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Care & Feeding
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I think that the care and feeding of
guitars is really important - And I'm afraid that most players don't do it
very well; ask any repair guy about the general condition of the axes
they see, and most will agree, I'd bet. So, here are some thoughts
about taking proper care of any and all of your guitars.
First
and foremost, when it comes to building new guitars, it's the builders'
job, (When building for a specific client), to know all about the
player's habits and their environment and build accordingly: If
our environment is held pretty close to yours when we build, we avoid the
first potential wave of problems a guitar can be subjected to when it moves
to it's new home. When you order a guitar from a builder, they'll ask
about this, but if they don't, make sure you bring it up. Keep in
mind also, if you're buying an off the rack or stock guitar, getting your
new axe acclimated is up to you, so read on...
General Guidelines:
- Always get your new guitar set up properly. Whether you buy an off the
rack or a custom, make sure it plays the way you like it before you do
anything else. It makes a huge difference! If you have
axes you've never gotten set up, do it now! Many, many players
never do this, and are playing guitars that, in the worst case,
don't play well, and best case, probably don't play well for their
particular style, taste, and preferences. Even if you're just
starting out playing, or bought a 'cheap' guitar, this is
important. My friends that teach insist on it for their
students, so that learning guitarists are playing an axe that is as
comfortable and responsive as possible. Trust me, go right out
and do this. Once you try it, you'll love it.
- Keep it clean! Wipe it all
down, (Body and strings), after you play - Strings deteriorate
faster from dirt, grime, and sweat than they do anything else.
Likewise, sweat, smoke, dirt, and grime don't do your guitar's finish
and hardware any good. If you live in a really humid place, like
I do, consider coated strings - they'll last longer and sound better
than non-coated stuff. Now, as to what to clean
with – Often asked, rarely heeded! I strongly recommend you go
to Stewart-MacDonald and purchase yourself some of their Preservation
Polish! This stuff is silicone free, and that’s a really
good thing, both in terms of actually putting something good on the
finish of your guitar, and for the consideration of future repairs –
Silicone on the finish can cause a myriad of refinishing problems, and
things will be bleaker yet if the stuff actually makes in to the wood
of your favorite axe – Treat it right, put the good stuff on it.
- Control the humidity and
temperature your guitars work, live, and hang out in! If and when you have to
put your axes through changes, gradual should be the emphasis:
For instance, don't take it from an air conditioned house at 72
degrees and 40% humidity, and bring it straight into 95
degrees and 15% humidity, ever, and expect the
poor thing to handle that well: You wouldn't care much for
that rapid change, so why would your guitars?
Remember, in a very real sense, they are living, breathing
things, too. I've seen more cracks, warping, finish problems,
and playability concerns caused by extremes of temperature and
humidity than I have from drops or impacts, by far. Last but not
least, never, ever leave a guitar in your car for a
significant amount of time, (And especially not in the trunk), whether
or not it's in a case...
- You Get What You Pay For: If you're just starting
out playing, or starting out your kid, you don't need to go buy
an expensive or custom guitar - Leave that for the time when your
playing warrants or requires it! By the same token, don't go out
and buy the cheapest thing you can find, (Especially for kids - They
have great ears, and will get quickly discouraged if what they hear
their guitar do doesn't or can't sound like what their teachers axe
will do!). Really cheap guitars are awful; they're hard to
play and terribly discouraging to new players, and they
sound lousy most of the time, too. There are plenty of
decent, inexpensive guitars made by long-standing, reputable builders,
like Fender, Washburn, Dean, etc. Get one of those, with a solid top, and then immediately go get it
set up professionally, as discussed above. One friend who teaches
guitar and bass will send the student and parents back for a
quick exchange if they show up with a nasty VallMart guitar!
- Use a humidifier or a desiccant as needed and as directed, and
as your environment dictates. Always have one in your
cases. If you leave your
guitars out of the case a lot, like I do, (On stands or hangers,
etc), then get something like a Kyser Lifeguard, put it in the sound
hole, and maintain it properly. If you do leave your axes out at
home, pay attention to their placement - Don't put 'em where they get
direct sunlight, or too near to an HVAC vent, radiator, heater,
fireplace, etc.
- Loosen 'em or Loose it: If you don't play for a
long time, (As in, a month or longer), loosen the strings on your
axe. Don't leave 'em on there at concert pitch if you're not
playing it: Doing so, in combination with climate fluctuations,
can lead to a warped neck faster than you'd like it to.
- Be a Pro Shipper: Whenever you have to ship
a guitar, follow these simple rules to have it arrive in the same
condition it left in: Loosen the strings some - Not all the way
loose, but take most of the playing tension out, (You want to leave
enough to keep pegs and saddles and whatnot in place firmly...)
Ship it in a decent case, period. Put soft padding around the
headstock, inside the case, and make sure that if the guitar doesn't
fit snugly, you put soft cloth or packing bubbles, etc, around the axe
to make a snug, (Not tight), fit for it inside the
case. Put the case inside a decent quality box, and pad that
with newspaper, packing bubbles, etc - Hit up your local guitar store
for a guitar box, or a bike shop for a bike box and cut it down to
size - You can also buy them from U-Haul, packing stores, etc, or you
can build one, but do one of those things. Tape the box well,
tape over send to and return addresses, mark it fragile everywhere,
and insure that bad dog for full value! Don't ship when the temperature where you are,
where it's going, or in between is really high - Wait! If it's possibly gonna be
really hot, and you have to ship, ship by air, not ground, even
if it costs more - The temperature inside those big ol' trucks can get
well above the poin that will do damage to a fine axe! And require a signature from your shipee - I've had boxes of very
expensive wood and tools left out in the rain because I didn't think
to do that...
- Buy it if you fly it: People who travel with
guitars are like motorcyclists; there are those that have
crashed, and those who are gonna... Here's the bottom line -
Don't ever fly, bus, ship, or otherwise transport a guitar where
somebody else is going to handle it in anything less than a top shelf
case, (Preferably an A.T.A. flight rated one.) Who's case
doesn't matter so much, as long as it's a really good one. Don't
settle for anything less, ever, period. Loosen the strings, and
pad under and around the headstock - Pad additionally inside the case
if you need to, so that the guitar won't shift around in there - The
fit should be snug, but not tight. Trust me; do this every
time...
- And finally, well... How do I put this
tactfully: Friends, neighbors, guitarists - 'Know
Thy Limits' - I don't have much of a clutch between my
brain and mouth, so let me put this plainly: Don't
adjust or repair an axe if you don't absolutely know what you're
doing. - Think of your guitar as you would a
BMW automobile: See, most folks that own BMW's don't work on them
personally; they let the pros do it. Treat your
fine guitars with that level of respect, and let a pro adjust them or
fix them when they need it, unless you absolutely
know what you're doing. If you want to learn how to
fix guitars, buy a book, or go online, or better yet, visit a local
pro and ask if they'll help you out in learning: Go out to a
garage sale, find a $5 guitar, buy it, and shred that
to learn what you want to know - Just don't do it to your '63 Martin,
OK? (A very sage Luthier once said: Always practice on scrap
first!) Honestly, I'm not
looking to drum up business for me or anyone else: It's a
fact that a lot of professional repair folks get scads
of business from amateurs sheepishly bringing in guitars
that have had unbelievably bad 'repairs' or 'alterations' done to
them: Nothing is more
heart-rending than a nice guitar butchered by somebody who doesn't
have a clue, and that's a fact. I learned the hard way about
stuff I did when I wasn't as good at it as I should have
been – I won’t ever make that mistake again, so don't you do it either!
Find a pro you trust, bring him or her your guitar and a six-pack of
good brew and make a friend for life - You won't regret it!
© Copyright Aerie
Guitars, 2007 - 9773 Stoney Bridge Road, Fort Worth, Texas
76108
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