Q: What does "adjusting the
action" mean and why would I want to do it? How
do I do it?
A: 'Action' is the
commonly accepted term for the ease with which a
guitar plays. Several things like height of the
strings over the frets, length of the strings,
straightness of the neck, height of the nut
slots etc. all work together to determine the
playability of each instrument. Competent
technicians can make adjustments to these
factors in order to customize the action to the
individual needs of each player. Production
guitars come from the manufacturer set up in
such a manner as to satisfy as many potential
buyers as possible, which means that stock
set-ups are always a matter of compromise. For
instance, a player who leans toward fingerstyle
music and who uses a light touch is likely to
prefer light strings and may not play as
vigorously as say a bluegrass fan. The
fingerstylist may want his action quite low, but
if an instrument is set up to satisfy his needs
then it would probably buzz in the hands of a
player who is a heavy flat-picker. As a result
most manufacturers use fairly 'middle of the
road' set-ups and players who have more exacting
needs often have those instruments set up
precisely for them by trained technicians. While
it is possible for owner/players to make some
adjustments on their own, it is advisable to
seek professional advice and to make sure you
understand the process beforehand. It is much
easier to remove material from things like nuts
and saddles than it is to add it, so bear than
in mind before filing or sanding components. Go Back
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Q: What is the purpose of a
"truss rod" and how do I use it?
A: Truss rods are used
to stiffen necks and to offer some degree of
adjustment. The basic terms used to describe
the condition of necks are 'warp', which
indicates that the middle of the neck is
lower than the ends, and 'bow' which is the
opposite condition. If a neck has too much
warp, then the strings have to be pushed
further down in order to fret cleanly, and
they may buzz on the frets at the upper end
of the board. If there is too much 'bow',
strings fretted at the lower end of the neck
( near the nut) are likely to buzz on frets
near the middle of the board. Ideally a neck
should be very nearly straight, with only
approximately three one-thousandths of an
inch of warp between the nut and 12th fret.
That can be achieved by careful adjustment
of a good truss rod and by careful attention
to the dressing and crowning of frets. In
the early days necks had no rods at all,
then builders started adding strips of
harder wood like ebony to the middle of the
necks in order to try to maintain their
set-ups. Eventually makers turned to metal
bars of various shapes imbedded into the
necks, and then to simple truss rods. These
generally were long threaded rods or bolts
anchored in the heel of the neck and laid
into a narrow channel under the fingerboard.
In order for them to be able to adjust out
the most common problem with those necks (
excess warp), they were put into the channel
with some degree of downward curvature in
the middle, then covered with a plug of the
same curvature. Once the fingerboard was
installed and fretted, any warp caused by
string tension could be adjusted out by
carefully tightening the nut at the head end
of the rod. In practice that tried to
shorten the bolt or rod, thereby raising the
middle of the fingerboard. These rods were a
big improvement over none-adjustable types,
but they offered adjustment in one direction
only. Go Back
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Q: I was told that Timberline guitars
use a dual-action truss rod. What is the
benefit of that?
A: In recent years manufacturers
like Timberline have turned to dual-action
rods which enable techs and players to
correct both excess warp and bow conditions
in necks through positive adjustment in both
directions. Go Back |
Q: I see that Timberline® uses
Tusq® nut and saddle components. What is
Tusq® and what other options would one
choose for nuts and saddles? Do other guitar
makers use Tusq®?
A: Tusq is the
registered trademark of one of the latest
and best synthetic materials for instrument
nuts and saddles. It offers similar
qualities of density and hardness to natural
materials like bone and ivory, but unlike
those alternatives it also offers total
consistency from piece to piece. It also
enables manufacturers to quickly and
economically produce many exactly identical
nuts and saddles. This consistency and
predictability greatly aids the production
of high-quality instruments. While elephant
ivory has been the material of choice for
high-end guitar nuts and saddles for many
years, very few builders or players would
condone the trade in ivory, especially since
good, viable alternatives like Tusq and Nu-Bone
are easily available. Another 'traditional'
material, bone, can be very good but
problems with inconsistent porosity can
impair both sound results and appearance.
Since it cannot be cast like more modern
alternatives, the use of bone for nuts and
saddles can also significantly increase the
cost of a finished instrument due to the
higher input cost of hand labor. Go Back |
Q: What is the best kind of guitar
case for the Timberline® guitar?
A: Timberline® provides, with each guitar purchased, a
quality, custom fit Timberline® guitar case.
Timberline® guitar cases are specifically
sized to provide a snug, well-padded fit for
each Timberline® guitar body shape. Our
cases have extra padding in several areas
where generic cases do not. Notice when you
inspect your Timberline® guitar case that
there is generous padding on the sides and
bottom bout areas. Also note that there is
added padding at the back where the neck
joins the body and also on top of the fret
board. The U-shaped neck cradle is also
doubly padded to ensure long term security
for your Timberline® guitar. Go Back |
Q: What is the Timberline® warranty and
how do I make a claim?
A: Timberline® Guitars
warrants all of their guitars for the
lifetime of the original purchaser against
defects in materials or workmanship. This
warranty is not transferable to secondary or
later buyers. The warranty covers the
quality of materials (woods, glues in
joints, bridges, fret boards and other
points of wood-to-wood contact) and the fit
and finish of secondary components to the
guitar body, neck and headstock assemblies.
Sub-components such as machine heads,
strings, bridge pins and electronic
assemblies are not covered by the Timberline
warranty and may be covered by the suppliers
of the components. Also, Timberline® does
not warrant guitars against cracks or splits
in bodies or necks due to humidity issues.
Please read the article “Humidity Matters”
which can be found on the “Resource” page on
this website. Each new Timberline guitar
comes with a warranty registration card in
the Timberline guitar case. In order to
activate the warranty on your new Timberline
guitar, please fill in the warranty card
completely and mail to the address
pre-printed on the warranty card. Go Back |
Q: Why doesn't the Timberline warranty
cover cracks or splits due to humidity
issues?
A: Manufacturers like
Timberline go to extraordinary lengths to
control humidity and temperature in their
manufacturing facilities. In addition they
specify strict equilibrium moisture content
in the timber they use for all solid-wood
guitars to ensure maximum stability in the
finished product. Once the instruments leave
the hands of the manufacturers and
distributors, however, they no longer have
control of environments to which their
instruments are subjected. The finest, most
expensive guitars in the world cannot
withstand extraordinary climatic abuse
without damage, so it would be unreasonable
to expect their builders to repair such
damage under warranty. For instance, if a
solid wood guitar is left propped in a
corner near a burning wood stove or open
fireplace for hours with no source of
humidification in the area, it is almost
certain to be damaged. Such hazards are the
responsibility of the owner. Reasonable
claims resulting from defects in workmanship
or materials should be dealt with promptly
and fairly, and at Timberline they are. Go Back |
Q: How should I prepare my
guitar for shipping by truck or by air?
A: Slacken string
tension to allow the top of the guitar to
relax. That lessens the chance of any damage
being done in the event that the case or
carton holding your guitar is bumped or
squashed in transit. Carefully pad the
peghead (headstock) area both above and
below in the case. Pegheads are commonly
carried away by the weight of their own
tuners when cases are stacked on end and
fall over in transit. A bit of padding fore
and aft will virtually eliminate that
problem. If your guitar must be shipped, use
only a quality Timberline® hard-shell case
or a case of equal quality and, if possible,
put that inside a sturdy cardboard carton,
liberally stuffed with padding to offer
further protection. Plastic bubble wrap is
excellent for impact absorption and it also
offers some heat/cold insulation. Remember,
baggage holds in airplanes are seldom if
ever heated and it is COLD at high
altitudes. Check your insurance coverage
before shipping, and if necessary top it up
beforehand in order to ease the pain of
damage or loss. Do not just assume that your
carrier will cover either. If you are
shipping the instrument out of the country
you will need complete information about the
contents on the outside of the carton for
foreign customs inspectors. Bear it in mind
that some instruments which contain 'exotic'
or endangered materials like Brazilian
rosewood may not be legally transported
outside the country unless you have the
required CITES documentation. Timberline
guitars use no such endangered materials. Go Back |
Q: Timberline® guitars are all made of
solid wood. Why is solid wood better than
laminated wood, cardboard or galvanized
iron?
A: Over the centuries
some types of woods have become known to
builders as better 'tone woods' than others.
These generally have specific
characteristics like high strength to weight
ratios, durability, and of course an ability
to produce a pleasing tone and good volume.
Tone character changes from species to
species, for instance there are clearly
audible differences between the several
types of spruce used for tops, and between
materials like rosewood, mahogany, maple,
etc. which are more commonly used for backs
and sides. The best results for fine guitars
come from the careful selection of high
quality materials, and all-solid timbers are
at the heart of the worlds' finest
instruments. Many high production
instruments are built with laminated tops,
backs and sides in an attempt to reduce
costs and speed manufacturing. While many of
these can be quite handsome and can produce
a pleasant tone, they should be thought of
as only a 'reasonable facsimile' of a
first-class instrument. Laminates are
strong, durable, consistent and cheaper than
solid woods but they just do not produce the
true natural sound of select genuine tone
woods. The art of turning solid wood into
high quality instruments is more difficult
and costly than mass producing guitars with
laminates, but it is worth the effort. Well
made all-solid guitars have noticeably
better response than their imitators. They
will also continue to improve with age and
use, whereas laminated guitars do not. Go Back |
Q: Where are Timberline guitars manufactured?
A: Timberline guitars are built by our off-shore manufacturing partner who has been manufacturing acoustic guitars for over 40 years. This one-time manufacturer for Yamaha acoustic guitars, is still led by the man who started the company in the 1960’s. He is still at his bench every day, and continues to monitor production in close cooperation with Timberline senior staff in the USA and Canada. Two of his sons returned to the business after completing their university degrees and now run our day to day manufacturing operations in Indonesia.
The materials, size, shape, and internal construction specifications originate at the Timberline design center.
Finished components are then sent to the factory
for reproduction and integration into Timberline
guitars.
Timberline’s specifications and the resulting tone and playability are unique to the Timberline R&D team and the Timberline brand. We are constantly pushing the design envelope to provide higher and higher levels of performance for hand crafted guitars at unprecedented prices.
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