Concord I- simple but effective adjustments.

Hi Concord I lovers. I've been playing a Concord I (first version) for some time and I've come across a couple of simple adjustments that make a big difference to the guitar.

1) Replacing the stock string trees for the 'roller' type: I was having tuning problems with the Concord I and bought some replacement locking tuners and roller string trees. As it happened, the new tuners didn't fit through the holes in the head stock so, rather disappointed, I sent them back but fitted the roller string trees anyway. To my surprise the tuning issues were solved. Basically the tuners were fine, the strings were getting 'stuck' in the stock trees when I was bending.

2) Pick up height: I was initially getting the widely reported weedy sound out of the Concord I and tried to compensate by pushing the pickups higher and higher, hoping to get some volume and grit out of them, but to no avail (I got more volume but it was killing the sustain). I watched a video on the good old Youtube about single coil pickup height and discovered that if I lowered the pickups so they were almost flush with the scratch plate the sustain and tone where hugely improved.

Also, using heavier strings such as 11s really improves the tuning and tone.

Hope this is of use!

Do you find you have to turn up the amp to compensate for the volume drop with the pickups so far away from the strings?

There isn't a significant volume drop.

Most single coil guitars sound better with the pickups lowered almost to the pickguard/scratchplate. The exception is Telecaster type guitars , which need the bridge pickup raised a bit.

Putting a small amount of graphite powder in the nut slots will help with keeping any guitar in tune with the exception of Floyd Rose equipped ones.