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Your guitar requires proper care to preserve its sound and looks. This means you don’t just toss your guitar into your gig bag after performing and forget about it until the next session. Follow these care tips to ensure your acoustic guitar stays in tip-top shape.

Storing Your Acoustic Guitar

Keep It In A Case

When you’ve finished jamming, you need to make sure you store your guitar correctly until your next session. This means you should put it in its case, as it is much easier to control the humidity versus if you were to leave it exposed on a stand. You also want to make sure you’re not storing it in somewhere too hot or too cold, or the extreme temperatures will damage your guitar. So, you shouldn’t keep your guitar in your car overnight in winter (not that you should keep it there, anyway!).

Use A Humidification System

Wood is hygroscopic, meaning that your guitar will either release or absorb moisture from the air around it. To counteract this, you need to monitor and control the humidity. Ensure your guitar is kept at a constant humidity level of 45-50%. Humidity levels can fluctuate throughout the year, and cold Canadian winters are tough on your instrument. So, invest in a humidification system such as a hygrometer to keep in your guitar’s case. It’s an easy and important way to care for your guitar. If you neglect to do so, your guitar will likely end up cracked or warped.

Maintaining Your Acoustic Guitar

Keep Clean

Wash your hands before playing to make sure you don’t get dirt, oils, and sweat on your instrument. Doing this will keep your guitar clean of the grime that we carry on our hands. This will also help prolong the life of your strings.

Also, make sure you wipe down your guitar after every session. You don’t have to deep-clean it, but running a polishing cloth over it after practice will keep it clean. Use string cleaner to keep your strings free of built-up grime.

Change Your Strings

Learning to change your guitar strings is something every guitarist needs to do. You should change your strings at least once every six months, but every three months is the recommended minimum. If you don’t, you will likely find that your guitar loses its tuning quickly and your strings will eventually break.

Ensure you clean the fretboard every time you change strings with a fretboard conditioner (unless you have a maple fretboard). This will help prevent cracks and other damage. Only use a conditioner made for fretboards, as household cleaners and polishes will damage your fretboard.

Bring Your Guitar to a Technician

A guitar technician can help your guitar stay in shape by adjusting the action, checking for loose frets, amongst other things. Take your guitar to a technician for an annual tune-up. Your instrument will thank you for it.

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Choosing your first guitar is a significant decision. With so many different options, it’s easy to make a mistake with your purchase. Here are nine common mistakes to avoid with your first guitar.

1) Buying The Wrong Type Of Guitar

Guitars come in three main varieties – acoustic, classical, and electric. Each one of these guitars produces different sounds, so it is essential to get the type that matches the genres you like. If you want to create sounds from bands such as Metallica and The Foo Fighters, you’ll likely want an electric guitar. Otherwise, if you prefer artists such as Kelly Clarkson and Luke Bryan, an acoustic guitar is better suited for you. Classical guitars are best suited for classical and flamenco music. With this considered, you shouldn’t be buying a guitar off of looks alone, or you’ll likely be producing the wrong sounds. So, it is important to know what sort of music you want to make.

2) Choosing The Wrong Size Guitar

Guitars aren’t all the same size. We recommend starting with a full-sized guitar, although if you are a small-statured individual or if the guitar is for a child, a regular guitar may not be comfortable. So, there are 3/4 and 1/2 size guitars available for those who may want a smaller instrument. Although it is important to keep in mind that there is a learning curve when upsizing your guitar, so we recommend starting with a full-size guitar if possible.

Also, electric guitars tend to be smaller but weigh more because of the electronics inside. On the contrary, acoustic guitars are generally bulky, making them a bit difficult for some people to play. Therefore, consider the weight you can hold while playing and your arm span when choosing your guitar.

3) Getting A Guitar With Too Many Features

If you’re a novice guitarist, you’ll want to focus on learning the guitar basics. Buying a guitar with extra features, such as built-in tuners or whammy bars, not only costs more but may complicate the learning process. So, keep it simple and buy a basic guitar until you’ve mastered the basics – then you can look into getting a higher-end guitar with more features.

4) Buying A Guitar With Bad Machine Heads

Machine heads are the pegs at the head of the guitar for tuning strings. One type is the basic covered machine head, which is made out of pressed metal. This gives your guitar more of a vintage look; however, it doesn’t hold string tension well and can cause your guitar to lose its tuning. So, make sure your guitar has die-cast machine heads that can maintain their tuning for longer. Regardless, you should tune your guitar every time you play.

5) Shopping at Online Marketplaces

Although they offer bargain deals, shopping at eBay and Craigslist for your first guitar is not recommended. Since you are buying from a likely unverified seller, you may not be able to see the condition of your guitar until you pay for it. The last thing you want is to end up paying for a damaged guitar that is unplayable. So, it is recommended that you buy from a verified, trustworthy website or dealer.

6) Not Getting the Essential Accessories

As a beginner, you may think you need the guitar, and then you’re good to go. However, to play, you need a few accessories with your first purchase, especially if you opt for an electric guitar. So, what do you need? The top accessories every guitarist needs are picks, an amp (for electric guitars), extra strings, a tuner, a guitar stand, and a guitar bag. Having these accessories on hand will make playing a lot easier.

7) Not Tuning Your Guitar Regularly

You (should have) bought a tuner, so make sure you’re putting it to use! You should be checking the tuning every time you play to make sure you’re playing notes and chords correctly. So, get an excellent electronic tuner to sound your best whenever you play.

8) Not Changing Your Strings

Although changing your strings can seem like a daunting task, it’s a necessary skill for every guitarist to learn. You should be changing your strings at least once every six months, or more often depending on your climate and how often you play. Not only are old strings more likely to break, but they also wear down your guitar’s frets and fretboard and diminish your playing quality. So, you should be wiping your strings after every playing session to prolong their lifetime and changing them regularly.

9) Not Cleaning The Guitar Properly (Or At All)

Never use household products on your guitar, or you will damage the finish. So, only use cleaning products specifically for guitars to ensure you do not damage your instrument. Also, note that unlike strings, you don’t have to clean your guitar that often, unless you’re sweating all over it. If you’re only playing casually from the comfort of your home, a few cleanings a year will suffice.

So, although buying your first guitar is an exciting process, be sure to avoid these mistakes that countless guitarists before you have made. When you’re ready to get your instrument, take a look at our extensive collection of guitars!

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Tag: Beginner

How To Care For Your Acoustic Guitar