Sections
Follow these helpful tips used by experienced players and pros alike to keep your guitar in great playing shape:
1. Wipe Your Strings After You Play
Strings are made of metal and your finger’s sweat can corrode and prematurely wear out your strings. Wiping them off after every time you play the guitar will greatly lengthen the life of your strings and keep them feeling and sounding better. Cut up an old t-shirt and you’ll have a cloth that won’t scratch your finish.
2. More Uses for That Old Cotton T-Shirt
Be cautious about how you clean your guitar. There are a number of things that you’ll want to avoid when cleaning a guitar. A cotton t-shirt can also be used to wipe of the neck and body of the guitar. Guitar polish is helpful in making a guitar shiny, but if it doesn’t get too dirty, a simple wipe will help keep it beautiful looking.
3. Keep Your Guitar in Its Case
The volume and tone knobs and switches on your instrument can collect dust, which can then get on the contact points and affect your tone. This results in crackling sounds. Keeping the guitar in its case will limit this. And bonus…it keeps the guitar from falling over or having something land on it.
4. Turn the Knobs and Flick the Switches
If you end up with some dust inside your knobs and switches, try a simple fix. Turn all the knobs back and forth quickly for ten seconds. Then flick the switches back and forth ten times. That should clean things up quickly enough. The bottom line? Avoid getting dust on your components, as dust can sneak under things.
5. Tuck Your Cable When Using a Strap
It’s very common to accidentally step on your cable and have it pulled out inadvertently when standing up and playing. Many pros will tuck the cable in between the guitar and the strap, from back to front, to keep it in place.
Play and treat your guitar just like a seasoned pro, and you’ll keep your guitar in great working condition.
Want to learn more? Watch this video about getting your guitar set up and sign up for a free Fender Play trial.
Don’t miss out!
Be the first to know about new products, featured content, exclusive offers and giveaways.
