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Basic Guitar Care

This is the first in a series of guitar maintenance blogs. I will try to keep this as general as possible so it refers to acoustic and electric guitars both new and used guitars. I will specify when there are differences.

Storage

Always put your guitar away in its case or on its stand. Don’t leave it lying around where it could be damaged or scratched. Don’t let anyone pick it up and play it, be choosey who can play your guitar. Apart from the fact that most people will de-tune it they could also drop it, scratch or damage it in some other way.

Make sure the guitar is stored in a cool dry place. Humidity and extreme changes in temperature can drastically affect the guitar. As guitars are made from wood and wood expands and contracts with temperature it’s important to try to keep the guitar at a reasonably constant temperature. See our blog on travel tips.

Keep it Clean

Always wipe the guitar down with a soft lint-free cloth after every use. I can’t emphasize this enough. Every time you play your guitar dirt and dead skin from your fingers build up on the neck. This build up not only makes the guitar less comfortable to play but can also effect the intonation of the guitar.

So when you are wiping the guitar down after use pay particular attention to the neck. Wipe the strings down as well. It is also worthwhile to pull the strings apart a little so you can access the fretboard and frets. If you notice some build up on the fretboard or neck try to remove it with your pic or your toothbrush (or maybe someone else’s toothbrush).

Also wipe down the back of the neck and the body of the guitar. This will remove any smudges that could lead to long term stains.

Oil or No Oil

Most guitars can also use a little oil or wood polish every now and then. Not every guitar is suited to chemical or oil products so you should check the manufacturer’s guidelines before applying any oil or wood polish to your guitar.

I use wood oil on most of my guitars about once per month or more often if needed. Sometimes you can see when a guitar neck is looking fairly dry. You can notice discoloration in the neck, almost a faded look. This is an indication that the neck needs some wood oil.

A good time to oil a guitar neck is when you are changing strings or just before you change strings. Do not remove all the strings before you oil the neck. Apply a little polish as you remove each string in turn.

Tune It

Keep the guitar in tune. When a guitar is tuned to concert pitch (A 440 Hz) it keeps a certain pressure on the neck. If the pressure is too low or too high the neck can go out (change its shape). So keep it in tune to ensure the neck pressure remains constant.

Change Strings

Change strings regularly. How often you change strings is entirely up to you. Most professional guitarists change their strings every day or at least before every gig. How often you change your strings depends on how often you play.

Over time strings lose their tone and may become rusty if left for a long time. You should change your stings at least every 6 to 8 weeks even if you don’t play very often. Also the use of a product like Finger Ease will lengthen the life of your strings as well as soften the calluses on your fingertips. See our blog Love Your Strings  for more information about strings.

So things to remember for basic guitar maintenance:

1. Store your guitar properly after use.
2. Try to keep your guitar in a reasonably constant temperature.
3. Wipe down the guitar after every use
4. Use wood oil occasionally on the guitar.
5. Change strings regularly.
6. Use a product such as Finger Ease for your strings 

Stay tuned for more blogs in the Guitar Maintenance Series.

- Axel

The guitar has come a long way since its evolution from the archaic guitar-like instruments of Europe, Egypt, and Mesopotamia over the past centuries. Even since the development of the modern classical guitar in the 19th century, guitar technique and technology has undergone huge changes and revolutions. Perhaps most exciting are the developments the guitar has made in rock music, particularly between the 1950s and 1970s.

The rock and roll genre of the 1950s drew its influences from blues, country music, and gospel, among other American styles of music. While people may disagree about which of these musical styles had a greater influence on the development of rock, each played an important role in developing rock and roll, from basic song structures to instrument techniques.

The way the guitar was used in early rock and roll music made its roots very obvious. The guitar tone Chuck Berry got out of his archtop electric guitar on his 1958 single “Johnny B. Goode” has a warmth and jazzy tone which clearly references early guitar playing and music genres. Yet, while Chuck Berry’s guitar sound lacked later rock guitar elements such as overdrive, his unique style revolutionized guitar playing and forever changed the direction of rock music.

It was Link Wray who pioneered the overdriven electric guitar sound with his 1958 instrumental, “Rumble”, which once again revolutionized the electric guitar sound and opened a world of possibilities for future guitar greats. Yet, even Wray’s distorted guitar was a comparatively soft and polite thing; it didn’t have the aggression, dominance, or volume that came to typify later guitar music.

The 1960s saw new guitarists build onto the work of these early innovators with the emergence of important rock bands such as The Grateful Dead and The Yardbirds. The Yardbirds were an important 60s band in that they focused on guitar solos, distortion, feedback, and helped make the guitar an even more central element of rock. Members of The Yardbirds went on to form other important 60s guitar bands such as Cream, The Jeff Beck Group, and Led Zeppelin. The Grateful Dead pioneered the “jam band” sound during this period with their emphasis on long musical improvisation.

The late 1960s and early 70s saw the dominance of guitarists Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix in particular developed a unique guitar-centred rock sound, with heavy distortion, feedback, complex solos, and electric guitar virtuosity. But as new and innovative as Hendrix’s guitar playing was, it was also influenced by older music, particularly blues, as is evident in the scales he based his solos on and the chords that made up many of his songs. At the same time, Led Zeppelin, with their focus on complex songs and musical virtuosity, became one of the biggest rock bands of the 1970s.

The 1970s continued its focus on over-driven guitar-centered music, with an emphasis on guitar solos and virtuosity, and a further development of psychedelic effects and techniques. Rock music of the 1970s continues to influence the music of today. Indeed, it can easily be argued that today’s rock music is created in a continuous reference to the benchmark music of the 1960s and 1970s Golden Age of Rock.

- Axel

Learning how to play acoustic guitar can be a great hobby. But unless learning the instrument is approached thoughtfully and carefully, the new guitarist can run into problems which might affect how enjoyable playing acoustic guitar can be. Without an understanding of how to develop good playing technique, and a basic knowledge of acoustic guitars, the new guitarist can run into snags very quickly.

This article offers some very basic tips for new acoustic guitar players. But even people who have been playing acoustic guitar for some time can find this information useful. Keep reading for some helpful tips and information that will make learning the acoustic guitar a smoother and more enjoyable activity.

Picking a good acoustic guitar can be a confusing thing for new guitarists. The range in price and quality of acoustic guitars is enormous. New acoustic guitarists usually don’t want to pay huge sums of money for a guitar, especially if they’re not sure that they’ll stick with the instrument. This can lead to people buying very cheap guitars. Unfortunately, cheap guitars come at a great price, as inexpensive guitars are typically poor quality. Besides not sounding good, they can also be quite difficult to play. If the action (string distance to fret) is too high, which is often the case with cheap acoustics, it can invite the new guitarist into forming bad playing habits. See our article on buying a guitar.

New guitarists should make a compromise when buying acoustic guitars. The trick is to buy something relatively cheap, but that can still be played happily. A great option is to buy a second hand guitar. Second hand doesn’t necessarily mean worn-out, and it is very possible to buy great pre-loved guitars at low prices.

Another option is to buy a low-range model from a good acoustic guitar manufacturer. For example, Martin and Taylor guitar companies are renowned for making great acoustic guitars. The good news for new guitarists is that these companies also make affordable models that still sound great. Guitars from the Martin X series and the Taylor 100 and 200 series are both relatively inexpensive and high quality.

Learning how to use a guitar pick is one the most essential skills for acoustic guitar players. The pick should be placed between the knuckle and the finger-tip of your index finger. The thumb is then pressed down onto the pick to create an “X” shape with your index finger and thumb. It’s best to make sure there is not too much pick hanging out from your thumb and finger. In order to have more control of the pick, it should be held quite deep, with only a small part of the pick hanging out.

Training your fingers to be strong is important for being able to play guitar comfortably and with stamina. The more you play, the stronger your fingers become, but it’s still a good idea to do some basic finger strengthening exercises every time you practice. See our blog on finger exercises.

Learning good hand posture is something a lot of guitarists fail to do. Good posture means greater ease when playing the guitar. More often than not, guitarists have bad left-hand posture, but training the left-hand to maintain good posture is not a difficult thing. The left-hand knuckles should run parallel to the bottom of the fretboard. The thumb should not come over the top of the back of the fretboard unless it is absolutely necessary, such as when forming particular chords or performing some other technique such as bending strings.

Keeping the above hints in mind will help new guitarists learn how to play acoustic guitar well. Being able to hold a pick properly, performing finger strengthening exercises, learning good hand posture, and knowing how to find good beginner guitars puts new guitarists at a great advantage. Even seasoned guitarists suffer from not following these simple guidelines, so they should be learned as early as possible.

- Axel