In this episode of Prepping for the Studio, hosts Roy Silverstein and Brian Scheuble are joined by guitar tech and musician, David Mead, to discuss prepping your guitars for recording.

Drawing on his background in vintage guitar shops, auto body work, playing/recording/touring, and his Magnetic Heaven guitar repair/flipping business, David explains what a setup optimizes—action, fret buzz, intonation, etc.

He covers how climate and temperature shifts affect guitars, storage and humidification, and why setups may need adjustment after travel. For electrics, he highlights pickup height, noise/RF interference, and how magnet pull affects feel and tone. He also discusses string gauge and material choices, break-in time for recording, and preferences around new vs. used strings.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:33 Meet David Mead

01:26 Vintage Guitar Store Origins

02:49 Burnout and Recession Years

03:53 Auto Body Shop Lessons

05:54 Bands and Tech Philosophy

08:33 Back in Business on Reverb

10:38 What a Guitar Setup Fixes

11:48 Tension Changes and Fret Buzz

15:56 Intonation and Contact Points

23:22 Strings and Gauge Choices

27:11 When Setups Go Wrong

30:21 Truss Rod Discussion

33:34 Climate and Guitar Storage

34:35 Fret Sprout and Rehydration

37:09 Humidifying Methods

39:55 When Is a Guitar Totaled

40:35 Legendary Repair Stories

45:11 Why Martins and Gibsons Record Well

47:09 Electric Pickups and Noise

49:51 Pickup Height and Magnet Pull

51:52 Noiseless Pickups Debate

54:34 Strings for Studio Sessions

55:46 New vs Used Strings Timing

59:42 Drums Tease and Wrap Up

01:04:01 Show Outro and Credits

Check out David at:

https://www.magneticheavenmusic.com

Instagram: @magnetic.heaven

Reverb.com store: https://reverb.com/shop/magneticheaven

Please visit http://www.preppingforthestudio.com for more info and to download the free ebook, "A Musician's Guide To The Recording Studio".

Hosts:

Roy Silverstein of Rarefied Recording (www.rarefiedrecording.com)

and

Brian Scheuble (www.brianscheuble.com)

If you have questions, comments, or suggestions please email Roy: [email protected]

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