Regarding actual product lines, I have for the avoided brand names and prices, as in this age of digital processing, things change so quickly. All music stores will have current catalogues and prices if you just ask. I have also left out instructions on how to use this equipment, and written only how it applies to your guitar. A Sunday afternoon at the music store with your guitar offers a far clearer explanation on how everything works than I could hope to give on paper.

High action gives you a lot more control over your tone, and gives you the freedom to really beat on the strings. Players who strum with a lot of vigor need high action in order to avoid rattling the strings against the frets and making the guitar sound like a cigar box. Still, most people avoid high action because it hurts their fingers trying to push down chords.

The action on my guitar is quite high, higher than the guitar manufacturer recommends. As I use several alternate tunings, and changing my sixth string from E to C really drops the action for that string, often causing it to buzz if the action isn't kept high.

Another reason for high-action is tapping. Now, you'd think the opposite-- tapping is surely more easily done with low action. While that's true, I get a lot more dynamic control with high-action, which is more important to me than the ease of playing (tap-monster jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan says the same thing). There is certainly a limit, though, as the higher the action, the more one has to struggle with overtones (see OVERTONES), especially the higher up you go on the neck.

You can raise the action of your guitar yourself just by sticking a very thin piece of wood or bone under the saddle, or lower it by sanding the saddle down a little (make sure to sand evenly). It's best, though, to take the guitar to someone who knows what they're doing, and have them cut you a new saddle, nut, or give the trust rod a little twist so that you have action that you feel comfortable with. Action is really a matter of opinion, so take some time to discuss what you're looking for with the repair people at your local guitar shop.

Phosphor-bronze strings are certainly brighter than bronze strings, but not everybody wants a bright sound. DR makes the "Zebra" string that's supposed to work well with your magnetic pick-up, while some other companies like D'Adario appeal to the environmentalist by a much-needed reduction in packaging.

I haven't really found a single string that I like best, they all sound great when they're new. As long as you're not getting the real cheapy ones, there's about as much difference in brands-names of strings as there are brand-names of gasoline for your car. The real difference is in gauge and material.

The first time you put them on, your guitar sounds really different, which in the beginning is a pretty neat change. But strumming or picking with any strength really makes your guitar sound no better than a cigar box as the low-tension strings rattle around. I also question the wisdom of significantly changing the tension on the neck of your guitar, but I suppose if you're consistent about using these blend-strings then you shouldn't have any problems. The same goes for other types of low-tension strings, such as the Phish endorsed hollow core strings made by DR. Also, using low tunings with these nylon-core or hollow-core strings sounds really lousy.

Unfortunately, when I perform, I only have one or two guitars, and it's not very realistic to replace strings between songs. It would certainly be best if you could have a roadie changing your strings and tunings, but some of us are a bit too financially limited to hire string-changing roadies. Consequently, most of us have to settle for strings and tunings that can work on a single guitar.

How often you should change your strings depends on how often you play-- the more you play, the more you tend to wear out the strings. I usually change mine about once a week, but when I'm not playing much I might go as long as a month. I'd say you've really got to change them at least once every two months, but guitar hermits should probably change their strings every other week. I once had a friend who was so obsessed with the super-fresh sound of new strings that he would change his strings EVERY FEW HOURS. I suppose if you're doing studio recording you ought to have on a brand-new shiny set, but otherwise more than once or twice a week is just silly.

Another treat about Keith tuners is that they can lock between two notes, so that you can play a song and include a tuning change in the melody. I do this in "Weaver's Lament" off my CD, Paper Flowers. The melody is actually played by adjusting the tuning pegs, although it sounds like I'm bending the strings.

The best way to amplify the natural sound coming out of your guitar is by using disgustingly expensive studio mikes, which are hardly affordable to the average person, and are just about impossible to use during live performance (especially if you've got other musicians jamming along). The trick is to use a combination of equipment that helps to "put back" the natural sound of your guitar once you've amplified it.

The piezo pick-up has a very distinct sound, and once you learn just what that sound is, you can pick it out in any recording. Although it's certainly the most popular pick-up, a lot of guitarists describe the sound as "thin" or "buzzy" and not very "acoustic". Many of those same guitarists, despite their dissatisfaction, use a piezo pick-up anyway, simply because they think the other types of pick-ups sound worse.

People who use piezo pick-ups but aren't satisfied with the sound will often use effects, a second type of pick-up in combination with the piezo pick-up, or try and hide the "buzzy" or "thin" sound with EQ.

Unless you're not afraid to drill a hole into your guitar yourself, you'll probably have to go to a guitar store to get a piezo pick-up installed. If you just want the standard, under-the-saddle piezo, then it's a pretty painless process, and most stores can probably do it for you quite quickly.

If you want to put a piezo somewhere else besides under the saddle, you should talk with luthier (guitar maker) to get some advice. Some guitarists get a separate piezo for each string. Others install the piezo into the body of the guitar. A friend of mine has a piezo pick-up for his top three strings going into one channel of a stereo amplifier, and a separate piezo pick-up for his bottom three strings feeding the other channel, divided left and right. When that was first described to me, I thought the idea was ridiculous, but he gets an AMAZING sound. Don't be afraid to be creative.

Soundhole pick-ups are usually very cheap. Some, like the popular Dean Markley, can be easily switched from guitar to guitar. There are a few different types of magnetic pick-ups for acoustic guitar, and usually you can install them yourself-- it just involves snapping the pick-up into place in the soundhole. Most of the inexpensive ones give you some serious feedback problems, so keep that in mind when selecting one of the cheaper models. If a guitar doesn't come with a pick-up already included (usually a piezo) then the most popular pick-up is probably the magnetic.

Mikes are easily the most expensive of the three types, the cheapest ones running at least $100US. The nice thing about a microphone is that the sound it picks up is a very natural one, as opposed to the electric sound of piezos or magnetic pick-ups.

The problem with mikes is a classic one of feedback and BOOM. As the mike is placed right around the sound hole (usually inside the guitar) where low-end frequencies are relatively loud, you often get some pretty overpowering, muddy tones on the low end, and the mike has a tendency to feedback like crazy around the guitar's resonating frequency. The cheaper the mike, the more these problems come into play.

If you get a mike for your guitar, definitely try pointing it in different directions and listen for how the sound changes. Sometimes you can really cut down on feedback, or really capture the natural tone of your guitar by simply moving the microphone a little bit.

But some guitarists argue that amplifying the guitar with an internal microphone doesn't create a natural tone at all, as nobody listens to a guitar with their head in the sound hole.

The downside to this wonderful solution of course is cost. In addition to buying two pick-ups for a single instrument, you also have to purchase two pre-amps (see CHOOSING A PRE-AMP).

I use a combination of the Sunrise sound-hole magnetic pick-up with an internal Countryman microphone, keeping the mike at about 35%. That's a bit heavy on the mike if you ask most acoustic players, but I use the body of the guitar for percussion and think it sounds best a little louder.

Luckily, a lot of acoustic guitars these days have nice little pre-amps built right into the side of the guitar, so you don't have to worry about picking one out. Those little pre-amps do a pretty nice job-- I have yet to hear one that sounds bad.

For those who already have an acoustic guitar and are looking to amplify their instrument, you can buy an external pre-amp. Choosing a pre-amp depends on the type of pick-up that you use, as most pre-amps are specifically designed to work with certain pick-ups.

Unless you already have a separate EQ, I would highly recommend getting a pre-amp with some type of basic EQ built in (see EQUALIZERS). Most pre-amps have at least separate HIGH and LOW knobs to adjust your EQ, while others will also throw in MID or a simple parametric dial.

Some pre-amps come with both high impedance/low impedance outputs, which is a nice plus for controlling noise. Like anything else, there's a wide range of pre-amps, but cheap ones still usually sound pretty good, and can usually be purchased for the same amount as the pre-installed models. Unless you're a professional performer or a really picky hobbyist, you don't have spend more than $100-$150US for a pre-amp.

If you're using a combination pick-up system, you'll need two separate pre-amps, or a single pre-amp that can handle both pick-ups. These dual acoustic pre-amps are getting pretty popular, and most larger music stores should have some on display if you want to try one out. Some of the classier ones, though, must be ordered directly from the company and cost quite a bit. If you're serious and have the money, though, it's certainly worth it. Check out Fingerstyle Magazine, Acoustic Guitar, Frets, or Acoustic Musician for product names and manufacturer information.

If you're seriously going to use a graphic EQ, you've got to have at least 10 bands per channel, and even that's pretty low.

My favorite thing about a parametric equalizer is that it helps me to "even out" some frequencies. I play in quite a few different environments, and it's just amazing how much humidity and temperature have an effect on my sound. I always get a low end boom somewhere between low D and B (60MHz-80MHz). The same sound never shows up in the same spot twice. Sometimes it's a really select frequency, and sometimes it just spreads itself out over a wide range. With the parametric EQ, I can trim down the loud bass notes and keep them right in line with the surrounding notes, no matter what the range.

Many guitarists have that same boom problem right around the resonating frequency of their guitars. When frequencies that make the guitar resonate are amplified and re-enter the guitar from the speakers, the guitar resonates even more, and pretty soon you've got some nasty feedback happening. This is what drove creative genius Les Paul to invent the solid-body electric guitar.

If you don't know the resonating frequency of your guitar, hold it up to your mouth, and sing into the sound hole. Start out with the absolute lowest note that you can muster up, and then move your way through your vocal range until the guitar starts to vibrate. The note that causes your guitar to vibrate is it's resonating frequency.

Parametric EQ can clean up feedback or boomy problems without sacrificing other tones. Parametric EQ is also great for giving the tone-quality of your guitar a little boost. By turning up (just a bit) the exact range of frequencies that include the rich tone of your guitar, you can get back the unique sound of your guitar that sometimes gets lost in amplification.

Once in a while I like to give the shika-shika of the pick brushing on the strings a little EQ boost when I strum (see FINGERSTYLE TECHNIQUES). This accents the rhythm nicely with a percussive "washboard-scrub" feel. You can also turn up the cool low-end THUMP you get by using your palm against the strings for percussion, which makes it sound like you've got a bass drum.

Some pre-amps come with various kinds of parametric equalizers. A few Ovation and Washburn acoustic-electrics come with a handy pseudo-parametric knob that allows you to select the range of frequencies for the 3-band graphic EQ built into the guitar. I say 'pseudo' because a true parametric EQ gives you much more freedom in selecting frequency ranges. The Pendulum, a real high-end acoustic pre-amp, has a 2 channel parametric built in.

Many guitarists swear by compression, and others believe that it hinders their sound. Compression will only help subtly, but subtly it can make a very powerful difference. Please remember that learning to use a compressor takes a fair amount of practice, and that a poorly adjusted compressor will only wind up ruining your sound.

All effects processors or effects units have a dial for adjusting the mix of instrument to the effect. A sound mix consisting mostly of your instrument's original tone and very little effect is called "dry". A mix where the effect is far stronger than the guitar is "wet". Unless you're looking for a seriously synthetic sound, I wouldn't go over 50%. On the other hand, a very dry sound can be unnaturally flat.

The following descriptions of reverb, delay, and chorus are just some ideas on how to use these effects-- the final mix is up to you. If you don't know anything about these effects, a quick trip down to your local music to try out the equipment will give you a feel for how these effects work.

As mentioned in the section about pre-amps, amplifying an acoustic guitar just makes it sound unnatural, and in order to make up for that, you've got to put some electronics back to keep it from sounding like an electric guitar. An absolute necessary piece of electronic gear is reverb.

There are all kinds of reverb, from big rooms to small rooms, from great halls to small passage ways. Rooms made of stone sound very different from rooms made of wood. Most reverb units allow you to choose the type of room that you want to sound like you're playing in, from size and shape to construction. Lexicon makes a high-end processor that allows you to build the shape of the room-- you can play in the corner of a small 4X10m ceramic-tile hall with a high slanted ceiling, or in the center of a figure-eight shaped stone castle.

Most solo-guitar players tend to make their reverb mix pretty wet in an attempt to get a full sound. Using large hall or big room reverbs can give you the sound of the Lone Guitarist, which has a nice effect when you're playing solo. Sometimes it can be little much though, and start to sound like your strumming into an empty canyon.

Simply ask yourself what type of reverb you think appropriately fits the song that you're playing. Leaving out reverb and playing dry sounds FLAT and unnatural.

Some guitarists use delay or echo effects to enhance the rhythm of what they're playing. Setting the delay to re-occur at intervals in time with the music can accentuate the beat, and make an instrument sound "fatter". It's important to adjust the delay time with each song, though, as the rhythm changes. Failing to do this will make your timing sound poor, and probably throw it off.

Sometimes I like to use an extremely short delay to create a "doubling effect". By keeping the delay very close behind the original sound, the echo seems to disappear. In its place, you get a very subtle but full sound, as if two guitars are playing exactly the same note at exactly the same time.

The best choruses I've heard so far have been created by using two different delays, both slightly de-tuned digitally from the original sound, rather than using an actual chorus unit. That's a pretty expensive way to go about getting an effect on your guitar, but some people feel that's what it takes.

If you're really bent on using a chorus on your acoustic and don't want to fork out all your money, just be sure to use your ears when picking one out at the local music store. Make sure to find one that compliments your guitar's tone nicely, and doesn't hide it under cheap electronic synthesizing.

As mentioned before, many inexpensive guitars nowadays have the pick-up plus a 3-band EQ pre-amp already built in, so all you'd need to get is a reverb unit. I suppose you could get away without owning a reverb unit yourself, and just use the reverb on the club's system where you're playing. But you'd be surprised how often those places don't have basic things like reverb or don't know how to operate their own P.A. system. Also, many guitar amps don't have reverb built in, and it's not uncommon to wind up in a situation where everybody wants you to play, but inevitably you'll sound horrible because the sound coming out of the speaker is too flat and dry without reverb. A cheap reverb unit doesn't cost much, and can save you from being stuck without it.