Rock Steady!

Custom Paint

Clear coat paint protection for cars and trucks has gone through many changes over the last several years. In the past, clear coat paint added luster and beauty to vehicles but when it became chipped and scratched it was still a hassle to get the clear coat restored and looking new again. Today, there is a new option called paint protection film and it opens up a new innovated way for auto owners to protect their investments.

Paint protection film for cars and trucks has been around for a few years but it's just recently getting the attention it deserves. Auto owners are beginning to learn more about this option and all the advantages it has to offer. This film is made from a thin clear thermoplastic urethane. It's very similar to the window tinting film many people have placed on their windows to limit the amount of sun that enters the vehicle.

It comes in sheets or rolls that will need to be cut down to size. However, there are a few companies now making custom fit paint protection film that is already pre-cut to fit certain makes and models. This makes it much easier to use especially if you try to put it on yourself but this will also be more expensive than the sheets.

Unless you're familiar with this type of work it's recommended that you find a shop which specializes in this type of service. Having it done professionally will ensure the job is done correctly. It's vital that the film be applied in a clean dust free environment. Otherwise, dirt, dust and other particles can be trapped underneath the film. Not only will this look bad but it can also damage the paint.

When it's new, the clear paint protection film designed for cars and trucks can handle a good amount of abuse and protect your vehicle from nicks and scratches. Nevertheless, it's important to realize that eventually, it will need to be replaced. Fortunately, removing the film is a very easy process and a lot cheaper than repairing a damaged paint job.

Removing the old film will not damage the vehicle in any way. Once the old coat is removed it can be replaced with new film. Another great thing about paint protection film is that it can be applied to any part of the vehicle that needs to be protected such as, headlight and taillight covers, not just the painted parts of the car.

Paint protection film is one of the best options available today when it comes to protecting the paint on your car or truck. It won't prevent every problem that you might encounter but it can cut back on them. If you have a custom paint job, it's definitely something worth considering.

About the Author:

Learn more about how to protect your car or truck from the elements with clear bra paint protection film today.

How much would you spend on a custom paint job?

If you have a car that you loved like a restored project car,racing car,chopper tank/fenders,car show car.

A second question for people who HAVE gotten custom paint jobs how much have you spent?
@ Jed...Yeah I was wondering what cars you have built and if you have had/still have/plan on having alot of business and work?

Full custom colour change on a 2008 Porsche Cayman - $6200.00 plus $2000.00 for seat covers.

CUSTOM CAR PAINTING (training)

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You can do Pinstriping using Custom Freehand Pinstriping Techniques with Paint and the Freedom to Create your Own Designs ...

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Coffee Beginner

How to start enjoying coffee?

I would like to drink coffee, but I tried it and thought it tasted horrible. I heard it is an acquired taste. Any suggestions of how to acquire this taste (specific kinds of coffee that are good for "beginners", additives to use, etc.)? Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I'd appreciate any help you give.

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A (very) rough beginner's guide to coffee cupping

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Part Truss Rod

Part Two of this article covered how to properly adjust truss rods and optimize the relief of a bass or guitar based on a standard reference. Part Three will present specific examples describing how to correct certain types of fret buzz, upbowed, backbowed or twisted necks by adjusting a truss rod. Part Three will also describe how to fine-tune a truss rod to optimize an instrument's relief based on its individual characteristics. It is recommended that you read Parts One and Two of this article before reading Part Three. Please read the following article in its entirety before making adjustments to your own instrument.

Please follow the link at the bottom of the article to view the associated figures.

Correcting Bowing, Twisting and Fret Buzz

The following examples will describe basic truss rod adjustments that will correct some common problems. Keep the following in mind while reading the examples:

1. Truss rods do not lower the strings, nor does their adjustment necessarily improve the instrument's action in every situation.

2. Truss rods only change the curve/bow of the neck. Adjusting the truss rod will not bring the strings closer to the neck, but in some cases may bring the neck closer to the strings, improving action.

3. Adjusting the truss rod alone may not be enough to eliminate fret buzz. Certain fret buzzes may only be corrected by raising the action, leveling the frets, etc. If the truss rod adjustments in this article do not cure the fret buzzes of your instrument, consider consulting a professional luthier.

Example 1: Severe Relief

Playing the frets in the middle of the neck in Figure 1 is likely to cause fret buzz and the amount of relief may adversely affect the instrument's action. To fix this problem, tighten the truss rod (don't forget to follow the procedures for proper rod adjustments detailed in Part Two of this article).

Once you have adjusted out all but a small amount of relief, check the tuning and play the instrument. If the instrument has developed new fret buzzes, you may have taken out too much relief and should loosen the rod slightly. Proper relief generally improves action and reduces or eliminates fret buzz.

Example 2: No Relief

The instrument depicted in Figure 2 may buzz when its strings are played open or fretted, especially if its action is relatively low or the frets are uneven. If the instrument does not buzz at all, its relief is already optimized. If there is fret buzz, loosen the truss rod slightly, re-tune and play the instrument, checking to see if you have eliminated the buzz. Repeat until the instrument no longer buzzes, at which point you will have optimized its relief.

Example 3: Severe Backbow

The guitar in Figure 3 playing any fret below the middle of the fretboard probably causes buzz. If the backbow is severe loosen the rod significantly, if not all the way, until the neck shows a slight amount of relief. A severely backbowed neck may take as much as a day or two to adjust to the lack of rod tension; be prepared to set the instrument aside and wait.

If the backbow does not go away, do not despair. If the instrument has a two-way (double action) truss rod, you are in luck! A two-way truss rod can cause a backbow or an upbow to the neck. To add relief to a neck with a double action truss rod, simply continue to turn the adjuster in the loosening direction until the neck has a small amount of relief. If the instrument has only a single action truss rod and the neck does not show any relief, consult a luthier or repair technician.

Example 4: Twisted Neck

Twisted necks cannot normally be corrected by either single or double action truss rods alone. Twists can be taken out in instruments with two independent truss rods in the neck. The dual rods can be independently tightened to correct the twist. For example, a clockwise twist could be corrected by tightening the rod on the bass side and/or loosening the rod on the treble side. Dual truss rod systems are relatively rare however, so other means to correct the twist must be used. A twisted neck can sometimes be corrected by changing some of the strings. Adding heavier gauge strings to the side that has less twist may improve or correct a twist. Conversely, switching to lighter gauge strings on the side with more twist may have a similar effect. If the latter or former methods fail alone, they can be combined to have a greater effect on the twist.

Fine Tuning a Truss Rod

Most guitar and bass necks require about a business card's thickness of relief to optimize their performance. Every instrument has its own unique characteristics and quirks however, and most can be further optimized by carefully fine-tuning their truss rods. To fine-tune the truss rod of your instrument, first adjust it until it has a business card's thickness of relief. Next, play all of the frets for each string, listening for fret buzz.

If there is no buzz:

1) Tighten the truss rod slightly, further reducing the relief.

2) Re-tune the instrument, allow the neck to adjust to the increased tension and play all of the frets for each string, once again listening for buzz.

3) Repeat steps one and two until you notice some fret buzz, then loosen the truss rod just slightly enough to eliminate the buzz.

If there is buzz:

1) Loosen the truss rod slightly, increasing the relief.

2) Re-tune the instrument, allow the neck to adjust to the decreased tension and play all of the frets for each string.

3) Repeat steps one and two until the fret buzz is eliminated.

Once you have followed through with the above steps, you will have successfully fine-tuned your instrument's truss rod.

Given the information in Parts One, Two and Three of this article, you should now have a fairly thorough understanding of truss rods and how to use them to improve your instrument.

Copyright © Anthony Olinger, Xylem Handmade Basses and Guitars 2008.

Follow this link to view the figures for this article.

If you have any questions or comments about this article please visit the Xylem Handmade Basses and Guitars website and follow the "Contact" link on the navigation menu on the left.

where can i buy parts for building my own guitar?

im making a guitar and i have gotten most of it dont but i cant seem to get my hands on a truss rod and a Fret Board.

the guitar is a neck thru so it isnt possible to buy a neck on ebay or carvin.com (which has everything else i need to build a guitar) as the body is pretty much a part of the neck.

anyway its possible for me to make a fretboard from scratch but i do not have the facility to put the metal frets on it and i dont want a fret less.

can anyone help me?? i have spoken to people i know who have made guitars and they only got them by breaking up guitars or just not using 1, but with the choice of neck i have there is a greater chance of warping so a truss rod is pretty important.

i coudl buy a cheap guitar and break it up (which would be fun) but its a waste of money since i already have everything needed for the guitar. can anyone give me some advice?

http://www.warmoth.com/

http://www.guitarpartsusa.com/

http://www.bestguitarparts.com/

http://www.allparts.com/

http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/guitar_index.htm

http://www.dguitarparts.com/

Fender Stratocaster Setup Part 6 of 9: Truss Rod Adjustment

Make Your Own Electric Guitar [ copyright 1986 by Melvyn Hiscock ] (First considerations, Parts of the guitar, Designing your own guitar, Tools, Woods, Truss rods explained, Fretboard theory and fretting, Safety, Guitar No 1, No 2, No 3. Mixing the styles, Finishing, Wiring your guitar, Setting up the guitar) ...

Stratocaster Relic

Which sounds like a better Stratocaster?

I'm looking at 2 Strats this weekend and am trying to decide which to see first.
Guitar #1 - MIM body, MIM Deluxe neck and MIA standard electronics, set up professionally - sunburst
Guitar #2 MIM body, MIJ neck and electronics - homemade relic

I'm leaning toward #1, but didn't know if if there'd be much difference between the MIJ and the MIM Deluxe neck. I know I have to play them to really figure it out, but which should be the better of the 2?

The First one is probably your best bet but do try them out first.

Fender Stratocaster 1964 Relic

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Electric Guitar Amp

The electric guitar was invented by a very talented man who went by the name of Adolph Rickenbacker. The first complete setup was back in the 1930's, which was only a mere 70 years ago. On the other hand, the Classical guitar and the Acoustic Guitar have been around for many centuries. There is evidence that dates back to 1800 B.C., that shows the presents of guitars, or similar instruments. There is really no comparison between todays electric guitars and the past. The evolution of electric guitars has been nothing short of amazing. This article will give you a brief history of the electric guitar.

Adolph Rickenbacker manufactured his fist electric guitar in the early 1930's, and equipped it with tungsten pickups. These pickups would sense the vibrations from the strings and convert them into electrical currents. The currents are relayed into the amp and produces sound.

• Semi-hollow body are what the older guitars were know as. They were called this because they had sound holes in the body of the guitar. This style of guitar is still very popular today.

As the Big Band era approached in the 30's and 40's, the use of electric guitars became more popular. Plugging the guitar into an amplifier would give the much needed sound levels to be heard over the loud surroundings of the bands.

A guy by the name of Les Paul is an excellent musician, but if for some reason you don't know this name, he is the inventor of the solid body electric guitar. Les Paul invented the fist solid body in 1941.

This type of guitar is made of one piece of wood and has no sound holes. You are able to simply plug into an amplifier and start thrashing. Paul's first original guitar he made was nothing to brag about. It consisted of nothing more than a rectangular body attached to the neck and six steel strings. However, a modern day Les Paul is simply a thing of beauty.

It was in the 50's that Gibson hooked up with Les Paul and presented the Gibson Les Paul to the world. From that day there was no turning back. The Gibson Les Paul has been a major success for over 50 years, and is considered the most popular selling electric guitar on the market. One guy very partial to the Gibson is Slash from Guns n' Roses.

Leo Fender soon became the next big thing in solid-body guitars. Leo invented the Fender Broadcaster in the late 40's. The Broadcaster was introduced to the public in 1954, but instead of Broadcaster, it was named the Fender Stratocaster or Fender "Strat". The Fender Strat guitar was very different from the Gibson in the fact the the Strat had a different body shape, used different hardware, and was much lighter. Despite these differences, the Fender has become the second favorite guitar among musicians. Musicians such as Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and many others play the Fender Stratocaster.

Today, there are many other guitar manufactures that produce solid-body guitars. Here are a few:

1. Washburn
2. Ibanez
3. ESP
4. Jackson
5. Paul Reed Smith
6. Kramer
7. Dean
8. Epiphone
9. Peavy
10. Schecter

Josh Scalf is an experienced guitarist that offers information and resources for aspiring musicians. Check out more quality articles at http://www.guitaradvice4u.com

Can I use a Line 6 Spider III electric guitar amp with a bass guitar?

I noticed a Line 6 bass amp in a Musician's Friend magazine that was identical to my Spider III, with the exception of the name. I am planning on purchasing an ESP 104 or a Yamaha bass, and was wondering if I could simply use the amp I had for decent sound, and simply for practice purposes. Can I do so, or do I need to buy a new bass amp?

Yes, you can do that, but you won't get a great bass sound. They are just built differently, and a guitar amp won't give you that deep boom sound like a bass amp would.

But if you just want it to practice on a get a feel for it, then I guess you will be fine.

Vox AD50VT Electric Guitar Amp (2 of 2)

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