Basic Guitar Maintenance
Whenever you have to change the strings on your guitar, it's a good idea to give your instrument a thorough clean from the headstock to the body and under the neck. You can also check for loose parts such as the tuners on the headstock. Basic acoustic guitar maintenance is a must to keep your instrument in top playing condition.
Removing the strings
When removing the strings ensure you remove all the bridge pins at the same time before removing the strings. Start with the low E string (the largest string); reach to the back of the saddle and take out the pins one at a time.
Cleaning the Fretboard
The main reason you need to clean, and keep clean, your fretboard is so that the life of your new strings is maintained. Grime from a dirty fretboard will be absorbed by the strings and the life of the strings will be reduced by as much as 30%. Clean the fretboard, frets and the underside of the neck. A paper towel is perfect for this process.
First you need to tape (use a light, wide paper tape) up the parts of the body either side of where the fretboard extends onto the body to the sound hole; cover the sound hole as well. Use a piece of super-fine grade steel wool to clean the frets and fretboard (lightly); brush away any steel wool particles.
Take a dry piece of paper towel and wipe the fretboard down; then apply a small amount of linseed oil to a clean piece of paper towel and give the entire fretboard a wipe with it. Dry the fretboard with a dry piece of paper towel.
The Body and Neck
A paper towel with a small amount of mild dish-soap can be used to give the body/sides and neck a good clean. Follow this up by buffing the guitar with a piece of dry paper towel
Once the guitar is clean and dry, give it a wax. Turtle wax (or any non-abrasive wax or non-silicone base) can be used on the body/sides and neck. Apply a small amount of wax to a paper towel and wax the entire body/sides and neck thoroughly. Your guitar should now be smooth all over.
Headstock Check
Check the nut on the tuner posts; if they are loose tighten them. Once the strings are tightened you need to check the tuner buttons/keys to ensure they are not loose. You can use a Phillips screwdriver to tighten them if they are loose.
New Strings
Start with low E (thick string) - slide the string into the bridge, lock the pin in place (give the string a tug and you should hear the pin lock in place); then work your way to the high E string. Lock all six strings in place before tightening the strings at the tuner posts.
Starting with the Low E string - pull the string tight (maintain the tension) up to the next tuner post (the A string) and cut the string at the point where it meets the A tuner post with your wire cutters. Now thread part of the end (just enough so that the end of the string is through the 'E' tuner post hole) of the string into the 'E' tuner post hole and tighten. Don't over tighten. Now put the rest of the strings in using the same technique. Give the top three strings (G, B & high E) a little more length (perhaps 1.5 times more than the other 3 strings) before cutting and threading.
Once all the strings are in place - give all the strings a stretch - strings will go out of tune - give the strings another stretch then re-tune; and maybe give the strings a third stretch and re-tune.
Now that your guitar is clean and new strings are in place you will find your instrument a pleasure to play. Basic Acoustic Guitar Maintenance is a must for every guitar owner to keep the instrument in top playing condition.
The best way to reinforce basic acoustic guitar maintenance is to actually see it being done. The internet has a whole range of lessons available to anyone who wants to learn Basic Acoustic Guitar Maintenance.
Once you have your acoustic guitar all set up in top playing condition you need to find a series of easy (basic) guitar lessons that you can manage by yourself first, without any cost before you jump into paying for lessons to extend your skill level and accelerate your learning. If you want to learn how to Play Acoustic Blues Guitar as well as rock, country and jazz; then for the cost of 15 large flat whites you can get yourself a year's worth of online guitar lessons delivered to your lap top.
How to clean your Guitar!
Most Guitarists get into zero or too much maintenance of their Guitars.Too much maintanance results in testing of their guitar with all kinds of polishes they could find which in most cases diters,spoils or wrecks the paint while in some cases will streak. To get a neat shine on the body,you can use a guitar polish.If you couldnt find one the best alternative would be a car wax and polish which could be available from your local auto store. Furniture polish should never be used as it streaks your paint surface.
For the neck and Finger Board a wipe on your strings and fret boards with a clean cotton cloth would do.Although intensive cleaning should be done once in a while in-between the fret and the fret board as oil,dust,grime and dead skins will get deposited.Steel wool can also be used for getting out shine from the frets.Brass polishes might also be used for fret but should be polished thoroughly and all the black liquid formed by the polish should be removed immediately.
Guitar should be avoided from direct sunlight.Or to say, never try leaving the guitar in direct sunlight.It takes off moisture from your guitar resulting in wraps and cracks. Sudden temprature changes will also affect your guitar resulting in a bend in your fret board or even a crack.
The best way to keep dust,dirt or light away from your guitar is to have it in a case or bag. I would recommend a solid case as its more durable.This is best when you and your guitar are in a constant move.A hard case can also avoid external damage while transit.
Tuning of your guitar is best on stage as temprature varies on the stage and behind the stage. So tuning your guitar behind stage which is much colder would end up out of tune on stage as its much warmer on stage.A digital chromatic tuner with a mute and tune option is best for stage performances. This is largely present in almost all floor panels and effect processors.
Volume Knobs and Tone Knobs should also be checked.As dust gets into these parts reducing tonal quality ,hum or no sound output.Pickups should be kept out of strong iron materials as it would reduce the sensitivity of your pickups.
While placing your guitar try such that it leans with as little of the guitars weight on the neck. Better still, is to get a guitar stand.Also use a reliable guitar strap probabily of strong leather as which helps avoiding a cut in it while playing.Place your guitar vertically.
For the neck and Finger Board a wipe on your strings and fret boards with a clean cotton cloth would do.Although intensive cleaning should be done once in a while in-between the fret and the fret board as oil,dust,grime and dead skins will get deposited.Steel wool can also be used for getting out shine from the frets.Brass polishes might also be used for fret but should be polished thoroughly and all the black liquid formed by the polish should be removed immediately.
Guitar should be avoided from direct sunlight.Or to say, never try leaving the guitar in direct sunlight.It takes off moisture from your guitar resulting in wraps and cracks. Sudden temprature changes will also affect your guitar resulting in a bend in your fret board or even a crack.
The best way to keep dust,dirt or light away from your guitar is to have it in a case or bag. I would recommend a solid case as its more durable.This is best when you and your guitar are in a constant move.A hard case can also avoid external damage while transit.
Tuning of your guitar is best on stage as temprature varies on the stage and behind the stage. So tuning your guitar behind stage which is much colder would end up out of tune on stage as its much warmer on stage.A digital chromatic tuner with a mute and tune option is best for stage performances. This is largely present in almost all floor panels and effect processors.
Volume Knobs and Tone Knobs should also be checked.As dust gets into these parts reducing tonal quality ,hum or no sound output.Pickups should be kept out of strong iron materials as it would reduce the sensitivity of your pickups.
While placing your guitar try such that it leans with as little of the guitars weight on the neck. Better still, is to get a guitar stand.Also use a reliable guitar strap probabily of strong leather as which helps avoiding a cut in it while playing.Place your guitar vertically.
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