4 Rules: How to Keep Your Guitar In Great Shape

Caring for your guitar properly is almost as important as playing it. Your guitar won't sound right unless it's taken care of properly. This includes a few distinct rules that we'll share in this article. By following a few rules of basic care when owning a guitar, your guitar will not only sound better, but the strings, and guitar itself will last longer too. These are all rules you can follow easily that will not take more than a few minutes a day to keep intact. Let's begin by showcasing the first rule.

Rule #1 – Keep it in Good Weather:

Just like with any instrument, if you keep it in a ridiculously humid environment, or a cold environment, it's going to get out of tune easily, and the strings will start wearing down easily too. It's recommended to keep your guitar in an area of 50-90 degrees at all time. It's also advised to keep it out of direct sunlight for too long, and out of humid areas.

Rule #2 – Don't Use Steel Picks:

This is a tip for anyone with a wood guitar that gets damaged easily. If you're using some kind of anti scratch coat on your guitar, don't worry about this. Steel picks can seriously damage your guitar's looks. Avoid using them unless you know what you're doing. One scrape on the body of the guitar, and you're going to be regretting using the pick for a long time.

Rule #3 – Tune Often:

Do you play a lot, but barely tune your guitar? Start tuning it more often. If you play an hour a day, make sure you're tuning it before starting. It takes two minutes to do, and will help to keep it in tune every time you play. By letting it get out of tune, it's going to become more and more difficult to tune. Tuning has never been easier with the advent of tuning apps for your phone! Spend a few minutes a day, and keep your guitar sounding great.

Rule #4 – Transport Safely:

When transporting your guitar, make sure you aren't throwing it around or treating it badly. Keep it in it's case if you can, and avoid storing it in areas where it's going to get really hot or cold. Just use common sense when moving your guitar around, and it'll remain in good shape for years to come.

As long as you follow the four tips above, your guitar will remain in pristine condition for a long time. Sure, you might have a string that breaks every so often, and you might scratch up your guitar occasionally, but those things add character. As long as the guitar still sounds good, and the body doesn't look destroyed, you're doing just fine taking care of it.