How to Take Care of your Guitar? – Detailed Guide

If you love your acoustic guitar then you must care about it. Caring about your guitar helps in keeping it in good condition in the long-haul. Care is required because the acoustic guitar is made with thin wood. Humidity and temperature have negative side effects on these woods. Rapid changes in temperature can cause cracks in the finish of the acoustic guitar. These cracks are called as lacquer checks.

When the humidity in the atmosphere increases the moisture content of the wood also increases. This causes the wood to expand and swell. This is only possible in very high humidity and high temperature. This high temperature could also weaken the glue joint which can cause the bridge of the guitar to pull off.

You should always store your guitar in a case when you are not using it. It will help you protect the acoustic guitar from humidity. You should prevent tightening and loosening the strings of the guitar frequently. Doing this can ruin the sound produced by the strings. Other than these small tips there are other ways through which you can take care of your guitar. Some of them are mentioned here:

Maintenance of tuning machine

You can take care of the tuning machine by just applying some lubrication periodically. Manufactures lubricate the closed machines but you should lubricate the open machines twice a year. You can easily do it by applying some petroleum jelly with the help of the toothpick. Do not apply too much of it as dust can stick on it.

Keeping the finish clean

Use warm and damp cloth always for cleaning the guitar. This will help you remove harmful chemicals from the sensitive finish. Do not use an excessive dry cloth as perspiration can damage the finish. For cleaning the strings, you must make use of dry and soft cloth. Solvents or products that contain silicon should not be used for cleaning purposes.

Position of the bridge

The strings are placed on the bridge with the help of a small notch that is present before the bridge pin. For proper alignment of string, the pin slot must be facing straight forward. Before inserting the bridge, pin make sure that the ball end of the string is tightly pulled up against the inside of the top. The end pins are not glued to the guitar. So, you must ensure that it has not loosened over time.

Adjust the action

The action affects the playability of the instrument. It is the height between the strings and the fretboard. If it is too low it will buzz against the frets. You must always ensure that the action is appropriate. You must once in a while get it adjusted by the authorized repair person. Don’t try it to do yourself as it may result in damaging the strings and the fretboard.

Replacing the strings

Strings of the guitar do not stay with the same shine and sound effects. Gradually they lose their brilliance. When the strings begin to wear the sound, it becomes slightly muffled. Strings can wear out due to moisture and corrosion. When such a thing happens, you must replace the entire set of strings with a new one. If you replace only one string then you may achieve unbalanced sound with the strings.

Using the guitar straps

Your guitar is coated with very fine layers of high-quality finish. Using leather or synthetic straps can largely affect this finish. Using synthetic or vinyl straps can also damage your guitar as these materials have solvents that can be harmful to the guitar. Avoid direct contact between the finish and these solvents. To avoid this effect, you must store your guitar after removing the strap. Store the strap separately.

Taking care of the neck and the top

You must ensure that the adjustable neck rod of your guitar is adjusted for relative straightness. Take the help of distributors or authorized people for making this adjustment. Protect the top of the guitar from temperature and humidity. Rapid changes in the temperature can cause swelling in the fingerboard end attached to the top. Keeping your guitar away from high temperatures can help you prevent its deterioration.

Caring while traveling

It may often happen that you carry your guitar with you to different places. But this doesn’t mean you treat your guitar as a piece of baggage. Take care of it while traveling also. If you wish to travel by road then be sure to keep your guitar on the back seat. Do not place it in the trunk. Excessive heat, humidity and moist temperature in the trunk can damage your guitar. The bridge of the guitar gets affected the most by this carelessness.

The final words

If you want to keep your guitar in great condition then you must take care of it. Follow the above-mentioned tips for taking care of your guitar. Keep your guitar in good condition and play your desired music. Happy playing.