Contemporary Music Instruction and Mentoring
Maintaining Your Acoustic 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. (Taylor Guitars uses and recommends Turtle Wax Express Shine spray-on clear car wax). Do not use a heavy wax. Also do not use a wax or polish with a heavy 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. Taylor uses boiled linseed oil. 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 fingers, 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.
If you have an acoustic electric or an electric guitar, 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!
Clean and polish the guitar. I personally use and recommend Turtle Wax Ice Spray Wax. (Taylor Guitars uses and recommends Turtle Wax Express Shine spray-on clear car wax). Do not use a heavy wax. Also do not use a wax or polish with a heavy 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. Taylor uses boiled linseed oil. 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 fingers, 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.
If you have an acoustic electric or an electric guitar, 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!