10 Guitar Hacks You NEED To Know

In today's video Dave Onorato from @dojoguitarrepair takes us through 10 easy guitar hacks to make your guitar play, sound and feel better for free (or very cheap)

Follow Dave on Instagram
@dojoguitarrepair

STUFF USED IN VIDEO:

Deoxit D5

Knob Puller

Meguiars # 2 Compound

Meguiars #7 Polish
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MY VIDEO COURSES:

The Complete Nashville Number System video course

Check Out My Guitar Tone Course Here!

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MY PRESETS & PROFILES:

Line 6 HX Stomp Presets

Line 6 Helix & Helix LT Presets

Kemper Profiles

Impulse Responses (Helix, Kemper, Iridium & AxeFx)

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MY SECOND CHANNEL:
Rhett Shull Studio

MY DISCORD SERVER:

DEACON KNIGHT (my band):

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THE BACKSTAGE JOURNAL PODCAST:

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SHIPPING ADDRESS:
5805 State Bridge Road
Suite G90
Johns Creek Ga
30097

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My Video Rig (affiliate links)

CAMERA:
-Sony A7III

LENSES:
-Sony 24-105mm f4

-Sigma 35mm f1.4

-Sigma 50mm f1.4

LIGHTS:
-Neewer LED Panel Bi Color

SOUND:
-Sennheiser MKH 416 Shotgun Mic

-Universal Audio Apollo X4

-Zoom H6 Handy Recorder

[RhettShull]

My first video course, The Tone Course, is now available. Check it out below!

[RandalSmith]

Good info. I’m a repair tech for Epiphone, and I’ve played guitar for 60 years. I can tell Dave knows his stuff. And yes, he needs his own YouTube channel.

[bldallas]

Here’s one I learned yesterday: Drier Sheets.

While playing a Strat thru a vintage ‘65 Champ, I started noticing random scratching sounds. I assumed it was a patch cable or one of my pedals, so I fiddled with that stuff, but it didn’t do anything. I finally focused on my guitar and noticed it happened whenever I touched or rested my hand on the pickguard.

Turns out it was static electricity that had built up in the plastic pick guard. I was happy to learn a couple strokes with a plain old anti-static drier sheet would cleans it up. And it did. Amazing.

[JV-rxov]

So you're saying I should STOP throwing my guitars away when they get dirty or scratched?!?

[Robt.Velasquez]

I was setting up to play a gig and when I went to plug the cord into my arch top, the jack got pushed inside the body.
I immediately shook the guitar like I was trying to make a pick fall out of a acoustic guitar, and got the jack to come out thru the F hole. And that’s how I played the gig! 😂

[eric_has_no_idea]

for cleaning frets, and the bridge, use bamboo skewers. Super soft wood, will never scratch anything. When it dulls or gets gunky, shave it down with a blade, keep going.

[MultiDoug]

I'm a 59 year old disabled vet just learning how to play guitar. I love all these videos on tips and learning, years of wisdom at easy reach. thank you.

[moparbryan]

Omg I didn’t even catch the part with the “just use a magnet to clean your pickups” any magnet as strong or stronger than your pickups magnets which aren’t that strong can very easily damage your pickups and with all the cheap rare earth magnets that are available today you could really degauss a pickup in a heartbeat!

[mrofnocnon]

You can also file off the edges on the bridge to prevent string breakage.A small round file is more effective and easier to control than a dremel with less risk of damage.

[humancentered]

Great vid. Tons of great necessary stuff. Here's some ways to make some of this even easier and even a little cheaper 1) "gears" are your tuning machines, tighten the bushings, tighten the screws on the knob ends to give you a tighter feeling turns 2) you can make a functional "string lock" by just turning your first turn over the top of the string through the hole and then as it passes by the string again in subsequent turns, lift the loose end up and move the string under. That makes quick changes way easier than wrapping it and you won't break your string by pulling it too quickly at too tight of an angle. Also you can use more turns (3-4) to pull your string down and get a better break angle over your nut. That does not happen with 1-2 turns. 3) do not steel wool your frets back and forth without a shield, run it up and down the neck with the grain and put a cloth over your pickups so you do not get shavings inside your pickup cavity. 4) do not over-oil your fingerboard because it will loosen your frets 5) when your pots are scratchy you can literally just turn them back and forth post to post quickly to get rid of the scratch and then if it doesn't clean it you can use any PLASTICS AND PAPER SAFE cleaner. Deoxit is awesome but expensive, CRC makes one that's 4x the amount at half the cost available at any big box hardware store. Or support your youtuber here and buy the cleaner in the link if you have the cash. 6) to clean up the hard edge on your bridge plate just get a $1 pin file from harbor freight and file out the edge but just to round it on the top side of the plate. if you do it too much you'll make a knife edge. 7) the nut tips are super clutch and everyone should be doing those things. MOST people who think tuners are a problem with guitars "going out of tune" are experiencing a binding nut. you can open up the slots with an old would string that's a gauge up from the slot you're in and running it back and forth widening the slot a little bit 8) to pull knobs just put a piece of cloth underneath, touch the edges to make a pocket, wrap it upwards and pull. That tool isn't going to prevent a shaft coming out if its loose or defective, you're pulling on the shaft either way. Scrap t-shirt is free. Your polishing cloth can also do this.

[almightytreegod]

I think it’s worth mentioning that some knobs have screws on the side. I have a bass like that and a knob puller would be a bad idea for that. Check the knobs and see if they have a screw in the side first!

[bryangibson]

I was on board for everything but not completely taping your pickups when using steel wool. The steel wool can eventually work its way into the windings and even cut through them in pickups that aren't extremely overpotted. Steel trumps copper in hardness. Normally its more of "when" than "if", if it makes it in there and the probability goes up the more you use this technique. Add even more if they are open coil.

Micromesh pads do they same thing at the same or higher grits with no metal cast off.

Dangerous tip.

[dspguitar]

Dave is a great guitar tech, and a good all around guy. I had him dress the frets on one of my Jeff Beck Stratocasters and it was like new when he finished. Whenever I need major guitar work done that I don't feel comfortable taking on myself, such as re-fretting, Dave is the man.

[PierceThirlen]

I highly recommend grinding the end of the socket FLAT and then carefully deburring the edges. This allows nearly full engagement with the thin nut flat of the tuning key. Normally, sockets are rounded on the inside to more easily fit over a full height nut. But with thin nuts, the engagement of the socket with the nut flats is reduced, greatly increasing the chance of damaging the flats of the nut. Box end wrenches can also be ground flat and deburred for use with thin nuts.

[frdradio]

I would love to spend an afternoon with Onorato. So casual with his knowledge.

[brendanhay]

Big thanks to Rhett for featuring Dave Onorato! This just proves we need The Dojo Guitar YouTube channel. First subscriber right here.

[jedimindfrak]

Sweet! That guy not only polished the scratches off of your pickguard, but he polished the gold plating off of all the screws as well!

[paulwest]

Thanks Dave, good stuff.
Lindy Fralin advises to just tape over the pickups when using steel wool - no magnet. It is too easy to demagnetize your $$$ pickup with a strong enough magnet. Doh!
Keep up the great channel Rhett- I just missed you in Richmond, VA the other week, so next time around bro!

[Stratocus]

I've known and used some of these hacks for years but always open to new ones and this video is very much appreciated!

[GayorgVonTrapp]

Very useful video indeed, and thanks for being straight talking and to the point and not trying to be gimmicky and overly comedic. Really really felt like I got something out of this.