Guitar Care & Maintenance
A guitar treated well can last a lifetime. A guitar neglected can be ruined in months. This lesson covers everything you need to keep your instrument in perfect playing condition.
A guitar treated well can last a lifetime. A guitar neglected can be ruined in months. This lesson covers everything you need to keep your instrument in perfect playing condition.
Your guitar can be easily damaged - by accidents, by the environment, and by simple neglect. The good news is that basic care takes very little time. A few simple habits, done consistently, will keep your guitar sounding great and playing well for years.
When you're not playing, always put your guitar somewhere safe - ideally in its case. Keep it well away from clumsy feet and off the floor where it could be trodden on. Never leave it on a sofa or chair where someone might sit on it. Many perfectly good guitars have been destroyed this way.
A wardrobe is a reasonable place to keep a guitar - lay it flat on top, or stand it upright in a corner. If you want to leave it out, use a proper guitar stand. Never lean a guitar against a wall - it can fall and be seriously damaged. If there's no alternative, stand it upright in the corner of two inside walls with its face towards the corner.
Never leave your guitar near a radiator, heating outlet, window, or in direct sunlight. Extreme heat can soften the glues. Extreme cold and dryness can cause cracking or splitting. In dry climates or air-conditioned rooms, keep a guitar humidifier inside the case.
Watch for dew in the evening and morning. Never lay the guitar on the ground or on damp grass. Put it straight back in its case when you're done. When carrying the guitar out of its case, hold it firmly around the neck near the heel.
Gently wipe all parts of the guitar with a soft cloth after every session. Clean the strings one at a time by wrapping a corner of the cloth around each string and sliding it the full length. This removes perspiration and dirt, and significantly extends string life.
Modern lacquer finishes benefit from guitar polish two or three times a year. However, never use anything containing silicones - they leave a permanent coating that cannot be removed if the guitar needs repairing. Keep polish away from the strings and fingerboard entirely.
On the guitar, almost all sounds are made with the fingers - so looking after your hands is part of looking after your playing.
Keep your left-hand fingernails very short and clean. Long nails on the fretting hand will stop you pressing the strings cleanly onto the fingerboard. Cut or file them regularly - they should never grow past the fingertip.
Right-hand fingernails can be kept level with the fingertips or grown slightly longer (about 3mm above the tip) to help pluck the strings. File both hands' nails to follow the rounded shape of the fingertips. A rough nail makes an unpleasant sound on the strings and is more likely to break. Keep a fine emery board handy.
Always play with clean hands - but not immediately after washing, as the fingers will be soft. At first, your left-hand fingertips may feel tender. You can harden them by dabbing them with a little surgical spirit (rubbing alcohol) after playing.
Change your strings at least every three months, or whenever a string breaks, or when the strings start to sound dull and lifeless. Before taking your guitar outside, check the strings - put on a new set if they're worn or sound dead.
Always use the correct string type for your guitar. Never put steel strings on a guitar built for nylon, and never put nylon strings on a steel-string guitar. When in doubt, ask at your music shop.
Every time you play, your hands leave behind oils, sweat, and dead skin cells. Over time, this builds up on the strings and the fretboard, deadening your tone and making the neck feel sticky. After every practice session, take a dry microfiber cloth and wipe down the strings and the back of the neck. This takes five seconds but doubles the lifespan of your strings.
Every few months (usually when you change your strings), you should give the fretboard a deep clean. If your guitar has a dark wood fretboard (like Rosewood or Ebony), apply a few drops of mineral oil or specialized lemon oil for guitars. Rub it in gently, let it sit for a minute, and wipe off all the excess. This prevents the wood from drying out and cracking. Never apply oil to a finished, glossy maple fretboard; simply wipe those with a damp cloth.
For the glossy body of the guitar, use a dedicated guitar polish and a clean cloth. Avoid using household furniture polish (like Pledge), as these contain silicones and chemicals that can degrade the clear coat finish of your instrument over time.
Acoustic guitars are made of thin pieces of solid wood glued together. Wood is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs and releases moisture depending on the environment. If the air is too dry (usually in winter when indoor heating is on), the wood shrinks. This can cause sharp fret ends sticking out of the neck, a lowered action resulting in fret buzz, or worst of all, a massive crack down the front of the guitar.
The ideal humidity for an acoustic guitar is between 45% and 55%. If you live in a dry climate or use heavy indoor heating, buy a soundhole humidifier. This is a small, inexpensive sponge device that sits inside the guitar to release moisture safely. Conversely, never leave your guitar in extreme heat, such as in the trunk of a car on a summer day. The heat will literally melt the glue holding the bridge to the body, causing the guitar to pull itself apart under string tension.
When taking your guitar outside the house, you need the right protection. A soft gig bag is fine for walking to a friend's house or putting in the back seat of your car, as it protects against scratches and light bumps. However, if the guitar is going into a trunk with other gear, or if you are flying, a hard-shell case is absolutely mandatory.
If you are flying, always try to bring your guitar as a carry-on item. Most airlines legally allow you to store a guitar in the overhead bins if there is space. If you must check the guitar into the cargo hold, detune the strings slightly (down about two full steps) to relieve tension on the neck, as freezing cargo temperatures can cause the wood to contract and snap the neck if the strings are at full pitch.
While wiping down strings and oiling fretboards are things every guitarist should do, some maintenance is better left to professionals. A "setup" is the process of adjusting the truss rod (the metal bar inside the neck), the nut slot heights, and the bridge saddle height to make the guitar play perfectly in tune and feel effortless to press down.
If your strings feel painfully high off the fretboard, or if you hear a lot of buzzing when playing notes, your guitar likely needs a setup. Beginners often mistakenly believe they are just bad at playing, when in reality their instrument is physically fighting them. Take the guitar to a local luthier or guitar tech once a year for a setup; it usually costs around $50 to $80 and will make a $200 guitar play like a $1,000 instrument.
With your guitar safe and well-maintained, Lesson 04 covers how to hold the guitar correctly - the sitting positions, right-hand placement, and left-hand technique that form the foundation of good playing.
Everything beginners ask about looking after their guitar
Change strings at least every three months, or immediately if a string breaks or the strings start to sound dull. Regular players may need to change more frequently. Wiping strings after every session extends their life significantly.
Always store in its case when not in use. Keep away from heat sources, direct sunlight, windows, and areas with sudden temperature or humidity changes. In dry climates or air-conditioned rooms, keep a guitar humidifier inside the case.
No. Never use anything containing silicones - they leave a permanent coating that cannot be removed if the guitar needs repairing later. Use proper guitar polish two or three times a year on lacquer finishes. Keep polish away from strings and fingerboard entirely.
After each session, wrap a corner of a soft cloth around each string one at a time and slide it the full length of the string. This removes sweat and dirt and significantly extends string life.
Both excessive humidity and extreme dryness can damage a guitar. High humidity softens glue joints. Extreme dryness causes cracking and splitting. In dry climates or rooms with strong air conditioning, a guitar humidifier kept inside the case will protect the wood.