A column exploring the delightfully nerdy intersection of musical engineering, guitar mythology, and things nobody asked about but everyone needs to know.
Every guitarist knows the toothpick trick for stripped neck screws. The Mad Professor puts it under the microscope — shear strength, fiber alignment, and the math that explains why it always fails again.
The Toothpick Fix: A Forensic Engineering Analysis Read More »
There are 120 pounds of string tension trying to rip your guitar’s neck off right now. The only thing stopping it? Four wood screws using 1950s technology. The Mad Professor investigates why threaded inserts are the cheapest and most important upgrade you’ll ever make.
Your Guitar Neck Is Held On by Hope (and Four Mediocre Screws) Read More »
The only scientist who ever measured sustain across different neck joint types found no difference. The Mad Electric Guitar Professor examines why coupling stiffness matters more than whether you glue, screw, or go neck-through.
According to the ADSR envelope model, ‘sustain’ is a level maintained while energy is continuously supplied. A plucked guitar string has no continuous energy input. So what guitarists call ‘sustain’ is actually… something else entirely.
Finally Revealed: Electric Guitars Don’t Have Sustain! Read More »
