---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sales/Retail How can I find a dealer in my area? What kind of woods does Maestro Guitars use? What kind of finish does Maestro Guitars use on its guitars? Is my guitar solid or laminate wood? I would like to have a strap button installed on my guitar. Will this void the warranty? Shouldn’t I get a membership card when I have registered as a member? Do our guitars come with built in pickups? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Repairs How do I adjust or setup my guitar? How much to install a B Band pickup? How much to install a Graphtech Ghost piezo system? Do you do repairs for electric guitars? Where do I send my repairs to and how long does it take? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Care of Guitar/Strings How does the regular use of different tunings affect my guitar? How can I control or prevent movement of the neck? If I change string gauges will this affect the neck? How important is my choice of strings? What is the difference between phosphor bronze and regular bronze strings? What steps should I take to maintain my Maestro? What can I do to prevent tarnish on the hardware? How do I know it’s time to change strings if the sound doesn’t change? How do I know if my guitar is drying out? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How can I find a dealer in my area? There are currently 18 Authorized Maestro dealers under one distributor My Music SG in Singapore. You can locate them online by clicking here. What
kind of woods does Maestro Guitars use? What
kind of finish does Maestro Guitars use on its guitars? My friend has a guitar with a Sitka Spruce top. How does an Engelmann Spruce top differ from a Sitka Spruce top? Sitka
Spruce, which grows in a coastal pocket from Northern California
to Alaska, is a dense, straight-grained wood that has the highest
strength and elasticity-to-weight ratio among available tone woods.
Is
my guitar solid or laminate wood? I would like to have a strap button installed on my guitar. Will this void the warranty? It will void the warranty on the neck if the strap button is not installed in the correct location of the neck or if the neck is damaged while the strap button is installed by an unauthorized person. We highly recommend the strap button be installed by an authorized Maestro dealer. I heard that if I modify my guitar, my warranty may be void. How do I know which modifications will void the warranty? Any modification that is not done by authorized Maestro personnel will void your warranty. Why is it that laminate top guitars have only a 90 days warranty while solid top guitars have a year’s warranty? Is it because laminate top guitars are inferior? There
is a difference because we need to cut costs to bring savings
to you, our customers. Laminate top guitars are more suited for
beginners, and we believe that as the player improves his/her
skills over time, a solid top guitar would follow, which will
accompany him/her for life. This is why we offer a longer period
for the warranty. The authorized dealer where I got my instrument from, mentioned about the “Limited Warranty” that is provided by Maestro Guitars. How do I get my instrument covered under it when a warranty card does not come with my purchase? You will have to first complete an online warranty registration form. A warranty certificate will then be sent to you via email and you will be entitled to the “Limited Warranty” provided by us. Shouldn’t I get a membership card when I have registered as a member? When you register as a member, your IC number would be scanned into our system. Hence we would be able to recognize you as a member every time you come back. This saves you the hassle of carrying a card around. However, as of 1st July 2007, we have implemented the membership card scheme. Do our guitars come with built in pickups? Some of our guitars would come equipped with B Band pickups. Upon request, we can always install them on guitar at an additional fee. How do I adjust or setup my guitar? It would be advisable for you to take your guitar to a professional. Most luthiers and authorized Maestro dealers are great for routine setups. Please note that any after market add-ons will void the warranty in the event of damage. Maestro Guitars is not liable for any damages as a result of after market add-ons. How much to install a B Band pickup? Right now we carry the B Band 3.2 and the 2.2. The 3.2 comes with EQ and an under saddle piezo pickup (UST). The 2.2 has both a transducer (AST) and an under saddle piezo pickup (UST) but no EQ. It has a master volume and a blend control for blending between the two pickups. Installation for the 3.2 is 250 and the 2.2 is 450. For Maestro customers, it is 200 and 400 respectively. How much to install a Graphtech Ghost piezo system? The prices of the Ghost system would depend on the parts required for a specific guitar, i.e. Strat, Les Paul etc. Installation starts from 120. Routing maybe required and additional fees would apply. Do you do repairs for electric guitars? Yes, we repair all types of guitars. We also do modifications like custom wiring and routing. Where do I send my repairs to and how long does it take? You can send your guitars to either of our stores at the Esplanade and Excelsior. The retail staff will be able to attend to your needs. Our repair rates can be downloaded from the website, or you can click here. How does the regular use of different tunings affect my guitar? Alternate guitar tunings are becoming increasingly popular, and occasional use of these tunings will neither adversely affect your guitar nor require any adjustments. However, frequent or sustained use of alternate tunings requires specific allowances that necessitate adjustments to the guitar. It is best to speak to our friendly guitar technicians and they will advice you accordingly. How can I control or prevent movement of the neck? The main factor that affects neck movement is humidity. Generally, increased humidity causes necks to back-bow and low humidity causes necks to front bow. These movements can usually be corrected with truss rod adjustments. Of course wood being an organic substance will need be assessed individually at times. If I change string gauges will this affect the neck? Most guitar necks would require a small truss rod adjustment when switching string gauges. I go through strings faster than normal, and I think it's because I have more acid in my fingers than other players. What can I do about that? You might have a fairly common condition called “Hyperhidrosis”, in which one's fingers have a higher-than-normal acid content. If you are serious about dealing with this condition - which can be bothersome for a guitarist - you should contact a dermatologist. Or, simply wash your hands before you play and hen you have finished playing, wipe down the strings thoroughly going through each individual string. How important is my choice of strings? Strings choice and make a world of difference to your music. However, the feel and sound of the strings can be subjective. Personally, we would recommend D’addario EXP, Wyres and Cleartone for coated strings and Wyres and John Pearse Strings for non-coated strings. What is the difference between phosphor bronze and regular bronze strings? The difference lies in the tone of the strings. Phosphor bronze strings have a copper/tin alloy, making them sound brighter. What steps should I take to maintain my Maestro? We
recommend after each time you play your Maestro, the entire guitar
including the strings is wiped thoroughly with a Maestro Polishing
Cloth, made from a special “DRI-Flex” material which
does not damage the polish. The Maestro dealer where I brought my guitar from assured me that I would experience no problems with my solid-wood guitar as long as I take proper care of it. What is "proper care?" No matter where you live, and no matter where your guitar was made, taking simple, common-sense precautions likely will maintain its original condition for a long time. "Proper care", in this instance, means leaving your guitar in its case when you're not playing it, and monitoring it for regularly for signs of dryness or humidity. To monitor the humidity levels inside the guitar case itself, we recommend using a thermal hygrometer, available at most music dealers and/or hardware shops. What can I do to prevent tarnish on the hardware? All hardware tarnish eventually- it is not a sign that your hardware is "cheap". In some areas where moisture content is low, the tarnishing process will be slower. You can slow down the tarnishing process by wiping down the instrument every time you play it! Storing the instrument in its case to when not being played will also help.
Typically it’s time to change when the plain steel strings (high E and B) show signs of excessive wear. String life also differs from player to player. Take a look at any of our recommended strings for a pack that lasts longer.
Classic symptoms of dryness can include string "buzzing," especially in the high registers; extremely low action; a huge lump at the 14th fret; the sinking of the arch in the top; a forward-bowed neck; and sharp fret ends produced when shrinkage of the fingerboard width causes the frets to protrude beyond the edge of the neck. If you have any other questions, please email us so that we can answer and also share them with the rest of the guitar enthusiasts. |
