Contemporary Music
Instruction and Mentoring
Maintaining Your Electric Guitar
Things to do when
changing strings
When
changing strings is the ideal time to do some maintenance to
keep your guitar in perfect condition.
Clean and polish the guitar. I personally use and
recommend Turtle Wax Ice Spray Wax. Do not use a heavy
wax. Also do not use a wax or polish with a silicone
base. Do not ever put wax or polish on the fretboard
or bridge, but do wax the back of the neck and the
headstock. A couple of small, light sprays (1/4 of a
squirt) on the front, wipe around with a microfiber cloth
and then buff with another part of the microfiber
cloth. Repeat on the back and sides, then a tiny bit
on the headstock and the back of the neck, and you'll be
amazed at the shine.
Oil the fretboard. I use and recommend Music Nomad
Fretboard F-ONE Oil Cleaner & Conditioner. Do not
use anything with lemon oil, lemon oil extracts, waxes,
petroleum distillates, silicone, or water. (Lemon oil has
acid in it!) F-ONE Oil is specifically made for fretboards
by people who actually understand the chemistry of wood and
oil, and it is the best product on the market for that
purpose. You only need to clean/oil the fretboard once or
twice a year, so one bottle of F-ONE will probably last you
for your whole life.
With the strings off, blot a couple of drops onto each space
between frets, then spread it with a paper towel. Let it sit
a minute to soak into the pores and to release any grime or
contaminants. Then wipe off all the surface oil with a clean
cotton flannel or microfiber rag. It is very important to to
get ALL the surface oil off. You don’t want your fingers
touching oil that will then be transferred to the strings.
All you want remaining is the tiny bit that sinks into the
pores, nothing remaining on the surface. (I also do
this to the bridge if it is not painted with urethane clear
coat.) (LINK
HERE to see a video on how to clean and oil your
fretboard.)
While all the strings are off, tighten the tuner nuts.
Use a 10mm deep well socket, held in your hand, with no
wrench attached. Don’t overtighten; just a little snug
down. Also check the tension of the tuners when you
spin them. They should all have equal resistance to
turning. Turn the tiny screws the end of the tuner
buttons, clockwise to increase or counterclockwise to
decrease resistance to turning, so that they are all feel
the same. Also
make sure the strap holder screws are tight.
Snug down the output jack nut. (TIP: If you remove the
nut and put a dab of clear nail polish on the threads then
reinstall the nut and retighten, it won't come loose
anymore.)
After restringing,
check your neck relief (truss
rod adjustment), and then you're good to go!