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Title: Essential Guitar Care Tips
Author: Ken Radwell
Article:
If you want to keep your guitar in top condition, so that it
always sounds great and keeps it's value, a few simple care and
maintenance tasks need to be carried out. The guitar is a
sensitive instrument and by following these simple steps, you
will make sure that your guitar continues to perform at its
best.
Watch the temperature.
Your guitar can tolerate a range of low and high temperatures,
but it is rapid change in temperature that can cause problems
such as a cracks in the body. Never leave your guitar next to a
radiator, or in the back of your car on a hot day. Keeping your
guitar in it's case when not in use can offer some protection
against extremes of temperature change.
Is your guitar drying out?
Lack of humidity is another threat to your guitar, especially if
it is an acoustic. Low humidity can cause cracking fret boards,
split tops etc.. Keeping you guitar in it's case will protect
against sudden changes in humidity as well as temperature. Use
of a humidifier is recommended to deal with any humidity issues.
These are usually placed in the sound hole so that the humidity
within the guitar can be maintained at a suitable level and
avoid the guitar drying out. This is particularly important in
winter, when your heating will be drying out the atmosphere in
your house.
Storing your guitar.
As already mentioned, storing your guitar in it's case when not
in use is a good way to protect against changes in temperature
and humidity. But is also good for general protection of your
guitar from dust, knocks etc.. A solid body case is best as this
affords better protection against knocks.
The alternative and cheaper option is to buy a rack or stand, so
that the guitar can be stored in a secure position.
If you are not going to play your guitar for about a month or
more, it is a good idea to loosen the strings. When tuned, the
strings exert a strong force against the neck and body of the
guitar. Over time this can cause warping, and bending out of
shape. Loosening the strings takes the pressure off and will
prevent any occurrence of this. You will simply need to retune
your guitar once you start playing again.
Cleaning
The first step toward keeping a clean guitar is to make sure
your hands are clean before you start playing. The life of
strings can be affected by sweat and chemicals that are
deposited by your fingers when playing. Keeping your finger
nails trimmed on your fret hand will also prevent unnecessary
wear of the fret board.
The strings should be cleaned after each session, by wiping with
a soft cloth to remove any deposits. Cleaning the strings will
not only extend the playing life of the strings, but will help
keep the guitar in tune.
When the time comes to change the strings, take the opportunity
to give the fret board a clean. This can get quite grubby with
muck accumulating behind the frets. A dirty fret board will also
reduce the useful life of your strings. To clean the fret board,
use a damp paper towel to wipe gently between the frets. Be
careful not to get the fret board wet. Then wipe the fret board
with a dry paper towel. Many guitarist use Fretboard 65 Lemon
Oil. This is a popular fretboard cleaning agent and treatment.
The finish on the body of modern guitars is usually quite
durable and so should only require a wipe down with a soft
cloth. Polishing, if required, should only be carried out using
a specialist guitar polish. Ordinary furniture polish is not
recommended as these often contain mild abrasives. If you polish
your guitar too frequently with ordinary household wax polish,
the layers of polish can eventually harden and alter the tone of
your guitar.
Change old strings
If your guitar is sounding dull, or the guitar keeps going out
of tune, this is usually a sign that the strings need replacing.
If you are a professional or an amateur who plays frequently,
you will probably have to change your strings every two weeks.
For more casual use, every two to three months is more likely.
All strings should be replaced at the same time. This is so that
the characteristics and youth of the strings are consistent for
all strings. Changing one string in isolation will give you
problems maintaining tune of your guitar. When you are changing
your strings, check the action of the tuning gears to make sure
that there is no looseness or slack in the gearing. If any slack
is found, the tuning gears should be checked and repaired by a
competent guitar technician.
By following these simple guitar care tips, you will enjoy a
long and tuneful relationship with your guitar.
About the author:
Ken Radwell has produced a free report <a
href="http://guitarsuccessnow.com/freereport.html">"Secrets to
Success Teaching Yourself Guitar"</a> which can be obtained
along with other information and reviews of guitar learning
materials via his website <a
href="http://guitarsuccessnow.com/freereport.html">
www.GuitarSuccessNow.com/freereport.html</a>
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