Black Tusq manmade ivory, String Saver saddles, String Saver Classics steel saddles and Ghost modular pickup systems. The company’s products are currently in use by Taylor Guitars, Martin Guitars, Larrivee, Ovation, Carvin, Fender, Fernandes, Godin, Ibanez, Peavey, Samick, Schecter, Gibson, Tacoma and Yamaha Custom Shop.

How to Change Acoustic Guitar Strings

2008-06-16T09:57:00.000-07:00

REMOVING THE GUITAR STRINGS

1. Using the string winder, begin slowly loosening the guitar string(s) until completely slack.

2. With the needle-nose plyers, carefully grab the string from the capstan (the part it winds around) and pull through the hole until it is free.

3. Taking the string winder again, use the cut-out at the end of it to grab the pin at the bridge. Gently pull the pin until it comes out of the hole.

4. Clean guitar surface thoroughly.

RE-STRINGING YOUR GUITAR

1. Bend the ball end of the string slightly and place it inside the hole below the bridge. Some acoustic guitars do not have pins. When this is the case, just pull it through the hole.

2. Line up the string with any grooves in the pin. Insert the pin into the hole, making sure it is secure.

3. Take the other end and insert into the hole on the capstan.

4. Pull it through leaving a fair amount of slack between the capstan and the bridge.

5. Bend the string at the point it comes through the capstan to keep it secure.

6. Watching out for your eyes, begin turning the key with your left hand.

7. As you are winding, apply some tension to the string with your right hand to help keep it taught. Make sure you are winding in the right direction! On the bass strings you will be winding counter-clockwise (away from you). On the treble strings you will go the opposite direction.

8. Continue to wind each string until all the slack is taken up. Do not worry about tuning yet.

9. Cut off all excess length.

Levy's Guitar Straps for Guitar Hero

2008-06-14T17:05:00.000-07:00

MusicLandCentral.com one of the largest Levys Leathers Distributors is recommending the MPS2 Sonc Art Printed Guitar Strap for any Guitar Hero and Rock Band Guitar Controller. In 98 different designs the MPS2 offers a personal design for almost everyone.

http://www.musiclandcentral.com/le2soartgust.html

HAGSTROM’S LEGENDARY HB-8 8-STRING BASS HAS RETURNED

2008-02-20T08:28:00.000-08:00

HAGSTROM’S LEGENDARY 8-STRING BASS HAS RETURNED
Agoura Hills, CA – Hagstrom is very pleased to announce that the legendary 8-String HB-8 Bass is launching at NAMM 2008 along with a full line-up of Hagstrom Basses.
Originally made famous by Noel Redding, Jimi Hendrix, Mike Rutherford, and others, the Hagstrom 8-string bass was revolutionary in the 60’s. The new HB-8 takes the legacy to the next level. Hagstrom employs the patented H-Expander Truss Rod together with the exclusive Resinator Wood fretboard to provide the most rock solid and reliable neck on the planet ensuring true and resonant string energy for each of the 8 strings.
The HB-8 also includes a 30.75” scale Canadian Maple neck, MM Bass Rail Humbucker Pickups, BB-208 String-thru-body Bass Bridge, Volume/Blend/Tone controls, and comes in Black, Cream, Wild Cherry Transparent finishes.
Boasting a beautifully distinctive Hagstrom headstock with alternating tuner sizes, The Hagstrom HB-8 Bass is visually stunning and has a magnificent sound that is thunderous yet melodic at the same time.
Other basses in the Hagstrom line up include the HB-4 4-string bass, the FXB Series 34” scale length bass with various pickup options to suit any style, and the Beluga Series, gorgeous instruments with active pickups and various controls to dial in any style and genre.

Guitar Truss Rod History and Adjustment Setup

2008-02-14T11:33:00.001-08:00

Background
In the neck of a guitar there is a metallic rod called the 'truss rod'. This allows the curvature of the guitar neck to be adjusted, which is necessary when changing the string gauge, or when drastic temperature and/or humidity changes occur (for example when moving the guitar from one country to another).
The truss rod in fact looks like this:
The tension in the strings on a guitar causes the neck to be pulled upwards. This tension obviously varies with string gauge hence why you need to adjust the truss rod when change the string gauge.
When tightened the truss rod itself becomes curved in the opposite direction from the neck (i.e. downwards as shown below). It is this fact that allows the truss rod to counteract the upwards pull caused by the strings.
Types of Truss Rods
There are many types of truss rods, such as the common single truss rod, the non-adjustable truss rod, the dual action truss rod and the double truss rod.
The single truss rod is the truss rod shown in the picture at the top of the page and can be tightened to give the neck back bow (bend the neck downwards to counteract the upwards pull of the strings).
The non-adjustable truss rod is placed in some guitars (although not so common), and it is there just to provide reinforcement for the neck.
The dual action truss rod can be used to add back bow, but can also be used to increase the curvature of the neck upwards (upwards bow).
The double truss rod refers to having two truss rods in the neck. This is so that more force can be applied by the truss rods and is used when in guitars with higher string tension, like a 5 string bass.
The Reason for Requiring a Truss Rod
A string on a guitar basically vibrates in an oval shape. This means that the middle of the string vibrates with greatest amplitude, which you can actually see if you sound an open string. For this reason there needs to be a thing called "relief", which is a bow half way up the neck. This bow prevents the strings from contacting the frets when playing (which causes 'buzzing'). Here are some over-exaggerated diagrams to clarify what I mean:
This is an example of where the truss rod is too loose. The relief in the neck is so great that the "action", which is the distance between the string and the fret, is huge. This will cause difficulty in pressing some of the frets and should be readjusted immediately (seek a specialist).
This is an example of where the truss rod is too tight (back-bow). The relief is non-existent. This means that either you get "buzzing" or you won't be able to sound an open string at all. Again seek a specialist.
This is the ideal. There is a small amount of bow in the centre of the neck which accommodates for the way the string vibrates.
Checking Your Neck Relief
There is no such thing as an ideal value for neck relief. It will depend on the set-up of the rest of the guitar and your style of playing etc... The neck relief on a guitar can be roughly estimated by pressing down on the 1st fret, and the fret where the neck meets the body of the guitar.
For example on one of my guitars this would be as shown above by the arrow.
While you are holding these two frets you should check the gap between the string and the top of the 7th fret, where the bow should be greatest. This gives you a general guide to how much relief your guitar has. If this gap is no existent then you either have a completely straight neck or back bow in which case your truss rod should be readjusted.
Adjustment of the Guitar Truss Rod
It's not really advisable to adjust the truss rod yourself unless you really know what you're doing - I would suggest you give it to a professional. However I'll complete this section in case you are curious about how the truss rod is adjusted. I take no responsibility in any damage caused by you adjusting the truss rod yourself.
The truss rod can usually be accessed from the headstock, and is normally covered by a plastic cover which first needs to be removed.
When adjusting the truss rod the strings should be loosened. Small adjustments should be made, the guitar tuned, and the relief checked. This is should be carried out until the relief is set to the desired amount.
The truss rod adjustment is made using a hexagonal key. Turning the key in a clockwise direction will tighten the truss rod, which will apply a downwards force on the neck. Turning the key in an anti-clockwise direction will loosen the truss rod, allowing the string tension to pull the neck upwards.

Custmer Review of the Jay Turser ES335 Copy JT133

2008-02-13T06:19:00.000-08:00

Features : 9
I got this in the red transparent finish. (Always liked that look, seems classic for this model). Always wanted a 335 style guitar. The spec have already been coverd numerous times, so I will forego that. Switches, tuners, bridge, etc. all seem to be of very good quality. Much better than I expected from a guitar in this price range. It came with no manual (been playing so long that I really didn't need one), a cheap guitar chord, and allen wrenches for bridge adjustments.

Sound : 10
I play just at home for fun these days. I have been playing since 1960, (amazing even to me!). I played in bands on and off since that time. Started out, of course, in an early rock & roll band. Even had a local hit song on the radio in the Chicago-NW Indiana area in the middle 60's. Moved to Florida after college and played in a rock band there. Have played in a country/southern rock band and Mandolin in a bluegrass band since. Quit playing out 20 years ago. Now I play and record at home. Do some songwriting and like to play intstrumental versions of the old standards. Was looking for this type of sound for that music. I only play through a Roland Micro Cube amp I bought recently and use the record out jack to the computer. I really am impressed with the sounds of this guitar. It is just what I was looking for. I had looked at an Epiphone Dot, then found this on eBay and after reading the reviews here and at couple other sites, decided to save a couple hundred dollars and give the Turser a try. It exceeded my expectations. I believe it sounds better than the Epiphone I tried at Guitar Center. I've never tried the real Gibson 335, so cannot compare it to that, but for my purposes I can't see how spending 10 times as much could get me 10 times more than this guitar does. All and all, this guitar gives me the mellow semi-archtop sound that I had wanted. Provides a sound that my other guitars can't.

Reliability/Durability : 10
I don't play out live at the present time, but have in the past during a 30 year span. I would certainly trust this for playing out live. It seems to be a solidly built as any guitar I have owned. I am very careful with my instruments and treat them them gently. Strap buttons seem solid enough. I am older and not likely to be jumping around a stage anytime soon! No opinion about using without a backup, never have used a backup in the past and never had a problem. Maybe just lucky or stupid! I believe this guitar will last as long as any with proper care and lack of abuse.

Customer Support : No Opinion
This guitar has a lifetime warranty. I have owned numerous guitars over my nearly 60 years of playing and had never had to use a warranty service. So, the fact that they are willing to backup this guitar for lifetime gives me the feeling that THEY trust the quality of their guitars enough to offer that. That is enough for me. Never used it, have no reason to think I would have to, so cannot give a rating.

Overall Rating : 10
I have been playing, as I said, for nearly fifty years (scary!). My first real guitar was a 1959 DanElectro double cutaway (being reissued now) that I sold when I bought a Fender Jazzmaster new in 1964 (sold that when I was young with four kids and needed the money many years ago)..still regret that decision! I now own a number of instruments, a Peavey T-60 electric guitar, a Sigma DM-18 acoustic, a Sigma DM-12a (12 string Acoustic), an Ovation Applause electric bass, a Washburn 5-string banjo, an F-5 mandolin (I hand made myself), a Washburn C-80S classical guitar, a 3/4 size Ovation guitar, and my latest is a Jay Turser JT-300 (strat copy) that I bought after being so happy with the quality of this Jay Turser JT-133! I compared this guitar to the Epiphone Dot that I tried out at Guitar Center and feel like a got a better guitar for $200 dollars less (which prompted my strat copy purchase (got both for less than the price of the Epiphone Dot!) I really like the looks and sound of this guitar. It is now the guitar I use the most. The neck is perfect for the jazz chords that are required in the music I have been playing. Thin neck makes reaches easier for my fairly short fingers. This, as it turns out, is the guitar that I always wanted. Always had liked the looks of the Es-335's, but price was always out of my range. Only a money making professional could justify the difference between this and the Gibson for the cost differential. I feel like this is by far the best deal I have ever gotten on a guitar. I feel like I got the best of this deal. It's hard to believe that it is possible to get a guitar of this quality for what this costs. If it were lost or stolen (not happening) I would certainly want another to replace it. At my age I have seen the cost of things go up so much that it is just amazing to me. Equally amazing to me is that I could get this nice a guitar for what this cost me. When I was young (many years ago) in inexpensive guitar was nearly worthless, nearly unplayable, and sounded terrible. This is a quality instrument for a very reasonable price. As I said, I already bought the Turser Strat copy after seeing this guitar.

Walden Guitars

2008-02-12T18:26:00.000-08:00

SupraNaturas feature handmade designs that are detailed with all-wood binding and trim, wood inlaid rosettes, and wood bridges and endpins. SupraNaturas come with a modern thin profile neck that is inlaid with two rails of carbon graphite for stability and sonic balance. In the U.S. tradition, necks and bodies are finished separately with nitrocellulose lacquer and hand fitted with a bolt-on neck joint, allowing for easy repairs.

Model variations include a Venetian cutaway, providing easy access above the 12th fret for a nylon-string classical guitar and the 14th fret on a steel-string acoustic guitar. Walden Natura acoustic/electric guitars are equipped with Fishman Classic 4 active electronic pickups and SupraNatura's feature the Fishman Matrix Natural II.
A wide range of steel- and nylon-stringed instruments is available in full and OM body sizes, with a choice of Sitka spruce, Engelmann spruce and mahogany soundboards offering a variety of tones. African mahogany, renowned for its stability, is used on all Walden guitar necks. Solid rosewood fingerboards and bridges, dovetailed neck and body joints, and a two-way adjustable truss rod are standard on all models. Each guitar is complemented with pearl logos, inlaid wood and abalone rosettes.

Hagstrom Revived

2008-02-12T18:19:00.001-08:00

The newly manufactured Hagstrom line benefits from the advances in materials and manufacturing technology that have occurred since the guitars were last produced in Sweden in 1981. The Hagstrom line's long-established reputation for beauty, playability, and their ability to withstand the rigors of the road forms the foundation for several unique innovations that may now be enjoyed by a new generation of guitar players.
The reissued models feature fingerboards manufactured from Diamondwood, a revolutionary, homogeneous wood composite material that maintains a strong fundamental harmonic and eliminates wolf tones. Diamondwood offers ebony-like articulation yet with none of the associated problems, such as shrinkage or cracking.
All new Hagstom electric guitars include the company's patented H-Expander truss rod. Providing tension at either end and running the entire length of the neck, the rigid yet lightweight alloy truss rod allows for a very low action and thin neck, two factors that were instrumental in earning Hagstrom its reputation as the world's fastest playing guitar. Ensuring accurate tuning, Hagstrom's exclusive 18:1 gear ratio machine heads are also included on all electric models.
A self-lubricating graphite composite nut ensures increased sustain and vibration through improved transfer of energy to the neck, while the hard tropical mahogany tone woods used on the body produce a warm, mellow sound. On some models, sustain is further increased through the use of the FCS-1 full contact bridge system, which offers more contiguous contact than any other tremolo bridge on the market. Driving the guitar body with uninhibited string energy also generates maximum tone and sustain, so the Hagstrom block stop tailpiece is employed to deliver the maximum vibration into the body.
North American Hard Rock Maple, arguably the finest neck wood and used by the best luthiers worldwide, further enhances the playability and bright, articulated tone. A hard polyester finish, harder and more dense than standard polyurethane, protects the instrument and offers improved sonic performance.
Hagstrom once estimated that some 800,000 musicians had played their guitars, including Elvis Presley, Frank Zappa, Bjorn Ulveus (ABBA), Bryan Ferry (Roxy Music), David Bowie, ZZ Top, Jimi Hendrix and Noel Redding, Steve Hackett and Mike Rutherford (Genesis), and the Beatles. Current aficionados include Aerosmith, Franz Ferdinand, and The Kills.

Tools For Proper Guitar Set-up

2008-02-12T12:39:00.000-08:00

Always buy the best tools that you can afford. Not only do they last longer, but they also don't damage your guitar. As an example of this, cheap screwdrivers are badly made at the tip and can chew up screwheads, making adjustment or removal well-nigh impossible.
Here's a collection of tools that I have acquired over the years. I haven't described or shown you the whole lot, just those which will make up a basic set-up kit.
1. Screwdrivers.

You need a range of these but, as a rough guide, you'll need a large and a small one for slot screwheads and the same for crosshead screws. You can get sets of tips with a handle, but you don't want to be replacing tips all the time, so my advice is to use separate screwdrivers. You need screwdrivers for very obvious reasons - undoing screws - but a less-obvious use, until you come to do it - is adjusting a trussrod which has the screw at the body end of the neck. You also need screwdrivers for pick-up height adjustment and for setting the pole-piece heights. Trem adjustment is also impossible without them.
2. Allen or Hex keys.

You may be lucky and get these with your guitar, in which case, keep them with the guitar and look after them carefully. Hex keys are easy to obtain and generally cheap.

I've put handles on a couple of mine. It makes them easier to use and more comfortable. The small one is for the bridge screws of my Tele and Strat and the larger one for adjusting my Strat's trussrod. Hex keys are also necessary to adjust locking-type trem units.
3. Wire Cutters.

Guitar strings are made of very hard steel and you need good quality cutters to cope with them. Cheap cutters just get nicks in the blades and are useless almost as soon as you start using them. There are a couple of types I use. The side cutters do for all sorts of jobs, but the others are good for accessibility around the head of the guitar.
4. Steel Rule.

When it comes to this item, you need to find one that is graduated to sixty-fourths of an inch. Not easy to find, but not impossible. You need this to set action and pick-up height amongst other things.
5. Feeler gauge

You'll need this to measure the action. A set of both imperial and metric are handy. I think these are sometimes called spark plug gauges
6. Socket Wrench.

Sometimes, as with my Les Paul, the trussrod adjustment is made with a socket. Because of the access you need a socket attached to a screwdriver handle. It also helps if the socket is a "long throw" or deep type.
7. Nut Tools.

Needle files are good for cutting the nut slots for the wound strings, whilst a piece of junior hacksaw blade with the set knocked out will cut slots for the plain strings.
8. String Winder.

An invaluable tool! saves hours of winding and also has a bridge pin puller for acoustic guitars. Buy one. Don't put it off. Buy one now!
9. Bridge Radius Gauge.

As long as you know the radius of the fingerboard of your guitar, you can make your own. You will have to compensate for the fact that the wound strings have to be set slightly higher at the bridge. You need this for Fender bridges where each string saddle can be adjusted individually. Gibson saddle heights are preset. With Fenders you have to "mirror" the fretboard radius in the saddle heights.
10. Neck Block.

This keeps the guitar head off the flat surface you're using to work on and also makes working at that end a lot easier. I made mine out of a couple of bits of scrap pine I had left when I put a new door on my bathroom. I then padded it with foam to protect the guitar neck.
You also need a piece of carpet to lay on your work surface to protect the back of the body and some means of tuning the guitar to pitch. This could be an electronic tuner, pitch pipes or a tuning fork. I use an electronic tuner myself. A capo will also be needed when you come to adjust the trussrod.
A good purchase is a small tool box in which to store the various tools. some are quite small and easily lost.
Of course, you may have many of these tools already and only need to buy a few to make up your set-up kit.

Welcome Post

2008-02-11T09:46:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our MusicLandCentral Blog site. We hope you find our Blogs Educational and Helpful. Our goal is to provide you information to make your music experience more enjoyable.

Hagstrom the Legend Returns

2008-01-20T08:41:00.000-08:00

In 1958, Swedish-based Hagström started manufacturing electric guitars
The first Hagstrom Deluxe solid body guitars featured a distinctive sparkle and pearloid celluloid finish, an ingenious repurposing of materials previously used in their accordion production line. Over the years, Hagstrom expanded their line-up to include hollow body guitars like the Viking and the Jimmy, electric basses including the legendary 8 string, and Hagstrom‘s flagship models, the Swede and the Super Swede. Hagstrom also produced a series of acoustic and classical guitars in the early 70’s. When Hagstrom ceased production in 1983, the guitars became instant collectors items, and the love and respect for these fine instruments continues to be celebrated by musicians around the world.
23 years later, the legacy continues
Hagstrom guitars boast the original glorious Hagstrom sound and distinctive style, and they are built to the same stringent quality standards. All materials and hardware are sourced from the world‘s finest suppliers, and technological advancements including our patented H-Expander Truss Rod and exclusive Resinator™ Fretboard guarantee that these are the finest guitars on the market.