feedback if the pickups are prone
to unwanted noise. Turn the control
knobs and listen for pops that come
from dusty potentiometers. Jiggle
the cord in the jack to check for a
tight fit.
RULE 15
INSPECT THE FINISH
If a guitarmaker can’t pay attention
to the finish, chances are he hasn’t
paid attention to anything else in
the manufacturing process.
Look for sanding scratches and
“orange peel” roughness to the
finish – signs that neither the
finishers nor the final inspectors
were meticulous in their work.
Nitrocellulose lacquer is the
traditional material for finishing
a guitar, and virtually all Gibsons
have a lacquer finish. It’s a time-
consuming process, requiring
multiple coats and many days of
drying time. Urethane is widely
used because it’s cheaper to apply
and because spraying nitrocellulose
lacquer is illegal in some areas.
Although it is strong and durable,
urethane finish cannot be repaired
or “touched up” like lacquer. Fixing
a ding in a urethane finish requires
refinishing the entire body of the
guitar.
OWNER ADJUSTMENTS
THE TRUSS ROD
The truss rod maintains neck
alignment against the approximately
100 pounds of force exerted by
a set of electric guitar strings on
the neck. The optimum shape of
the neck is not perfectly straight;
rather, it should have a slight bow
or curvature. Guitar techs call
this curvature “relief,” and the
amount of relief can change with
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