The following is a guest-post by Matt of Guitar Stuff––if you like his stuff, consider subscribing!
Am I the only guitar player who is a little anal-retentive about my guitars? I’m always hesitant to let people pick them up. I take a mental note of belt buckles and zippers on anyone who comes near them. In the back my head I think “is this the day my guitar gets dropped?”. Don’t even get me started on the panic that ensues inside my head when children get involved.
Even though I go a little crazy when it comes to the safety of my guitar, I do (or don’t do) things on a daily basis that could be harming in the long run. So, I have compiled a list of things manufacturers always tell you to do, but you probably don’t. Well, I know I am guilty of at least the first three of these. If you really truly are concerned with keeping your guitar mint, these should be second nature to you.
Here are the 10 maintenance rules that everyone should follow to keep their guitar in pristine condition:
- Wash your hands before playing. Your hands are oily and dirty. Washing your hands before playing can preserve the fingerboard as well as prolong the life of your strings.
- Before you put your guitar away in it’s case always wipe it down with a damp cloth to remove any hand oils that may be on it. Not a wet cloth, just a cloth that is slightly dampened.
- Put that guitar in it’s case! Yeah, it’s fun to display them for everyone to see, but your guitar doesn’t like to be exposed to anything. It doesn’t like changing temperatures, changing humidity, or direct sunlight.
- You know those black canvas gig bags? Yeah, forget they ever existed. Get a real hardshell case.
- Properly humidify your guitar. Get a case humidifier and find out what the manufacturer of your guitar suggests the relative humidity should be.
- Have your guitar’s bridge and neck setup properly for the gauge of strings you are using. If you change string gauges, have your guitar setup properly for the new strings. Obviously you don’t want to do this too often. If you know how to do this yourself that is great! If you don’t, you might want to get a professional to do it.
- Keep your guitar clear of any heavy temperature changes. Wood expands and contracts. If the temperature changes too quickly it expands and contracts too quickly – this is bad.
- Change your strings on a regular basis and never remove them all at one time! Remove one string at a time to replace them. Keeping your strings at the proper tension will keep that neck healthy.
- Play your guitar every day. Thats right – play it. What happens when you leave your car parked for a few months and then try and start it up? It doesn’t really like that very much, whether it tells you or not. Run your guitar through it’s paces, it’s good for it.
- Follow the above steps, and never, ever, let anyone else touch your guitar. Only kidding.
Obviously these are rules that only people with full time guitar techs can follow. Maybe the most diligent of us have the persistence needed to keep up such a strict maintenance routine, but thats not me. Your guitar won’t fall to pieces of you don’t follow these tips, but if you do it will guarantee that the guitar will live longer than you.
What are you guilty of and what tips did I miss?
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You can read more of Matt’s great guitar tips, lessons & reviews at his aptly-named blog––Guitar Stuff.
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May 8th, 2007 at 7:18 am
Pretty cool tips. I follow all of them, except for the case humidifier one. Not in that league…yet. :)
Actually, washing my hands makes my skin soft and “sticky.” So, I typically don’t wash before I play. I did have a job once where my hands were constantly exposed to cold water, and when I got home and played guitar, my hands were super dry, which made for great playing, in my experience. I’ve found that when my skin is really dry, my left hand just feels better on the strings and moving around the neck.
Thanks for the post!
Ignacio
May 8th, 2007 at 8:56 am
Great post!
May 8th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
Yea, I’m bad about leaving my guitar on the stand for days on end.
Thankfully, we have pretty temperate weather here in San Diego, so that helps.
Although yesterday when I got home from work after we just got hit with a weird and very warm switch in the weather, MAN was she out of tune.
Funny, I didn’t really notice it at first because every string was pretty much flat in the same amount.
May 8th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
My pet peeve is, if you’re gonna lean your guitar against the wall, turn it strings side to the wall.
May 9th, 2007 at 7:13 am
Hey guys, thanks for the feedback!
I don’t like to wash my hands before I play either cause then you have soft fingers. But I agree with you there Ignacio, cold water does work better. It doesn’t seem to soften you up as much. Heh, has anyone tried playing the guitar after doing a few loads of dishes or after taking a shower? Not so fun right?
I never used to put my guitars in their cases and when I moved from British Columbia to Alberta a few years ago my acoustic was basically destroyed by the dry prairie air. I learned my lesson about humidifying then.
May 9th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
Before playing, I like to punch a bucket of sand for ten to twenty minutes, to get the callouses on my knuckles up. And eat donuts.
May 11th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
A hardshell case is the best cheap insurance. Several years ago I learned that the hard way after I sat my new Tacoma dm-10 directly behind the rear tire of my pickup truck. At first I though I had just backed over my dog which was terrifying enough. Luckily all I had to do was replace the latches on the case and wipe off the tire mark! On the wet hands thing – I heard that Alan Holdsworth actually soaks his fingers in warm water before a live show. He says he likes the rubbery feel. No thanks.
Sorry for the late comment, I just surfed in.
May 23rd, 2007 at 9:46 am
In practice, Rule #3 contradicts Rule #9. You’re FAR less likely to play a guitar that is kept in its case! Unless you’re taking it somewhere, you’ll grab the one that’s just sitting around, waiting to be played – sometimes, I just reflexively pick up a guitar, just because it’s there. If a guitar is in its case, I have to go get it out – I need more intent, and thus play less.
Honestly, I try to keep a guitar (and a hand drum) in every room I’m in on a regular basis. Sure, they’re technically better off in their cases – but being played regularly makes them happier than being stored properly.
April 1st, 2008 at 6:31 pm
The ‘case’ storage thing is interesting. I have made the mistake of not keeping a cloth between the guitar neck and neck support of the case. This caused the finish to mar where contact was made. So, a very nice Guild D-35 became a not-so-nice D-35. An ‘expert’ friend of mine insists that case storage can cause the neck to warp if the guitar isn’t played often enough. He states that using wall hangers (and cloths where the hanger touches the neck) take advantage of gravity and help to keep things from warping. Right now mine stay hung, and the room is air conditioned. Frankly, I don’t always have time to play every day, and I don’t know for sure what to do. I have hardshell cases for all of my axes, and I suppose I could ‘rotate’ them between hanging and cases. I wonder what the MFG’s recommend….
October 31st, 2008 at 12:29 pm
“An expert friend of mine insists that case storage can cause the neck to warp if the guitar isn’t played often enough. He states that using wall hangers (and cloths where the hanger touches the neck) take advantage of gravity and help to keep things from warping.”
The storage (case) does that or the fact that it isn’t played often. In either case storage, not played often or even left on a floor stand does nothing to the neck as far as “pull”. I’m pretty sure that the tension from the strings (when in standard tuning) is enough to keep it from warping. I wouln’t leave my heavy unchambered Les Paul hanging by the neck when not playing!
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:25 pm
if i live in southern california, and i keep my window closed and door to my room closed all the time, and am very picky about foreign things in my room, and my guitar is on a regular stand, and keep it plugged in, is there anything wrong with that? please find fault with smallest detail, it will help. p.s. i dont want to spend money on humidifier, etc. alternatives?
February 4th, 2010 at 3:26 pm
Hi, those a great tips, i will be sure to follow.
I have a question though, I have my guitars hangin from the wall in my studio. I tend to play my speakers kind of loud. will the waves of sound/bass of the music affect my guitars. is there a way to protect them?
Thanks
Ismael.
February 5th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Hi Ismael,
There’s no problem there. In fact, some would argue that the extra exposure to sound waves, particularly heavy bass, might actually help “open up” the wood on your prized guitars… for the same reason that many guitars sound better as they age and are played.
But particularly if you have acoustics hanging on your wall, be sure you take care that the humidity in your studio remains decent. The humidity in your guitar case tends to be better regulated.
Most of all, have fun!