Most acoustic and electric guitars are durable instruments
that can take a few knocks and a fair bit of punishment too before they break
down. However as a musician, it is extremely important to take good, proper
care of your guitar, which includes cleanliness, regular and periodic
maintenance, not exposing the guitar to temperature changes and travelling with
guitars in the proper manner.
Doing so will allow these guitars to remain in top shape for
a long time, and deliver playing enjoyment for many years.
Temperature and Humidity
Acoustic and electric guitars are constructed from natural
wood. Wood reacts to changes in temperature and humidity, and it is hence
important to keep your guitar in a place where it is not exposed to drastic
changes in temperature and/or humidity; it should be kept in a place where both
remain constant. This means keeping it away from things that get hot
(radiators, heaters, ovens, machinery and electronics, exhausts, etc) or things
that get cool (on the floor or against the wall, near air-conditioners or
leaving them outside at night.
Guitar wood absorbs moisture and hence swells in humid
conditions. This affects the guitar’s playability, tone and sound and its finish
might even develop cracks. The joints held together by glue might also give in.
On the other hand, dry conditions cause the wood to shrink and crack. Once
again, very dry conditions too adversely affect the guitar’s intonation, sound
and playability.
I personally recommend keeping the guitar in a case,
preferably a hard-case, and using a room humidifier (like the ones present in
guitar stores) to maintain the humidity of the place where your guitar might be
present. The ideal humidity range for guitars ranges from somewhere between 40%
to 60%. I also recommend investing in a guitar stand, rather than keeping your
guitar on the floor or leaning against the wall where it might be prone to
temperature changes or maybe even a knock.
Avoid keeping your guitar in a basement or an attic, or even
inside your car. It is essential to be able to protect the guitar from drastic
temperature changes. Refer to this in-depth temperature
and humidity guide for guitars.
Travelling With a Guitar
It is extremely essential to be careful when travelling with
your guitar, especially if you’re travelling via air. Guitars can break pretty
easily, thanks to rough airline baggage handling. And this comes from someone
who’s had a beautiful Ibanez RG crushed to pieces!
For starters, if you’re a frequent traveler, invest in a
solid, sturdy case, preferably an all-metal case such as this Deluxe
Electric Guitar Hardshell Case. These hardshell cases can take a serious
knock or two and will protect your guitar against all sorts of knocks and stuff
during travelling – at a price which doesn’t break the bank. You can also buy
flight-cases which are much more expensive, however much stronger and sturdier
than hard-shell ones.
However I still recommend checking alternative ways of
transporting your guitar, over checking it in as baggage. Ask your airline if
any special arrangements can be made for fragile musical instruments or not.
Some airlines might even allow you to bring the guitar on the plane and stow it
in the overhead space on top of your seat.
As a last resort, you can always buy an extra seat on the
airplane for your guitar, if you can afford to do so.
In addition, always loosen the strings on the guitar (or
take them off completely), so that the guitar is not exposed to string tension
when undergoing changes in temperature and humidity. A hard-shell/flight-case
will protect against this, as most flight cases are airtight.
Strings
Nowadays, the most common types of strings are either nylon
or steel-based strings. With the passage of time, strings break or simply lose
their tone, sound and intonation, and will hence need to be replaced with a new
set of strings. It is important to know which kind of strings your particular
guitar uses, as replacing the strings with the incorrect type can result in
tonal issues as well as physical damage to the guitar.
It is also important to determine the gauge (medium, heavy,
light gauge and so on) of the strings before buying them, as different gauges
have totally different sound and feel. Lighter gauge strings obviously have a
lower tension and are hence easier to play, but harder to keep in tune, and
produce a much lower volume and sustain as compared to heavy gauge strings. Similarly,
nylon strings also have different ‘tensions’ and different tensions affect the
same attributes of your guitar as nylon string gauge.
I personally recommend changing guitar strings on a fixed
basis, regardless of how frequently you play the instrument. Strings on an
unused guitar become hard and consequently may bend the guitar’s neck. Guitars
strings that are used lose their brightness and tone and hence should be
changed. If you are unfamiliar with the process of removing and replacing the
strings on your guitar, I suggest letting the salesperson do it for you.
Cleaning the Guitar
Remember that polishing the guitar is not the same as
cleaning it.
Over time, a combination of dust, sweat, body oils, grease and
other pollutants will require you to clean your guitar. It is important to do
this often, depending on how frequently you play and the environment in which
you play the guitar.
Remove the strings, use a combination of a damp cloth and a
vacuum to remove dust and grime from the surface of the guitar. Use a
toothbrush, a credit card or something slightly sharp for those hard-to-reach
places such as the spaces between the frets. However be careful here, and NEVER
apply excessive force.
You can use any of the widely available commercial cleaners
out there for the purpose. But like before make sure it’s a solvent and
abrasive-free solution.
Guitar Finish
After cleaning your guitar, it is recommended to finish off
with a layer of polish. Polish protects the finish of the guitar, particularly
the body, and brings out the shine.
Most guitars are coated with multiple layers of lacquer.
Lacquer-based finish is thin but very durable. You can preserve this finish by
keeping it clean and wiping off any sweat, perspiration or fingerprints with
soft and slightly-damp cloth.
Alternatively, you could turn to one of the many
easily-available guitar cleaners out there, however steer clear of those with
solvents, silicones or any abrasives as they will most certainly damage the
finish of the guitar.
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