Taking Care of Your Guitar Posted By : Larry Getz
Taking Care Of Your Guitar
Being a great guitar player is not only about actually playing your instrument. Proper guitar care is essential to maintaining good sound and technique. Here is some helpful information to guide you along.
Fingerboards tend to get very dirty with the natural grease which builds up over time from your hands and fingers. About every six months you should clean and polish it. You can try some
lemon oil for this or check with a qualified guitar repair technician at your local music store for more options.
Take a look at and adjust the truss rod when you change the string gauge of your instrument. Keep an eye on the string tension as this can change during climate changes.
The saddle can be adjusted with little pieces of cardboard allowing it to be raised or lowered as needed.
If you need to transport your instrument, you will want to loosen the strings first. Pack the peg-head portion of the guitar case with a towel to protect the body and keep it from moving around too much.
Polish or wipe off the frets to keep them clean of any treads or packing material residue.
Be careful not to over tighten the knots on the pegs as this can break them. Also, snug the tuners about twice a year. These are made of metal or wood, and tend to loosen naturally over time.
If you are going to travel on an airplane, don’t check the guitar with your luggage. Remember the old commercials on television showing the similarity between baggage handlers and large wild animals? No offense if you are a luggage handler by the way.
Most airlines will allow you to bring a guitar on board in the cabin. However, you will want to check this out with them first, especially if you are traveling in a foreign country. It is very stressful arriving at the gate only to be told you can’t take your guitar on the plane with you.
Keeping all of these things in mind and using a bit of common sense will keep your guitar ready to play at all times.