October 22, 2024 – Mike Lucy
Even musical instruments require basic care and maintenance. Let’s talk about acoustic guitars. They sound so beautiful, but without proper maintenance, not so much. Here are some of the most common accessories and tools for maintaining an acoustic guitar.
One of the easiest things to do maintain your acoustic is to keep it at the proper humidity. Why does that matter? An acoustic guitar is made from wood that naturally swells and shrinks with humidity. To maintain stability and playability, acoustic guitars are generally required to be maintained between 40 to 55 percent humidity. I have a digital hygrometer with thermometer that I keep in my studio. They are pretty inexpensive and available at most hardware stores. I also use a D’Addario Humidipak guitar humidifier system for each of my acoustic guitars.
Guitar strings tend to collect the dirt and oil in our fingers and become dull sounding over time. One of the best ways to extend the life of your strings is to wipe them down after playing your guitar with a soft microfiber cloth. Another way is to buy coated strings like Elixir Phosphor Bronze nano web 12/53 lights. These are some of my favorite strings and provide good life when used a lot.
Keeping the finish nice and shiny on your acoustic takes a little bit of work. I use Dunlop guitar polish with a soft cloth to keep the shine and get rid of the grime. Sometimes you need to put a little bit of elbow grease into cleaning and polishing away the sweat that can build up on the guitar body and neck especially during the summer months. Dunlop offers a handy Guitar Tech kit that include polish, soft cloth, fret board oil and a string cleaner and winder.
Cleaning the fretboard needs to be done every few string changes or when the grime is visible on the fretboard. It’s easier to do with the strings removed. I use the Music Nomad F-One Unfinished Fretboard Care Kit. This kit is simple to use and cleans and protects the unfinished fretboard of most acoustic guitars.
All the TLC care listed above is easy to do and will keep your acoustic guitar looking and playing great. Have an awesome day.
See MNike Lucy’s Blog https://mikeluceyacoustic.com/blog/blog/7475751/a-little-tlc
