Guitar Maintenance / Guitar

Setup

Here Are some tips to help you with guitar setup and performing guitar maintenance yourself to keep your guitar in perfect working condition. You can easily perform these maintenance and setup tips and may be surprised at how they will help in keeping your guitar looking and sounding better.
 

Cleaning / Polishing your Guitar

Planet Waves Guitar Polish Express Pack	Clayton Pro Shine Guitar Polish Bottle

Cleaning Fingerboard / Frets

Another step in guitar maintenance is cleaning fingerboards. For unpainted fingerboards I normally use 000/0000 steel wool to clean them. Most Ebony and Rosewood fingerboards do not have finish on them, though sometimes you may run across a painted fingerboard (I think Rickenbacker paint their's). Extra fine steel wool will remove crude and such from the fingerboard and shine the frets as well. Make sure to cover or mask over pickups on electric guitars when using steel wool so the magnetic pickups are not covered with the steel wool 'hair' that often sheds when cleaning.

Nearly all maple fingerboards are painted with a clear coat and you should refrain from using steel wool on them as not to dull the surface. Most fingerboards of this type can be cleaned in the same fashion as the guitar body finish, but fingerboards with missing finish or wear spots must be treated differently. Boards that have a satin finish will require the same precautions as stated above.

Applying oil or oiling an unfinished fingerboard will make the board look good and may help to prevent dryness which can lead to cracks. While there are many oils that are safe for fingerboards some may leave a sticky residue which attracts dirt. Mineral oil, danish oil and lemon oil are some of the best choices.

Polishing Frets - If you like smooth, shiny frets, then you can use steel wool or a fine abrasive for polishing metal. If you have a maple or painted fingerboard you will need to protect the finish from the steel wool or metal polish.

 

Guitar Neck Adjustment / Truss Rod Adjustment

Having your guitar setup correctly will let you get the best from your guitar. If you will hold the body of the guitar so you can look from the body up the neck at a light, you can usually notice if your guitar neck is bowed or not. Most guitars have a neck adjuster at the headstock of the guitar (end with tuners).

Depending on the type of guitar, you can adjust the truss rod that is in the center of your neck with a hex wrench. Try adjusting the truss rod to improve bow of the neck. A little bow upward is usually okay. If you do not see a truss rod adjustment at the headstock, it is most likely at the other end or butt of the neck.

On some styles of guitars it is possible to adjust without taking the neck off of the guitar to perform this guitar setup. But in some cases you will need to unbolt the neck from the guitar body to make adjustment.

This is a trial and error process, but once your neck is adjusted properly, you will no doubt get a better sound and feel from the guitar. Start with small quarter turns of the nut to see what kind of response your getting. You will get higher string action by loosening the truss rod , and tightening it will give lower string action. For this guitar setup, the adjustment needed depends on your style of play.
 

Pickup Height Adjustment

By raising the pickup height closer to the strings you should get little better tone from your guitar. Visa versa, lowering the pickup should give a lighter tone. All that is usually needed for this adjustment is a little screwdriver. Adjust the screws on either side of your pickups. Tightening the screws should lower the pickup while loosening should raise the pickup. Be sure not to raise the pickups to close to the strings or you may cause the pickup to sound out of phase. You may have to play with the setup of the height a little to get the sound you desire. You can adjust the pickup so one side is closer or farther from the strings to ultimately get the tone that pleases you.

By adjusting the bridge height , you can adjust the string action to your preference. If you are not sure about making this adjustment ,then use a paper and pencil to mark the height of the bridge before you make any adjustments. There's nothing to it. You raise or lower the bridge by adjust the screws on both sides of the bridge. This is another trial and error process so adjust the bridge a little at a time and test. If you adjust the bridge too low your guitar may fret out (strings are adjusted so low they give false tones when certain notes are depressed on the fretboard). Going too high will raise the strings higher off the fretboard and make it more difficult to play chords on your guitar. Don't be afraid to play around a little to get your guitar setup where it sounds and feels the best to you. The guitar setup of adjusting the pickups and bridge will help you adjust your guitar to sound to your liking.

Tuner Adjustments

Guitar tuners can feel loose and unstable. The next time you restring your guitar take a small screwdriver and tighten up the screws on your tuners so they are snug. Sometimes they will loosen over time. Be fairly gentle with these adjustments because some tuners can be damaged easily. By keeping them tight it should help your tuners keep the tension on the strings noticeably better. This is one of the easiest guitar setup and maintenance procedures you can do.

Oiling Guitar Nut on a Tremolo Guitar

The nut is the plastic or bone piece located near the headstock that holds your strings in place. If you have a guitar with a tremolo or whammy bar that goes out of tune when you use the trem, try oiling the guitar nut. Pull the string up a little and put a few drops of oil in each string slot on the nut should remedy this. The strings will slide better through the nut when the tremolo is used.
 

Hetman Tuning Slide Oil Light

Restringing a Guitar/ How To String a Guitar

This process can vary with different guitars and tremolos. A Floyd Rose Tremolo is a little more complicated than a Fender Strat or similar type .
 

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Fender Strat or similar guitar

Start by loosening and removing the old strings. Unwind the tuners and pull the ball end of the strings out from the bottom of your tremolo. You will need to remove the back plate of the guitar to do this. Start with the low E string. Guide the string through the bottom of the tremolo so the ball end fits snug into it's pocket. Pull the string all the way to make sure it's guided through the nut. Wrap the string around the tuner post and when you don't think you can wrap anymore then take the string through the hole in the tuner and over the strings. This should hold the string in place. You may want to purchase a string winder to make changing the strings easier and faster.

Telecaster or String Through Body Type Guitar


Use the above process; there is just no tremolo involved and you can just pull the string through the body of the guitar in the back and make sure it's guided through the nut. .

Floyd Rose Guitars

I think the best way to string a Floyd Rose is to start at the tuners and pull the string through so the ball end of the sting is up at the tuner. Unlock the locking nut and guide the strings through the nut and down to the bridge. I believe most Floyd Rose Tremolo's lock at the Trem itself so you will need to fit the string into its particular slot. You may find it easier to cut the string so that there's less to work with and less to get in the way. Once you fit the string into its slot on the trem you'll need to tighten the locking mechanism, located toward the back of the trem. You will need to tighten the hex screw adjustment for each string to lock it in place. Then, tune up your guitar at the tuners and lock the nut. A Floyd Rose tremolo usually allows finer tuning at the tremolo.

Strap Locks



Strap Locks are a cool, cheap feature that adds a little safety to your guitar. They lock the guitar strap so it doesn't fall off while you're playing. I feel that whether you play an expensive guitar or one that's a little cheaper, this is a must have, so your guitar isn't damaged from hitting the floor. Basically just unscrew the old strap buttons off you guitar and screw in the new strap lock buttons that you buy. You'll also have to add the locking pieces of the strap lock to you strap itself. Screw those pieces together and you should be able to snap in or strap-lock your guitar.
 

Schaller Guitar Strap Locks and Buttons (Pair) Gold	Schaller Guitar Strap Locks and Buttons (Pair) Nickel

 

Always unplug your guitar from your amplifier before making any adjustment to guitar electronics. Only do these adjustments if you are comfortable with it. If not, contact your local music store for advice. I hope these guitar maintenance and guitar setup tips will help you get your guitar looking and sounding better.