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The Guitar is an Instrument that undergoes slight changes throughout every season. Do you remember your doors getting jammed in monsoon? That is because of wood expansion. Now if this can happen to a heavy thing like a Wooden door, Imagine how much your Guitar is affected.
Wood will undergo changes, and there is no stopping it. However minor corrections can be done from time to time. This means it needs to be maintained and serviced periodically. If you are a person who likes to do the servicing part yourself, you should do proper research before doing so. Taking it to a Guitar Technician / Luthier is a preferred suggestion.
However this blog is going to cover on How to Maintain it well. So here are some Tips!
1. Avoid Keeping your Guitar Open
Keeping your Guitar in a Case / Bag is the best care you are already taking for the Guitar. This applies specifically if you are living in hot and humid regions. A Bag will insulate the guitar from Climate changes and the its effects, just like a sweater is useful when you feel cold. Even in a single day we see major temperature changes from morning to evening, especially in Cities like Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Delhi, Calcutta etc. So that being the basic rule, keep the guitar in a bag, more padding the better. You can check out our Heavy Duty case
2. Keep Guitar Away from High Moisture / Humidity
You can store your Guitar in a Dry area where there is less Heat / Humidity and Moisture. These are the three things that affect your guitar the most. The main spots you can avoid storing your guitar is Kitchen, near windows and Balcony. Another important thing is you should not leave your guitar in the Car especially when it’s Sunny outside. The reason is the temperature inside the Car gets way hotter than the outside Temperature.
3. Do not let your Guitar Get Wet.
You should absolutely avoid getting your guitar out in the Rain if you are travelling on Foot or a Bike. Make sure you pack it really well with plastic wrap before doing so. An Electric Guitar won’t as affected by this as much as an Acoustic Guitar. Also you can avoid any kind of spills of coffee / soup / water and others by keeping it away from such areas. (Yes we have received many such guitars for Servicing)
If your Case Gets wet, make sure you keep your Guitar out till the case dries out completely. Keeping your Guitar in a wet case will drastically affect the Guitar, sometimes even the glossy finish.
4. Detune your Guitar if not used.
There are many times that you might go out for a Vacation, Have your important exams to focus on, out of town for business etc. Such times, your Guitar need not be kept in tune till you get back to it. The Strings exert roughly about 50 to 60 Kgs of pressure on the Guitar. Now detuning the guitar will relieve the pressure for a while and thus ensuring no Warp or Bloated belly when you get back. It is also recommended that you Service your Guitar before you start playing if Guitar has been unused for over 6 months.
5. Repair the Guitar as soon as you find a High Action
A High Action means increased gap between the Fret board and Strings. The primary reason for this the Neck Bending or Neck Warp. Neck Bends over a period of time due to the string pressure and its very important to correct it immediately. Failing to correct it on time will give additional problems with individual frets, uneven fretboard, neck and Fretboard separation etc.
A timely repair will prevent any major issue for the future. Also if the Strings are stuck to the Fretboard (reverse bend), it needs to be repaired ASAP.
There are other reasons too for the High Action which a Technician / Luthier will be able to figure out. So for that you have to take your treasured instrument to them.
PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE THIS ISSUE.
Another important thing to remember is not to keep batteries inside the guitar for a long time if it is unused. The battery might leak and create a mess of the Electronics. Also Keep the volume and Tone pot of the Electric Guitar in constant use or else it gets oxidized and gets stuck.
As a Guitar Owner, you can definitely plan on investing into Body Cleaners, Lemon oil and Silica Gels to take good care of your instrument. The Guitar or any instrument for that matter will love you back and stay with you forever if you take care of it well. Remember, Love is a two way street.
