Guitar Tips
From Edward Epiphone

The topics below are what most experience guitar players should already be aware on their guitar habits. Since I am a novice guitar-guide writer, I will start off with the simple basics, as I would like to be clear with the instructions. So the topics covered on the early stages of this page, most likely, would be beneficial to the beginner and intermediate guitar players. And as I progress, I will get into more detailed guitar tricks and techniques, warily in not looking complicated.

Guitar Tip # 1    .             .   .                               .                              .                               .                               .                              .                            .                             .                              .                           .	Buying The Right Guitar  In my perspective, only 2 factors determines the right guitar. First, is your budget and the second, is your intent of having one. If you are rich, get yourself a new well-known brand guitar. Tell your dealer that you would like to have one that is well-aligned. (On later topics, I will discuss on how to inspect a guitar's alignment). For now, you have to be concern with the size and the feel of the guitar. Since guitars necks and fretboards come in different sizes, choose one that you feel comfortable playing chords. Now for those middle class who is just trying out, you can settle for a used branded guitar at a pawn shop or at your local flea market. Frequently, someone can find a great used guitar at a bargain price. Once again, check for alignment and sun warpage, which is common on neglected guitars.
Guitar Tip # 2      .                         .   .                                                    .                               .                               .                              .                            .                 .            .                              .                           .       .                         .   .                               .                              .                               .                               .                              .                            .                             .                              .                           . .	Tuning Your Guitar  You can tune along with a piano, or more convenient, using a handy guitar pitch pipe. Tune each string individually until the pitches match. Tightening a string raises the pitch; loosening it lowers the pitch. Always start with the lowest or 6th string. If no piano or pitch pipe is available, you can use this relative tuning method: Step One:  Adjust the 6th string to a considerate pitch and then proceed as follows. See diagram. Step Two:  Press the sixth string at the fifth fret. This is the pitch A to which you tune your open fifth string. Continue plucking the depressed sixth string and the fifth string as you make adjustments of the fifth tuning key. When the two sounds match, you are in tune. Step Three:  Press the fifth string at the fifth fret and tune the open fourth string to it. Follow the same procedure that you did on the fifth and sixth strings. Step Four:  Press the fourth string at the fifth fret and tune the open third string to it. Step five:  To tune the second string, press the third string at the fourth fret and tune the open second string to it. Step Six:  Press the second string at the fifth fret and tune the first string to it.
Guitar Tip # 3 . . . . . . .	Wipe Your Guitar Strings   A good advice and habit to develop. Make a habit of wiping your guitar strings before playing and after playing. Use a soft cloth (like a towel) to wipe off perspiration and grime of each string, from neck to bridge, to keep from rust and corrosion. In the long run, that will make your strings last longer and saves you time and money from changing your strings to a new set in less frequent intervals. Another good cause, is that it will make your guitar stay in tune better and prolong tone sustain which will make it sound and play better. And the final reason is playing on rusty strings will cause excessive wear on the frets of your guitar fretboard.
Guitar Tip # 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	Choosing Guitar String Gauges    For those who are already matured in playing guitars, it will be a matter of personal choice and whatever they feel will sooth their style of playing. My short overview on string gauges is that the lighter gauge strings are most oftenly used by fast-action lead guitar players that need to bend strings frequently to reach a note. The medium string gauges are oftenly strummed by a rhythm guitarist. And the heavy gauge strings are well-known for those who are into finger-picking style and slide guitar players. (See string-gauges). But for me, I find the medium gauges just perfect for my own finger-picking style, and I am quite sure that many other guitarists will agree with me in choosing medium gauges.    I would like to point out that string gauges can affect the tone and volume in both --acoustic and electric guitars. Heavier gauge strings tend to make the guitar louder with a much deeper tone than lighter gauge strings. They are also more durable and you can count on them to stay in tune better and in longer times than the lighter gauges. The setback is that they can put a lot of strain on your fingers playing on several chord progressions. And your guitar, especially acoustic guitars, should be made to withstand heavy string tension. Therefore, my recommendation for beginners is to start off with a light gauge string-set to get accustomed in learning some chords. Don't choose anything lighter than the "Super Slinky" string gauges. Any string lighter than the ".009" gauge tends to break off easily. And for those of you thinking that the Super Slinky set are just too light, let me mention that Jimmy Page uses Super Slinkies for his Les Pauls -- touring on the road.
Guitar Tip # 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	Aligning Your Guitar   The following tips can save you some money that would otherwise be charged by taking your guitar to a qualified luthier. Although most professional guitars on sale at stores are ready to be performed out from the package, some may need a little bit more adjusting according to your playing style and string gauges.   Basically, what you are trying to accomplish in aligning your guitar is having a smooth string action and an even-balanced electrical output on each string in all pickups. Having a good string action would require the least possible distance between the string and the frets without buzzing or rattling of the string against the frets on the guitar fretboard. This would be done by adjusting the height of the bridge saddle and, if required, also the nut in the neck. And for the smoother playing trick is to adjust the saddles of the bridge to follow the radius of the fingerboard, which would mean adjusting the middle string saddles higher than the outside saddles. This allows the strings to follow the natural curve of the fingerboard and therefore makes for a smoother playing neck.   For the best pickup electrical output, generally, you want to get the pickups close enough to the guitar strings for good output, but not so close as to choke with the strings. Most experienced guitar players prefer to have a part of the pickup slightly backed away from the heavy (nickel wound) gauge strings and the other part (or half) of the pickup closer to the lighter gauge strings in order to have an even balanced output - since heavy gauge strings are louder than lighter gauge strings. This is usually done by adjusting some screws around the ends of the pickups and some other type of pickups would need adjustment on top. Finally, check all alignment for rattles or buzzes by strumming firm on chords and picking hard on each string at every fret of the guitar fretboard.