This renowned guitarist, bassist, vocalist, teacher and guitar technician is now operating an exclusive guitar school in Kirstenhof.

Having been employed as a guitar specialist at Paul Bothner Music in Plumstead, Matt’s reputation as a perfectionist in guitar repair and technical matters, has become well established. His fully functional and professionally-outfitted guitar workshop, has all the facilities necessary to accommodate every guitar repair. He runs the gamut of repairs from complete overhauls and re-builds to re-stringing guitars. Specialities include, action and intonation setups, pickup installations, electronic repairs, fret dressing and re-fretting, as well as body repairs. He even makes custom guitars, built to customer specifications.

His perfectionism and passion for music is known to  rub off!! His students are guaranteed an enjoyable and relaxed musical atmosphere…

While Matt has remained actively involved in live performance, there remains a strong demand for his expertise, as a teacher of all age groups, from beginners to accomplished players alike. The demand for a good guitar technician, is sated in his expertise, on both local and international levels.

Matthew can be contacted at 084 653 9691 or email him at guitars@copperline.co.za. Online you can find out more at http://www.mattrowleyguitars.com  

Pickup height and tone

There are two extremes of pickup height: closer to the strings, or closer to the body – and everything in between. Neither extreme is better, just different. So if you are not sure which you want, take the time to experiment and see which you prefer.

Setting your pickup heights in a few easy steps

1. Set the pickups to the maximum height possible.
2. Balance the volumes so all switch settings have roughly the same volume
3. Balance the bass to treble volumes on each pickup
4. Tweak the overall height to get the specific tone you want
5. Tweak to taste

1. Set the maximum height

Start by adjusting the neck pickup as it is usually the loudest pickup. It dictates how high the other pickups can go as it is more prone to causing problems, such as “Stratitis” (pulling the wound strings out of tune in the upper registers), fret buzz or reduced sustain.

Get the neck pickup as close as you can to the strings until you hear problems develop on the upper notes (past the 15th fret) of the thicker strings, then back it off until they disappear again. Keep the treble and bass sides level with each other for now.

Now set your middle pickup (if you have one) slightly higher than the neck pickup and the bridge pickup slightly higher than that. Immediately check that no problems have surfaced and, if they have, lower both neck and middle pickups slightly until it goes away. As with the neck pickup, keep the treble and bass sides level with each other. Now you have a starting point at maximum height.

2. Pickup to Pickup Balance

Now set the heights so the volume between pickups is balanced so that the volume stays consistent as you switch from one pickup to another.

The neck pickup is already as high as it can go, so using that as a reference, compare the volume of that with the other pickups. Play sustained chords using all six strings while you change from one single pickup to another and listen for any volume changes. Adjust the middle and bridge pickup until they are the same volume as the neck.

3. Bass to Treble Balance

Now set the bass to treble balance of each pickup by setting the selector to a single pickup and alternating between playing the bass three strings and the treble three (I use a reggae type bass-treble “skank”). If the bass side is too loud, lower the bass side screw a half turn and raise the treble side screw a half too. If the treble is louder, lower the treble side only. Then double-check pickup to pickup balance again.

4. Overall Height

Now that you have everything all set up nicely with a good balance at the maximum height possible, it’s time to set the height so that the tone and output level are what you want. To do this, lower all the pickups together, turning every screw by the same amount until you get the tone and output level that you like.

Remember, this is an entirely personal setting, and there are few “wrong” setups. As mentioned earlier, backing off the pickups will sound smoother and warmer with a “woodier” tone, as opposed to the maximum setting you started with, which is a louder, punchier, brighter and more focused tone.

5. Tone to Taste

At this point it is also possible to experiment with your pickup to pickup and treble to bass balance, depending entirely on what you want from your guitar. A common thing to do is to set the bridge pickup higher to give a volume boost for solos.

Manufacturer’s Recommendations

The manufacturer’s recommendations are just that – recommendations. It is usually a middle ground starting point from which you can feel free to deviate. I have included them here for completeness and as a rough starting point for experimentation.

Fender Single-coil Pickup Recommendations

Gibson Humbucker Height Recommendations

String problems

String which are dirty, worn, corroded or just plain cheap and nasty are more often than not the cause of tuning, intonation tonal or playability problems and caring for your strings.

Tuning problems

Strings stretch as they age, the metal they are made from changes over a period of time, and their elasticity (ability to return to their original shape) is impaired.

Intonation problems

If there is an excessive amount of dirt on the strings, the build-up can cause artificial node points, which can produce odd notes in alongside the note which is being sounded, causing dissonance. Node points are also often created by flat spots under the string where it has worn on the surface of the frets. The gradual stretching of the strings as they age also makes their thickness inconsistent, so the intonation changes from length to length along the string.

Tonal problems

Approximately 80-90% of a guitar’s basic tone comes from the stings, with the guitar itself only colouring this basic tone. The grooves in a round-wound string provide most of the upper order (higher pitched) harmonics and partials, which form the brilliance/brightness of the sound and in turn this affects the attack notes (which is why flatwound string sound relatively dull and bassy with a smoother attack compared to roundwound strings). When strings are played, these grooves gradually fill in with corrosion or dirt, causing them to lose much of their brightness. Also, as the strings age and stretch, their tension lowers, which also affects their brightness.

Playability problems

Let’s face it – a guitar with old strings is usually not nice to play. Corrosion can give strings the feel of having a sharp, serrated edge while dirt and grime both dull the attack and tone as well as feeling grimy and dragging on the fingertips while playing.

General info

String change frequency

The durability of a string depends on its type, how it is played, atmospherics and how it is maintained. But as a ballpark figure, someone who plays once a day should be changing once a month. If you play frequently or for lengthy periods, you should change more often. An important point is that even unplayed strings age once they are on a guitar, thanks to high tensions and corrosion. So even an unused guitar should have its strings changed if they are older than three months.

What type/brand of strings?

The type of string is dependant on the type of guitar and is fairly obvious: nylon guitars such as classical or flamenco instruments use nylon strings, Steel guitars use steel strings and electric guitars use steel strings. Further than that, the most important thing is personal taste in sound and feel. There is way more information to go into depth here, but if you are not sure, stick to reputable brands like Ernie Ball, Martin or D’Addario, which generally assure you of a consistent and reliable level of quality.

Making strings last

String maintenance is easy – simply clean them after each playing session with a soft, lint free cloth. This wipes of excess dirt and corrosive sweat which age the strings prematurely and ensures that they sound better for longer. A string cleaning product designed specifically for the purpose can also lengthen the life of strings by removing more of the corrosive elements and dirt (but sadly can do nothing for the stretching).

The Theory

The pitch of a vibrating string is determined by its length, diameter, mass and tension. When you fret a note you are effectively reducing the length of the string (scale) – thus raising it’s pitch. Unfortunately, when you push the string down to the fret, it is also stretched – which raises the tension and sharpens the note slightly. This effect increases as you fret closer to the bridge (as shorter scale lengths are more sensitive to variations in tension). To compensate for this, the scale length is increased by moving the saddle further away from the nut.

Checking the intonation

Before you do anything, make sure your strings are in good condition – strings cause more intonation problems than anything else, so ideally fit a new set before checking the intonation. Also make sure the guitar is properly in tune, as different tunings need different intonation settings.

Now check the intonation of each string separately by playing the note on the 12th fret (one octave above the open string), then compare it to either the 12th fret harmonic (the same note) or the open string (an octave lower). A digital tuner is likely more accurate than your ear, so use one if you have it.

If both notes have exactly the same pitch, the intonation is correct. If the pitch of the fretted note is sharper of the two notes, the guitars saddle should be moved away from the nut, if the fretted note is flatter, the saddle must be moved towards the nut.

Adjusting the intonation

Acoustic guitars – do not allow adjustment of the scale length – although most steel-string saddles are angled to improve intonation. If an adjustment is necessary, it may be possible to compensate by re-shaping the top of the saddle. If this is the case, you should probably take the guitar to a luthier.

Arch-top guitars – often have a floating bridge which can be moved freely backwards and forwards, held down only, by the pressure of the strings. These will usually need to be angled slightly towards the nut on the treble side of the bridge.

Floating bridges – Set the treble E string first. Push and hold the bar down, loosen the Allen bolt at the very front of the saddle, Move the saddle in the desired direction and tighten the bolt. Release the bar and retune (i.e. loosen the lock nut, retune all the strings, and tighten the locks again). Check the intonation again and repeat. Then move to the second saddle and repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Gibson style “Tune-O-Matic” bridges – Each string sits on a small metal insert that acts as it’s own saddle. These can be moved backwards and forwards individually by means of small screws located at the back of the bridge. It makes no difference which string you do first. Just remember to retune between each and every adjustment.

“Strat” style bridges – Small screws mounted at the back of base plate control the position of the saddle for each string.  It makes no difference which string you do first. Just remember to retune between each and every adjustment.

“Telecaster” style bridges (with only three saddles) – These allow the strings to be adjusted in pairs, the intonation settings are always a compromise. Consider upgrading the bridge to one which has six separate saddles. The setting method for these is the same as for a “Strat” style bridge.

General Points

• The theory and method of adjustment  is the same for basses as for guitars.
• Retune between each and every adjustment. By moving the saddle you change the pitch and tension of the entire string – and this will affect the intonation readings.
• If you change gauge of strings, or change to an altered tuning, your intonation will probably need adjustment.
• Sometimes, a different type or make of string will change the intonation so it needs readjusting. This is due to different compounds having different masses and tensions.