Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question, chances are good that other people had the same one! Take a look at these answers we've put together for you.

Carbon Fiber

Carbon fiber is used to build airplanes, car parts, hockey sticks, tennis rackets, high-end bicycles, golf clubs, and many more parts that undergo much more stress than a guitar ever experiences. Carbon fiber is a combination of the most durable weave fabric and the strongest epoxy glue. Together, the two combine to create an incredibly hard, solid, strong and light material. Watch our video where a car runs over our carbon fiber ukulele if you want to see how strong our instruments are!

Sound is very subjective. We don't claim that carbon fiber sounds better or worse than wood, it just sounds different. Our customers have told us consistently that their KLŌS travel guitar is much louder than they would have expected given its small size. Because carbon fiber is so strong, it requires less internal bracing, which allows it to resonate more freely.  We recommend reading our customers' reviews on Google or Facebook, or on our guitar product pages, as well as watching some of our demos in our Videos section. Smaller guitars should not be compared to normal size (ie full size) guitars because the smaller cubic volume of the body itself has limitations, independent of material composition.   

On our Hybrid Series models, the body and soundboard are made from carbon fiber, and the neck and bridge are made from mahogany and walnut.

Our Full Carbon Series models are made completely from composite materials such as carbon fiber and richlite.

Our hybrid models are made with a mahogany neck and bridge, with a carbon fiber body. What sets our wooden necks apart are the two carbon fiber stiffening rods that run alongside the truss rod. These help the neck be more resistant to warping and bending than an average wooden guitar.


Our full carbon series takes wood out of the equation, with a carbon fiber composite neck, fretboard, and bridge on our carbon fiber body. This full carbon build is extremely damage resistant, nearly weather-proof, and won't ever bend, warp, or crack on you. They also have a better sound to them as well. This is due to the guitar being one uniform material, which allows for everything to vibrate at the same frequency. The composite bridge especially helps to bring a fuller, richer, and warmer tone.


Which one is better for you may vary, however. Both are durable, but the full carbon series is much better if you plan on taking your KLOS in a hot or cold car for long periods of time, or on long outdoor trips. They are also best if you are looking for the best sound quality out of your KLOS! However, some players just like the feel of a wooden neck, or need a more affordable option, in which our hybrid series can still provide you the durability and longevity that KLOS is known for!

First and foremost, the wooden neck feels familiar in your hand. It also helps reduce the production cost, allowing them to be half the price of other carbon fiber guitars. The wooden neck is still incredibly durable because of the wood we use and the carbon stiffening rods we add to resist warping and twisting.

We also want to offer customers the ability to have a more affordable option, while still having the opportunity to take advantage of the durability KLOS is known for!

Our Hybrid Series guitars feature carbon fiber stiffening rods in their necks. Most guitar necks have a truss rod which allows the player to adjust the relief of the neck. In various environments, dry vs humid, hot vs cold, wooden necks expand or contract differently and the curve of the neck can change slightly. When you adjust the relief with the truss rod, you can offset some of these changes. Carbon fiber stiffening rods provide a constant and unchanging element that runs the length of the neck. This can minimize the effect of temperature and humidity changes. So once you have the truss rod set correctly, environmental changes will not affect the neck as much.

Please note that all wooden necks, including ours, are inherently susceptible to warping and twisting over time if exposed to temperature or humidity extremes.

No! The carbon rods weigh less than the wood they replace, so they make the neck slightly lighter.

Unfortunately, we don't offer the ability to solely upgrade the neck on your hybrid guitar to carbon fiber. However, we would love to get a full carbon series instrument in your hands, so be sure to reach out to us at info@klosguitars.com for more info on how to get that upgrade done!

Though lemon oil would work, and won't be an issue in any way, we recommend an oil mixture that we use at our shop. This will be much more effective than the lemon oil, and soak in a bit more. We use 50% water and 50% mineral spirits and mix it in a spray bottle. You are also able to use steel wool in your cleaning process.

Shipping

We are partnered with physical retailers in these locations.

We're expanding our dealer network every day, so please let us know if you have a favorite music shop that you'd like to see carry KLOS guitars and ukuleles!

Yes! We currently ship to all countries apart from Russia and Ukraine until further notice.

Shipping varies on location, and may be more or less than any general estimate we can make here. We recommend adding a guitar to cart and putting in your information so that our website can tell you exactly how much shipping costs.

You will also have the option to pay your country's required duties and fees at checkout, or upon your order's arrival!

Don't panic! Your bolts, saddle, and screwdriver set should all have come with your guitar. Be sure to take a look at the vertical pocket on the front of the gig bag. This pocket will be on the same side as our logo on the neck portion of the bag. Inside, there will be a ziploc bag with all the items you need to assemble your KLOS Guitar!

Travel Guitar FAQ

You won’t find a better guitar to travel with by plane! While in backpack mode, a KLOS travel guitar can not only be stored in the overhead compartment, but also be taken aboard as a personal item and placed under the seat. The screwdriver to assemble and disassemble is also TSA approved, so you won’t have any issues taking your travel guitar with you on your next flight!

Our travel guitars have all the benefits of your standard acoustic dreadnought, but in a smaller, more portable package! The KLOS travel guitar has a ¾ scale body of our full size, but still has a full size neck and 24.75” scale length. They are also substantially slimmer, at about 3.5 inches on the lower bout.

Full Size Guitar FAQ

Our full sizes are still great for traveling, and can be disassembled to make for better portability. While in backpack mode, a KLOS full size guitar can be stored in the overhead compartment. The screwdriver to assemble and disassemble is also TSA approved, so you won’t have any issues taking your guitar with you on your next flight!

Our full size guitars are just a hair shorter than the standard dreadnought, and a bit slimmer at about 4 inches on the lower bout. They still pack the same great volume of a dreadnought, however.

Ukulele FAQ

There are a few main differences between our standard and deluxe ukuleles:

  • Our standard ukulele will be acoustic, while our deluxe will have a Fishman Kula pickup installed. This is an active preamp pickup with a piezo system. It also has an onboard tuner and some EQ options!
  • The standard ukulele will have our KLOS machine heads, while the deluxe will have upgraded Graphtech Ratio tuners.
  • The hardware will also be upgraded from the standard Nubone nut and saddle to the Graphtech TUSQ saddle and nut.
  • The strings will also be upgraded from the D’addario EJ65T clear nylons, to D’addario EJ99T fluorocarbon strings.

Yes we do! You can find that option on our full carbon ukes, both for tenor and concert. It will be on the instrument page alongside our other custom shop options.

Unlike our guitars, and basses, our ukuleles have set necks. Our hybrid ukes have a glued neck, and our full carbon ukes are one piece.

Though our guitars and basses have radius fretboards, our ukulele fretboards are completely flat with no radius.

Apollo Electric Guitar FAQ

Yes, you are able to get custom pickups in your Apollo guitar! Just be sure to select our “Custom pickup, knob, or tremolo configuration” option on the Apollo page before checkout. Once your order is placed, we will reach out to you within 1 business day to see what pickup/pickguard you were looking to have installed!

Whatever you prefer! If you have your pickups you wish to have installed, you can send them into our shop to be installed. If you don’t have them, we can order them and just invoice you the price of the pickups. When you select the custom pickup option for your Apollo, we will reach you by email and work out how you are wanting to set up your guitar.

We have a 25.5” scale length, 24-fret neck option for our Apollo electric guitars. You can find this upgrade in our selection of custom shop options. Only available for the Apollo Pro model.

We have the option to put either a true Floyd Rose on your Apollo, or a Wilkinson Tremolo system. You can find these upgrades on the Apollo Pro page.

Apollo Electric Bass FAQ

Yes, you are able to get custom pickups in your Apollo bass! Just be sure to select our “Custom pickup, knob, or bridge configuration” option on the Apollo page before checkout. Once your order is placed, we will reach out to you within 1 business day to see what pickup/pickguard you were looking to have installed!

Absolutely! Just be sure to select our “Custom pickup, knob, or bridge configuration” option on the Apollo page before checkout. Once your order is placed, we will reach out to you within 1 business day to figure out any necessary measurement changes to make your bass prime for slap style!

Whatever you prefer! If you have your pickups you wish to have installed, you can send them into our shop to be installed. If you don’t have them, we can order them and just invoice you the price of the pickups. When you select the custom pickup option for your Apollo, we will reach you by email and work out how you are wanting to set up your bass exactly.

Unfortunately, we only have one scale length for our basses at this time. However, if you are interested in seeing a short scale version of our Apollo basses, be sure to fill out an instrument interest form here.

Baritone Ukulele FAQ

Answer pending.

Currently, the baritone only comes in the Full Carbon series because we wanted to make sure it released in the best version possible.

Carbon Fiber Electric Neck Replacement

Yes! While the heel thickness will be the same, the Strat heel is rounded, while the Tele heel is flat.

The Strat neck has a 9.5” radius with a rounded bottom, while the Tele neck has a 12” radius and a flat bottom.

Yes! You’ll also be able to mix and match heel and fretboard styles to find your perfect fit. For example: you can get a neck with the rounded Strat heel, and fretboard option 2: the 12” radius fretboard with a flat Tele end. These customizations will come at an additional cost.

All of our electric necks have 22 frets.

The frets will be made out of stainless steel and be medium jumbo sized with a width of 2.7mm.

The necks will only come with Medium Jumbo stainless steel frets.

You sure can! Because the fretboard will overhang, you will be able to replace a 21 fret neck with our 22 fret necks.

Each neck will be drilled for both plate styles. So, whether you have a rectangular plate or an offset plate, the carbon fiber neck will fit snug and secure.

Both the Strat and Tele necks have a 25.5” scale length.

The necks come with a black nut and chrome tuners. The option to upgrade to locking tuners will be available at an additional cost.

We are open to customizing the nut string spacing for those who prefer more distance between their strings. Contact info@klosguitars.com for pricing and fulfillment.

We will have a left neck in the Hendrix style. So, the bolt holes, inlays and logo will be in the correct orientation for a left, but the headstock will be in the right orientation.

Yes! We are planning on ordering some necks without those front inlays already, as we want to experiment with creating our own, so it's no problem for you to receive one of these if that's what you are looking for. However, the side inlays will still be there. There won't be any extra cost. Just be sure to leave a note on your pre order that mentions no front inlays!

Yes! Although the necks will launch with chrome tuners, black tuners will be available down the line. If you purchased a carbon fiber neck upgrade, but want black tuners, contact info@klosguitars.com

The pick-guards will have have standard Fender shapes. Only the pickup, knob, and switch orientation will change, depending on your instrument.

Carbon Fiber Bass Neck Replacement

Yes! We will offer neck replacements for both 4 and 5 string basses.

The necks will come with 20, 21 or 22 frets. Each of these necks have a different heel length, but will match standard Fender heel sizes corresponding to the number of frets.

No, the width at the 20th fret and heel thickness is the same between the 20, 21 and 22 fret necks.

By default, necks will be drilled for both plate styles. So, whether you have a rectangular plate or an offset plate, the carbon fiber neck will fit snug and secure.

Yes! We will offer the 5 bolt Ultra or Deluxe standard position with the neck if requested.

The frets will be made out of stainless steel and be medium jumbo sized with a width of 2.7mm.

We will offer fretless necks that still have the dot inlays.

The bass necks will have a 34” scale length.

The necks come with a black nut and chrome tuners. The option to upgrade to locking tuners will be available at an additional cost.

We are open to customizing the nut string spacing for those who prefer more distance between their strings. Contact info@klosguitars.com for pricing and fulfillment.

There are 2 options: Jazz nut width (38.1 mm), and Precision nut width (41.3 mm). The heel on both these necks are exactly the same, so the necks are interchangeable.

The 20 fret neck will have a fretboard radius of 9.5”, while the 21 and 22 fret necks will have a fretboard radius of 12”. The 21 and 22 fret necks also have an option to upgrade to a compound radius.

There are 2 options: Jazz and Precision necks will have the same nut width (47.6mm). We will offer a neck with a 45mm nut width, but not this is not standard for Fender instruments.

Yes! We will have a left neck in the Hendrix style. So, the bolt holes, inlays and logo will be in the correct orientation for a left, but the headstock will be in the right orientation.

Purchasing

We do sell factory second guitars at a reduced price. Please reach out to us at info@klosguitars.com if you're interested in this option. 

A factory second guitar is merely cosmetically flawed. It is just as durable and beautiful sounding as a brand new guitar, however, throughout the manufacturing process, it has an imperfection that does not allow us to sell it as a perfect guitar. These imperfections are minor, ranging from a small scratch, a wave in the carbon fiber weave, a slight ding in the soundboard or neck, etc. Most people can’t even tell that there is an imperfection, but because we pay such careful attention to each detail, we are aware of them.

ZIP is a third-party financing solution. Here is how it works. This option can be selected on the Payment Information page of the checkout process.

You can also check out SHOP Pay. Here is more info about them.

We have specs up for all our instruments on the product pages. Just scroll down past the "Add to Cart" button, and click on the tab that says Product Specs.

Returns

Please read our return policy.

Read about our warranty here.

This will depend largely on what model you have, and what model you are looking to get. We are unable to exchange any instruments from customers that have custom shop options at this time.

Be sure to reach out to info@klosguitars.com for more info if you are interested in exchanging your instrument. Restocking fees may apply.

Instrument Features & Maintenance

We use standard Nickel Silver fret wire on our guitars. Because of how difficult stainless frets are to work with, we don't offer them at this time. It would add a lot of labor time to the build process and increase the final cost to the consumer.

The side sound port is a second sound port (1.75" diameter) in the upper bout on the side of the guitar. It helps get the sound from the strings more directly to your ear. It doesn't replace the main soundhole. 

Check out our info page about the side sound port here

It is very easy to attach and detach, check out this tutorial video.

You only have to detune the strings and remove four screws. Since our guitars are so small, it's pretty easy to take it with you without detaching the neck.

Our guitars are assembled by hand in Provo, Utah by our team of luthiers.

We've made a video about how and how often to maintain your KLOS guitar. 

We do not recommend going any thicker than .013 gauge strings.

We ship every Hybrid series with D'Addario Custom Light .011-.052 gauge strings. Our full carbons and deluxe instruments use a similar gauge in D'Addario's EXP range of strings

3/32" Ebass, 2/32" Etreble at the 12th fret

There is a battery pack above the low E string (same side as the volume and tone knobs). The best way to change the battery is to loosen the strings, reach in the soundhole, take out the Velcro battery pack, and replace the 9V battery. The battery has an estimated lifetime of 100 hours before it should need to be replaced. 

Our acoustic-electric and deluxe models are similar, but there are some key differences that make our deluxe a higher-end product:


Our deluxe has a complete hardware overhaul, including upgraded strings, nut, saddle, bridge pins, and machine heads! The deluxe model will have Cleartone Phosphor Bronze acoustic strings set up on the guitar. There is also a Graph Tech TUSQ nut and saddle installed, with upgraded bridge pins. Finally, instead of our standard KLOS tuners, the deluxe model will have GraphTech Ratio machine heads. All these combine to make a greatly improved model over our already awesome standard instruments!

Yes! We wouldn’t want to forget our lefty players out there. All our deluxe and full carbon models have the ability to be built as lefties. You can find that upgrade with the other custom shop options.

Other instruments

We evaluate our customers' interest by keeping track of inquiries about specific models. We have a master list of our interest forms that you can flip through here

We can make any guitar we sell as a nylon string. It requires a different build process, so it adds two weeks to the build time.

You can read more about the Nylon build here

Right now we only make the dreadnought version seen throughout the site. We plan on eventually making a cutaway version, please fill out this survey to be the first to hear about our progress and email us if you want to know more information

We plan on eventually making a carbon fiber classical guitar, please fill out this survey to be the first to hear about our progress and email us if you want to know more information

We plan on eventually making a carbon fiber mandolin, please fill out this survey to be the first to hear about our progress and email us if you want to know more information

We plan on eventually making a carbon fiber soprano ukulele, please fill out this survey to be the first to hear about our progress and email us if you want to know more information

We plan on eventually making a carbon fiber baritone ukulele, please fill out this survey to be the first to hear about our progress and email us if you want to know more information

We plan on eventually making a carbon fiber concert ukulele, please fill out this survey to be the first to hear about our progress and email us if you want to know more information

We plan on eventually making a carbon fiber cello, please fill out this survey to be the first to hear about our progress and email us if you want to know more information

We plan on eventually making a carbon fiber upright bass, please fill out this survey to be the first to hear about our progress and email us if you want to know more information

We plan on eventually making a carbon fiber violin, please fill out this survey to be the first to hear about our progress and email us if you want to know more information

We plan on eventually making a carbon fiber 12 string guitar, please fill out this survey to be the first to hear about our progress and email us if you want to know more information

We plan on eventually making a carbon fiber banjo, please fill out this survey to be the first to hear about our progress and email us if you want to know more information

We plan on eventually making a carbon fiber 5-string bass, please fill out this survey to be the first to hear about our progress and email us if you want to know more information

We plan on eventually making a carbon fiber 6-string bass, please fill out this survey to be the first to hear about our progress and email us if you want to know more information

Still have a question?