Complete Guitar Care & Maintenance

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for buying Guitar Complete Care & Maintenance: The Ultimate Owners Manual. After many years of working in the repair business, I noticed a large number of instruments I worked on were commonly neglected of simple upkeep and care. Owning a musical instrument is not unlike owning a car, and requires seasonal checkups and maintenance to ensure everything keeps running tiptop, year after year. Even the frequent task of restringing the guitar has its role in play & performance. These things aren’t always talked about by the salesperson at the guitar store, the guitar instructor, or friends. Like many things, we usually react to problems as they come up, but a little knowhow can prevent most common issues from ever happening.

This guide has been designed to fill in all the blanks between routine maintenance, improving its playability, and to doing the odd repair. All of this, combined into a concise manual, means fewer trips to the repair shop and more time playing and understanding your instrument. Procedures are described in a step-by-step manner so that you can easily follow along, no matter where you are, and no matter what your experience level.

I wish you all the best in your guitar playing journey, and I hope this manual provides all the key information you will ever need in maintaining and caring for your instrument. Connect with me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/blackwoodguitarworks), Instagram (@blackwoodguitarworks) or through my website (https://www.blackwoodguitarworks.com/) and let me know how it’s worked out.

Cheers,

-JB

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

This book is written in a particular sequence to assist the reader through professional guitar maintenance, setup, and repair, using step-by-step instructions. For those new to the subject, it is best to read the book from beginning to end, for a broad overview of the entire operation. Each step is described in detail for each guitar type that would be applicable, with subsequent sections on related topics. Thumb through the sections as needed, try different setup specifications, and when you’re ready, tackle something new, such as nut slot cutting.

*Click the highlighted headings at any time to return to the Table of Contents.

NOTE:  The work described in this guide is intended for individuals with basic mechanical skills. If you do not understand the described procedures or are uncomfortable using tools, please leave this kind of work to a qualified technician.

PARTS OF THE GUITAR

To do a successful setup, let’s get familiar with all the working parts of a guitar.

Body: The body of the guitar contributes to its comfort, style, and resonant tonal quality. It is often made from select tonewoods, laminates or in rarer cases, composite materials.

Neck: The neck of the guitar also contributes to the overall comfort of playing and can vary in thickness, width, and length. Guitar necks are generally made from hard tonewoods such as maple or mahogany, or a select combination of different tonewoods.

Fretboard: The fretboard is the main playing surface and is often made from hard tonewoods most popularly maple, rosewood, or ebony.

Frets: Fret size and fret wear condition can play a role in the comfort of playing and ultimately affect the end-result of the setup. There are tips on this throughout the book, but we will not dive into fretwork as it is an advanced-level topic.

Head or headstock: The headstock is the upper-end of the neck, where the tuners and strings are anchored.

Tuners: The tuners wind up and change the pitch of the strings. One misconception is they also keep the strings in tune, but that is not entirely correct. When there is a problem with a string losing its pitch, or going out of tune, it is more often because of another issue.

Nut: The nut keeps the strings aligned across the fretboard, up to the tuners. Like the bridge saddle, it is a crucial area for string height and playing comfort. Nuts are often made from bone, plastic, or some composite material. Occasionally you will also see them in brass or steel.

Truss rod: A truss rod is a steel rod that runs down the interior of the guitar neck. Its purpose is to counteract the pull of the strings by applying a counterforce within the neck. It is generally accessible at the headstock or the butt-end of the neck.

Pickups: The pickups amplify the strings of the guitar. Electric guitar pickups can be adjusted for sensitivity, which we’ll cover later.

Bridge: The bridge anchors the strings to the guitar body. The bridge style and design will significantly vary. We will cover the most common styles and how they can be adjusted for the setup.

Bridge saddles: The bridge saddle(s) will most often determine the string height and length. Depending on guitar design, the bridge saddle(s) may or may not be fixed to the bridge.

Controls: General controls for volume and tone shaping.

Pickguard: The pickguard (not pictured), if applicable, generally protects the guitar from wear but may also house electronics in some cases.

Strap button: This is for attaching your strap.

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GENERAL GUITAR MAINTENANCE

WHAT IS GUITAR MAINTENANCE?

Maintenance can be defined as the act of cleaning, inspecting or testing, and servicing as needed. On a guitar, this would consist of changing the strings, cleaning the fretboard and body, and making any necessary mechanical adjustments for optimum playability. A set up can be learnt by anyone and will benefit the user in his or her understanding of the instrument considerably. Regularly maintaining your guitar will help retain its condition and functionality of the guitar for many years to come.

Whether you received an owner’s manual with your guitar or not, this guide will have you covered in all aspects of guitar maintenance, including instrument setup and the occasional minor repair when needed. So, let’s dive right in!

WHY MAINTAIN YOUR GUITAR

Guitar maintenance is an important, but often overlooked aspect of guitar ownership. A properly maintained guitar will perform its best, no matter what quality it is.

A regular maintenance schedule can be as simple as cleaning it regularly, or as comprehensive as a full mechanical setup. Let’s look at the common areas needing attention and the methods you can use to keep your guitar in its best working order.

In this guide, we will cover in detail the following aspects of guitar maintenance:

• Cleaning the instrument regularly and after use

• Checking for loose connections or hardware every time you change the strings

• Changing the strings regularly on a schedule that suits how often it is needed

• Conducting a basic setup once or twice a year as needed

• Repairing or replacing any deteriorating parts

• Keeping the instrument properly stored when not in use and always within a suitable and safe environment

CHANGING THE STRINGS

WHY SHOULD I CHANGE MY STRINGS?

Guitar strings have a direct relationship to how the guitar sounds and performs. Over time, guitar strings get worn and dirty, which will have an ill-effect on the tone, feel, functionality and overall life expectancy of the strings. Dirty strings will also wear down your frets faster. The oxidized dirt becomes corrosive and jagged, much like having little files grinding down on your frets while playing. Fret repair is expensive, but you can postpone that trip to the shop for a long time, just by cleaning and changing those strings regularly.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I CHANGE MY STRINGS?

For strings to stay in tune, they should be changed regularly. Old, dirty strings will not hold their intonation or tune very well.

String changes should be based on the needs of the player and the condition of the strings. Many touring pros will change a set of strings either every night or every other night, but someone who plays casually at home may get three months out of a set. So, other than when they start breaking, how do you know it’s time to change them?

If you run a finger underneath the strings and feel dirt, rust, or flat spots, it is time to change them.

If your hands sweat a lot when you play, this will speed up the corrosion of the strings. You can prolong the life of the strings by simply cleaning them after each use. You can use a dry cloth to wipe them down, or you can purchase a product like The String Cleaner, which is designed to clip above and below your strings to clean them from all angles. Another method is to use a string cleaning lubricant such as Fender Speed Slick Guitar String Cleaner, MusicNomad Fuel-String Cleaner and Lubricant, the D’Addario XLR8, or GHS Fast Fret. These products are designed to clean your strings so that they are like new again, with the additional benefit of lubricating the string as well, for a lightning fast feel.

REMOVING THE OLD STRINGS

This is also the best time to inspect the hardware and electronics more closely. If any of the controls are noisy or intermittent, we would need access to clean them, as well as to take care of any other issues, such as changing batteries (if applicable). When planning on using under-string radius gauges for the setup, measuring the fretboard radius is easiest at this stage (more on this later).

Lay the guitar down and prop up the neck, so you have access to the tuners on the headstock. You can use a rolled-up towel if you don’t have a neck rest designed for the job. Starting with either the 6th or 1st string, loosen the string and remove it from string post. If you have some side cutters, clip the string near the bridge and remove each end of the string carefully. Cutting the string will make it easier to remove from the tuner, and the bridge saddles with minimal wear on the hardware- especially on tremolo equipped guitars.

"But isn’t removing all the strings bad for the neck?

Won’t that change something on my guitar? "

I am asked this a lot, and there’s no harm in removing all the strings at once. It seems like there’s some debate on this topic, but this is how it is done in any shop, or factory, or even on the road by professional guitar techs and luthiers. Regardless, if you don’t feel comfortable changing strings as recommended, simply do them one-by-one.

"But what about on tremolo bridges?

Won’t removing the strings cause the tremolo bridge to sink into the body?

Often the bridge can be blocked or held in place when changing strings. Here are a few hacks that will make restringing a breeze.

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REMOVING STRINGS ON A TREMOLO BRIDGE

The tremolo bridge usually sits above the guitar body and is balanced by the string tension and the tremolo springs (more on this later). When the strings are loosened for removal, the bridge falls back to the body since there is no longer any tension holding it in place. Once the new strings are installed, re-tuning is a slow, tedious process as it takes several attempts to build up the optimum tension for the bridge to regain its position.

HACK: Put a tremolo cavity cover, notepad or magazine under