Knowing how to watch for and take care of just a few things can help keep your guitar in tune and sounding good for years to come. Some are very
easy to do yourself, and some you may want to take to a repair person. But just being aware of them will give you more confidence to take care of
your instrument. The frets, bridge, nut, fingerboard, and volume and tone knobs, (if it's electric) all will benefit from a little attention now and then.

The Frets
Your frets take more abuse than anything else. A professional will have their frets dressed periodically, and I've had to put new frets on the guitars I use
the most. Pressing the strings against the frets as you play eventually wears down the metal, and even causes a small notch to form where your most used
chords are formed. This will make your guitar buzz and cause intonation troubles. If it's not too bad, dressing the fret, which simply means filing it down to
get the right crown and shape, can fix it. Once they get so worn that they can't be dressed and leveled without being too low, you have to replace them. Find someone you trust! It's not the easiest job to try yourself.

The Bridge and Nut
These are the two places the strings are connected, and can cause a lot of tuning problems if neglected. For free, you can keep the bridge slots lubricated with a little soap, and the strings will slide better when you stretch them. Same thing applies to the nut. A little lubrication will help with the string staying in tune. This is assuming that the nut is already cut at the right angle. Often, the nut will wear down to the point that the string will buzz when played open, even tho it sounds fine when playing chords. Once this happens, it should be replaced. If you can't afford a repair job, you can fix it yourself, using superglue or epoxy. First, be sure and cover the guitar, as glue will marr the finish. Use masking tape to cover both sides of the nut, and then take some fine sawdust or powder and put it in the worn slot. Next, take a drop of superglue or epoxy and place it in the slot, let it harden, and then carefully file it down to the right
depth and angle. Of course, unless you're on the road, or really broke, take it to a professional.

Tuning Keys
These are the knobs on the headstock that you turn to tune each string. If you have a vintage guitar with old-style Kluson tuners, you might have to lubricate them from time to time. Other than that, they're pretty maintenance free.

Strings and the fingerboard
.If you don't wipe down your strings after you play, the dirt that builds up on the strings, gets on the fingerboard, especially next to the frets. After you wipe down the strings, run the same soft cloth over the fingerboard (between the strings) moving the strings out of the way a bit so that you are sure to cover all the spots. If you don't play the guitar very often, a couple of times per year apply some furniture polish, using one that contains petroleum distillates, or a light oil such as alomond or linseed oil, with a soft cloth to the fingerboard. This moisturizes and prevents cracking. I used lemon oil for years, but no longer advocate it blindly, because as a student of mine pointed out, lemon oil can actually dry out the fretboard, under certain circumstances! (Thanks to Mike Carrillo, for his investigations!). To be fair, nobody seems to agree as to the best product to use on your fretboard, so investigate it on your own before deciding what to use. If the fingerboard has accumulated grime over a long period of time, you'll have to carefully scrape it off. Use a hard piece of cardboard or a plastic radius gauge. Be sure to use a scraper that won't scratch the surface of the fingerboard. First use a q-tip dipped in Naptha (a solvent you can get at a hardware store) to loosen the dirt. I've heard of using steel wool, but if you try it, be careful to use a very fine wool, and wipe lightly, and along the frets, not across them, or you can end up scratching the surface.

Volume and tone knobs
Not a whole lot to taking care of these.. However, over time dirt can find it's way iinside the pot. You're hear noise when you turn the knob.It's a good idea to "wipe" the knob, by turning it back and forth periodically. If this doesn't work, you can get some tuner cleaner and spray it into the pot. Most times this involves getting to the back of the pot. You can usually find an opening there. Be careful not to let the cleaner hit your finish while you flush it out. Turn the knob while you spray. If your guitar has sealed pots, all you can do is try to spray it down the top, where the shaft comes out.

Pickups
Guitar Pickups require little maintenance. Once they are installed correctly and set to the proper height, the only thing you might need to do is adjust the pickup height. Most pickups are held in position by two screws and two small springs which allow you to raise or lower the pickup. Pickups need to be at the right height in order to pick up the sound of the string and that's all. If the pickup is too close to the string, the strings that are above the pickup might not sound in tune, because the magnetic pull from the pickup will affect the way the string vibrates! Some players choose to use low impedance pickups, and they don't have that pull, allowing them to have their pickups as close to the strings as they desire. Most times these pickups require a battery, so there's a little more involved than with tradional high impedance pickups.

................................................... Stay Tuned! More Tips and other useless junk to come..................................................

Back ............................................................Next..............................................................Home