Tips To Maintain Your Guitar For Years of Life and Playability.
Guitar owners face a common dilemma: how to maintain your beloved instrument in good condition, no matter how often it gets played. As a guitarist, you are likely to want to keep your guitar both in good shape and sounding great. After all, frequent maintenance will ensure the best performance when you need it.
Fortunately, maintaining a guitar is not complex. The basic procedures outlined below will help to keep your axe in top condition. Let’s look at the most important steps to take for guitar maintenance.
String Maintenance
The most basic – and possibly time consuming – maintenance for your guitar is changing the strings. The frets will start to rust and make it difficult for the strings to vibrate properly if you don’t change them often enough. This will lead to a loss of sound quality, as well as making it harder to fret notes.
When the strings on a guitar are in poor condition it will sound muffled, without any clarity or ‘fizz’. Your guitar will also be harder to play, making it harder to practice. You should aim to change your strings once a month – more often if you’re playing regularly – to keep your guitar in top condition.
Cleaning the body and fretboard
It’s important to keep the body and fretboard of your guitar clean. Dirt and sweat build up over time, and the oil on our hands leaves smudge marks on the surface of the guitar. This will inhibit the playing surface and make it harder to form chords and play leads.
You should start by wiping down the body of the instrument with a dry cloth. Then, use a damp cloth to wipe down the fretboard, taking care to keep it damp and not wet. Ear swabs, or flat toothpicks, can be used to gently clean the frets and get underneath them.
Action Adjustment and Neck Relief
An important part of guitar maintenance is action adjustment. Action adjustment is simply the measurement of the strings on the fretboard. Action adjustment and neck relief refer to the same concept; when these are in alignment, the strings will be easier to play and sound better.
To adjust the action, you should use an appropriate tool (such as an Allen wrench) to loosen or tighten the screws on the saddle. This is a delicate process, and you should be careful not to adjust the screws too much.
Hardware Check
Even the highest quality parts can wear over time. Regularly checking all the hardware on your guitar (including screws, nuts, bridges, and pickups) is essential in order to identify any signs of wear. If a screw is stripped and can’t be tightened, for example, it should be replaced as soon as possible.
If you notice any signs of wear and tear, it’s best to replace the parts that are affected. This will reduce the risk of any further damage, and will ensure the optimal performance of your instrument.
Polishing
Finally, polishing the body and fretboard of your guitar will help keep it looking shiny and new. You should use a guitar polish that is specifically designed for this purpose, as this will help to avoid any damage to the finish of the guitar.
When polishing the fretboard, avoid using polishes or compounds that contain abrasives. These can damage the fretboard and make it difficult to play. Instead, use a clean, soft cloth to rub the polish in, wiping off any excess when finished.
Conclusion
Guitar maintenance doesn’t have to be complicated – in fact, it can be quite simple with some basic understanding and practice. If you follow the steps outlined above you will help to keep your guitar sounding and playing its best, for years of life and playability.