Crafter Guitar, Owner'S Manual

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Replacing strings
Your Crafter guitar is strung with D'Addario light gauge acoustic
strings. The gauges are; E 1 st - .012, B 2 nd - .016, G 3 rd - .024, D 4 th – .032,
A 5 th - .042, E 6 th - .053. Provided you restring with the same, or
approximately the same gauges, your guitar should not require any
adjustment. If you do change to a lighter or a heavier gauge, it may be
necessary to reset the truss rod to maintain the correct curvature of the
neck/fingerboard.
We recommend that you replace one string at a time as this will
minimize the stress on the neck.
Start with the low E (6 th string). Slack off the tension with the tuning
key so the string is quite loose. Then carefully pry out the bridge pin
which will release the string. A Crafter BR-100 bridge pin remover will
simplify this task. Please make sure that the string is properly slacked
off so that it does not spring out and possibly cause injury, particularly
to your eyes or face.
Take the new string and pass the ball end through the hole on the bridge
(figure 1). Then replace the bridge pin securing it with gentle pressure.
Keep your finger or thumb on the bridge pin to retain it and pull the
string up so that the ball end grips (figure 2). Then press the bridge pin
firmly home. If your guitar does not have bridge pins bend the end of
the string slightly to help it pass through the hole (figure 3). Take care
when pulling the string through the bridge so that the ball end doesn’t
scratch or dent the top of the guitar.
(1) (2) (3)
BR-100
Bridge Pin Remover
Next Step; Take the loose end of the 6th string and feed it through the hole in
the tuning key post (figure 4). Allow about 35 mm / 1½ inches of slack and
bend the string upwards tight against the post to create a sharp bend (figure
5). Turn the tuning button to wind the string onto the post with the post
turning in the direction indicated in figure 6. Note also in figure 6 the way that
the windings should lay. Bring the string up to tension so that it is
approximately in tune to low E and cut the end of the string 5 mm / ¼ inch
from the tuning post.
Repeat the above for each string but increasing the slack a little for each string
as you work through so that there is about 50 mm / 2 inches of slack at the
high E 1st string. This allows the number of turns the string is wound around
the post to increase as the strings get thinner. When all the strings have been
replaced, cut the loose ends off about 5 mm / ¼ inch from the post and bend
downwards and out of the way. These ends are sharp and can easily cause
minor injury. Be careful!
(4) (5) (6)
Crafter Classical guitars
Crafter classical guitars use nylon strings and fixing the string to the
bridge and string post of the tuning keys is different to a steel string
guitar. The string is first passed through the corresponding hole on the
bridge, wrapped and tied. The procedure to tie the string to the bridge is
shown in figures 7, 8 and 9. Once done, the other end of the string is
passed through the hole in the tuning key post and the post rotated half
a turn using the tuning key button as shown in figure 10. Allow some
slack for the windings and pass the string underneath as shown in figure
11. Wind the rest of the string onto the post as shown in figure 12 and
bring it up to tension so that it is roughly in tune. Finally, trim off the
loose end of the string.
(7) (8) (9)
Temperature and Humidity
Your Crafter acoustic guitar uses natural timbers for much of its
construction. Wood will remain stable in normal climatic conditions
but will swell or shrink in an excessively hot and humid or cold and dry
environment. In summer warm moist air will cause the wood to swell
and the top to rise. This will result in a high string action. In extreme
circumstances the neck can warp.
Conversely, in winter the cold air does not hold much moisture. Heating
the air to a comfortable room temperature dries the air further and will
cause the woods of your guitar to lose moisture and shrink. This will
tend to flatten the top, again changing the string height, this time
lowering the action so that the strings may buzz against the frets. In
extreme conditions the top could crack.
We strongly recommend that you keep your guitar away from extreme
heat and humidity. For example, not in the trunk of a motor car when
the sun is shining or in a hot humid atmosphere such as in a bathroom.
Our guitars are built in climate controlled conditions where the
temperature is kept at 22°C/72°F and the humidity at a constant 50%.
We recommend that you keep your instrument in similar climatic
conditions. That is at a temperature of between 20°C and 25°C / 68°F and
77°F with the humidity between 45% and 55%. Depending on your local
conditions you may need a dehumidifier to reduce humidity in the
summer and a humidifier if the air is too dry in winter. Use a
thermometer/hygrometer to monitor the temperature and humidity.
WARNING
• When changing strings, we recommend that you remove and
replace one string at a time so as not to disturb the way the bridge
is seated.
• Do not use heavy gauge strings. The very high tension they
exert on the neck, bridge and top could result in damage to the
instrument.
• Never try to fit steel strings to a classical guitar. The tension
exerted by steel strings is much greater than that of classical
strings.
(10) (11) (12)
On receiving your guitar
Remove protective films off any plastic parts suhch as the pickguard.
Also remove the hang tags from the tuning keys and any packing
material which is attached to the instrument.
Care of your Guitar
Cleaning
The fingerboard and strings will tend to collect sweat and dirt. Keep
both hclean by wiping down the fingerboard and strings with a clean
dry soft cloth after each time you use your instrument. You may also
clean the fingerboard more thoroughly with lemon oil and a soft clean
cloth. Do this with the strings off. A convenient time would be when
changing strings.
Dirt and residue which collect on the neck, body and headstock should
be cleaned off regularly using a clean dry soft cloth, or better still a
micro fiber cleaning cloth such as the Crafter Guitar Micro Fiber Cloth.
Use a little guitar polish to remove stubborn dirt but do not use any
abrasive or solvent based cleaners.
Tuning
This will have much to do with your level of ability and experience as a
guitarist. With the exception of those few gifted individuals who have
perfect pitch and knowledge of guitar tuning, we recommend you use
an electronic tuner. This is a simple, inexpensive and quick way to tune
your guitar with an accuracy that only experienced players could
previously achieve.
Most of our recent electro/acoustic models
incorporate a tuner into the guitar's preamp.
But for those models that don't, as well as all
purely acoustic models, we recommend our
Crafter headstock tuner (TG-200 or TS-10)
which clips on to the headstock of your
guitar. For more information visit our
Crafter website or ask your dealer.
WARNING
When plugged into an amplifier or electronic device, do not handle
your guitar or any connections with wet hands, or on a wet surface,
or in a hot humid sweaty environment.
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CHROMA
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Auto Tuner TS-10
TS-10 Tuner
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