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Essential guitar care
Electric Guitar Care
- •String Cleaning: Wipe down strings after each playing session with a microfiber cloth to remove oils and sweat.
- •Electronics Maintenance: Use contact cleaner on pots and switches if you experience crackling sounds.
- •Fretboard Conditioning: Condition rosewood and ebony boards sparingly, once or twice a year. Maple needs none.
- •Hardware Cleaning: Polish metal hardware with appropriate guitar polish to prevent oxidation.
- •Finish Protection: Use guitar-specific polish for gloss finishes; avoid silicone-based products.
- •Pickup Height: Set it from the spec, then fine-tune by ear — too close warbles, too far sounds thin.
- •String Replacement: Change strings every 1-3 months depending on play frequency and sweat level.
Acoustic Guitar Care
- •Humidity Control: Maintain 45-55% relative humidity using a humidifier or dehumidifier as needed.
- •Body Cleaning: Wipe down the body with a microfiber cloth after playing to remove fingerprints and oils.
- •Bridge Maintenance: Check for lifting or cracks around the bridge periodically.
- •Soundhole Care: Keep the soundhole dust-free using a soft brush or cloth.
- •String Replacement: Change strings every 1-2 months for optimal tone and reduced stress on the neck.
- •Neck Relief: Check relief each season and adjust the truss rod in 1/8-turn steps — or hand it to a tech if the rod resists.
- •Case Storage: Store in a hardshell case when not in use to protect from temperature and humidity changes.
Want this routine as a printable system?
The Guitar Care Guides turn this page into a complete method: two PDF booklets with exact setup spec tables, symptom → cause → fix troubleshooting charts, and a maintenance calendar for every task. $19 each, or $29 for both.
See the Guides
The kit
Essential tools and products
Cleaning Supplies
→- • Microfiber cloths
- • Guitar-specific polish
- • Fretboard conditioner
- • String cleaner
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Maintenance Tools
→- • String winder & cutter
- • Hex wrenches (for truss rod)
- • Feeler gauges
- • Small screwdrivers
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Environmental Control
→- • Hygrometer
- • In-case humidifier
- • Room humidifier/dehumidifier
- • Guitar humidifier
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Protection
→- • Hardshell case
- • Gig bag (for short trips)
- • Wall hangers (padded)
- • String covers (for storage)
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Replacement Parts
→- • Extra strings
- • Spare tuning pegs
- • Bridge pins (acoustic)
- • Strap buttons
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Setup Tools
→- • String action gauge
- • Neck relief ruler
- • Intonation tools
- • Pickup height ruler
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Working on a specific problem?
Every guitar drifts in its own way. The blog walks through individual jobs step by step, and the newsletter sends a reminder when the season is about to move your setup.