Shop Talk: Guitars on Main Monthly News March 2025

Discover Your Musical Journey: An Invitation to Connect and Create 

Hello Music Enthusiast,

In today's digital age, it often feels like the world is slipping into a state of isolation. We find ourselves yearning for genuine connections and authentic experiences that bring people together. At our heart lies an unwavering commitment to change this narrative through music—an art form that transcends barriers and speaks directly to the soul.
Are you ready to rediscover the joy of human interaction? Let's talk shop! 

Whether you're strumming your first chord or perfecting complex solos, we offer a supportive environment where creativity knows no bounds. Step into our welcoming space located in Mount Joy, PA, or explore endless possibilities from anywhere you are with our online store designed just for you. Below are three regular monthly features that you can enjoy.

• Off the Shelf: From classic instruments to modern marvels, our collection includes something special for every taste, updated here monthly with featured products you'll want to know about so you can update your musical arsenal.

• On the Staff: Meet the Guitars on Main staff and instructors with a featured biography, playing tips, required listening, or mini lesson each month.

• On the Bench: Have a guitar needing TLC? Our skilled experts are here offering repair services and advice for your cherished musical instruments. Each month features a new topic from the bench.
  

Off the Shelf: Introducing Jet Guitars

Cruising around looking for affordable, high-quality instruments? Well, look no further than a line that everyone has been talking about here at Guitars on Main: Jet Guitars. Several members of the staff have bought a Jet, including our tech, our instructor, and additionally several guitar students, for about $200!

They come in all the major solid-body electric guitar configurations: S-style, T-style, offset, and "shredder" style. Every style of electric guitar is represented well and built correctly to perform in all styles of music.

The fretwork right out of the box is excellent, with a mirror-like finish that invites you to bend the strings and make them sing. This attention to detail is a true rarity among new guitars, as it often adds hundreds of dollars to the price of an instrument. Not with these: these come stock with this custom touch, costing you no extra money.

The roasted neck feels like the handshake of an old friend, familiar and instantly comfortable. These guitars feel broken in, inspiring frequent and lengthy playing sessions. Once you pick one up, you won't want to put it down.

The attractive finishes run the gamut from classic and traditional to modern and daring. Some even come with binding and gold hardware, features that punch way above their weight class.

If you have been waiting to add one of these types of guitars to your current hanger, or if you need a reliable backup, a Jet will suit you perfectly. For example, if you are a life-long Strat player, pick up a Jet T-style guitar to see why the whole guitar world is (finally) abuzz with Telecaster love. Have you always been curious about an offset guitar, but never took the plunge? Well, here's your chance.

If you are looking for a great platform to modify, for example, experimenting with different pickups or electronic configurations, Jet is an awesome platform for customization. Tinker away without the fear of ruining an instrument that costs as much as a car, saving yourself potentially more modification expenses in the future. Come in today to test-fly a Jet; they're flying off the rack. You won't be disappointed!

On the Staff: Introducing Robert Putt 

When you come to Guitars on Main, expect to be greeted by an affable, knowledgeable guy with a laid-back demeanor, who often gives customers, whom he refers to as "members of the tribe," mini lessons on the spot. Meet Robert, "Bob" Putt, as humble and helpful as they come, who believes, "The more you help people, the more comes back to you."

Robert Putt is the owner of Guitars on Main. He has been faithful in his love affair with the guitar since 1978--almost fifty years! For his 12th birthday, he got a Sears acoustic guitar with super high action that hurt his fingers and didn't sound good. Despite the shortcomings, he managed to learn "Stairway to Heaven" from the popular Led Zeppelin Complete book, burning through his fingertips and the vinyl album, kindling guitar as a passion.

Bob's musical journey began earlier, however, at age nine, with a toy drum set that he played for years. Of course, he wanted to be Peter Criss from Kiss, even painting his face like Criss for Halloween. His family had a little band, including drums, saxophone, and organ that would play concerts on the porch for the neighborhood.

This all changed, though, one night when Bob was watching TV. Foghat was on; the lead guitar player, Rod Price, was tearing it up, and Bob knew right away that he wanted to be a guitarist, to be a rock star, so it was time to lay down the sticks. He can still picture the show, still entranced by Price's performance. Shortly after, he got his first electric guitar, a 1968 Fender Mustang from Dale at Manor Music Mansion in Millersville with $150 he scrapped up from his paper route. Many decades later, Bob still plays Foghat songs like "I Just Want to Make Love to You" in more recent band incarnations.

Like many who grew up in the 70's Bob was inspired by Kiss and Aerosmith. In fact, Aerosmith's Rocksis the first album he ever bought. Songs like "Last Child," "Life in the Fast Lane," and "Show Me the Way" rekindle the perpetual flames that burned most brightly over the radio during summer days at Maple Grove Pool, a long-gone popular summer destination. Songs like these would populate the soundtrack of his youth, providing him instant access to those bygone, halcyon days of youth.

By junior high, Rush, Yes, Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin, dominated his listening, propelling him to join his first band, Sequel, in which he played his first gig at 17 at the Wheatland Inn. With an MXR Distortion Plus, an MXR Phase 90, a wah pedal, and a slide, Bob broadened his approach, playing Who, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and ZZ Top songs.

 Being a rock star comes with pitfalls, however: once, while playing a gig, he managed to inhale his own hair, coughing out the lyrics (but not his hair) through the song while his hands were occupied with playing the guitar! According to Bob, this might not have been the only time this happened.

Early on, he landed a headlining gig at Swizzles in York, at the time studying Vinnie Moore and Vivian Campbell Hot Licks videos to create an unaccompanied guitar solo, the de rigueur of legitimate 80's guitar gods. When he hit the stage at this popular club, his guitar solo, including one handed legato playing and rapid-fire harmonic minor licks he had learned, garnered much applause and put his band on the map. This was his first very own Rod Price moment; he became the rock star he wished to be! Bob is an absolute beast on the guitar; check out his incendiary playing with Nocturnal Fear.

Later in life, when he decided to leave his carpentry business behind him to pursue his guitar dreams, mentored in part by the book, How to Make a Living Teaching Guitar, he would often spend 8-10 hours a day honing his guitar knowledge to learn to teach guitar. He was able to transfer his skills from carpentry to teaching guitar quite readily as he is an able communicator: he often directly taught his employees carpentry skills they needed in the real world on the job.

Consequently, Bob opened Robert Putt Studios, where he began teaching guitar in 2009. He enjoys watching students grow, because he knows that challenges him to keep learning as well. He pays attention to the physiology of playing the instrument to promote effective practice, which is crucial for growth for students of all abilities and levels, where students don't practice mistakes. Bob uses a stable of books as a template for fundamentals and to provide a student pathway, but also branches out, teaching to the individual's needs and desires.

Being a carpenter, Bob knows that you cannot affix the roof without laying the foundation first. He believes playing slow and evenly is the only way to increase a foundation of acuity on the instrument. He maintains that guitar players should go beyond learning to play by ear to learn about chord families and modes, etc. Players might accumulate techniques like hammer-ons, pull-offs, and tapping, but, combining this with theoretical know-how really drives student potential much further. Developing relationships with students is the most beneficial; it allows him to personalize their pathway in the same way it allows him to personalize the shop's service.

Now, in 2025, Bob still teaches a few students, but his business has grown far beyond only that, with a full showroom, busy teaching studios, and a thriving service department, his humble and helpful attitude keeping the tribe coming back and growing, not only surviving but thriving.

On the Bench: Staying in Tune.

Nothing is worse that a guitar that's out of tune. No matter how accurate you are as a player, nothing you play will sound right. The problem might not be you! Guitars go out of tune for many reasons; there IS something you can do to help offset this problem.

First, use a quality brand of strings, like D'Addario XT (more tactile feeling) and XS (more smooth feeling). These strings even come with a special coating to lengthen the string life and top end sparkle. Both also feature soldered ball-ends for additional tuning stability.

Next, use a quality tuner, like the D'Addario Eclipse rechargeable clip-on tuner, or a new staff favorite, the Nux Cherub.Using an accurate tuner gives your instrument the best chance to play and sound in tune, making you sound better, too.

Learn new restringing techniques: for example, ensure that there are enough winds around the tuning post for the right break angle for your instrument.

If possible, avoid exposing your guitars to extremely high or low temperatures, as both will impact your instrument's tuning.

Properly stretch each string at several spots along its length before you perform a final tune. Repeat this until the string stays at a stable pitch. This action looks similar to slightly drawing back a bow, so archers have an automatic advantage.

Lubricate the nut to prevent strings from binding when you bend strings or retune.

When retuning, always tune up to pitch, rather than detuning down to pitch. If your string is sharp, loosen it even lower than the pitch you're after, then tune up to the desired pitch. This can save you tons of tuning time.

Check that the nut slots are the correct depth and width for your strings. You might need to check with a guitar technician to remedy this problem, as these are fine tolerances, and it's easy to overdo it with nut slotting depth if you attempt to do it yourself. 

Also lubricate the undersides of string trees and anywhere the string contacts the saddles, i.e., anywhere the string passes over or under a part of the guitar. These points of contact cause friction. 

Use products like Music Nomad String Fuel to keep your strings feeling fresh much longer. 

If your guitar refuses to stay in tune after all these steps, bring it to the shop for service!

Conclusion

More than just transactions, we believe true artistry flourishes when nurtured within communities built upon respectful exchanges between passionate individuals who share common dreams, like yours!

We invite each one reading these words today—to come join us as valued members not only because it’s about playing amazing tunes but also making lasting friendships along life’s beautiful melody-filled path ahead.

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Let’s turn disconnection into harmonious collaboration, shall we?

Keep rocking, The Team at Guitars on Main