Last Updated on February 1, 2021 by GuitarsCamp

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Learning to play the guitar is one thing, taking care of the instrument is another. How well you use the instrument should be as important as to how you maintain it. Utilization of the guitar and its maintenance should co-exist. Say that there is something wrong inside the instrument, or the strings get all rusty, no matter how well you play or you show off your skill, it doesn’t matter as long as the instrument is not in its prime condition.

There have been established rules as to how you keep your guitar at its best. Some of the guidelines in the internet are specialized in taking care of specific parts of the guitar, like the body, the neck, the strings and more. However, in this post, we will help you in taking care of your beloved instrument in general.

Below are four tips and tricks on taking great care of your guitar, Let’s jump right in;

Tip 1 – Store It Properly

Do not just leave your guitar in its case to be hanged in some back of a door, and then expect it to play and sound well. Store your instrument in a sturdy, waterproof case and take in every now and then (that’s if you are not using it regularly) and dust it. Make sure to put it in a place where it won’t fall, or get crushed. Or get kicked, or anywhere where it will not have any physical injuries. Check if the weather is doing some nasty trick on your instrument; make sure that there are no warping or other weather-related damage that comes into play. You should use it regularly, too. You know the saying: the best way to destroy something is to not use it.

Tip 2 – Tune It Often

Never play a guitar on a daily basis, without even thinking about the condition of its tune. Try to tune it now and then. If you are a beginner and you still do not know how, there are devices and websites which can enable you to determine the right tune for a specific guitar. If you are already a long-time player, then you should probably know by now that your skills do not matter if the guitar has a wrong tune. Make sure to tune your guitar before and after playing. It takes roughly a couple of minutes to do so. Tuning your guitar is a very excellent habit. If you do not learn how to tune a guitar in an early stage, learning this skill might be more difficult as time goes by.

Tip 3 – Clean the Body

Do not forget to polish or clean the body. Upon doing so, you will only need a bottle of guitar polish and good clean rag. Be sure to reach the hard-to-get spots such as the space between the pickups and the bridge, as it is the space where dust and other dirt settle most of the time.

The things that always destroy the guitar are dirt and gunk, and the worse things are that it can turn the surface of your guitar into a flypaper. Just remember that when cleaning the instrument, read carefully about the cleaning materials that you are going to use. Some household cleaning materials easily make damage to your guitar.

Tip 4 – Look Inside

Not just because the exterior looks fine, does it mean that the inside is already fine and well. Do not hesitate to inspect the inside of your guitar as well now and then. Even if there is no sign of trouble try taking off the plates covering the electronics of your electric guitar and search for wires that may possibly deposit gunk, or may appear loose, or anything that looks suspicious or plain nasty.

And there you have it, the top four tips in maintaining your guitar. Remember that there are more specific steps available on the internet, but at least you can keep these four steps in mind.

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