How to Maintain & Care Your Acoustic Guitar | tips & tricks

Acoustic guitars are beautiful instruments, and each one has its own unique structure and sound. To maintain that sound and originality, it is important to keep it in prime condition. So if you have one or are thinking of getting one these tips of how to maintain & care for your acoustic guitar will help you:

Humidity and Temperature Control

Crafted using thin wood which is cut into precise shapes- the humidity and temperature can perversely affect the instrument. If it’s not maintained, then it will put unnecessary stress on the guitar, which in turn will make the sound quality go bad. Check out the best guitar humidifiers available in the market right now. 

  • If the temperature exceeds too much then the glue joints can loosen and separate as well. Try to keep the temperature within 22 to 25 degrees Celsius.
  • For humidity, high moisture present in the air can damage the wood by making it swell and crack. But the opposite is bad too since low moisture can make the wood shrink and also cause cracks. A healthy humidity level is 45-45%.

Clean Off Oil

When playing the guitar, natural body oils will seep into it and stay there. Gradually, it will wear out the wood and finish off the instrument. So it is advisable to clean the guitar often:

  • Use a damp, soft cloth and wipe the surface of the guitar.
  • Then return with a dry cloth to buff it.
  • If you want to polish it then ensure that the material used doesn’t contain silicone substances.

Make sure not to polish the fingerboard or the bridge of the guitar because they don’t contain polish.

best acoustic guitars under 5000

Avoid Scratches

Obviously, everyone wants their guitar to remain in prime condition. But if you are not careful with it then it can get damaged. To prevent such occurrences:

  • Use a case
  • Don’t wear belt buckles which are large in size when playing as it can scratch the instrument.
  • Be careful while replacing the strings and if you are not sure about your skills then go to a professional.

Fingerboard conditioning

The body is fairly protected, but the fingerboard is left unsealed and unfinished, and so it is almost always the first part that shows signs of dryness. You can avoid it by conditioning it using a guitar-specific material or product. It will hydrate the wood and will also remove grime and dirt which is present there while polishing the frets.

Restring

Suppose you have some of the best acoustic guitars under 500 or something priced even higher. In that case, restringing can be easily got wrong, which can result in a lot of issues that can range from poor intonation, and string breakage and adversely affecting the tuning stability.

  • Most steel string instruments have a series of slots that keep the strings secure with bridge pins, and they should come off by hand, or you can use a tong.
  • Ball up the ends of the new strings and then pull them up tightly against those bridge pins, but make sure that the string slots are facing.
  • Replace the pins by pressing down on them with your thumb, but not too hard or you can damage them.

A guitar is costly and is the beating heartbeat of guitarists. As such, it should be cared for and attention should always be paid to prevent causing any form of damage to it.

William Larson
William Larson

Hi, I am William. I am a music enthusiast. I play the guitar and ukulele. I like to try out all instruments and review them, to help others make an informed decision. You must choose the right instrument to get that sweet sound you desire. When I am not on my instruments I will be found reading or cooking.

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