For optimum performance, any equipment needs regular and proper maintenance. Your guitar is no different. In fact, you have to be doubly careful with your guitar to keep it playing the way you want it to, through regular care. If you play an electric guitar, you must keep its multiple parts in perfect working order for it to sound good. Here are some valuable guitar maintenance tips that will help you maintain your guitar’s tone and playability.
* The knobs you see on the guitar’s headstock are the tuning keys, used to tune your guitar strings. These need to be lubricated at regular intervals.
* Make sure your guitar nut is of a good quality as this affects your guitar’s tone. Nut slots must be kept lubricated with soap every time you pick up your guitar to play. The guitar’s bridge slots must also be lubricated with soap. Metal parts must be cleaned regularly with a good metal cleaner and the nuts and screws must be adjusted regularly to prevent rattling sound.
* Your guitar frets experience a lot of wear and tear depending on how frequently you play. These must be kept in good shape. As you play, over a period of time, the parts of the fret where the strings touch them get worn, interfering with tone. Keep the frets in proper shape to avoid this.
* Your guitar strings and fingerboard must be kept clean. Each time you play wipe down the strings to get rid of the dirt build up. If you don’t, this dirt will settle on the fingerboard. After you wipe the strings, also wipe the fingerboard, holding the strings out of the way to clean it.
* In case you tend to play your guitar rarely, moisturize the fingerboard with lemon oil, using a soft cloth so that no cracking or warping occurs.
* Dirt tends to accumulate on the guitar’s body gradually through handling. You can clean this with a soft cloth with a circular motion to remove the dirt build up. The volume and tone knobs must also be cleaned the same way to remove dirt. Also clean and polish your guitar’s sides and back when you clean the top. Top quality furniture polish can be used. In fact, guitar companies sell excellent polish for this purpose.
* Make sure your guitar pickups are installed properly at the right height. These need occasional adjustment via the screws and springs that keep it in place. When the pickups are positioned in the appropriate height, they pick up the strings’ vibrations accurately. If the proximity to the string is high, the tune is affected.
Lastly, your guitar must not be left open to the bear the extremes of weather elements. Heat and exposure to direct sunlight can cause the polish to fade and warp the wood. Cold can destroy the binding inlay work and neck. Guitars must be kept in a cool and dry place preferably in a proper case.