Ever thought of adding a " Tools used " list. Like the slotted tool you used to polish the frets. Very handy looking tool.

@j-man9457

19 күн бұрын

Hey not really... I don't promote tools or get paid to advertise on my Channel. I just do this to share info and for enjoyment. I don't want to influence people one way or another, just like sharing what I find interesting and any work needed to improve a budget guitar so people can get more enjoyment out of them :-)

You're a fantastic guitar player. I'm in my early '60s and been playing my whole life and I wish I could play as good as you my friend

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Wow man thanks! Very kind of you to say! I'm pretty rough at times for sure and I'm sure you can hold your own! 53 officially next week.... Catching up to you! 😂😜😜

That's an incredible instrument now. You've got yerself a rising star of a channel here, sir! The perfect blend of vibe, content and refreshing unpretentious personality along with major skills. Keep the train a rollin'!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Ahhh man, thanks so much. Very much appreciated! 👍

@Grabowski65

Ай бұрын

We can say we knew him before he started charging for us to watch!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@Grabowski65 hahahaha that my friend will never happen!

@cataclysmicconverter

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 I better start snatching up Westcreek guitars before they're $3K! 😅

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@cataclysmicconverter hahaha! I think you have time! 😉

Killer Job on the set up.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thank you! I'm happy with how it turned out! 😊

That fret kisser looks like a life saver. Killer video man. I truly get excited to see your uplaods. Lol.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hahaha thanks man. Yeah it's a cool tool for high spots, but a file is better for full frets for sure!

Good video.. Thanks for the information.. 👍

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thanks my man! 😊

As usual, very very good video, sir always look forward to watching you play and work on them. Keep it up and keep them coming.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thanks James! You're too kind! 😊 Much appreciated!

Nice setup.. that fret kisser is pricey but worth it.. love stewmac tools but have to shop around sometimes.. like your blues as much as the country and rock

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hey thanks man. Yeah their tools are more $$$ than they are worth, but I only buy them on sale,😁

@-KingOfKhaos

Ай бұрын

I was just about to ask if it was a Stewmac as I need to get one myself..

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@-KingOfKhaos yup but wait for a sale... The Stewmac stuff is priced higher than it's worth. IMO. It's good stuff but $$$$ for us here in Canada!

I envy you those fret tools. Once I was stuck and I had to use a file from the dollar store. It turned out OK. Level and playable, but the frets weren't as smooth as I would have liked. That Westcreek wasn't that far out. That's interesting. It would be very hard to find those flaws without the best tools. The Westcreek was so close it makes me wonder how they missed. I think they had good tools. Perhaps the technician doesn't play. I doesn't sound like the same guitar.

@cataclysmicconverter

Ай бұрын

They just crank out sooo many from these massive factories a day. Hundreds, from wood blanks on pallets to the finished product out the door. It's amazing they're as well done as they are minus a tall fret or nut groove here and there.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thanks.... Yeah it probably would have been fine with just the nut filed clean, new strings and a set up. Those frets were not an issue ... Yeah who ever makes these have good tool for sure! I only buy the Stewmac tools when they have sales. They are nice, but over priced for what they are....

@-KingOfKhaos

Ай бұрын

If you have a wife / girlfriend / daughter that has a good nail manicuring kit, you can always use the files and buffers in one of those kits in a pinch. Not that I ever did that (just in case my wife reads this comment)… I would NEVER (wink wink) do that 😅

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@-KingOfKhaos hahahaha I would never do that either 😉🤘

So this is my first time on your channel, the title caught my attention and your repair work got my interest and then my gosh!! You're guitar playing is amazing!! Subscribed!!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Oh my! You're too kind! Thank you so much. And welcome to the channel! Nothing fancy here man. Just gear and guitars!

Your not messing around J-man,got some of them professional tools, that fret rocker file is awesome, that's a lot of guitar for the money, never thought I'd see you ripping an explorer, looks comfy.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hahaha thanks brother! These are surprisingly comfy! I can understand why fans of this body style like them so much! They rock for sure!

Man you are a player. Wish I could move my fingers so well. Love your videos.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Ahhh thanks man, you're too kind! Plenty of mistakes made in this basement for sure hahaha... It's all fun though! Thanks for tuning in!

Great series of video's. Thanks!

I just learned a ton. Thank you

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Wow! Thanks man. Glad I was able to shed some light on something!😜

Great video!!!

I'm enjoying the journey and even learning a few things that's why I subscribed thanks my man. BTW great playing also.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thank man! Much appreciated! Glad whenever I can contribute to the guitar lovers association hahaha

Dude that's so funny how you use a bathroom scale to weigh your guitars. It's funny because that's how I used to do it too. Then I spent six bucks for a luggage scale from Amazon and eliminated the math. You should consider getting one for yourself. It's easy to use, you just wrap the strap around the neck and lift it by the headstock, easy peazy. It's also a space saver, you just toss it in your draw with your pencils. Well keep up the good work, I look forward to more videos by you because I like your style.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Ahhhh thanks man! Much appreciated. Yeah I always say I'm gonna grab a scale and I keep forgetting lol!

I love the way you play, very nice

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thank you!

Gettin some success!!!!!!! Congrates!!!!!!

enjoy your playing and tech skills

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thank you sir! Much appreciated!

Don't apologize - Stampede is coming up! Going to hear plenty of that from Ranchmans.

Love your playing style😊

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Ahhhh jeeeezzz thanks man! Pretty rough at times lol, but it's all in good fun!

@dragthis2006

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 shoot whatever you're good. Come on now. Got to give yourself some credit

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@dragthis2006 you're very kind man thanks! 🙏 Much appreciated. Rock on!

Nothing wrong with that Get Fiddle! 🎸Great job 👍

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hahaha thanks man!

i'm glad i found your channel you're a pretty chill dude keep making the vids and we'll keep watching LMAO i couldn't stop laughing when you played those country licks on a metal twanger

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hahaha I thanks ... The laughs is what I was going for lol! 😀

I really wish WestCreek offered a lefty model. I'd have got this or the Cerberus for s$%&s and giggles! Really nice guitar, J! Great job with the setup!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thanks buddy... I have told them numerous times that left hand models would sell... Their reply is they are taking my suggestion under consideration!

Damn brother that playing! You are a very skilled player and sounded great! Loved the chicken pickin

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

ahhh thanks man. you're too kind. All in good fun. Love all of this guitar stuff 🙂

@8KilgoreTrout4

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 Well literally after writing the comment you busted out Bryan Adam’s and that was the exact moment I picked up my guitar and jammed for about an hour, starting with that song! So thanks!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@8KilgoreTrout4 hahaha right on man! Keep rockin!

Great presentation! I love my sweet Revenge! It did take a few hours of work to get it to a gig-worthy condition, I thought the stock pickups have good output but lacked the bandwidth needed for better dynamics, so I swapped them out for a pair of Duncans; JB bridge and '59 neck.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Ahhhh Nice upgrade! That thing must scream now! Thanks and Rock on!

@davidcaro8217

Ай бұрын

@j-man9457 Dude, that neck was way off on mine and it had a couple frets that were not completely seated. However, a couple of raps with a wood dowel and hammer was all it took to correct it. I love your guitar I'm calling it WHITIE! I got the black and purple one. Cheers!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@davidcaro8217 nice... Sharp color the black and purple one! Glad you were able to fix the frets! Rock on!

You knocked out another good one, Mister J. Bummer about that little notch on the top. Man, you’re selling a lot of WestCreeks!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hahaha! The goal is not to sell them, only to share info and the set up one could expect to have to do if they were to get one. Great guitars at a great price, but they will require work... After wards though, they are super fun axes!

@wasteddude9387

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 Hey, bro. I miss real talk with you. You know my history with WestCreeks as much as anyone else. To be straight up, I’m kinda respecting Fesley’s evolution more and more. Yeah, it’s like buying a pocketful of logos with a guitar in the middle. But when I see Dave’s (6stringstanger) Fesley collection, I’ll admit, it looks pretty good. I like their glossy finish issues. And their new camouflage satin FLP400 is hard to find and hard to beat. You know me, bro. I’m talkin straight. I may be wrong now and then, but I am definitely honest. I should talk to Fesley and tell them I’m on board. If they haven’t made a tele yet, I’ll ask why for ya. Be smart, be cool.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@wasteddude9387 cool.... Yeah I may grab one of those down the road to see what they're like and what's under the hood!

14:33 I find the screws should face the back. So, with string tension the saddles wich are pulled towards the neck, get stopped with the screw heads. Other way around, the tension gets only hold by the little spring bushings on the screws. Just my 2 cents..

@user-py1bq1xb5l

Ай бұрын

With the exception of a true abr-1 bridge you are correct

@j-man9457

19 күн бұрын

Interesting, but there are no springs in these bridge... 🤔

@lone-wolf-1

19 күн бұрын

@@j-man9457 Sorry, I meant the little (mostly black) C shaped clip-on washers, wich are clipped on a groove in the screws right after their threads.

@j-man9457

19 күн бұрын

@@lone-wolf-1 oh yeah got it... Totally see what you're saying. Not sure it would make a difference as that clip is pressed up against the inner wall of the bridge so it's not gonna move. The only way the saddle could move, is if that metal clip was stripped and the threads of the adjusting screw could slide past it when string is under tension 🤔

It seems to be a common and logical pattern: cheap guitars play bad because they are not finished, not made to be good at the end stage. They need a little extra investment in working time like adjusting the nut slots and making the frets level before a proper set-up can be done. I also think a lot of cheap guitars are returned because their buyers do not know how to set them up in the first place.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Yup no doubt that is the case for sure... I went overboard on this one because I'm just fussy, but yeah I have never had a guitar here brand name or otherwise that didn't need some kind of tweaking to make it perfect!

@Leo_ofRedKeep

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 String action is always higher than it needs to be. It lowers the risk of fret buzz out of the box through humidity variations. Wouldn't it be silly from Gibson, Fender or PRS to do an optimal set-up and see half of their customers complain of a back bow?

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@Leo_ofRedKeep yup exactly. I think the makers of these budget guitars know that most people buying them will be modding and upgrading them so they cut costs when it comes to hardware, electronics etc... however these westcreeks have pretty decent hardware and electronics from the get go and the price is definitely right if you'd rather not spend 3000$ (CAD) on a Gibson. And with these you don't have to worry if they get dinged at a gig or whatever😁.... over all, a great value!

Dang .. If I could get the white one id be in .. I have two Racers , great guitars ... Thanks ..

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Yeah it's a cool one for sure. The racers are nice as well! I reviewed one a while back. Unreal fit and finish!

I recently wore out my StewMac Fret Kisser on an expensive Ibanez that had way more high frets than this guitar. They were kind enough to send me a replacement. I should have used a cheap file first like you did.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Wow good to know. I didn't think you could wear out a diamond file! Thanks!

So it seems the nut file and tuner slight tightening cured the tuning.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

All it really needed was new strings and the nut slots cleaned up... The 3 high spots on the frets were not an issue...😀

Thanks again for your video. If I may ask, what would you have done if you found a low fret?

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

That doesn't happen typically. Frets are installed on a guitar then there is some sort of leveling step and during this step some frets remain higher than others... However if you did have a low one, you could: 1. Do a complete leveling of your fret board until all the other frets are the same height as the low one. Then recrown all frets and polish... 2. Pull that fret out, install a new one, and file that one fret down to match the rest. 3. Some guitar shops can rebuild a fret with metal fill. Then they can file crown and polish that one fret to match the others... 😄

What fret ruler do you use ? Is a slotted rule needed ?

Hey J-MAN! Another nice setup walk-through, along with fretwork - and of course, great playing! When did you get a Fret Kisser? Don't remember you mentioning that on your vids, though I might have missed that one. Anyway, I picked one up in a a package that included an under string file a few months ago, and have leveled 2 frets on a Grote LP (Grote claims these are Stainless Steel). Still have to properly crown and polish them, so will watch this and other vids to do that!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Just got it a few weeks back 1st time using it other than testing it when I opened it haha Thanks for the kind words and for checking in!

@TechnoRiff

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 How would you compare the Fret Kisser with a crowning file for leveling?

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@TechnoRiff fret kisser is cool for a high spot here and there, but if you want to level a whole fret or do multiple ones, a good diamond fret file is your best friend!

@TechnoRiff

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 Great advice! For myself, I like that the Fret Kisser limits the amount of damage I might inflict upon my poor frets! Thinking now that the under string file might be the hard way to crown frets!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@TechnoRiffhahaha I'm sure Stewmac has the under fret file dialed in but yeah I think it would be easier to crown a fret with strings off hahaha!

it's a cool body shape but it's too hard to play in the lap gotta play standing up which is a bummer //

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Yeah you find? I find it's very well balanced while on your lap when seated🤔 didn't find it uncomfortable to play at all🙂

@Mr.PhatsVarietyVibesShow

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 it does sound dope,,,

Hey! I’ve been watching your videos a lot and they’re very informative. I’m curious, how would you compare the M Musi Virgo Classics to the more expensive Fender MIM’s?

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hi Sora! It's gonna be different for everyone so you'll need to make your own opinion on that, but for me and the features that I like on guitars, the Musi classic tele is much better than the MIM. I've never gotten an MIM that I was happy with out of the box. Always stuff to change out and upgrade. These Musis at half the price or less, need nothing other than a basic set up, and you're ready for your gig! Cheers

@sora-ji7gg

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 That’s awesome! I can’t seem to find any of them on stock right now though. What do you think of the Eart Tele’s instead?

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@sora-ji7gg the EARTS are good as well... I had a few of them. The Musis have better components. However yeah the Musis are out of stock in North America at the moment it seems🤔

@sora-ji7gg

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 Aw man, that sucks. Hopefully they release more batches soon. The M Musi Virgo Classic looks gorgeous. Do you reckon it can fit a humbucker on the neck?

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@sora-ji7gg yes I'm currently installing one on one of my friends guitars.... Video will be out soon!

I’ve always adjusted relief with the neck under string tension. Does it make a difference?

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Yes when setting up to play always tune up first the set relief. But to check for high frets, neck straight with strings off. More often than not, you will have to tighten the truss rod once strings are installed after straightening the neck to do a leveling...😄

I'm building a bass with a tele neck. How do I know which neck ruler I need to measure relief ?

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

You will need a bass slotted ruler. The scale length of a base is much longer than that of a guitar. The ruler I'm using in this video would not work on a bass guitar!😄

Nut files are expensive. Is it easy to use just the one for the high e string?

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Yeah they are not cheap, but they'll last a long long time... My files are a set of 6 10-42 guage

Where do you find amazon returns? I dont see a section for it on their site

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

I don't think there is a section for returns.... It's just a luck thing or more so, timing thing... When you're looking at an item on Amazon, below the listed price, if you see an option for "save with used like new" click on that. You'll pay less and get an open box returned item. However, you never know the condition until you open the box you receive. Amazon may say used like new but they don't inspect or repackage anything!

I see your planning for your Retirement, by getting set up to do Guitar Repair!! Although that is a fine guitar with a great set up, I don’t think You or I would use it as a steady gig machine, unless you were doing a Heavy Rock tribute Band 😆😆💥💪💪👍

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Yup exactly! Besides a tele can do it all! Hahaha

I will take the Revenge now😜. J-MAN rocking some Jonny Cash on a Revenge!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hahaha! This thing is pretty versatile! It's crazy! 😮

Does it have any neck dive or body dive? Is it balanced on your lap when playing?

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Perfectly balanced! I'm very surprised... Although it looks big, bulky, and awkward, it doesn't feel like that at all when playing. It's surprisingly comfortable!

man this one sounds saweeet! ive been studying gettin a "fretkisser" myself...worth the hundred plus?

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Nah.... Get it on sale!

@birdman316

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 for realz? stewmac has em on sale sometimes? o man i just did a sound demo on my first act VW garagemaster guitar...i think youll like the crazy onboard overdrive sounds haha!! sounds sweet in "normal" mode too!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@birdman316 they have sales often... Don't buy full price hahaha Will check it out!

@birdman316

Ай бұрын

i just saw a guitar right up your alley man! westcreek tt-20....bet youll add this one to your collection wooo!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@birdman316 hey yeah I have the JX 20 in a box still at home. Gonna do an unboxing tonight!

OK, so you did a set up, but why was it going out of tune? Guitars do not "slip" sharp as this was doing - it suggests the strings are getting stuck during tuning and then "freeing up" during play. Usually a nut problem (especially with no trem), but you did not mention how you solved this. Also, demoing a "clean" sound does not include compression and delay.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

You missed the segment where I filed all the nut slots. The strings were gritty and old and the nut slots were rough. New strings and a filing the nut took care of the tuning. My clean means no drives and no gain on amp. My compressor is transparent and barely on. I use it more as a signal boost. The delay doesn't color my tone. So the compressor and delay are always on for cleans! 😄

Why do electric guitars need fret filing? Why isn't this done in the factory before they're shipped out?

@j-man9457

14 күн бұрын

Hey good question... The answer is: it is done at the factory, however, the turnaround rate for factory workers is substantial and not all employees are good haha... Another reason is that sometimes during shipping, the temperature variances will cause the wood to shrink or expand and in turn the frets sometimes will move if they are not glued in... On most acoustic guitars, the frets are not level either, however acoustics typically have higher action and most people do not do aggressive string bending or steel type licks on an acoustic, so the fret inconsistencies are less obvious. They are more noticeable on an electric as most players have super low action and do a lot of string bending so fret height inconsistencies are immediately noticeable depending on your playing style... Hope I was able to answer your question😀

@blutey

14 күн бұрын

@@j-man9457 Thanks for that clear explanation. I've been thinking of buying a cheap electric guitar recently, like the ones in your video but worries about fret filing and other adjustments etc and having to take it to a luthier at more expense have put me off slightly. I'm coming from the direction of having owned a few nylon string classical guitars in the past. The only problem I had with one of these was that it had a very high action that made it uncomfortable to play. The one I own at the moment is better in that regard. Thanks again!

@j-man9457

14 күн бұрын

@@blutey glad to help. Yeah Nylon strings and high action will never produce a fret buzz but like you say are hard to play... Not sure where you're from or if these are available but a super cheap guitar I reviewed a while back that had really excellent fret work was a Tostar: TOSTAR Electric Guitar Kit, P90... www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CR158MDB?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share Might be an option for you... Cheers!

Hi Jason, I can't find your email anymore: I know the first part but can't remember who your email provider is. Can you let me know as I have an important (for me) question: I want to know who your Mmusi contact is since I need a replacement neck on a black Virgo Classic and want to know if they can help me. Thanks in advance.

@j-man9457

14 күн бұрын

Hey Marcel! Good to hear from you. It's hotmail.com... And for Music I always just send my questions to: support@musiguitar.com Someone there always gets back to me. 😀

@leblancmarcel

14 күн бұрын

@@j-man9457 Thanks buddy, I'll send my question there, and email you with boring stuff hehe later. Take good care.

@leblancmarcel

14 күн бұрын

@@j-man9457 seems I don't have the first part after all, it bounced. 😒

@j-man9457

14 күн бұрын

@@leblancmarcel nosaj39@hotmail.com

You should change the name of the channel to Techin in White Socks.😜

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hahaha! .... And shorts!

@keenedgedesigns

Ай бұрын

Brian Adams sounded really good through it.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@keenedgedesigns thanks. It's a pretty versatile beast actually... Surprising!

@keenedgedesigns

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 In the second video I was hoping you would do the 80’s metal revue again.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@keenedgedesigns oohhhh sorry man! I never plan this stuff out, I just play what I feel depending on the sound I get at the time! I'll consider that for next time😁

Might as well go for soda. Hell yeah😃🤘🏻

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hahah yeah might at well eh? Lol

What fret ruler do you use ? Is a slotted rule needed ?

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

I use the Musicnomad slotted ruler. It has 3 sides a fender side a Gibson side and a straight edge side... A slotted ruler is good to make the neck straight using the truss rod before leveling frets. If the frets are unlevel, using a straight edge ruler on the frets may lead you to believe your neck is straight when in fact it isn't... 🤔