Guitar Care Made Easy
Posted: Wednesday, February 08, 2012
by Octavia Hansen
Octavia Hansen
A guitar is not a piece of furniture. A lot of people treat it that way but if you love your instrument and want to make it last, you have to take care of it.
For any guitar, keep it clean. Fingerprints, when left for long periods of time, will carve themselves into the guitar. The combination of oil, dirt and natural skin acids will literally eat the guitar finish. This is what makes fingerprints permanent enough to use as evidence. Before you change your strings, wash your hands. To make your newly changed guitar strings last longer, wash your hands before you play (or sanitize), then wipe down the strings with rubbing alcohol when you are finished.
Check that pick guard -- is it large enough to protect the body from your playing? Any pick can mar the wood, some heavy picks and metal picks can carve a groove during hard playing. You can buy a larger pick guard or a clear guard to protect the guitar and give it that really new look.
On all guitars the strings are key. Nasty strings? Everyone will hear it. Old strings not only look dull they sound it. They are dead. They have lost elasticity and that's what makes the string sound great. Old strings are okay for practice. I change strings right before a performance or recording. I know professional musicians who change strings ever day. I know some players, (not pros) who don't really care and don't change strings as long as the strings hold a tuning.
Electric guitars don't mind much. Weather, hot, cold, humity don't effect a solid body guitar. This is especially true of composite guitars -- graphite, plastic, molded resin. If the neck is wood, keep it dry and away from direct sunlight and heat. Wipe it down with a clean dry towel or rag each time you are finished. ANY guitar should not be in the sun. Harsh light and heat fade the paint and can make the guitar brittle over time. If you don't like to stand in the sun, neither does your guitar.
Hollow body electrics, made of wood, are thicker than acoustic guitars but not as heavy as solid body guitars. This is easier on your shoulder when playing but makes them susceptible to temperature and humidity changes. Keep them away from extreme, quick temperature changes. When transporting the guitar, keep it cased, when going from house to car to gig and back again, try to let it sit around for ten to fifteen minutes before tuning. Any temperature change will change the tuning, and that just wastes your time, or worse, throws you out of tune when you are playing as the guitar warms to your body temperature and playing.
Storing the guitar. If you don't play a lot, say only special holidays or during the summer, storing your guitar may be the only alternative to having it in the way or be out for someone you don't want to play it. DON'T losen the strings. The neck has tremendous pressure pulling it back so the strings on the front can pull forward to balance the tension. Loosen the strings and the neck will slowly bend itself backwards -- you don't want this. Also, when in storage, try not to have anything leaning on the neck of the guitar -- have it standing straight, held at the bottom so the neck is free, or suspended by the neck so the guitar hangs down is ideal. Anything that puts pressure on the neck, no matter how slight, for long periods of time, will bend the neck and could ruin it for life.
When storing or traveling, a hard shell case is the best protection for any guitar. It adds weight but it can save your guitar's life if banged or dropped. It evens out temperature changes, protects from bumps and water, and holds the guitar firmly. Hard shell cases are very softly lined but have a good hold on the instrument, perfect for long term storage or traveling. Again, scratches are for life, when not playing, don't take a chance propping up a guitar against a wall, against an amp, a chair or laying on the floor. If something can damage your guitar, it probably will.
Acoustic guitars are very picky, everything effects it. A simple rule of thumb: treat your guitar like you treat yourself . . . if you're cold, the guitar is cold; If you don't like wet, the guitar won't like wet. Case it up when not in use. This also cuts way back on unwanted persons picking up your guitar just to fool around. I've seen a lot of guitars dropped and scratched, usually NOT by the owner . . . someone just wanted to see it for a minute.
A final word about guitar safety. Musical instruments are the easiest to steal and the easiest to sell. I've heard a lot of horror stories of stolen equipment when people say they left it in their car for a minute or turned their back in a club for a second. Most guitar cases look the same -- put something identifying on the outside of your case -- stickers, marker, paint, your name, your band name -- anything so you know your guitar, even in the case. Don't bother with a locking case, the only person who can't get inside is you. Any guitar thief will break open the locks at a private location. Guitars are portable, keep it with you like a briefcase or a wallet. Take it into a restaurant with you, there's always room. When you go home, take it inside just like your wallet and car keys. And for insurance purposes, have photos and serial numbers written down. This can make the difference of you getting your guitar back, or a settlement that's doesn't want to replace your ax.
Treat your guitar like your best friend and you'll make beautiful music together.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Excellent article. In spite of my youth craziness and parties, my Sears Silvertone that Mom bought me for $30 made it all the way through the Seventies, until I bequeathed it to a little one. Fun reading your article. And thanks a million for your comment on the suicide article.
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