Taking care of your new or second hand used Guitar.
- First and most important things to get used to doing is Buy a stand this is a very small investment approx $30, this is going save you a lot of heartache believe me I know the upset i have seen off customers whose guitars have broken guitar necks. Always keep it on your stand when you are not playing, this will protect your precious investment.
Guitar care Tips:
- Keep your guitar in the case when it is not being used
- Better still invest in a guitar stand.You will be glad you did.
- Wipe down the guitar with a clean, dry cloth after playing
- Replace the strings when necessary
- Oil the fingerboard just light wipe then polish till dry.
- A good polish i use Dunlop 65 great results
- Store in a room with a stable temperature and humidity
- If in doubt take it to a luthier
- Insure your guitar is not left in a to hot or cold place like in the back of a car
- treat the guitar like a person not to hot or cold or damp environment.
- Finally if possible see that your insurance covers your guitar especially if taking it out of the house.
- When someone comes to me for a guitar,i ask a lot of questions and find out what will ffit and work best
- for the individuals then make a cople of suggestions to help choose your life time friend.
What to look for in a used second hand used acoustic guitar.
First thing to look for is the general look and condition in a second-hand guitar. If you like the look and feel that is a great start and it will make you want to play it all the time.
- The height of the strings off the fret board (FB) is important. You want the strings to be not too high off the FB and playable, but also not too low as it might cause buzzing on the FB. Check to see the frets are not too dented or heavily worn.
- The neck should be straight but a little bit of concurved can work on a guitar if needed.
- Look at the bridge. The acoustic bridge must be flat to the body and not lifting (generally only happens when secondhand guitars that have been left in heat or damp) the body should have no bumps or curves round the bridge as it could be a sign of future problems. Check for cracks in the body. It may be a sign of problems, this is not ideal .
- Electrics have adjustable bridges.
- You need the right strings to suit the guitar i.e acoustic or nylon or electric , the guage that suits you. Normally if you are new to guitar playing, light guage will be a good fit. Check that the guitar will hold its tuning.
- Beginners will need light to medium strings, a pick to start with a flexible lighter gauge until you get used to control of your the movement between the first finger and thumb then you can move on to a stiffer gauge, a strap, and maybe a capo is a good idea. As you learn you will start with easier chords. If you use a capo you can play the same chords up the neck by using the same chord shapes. This is great because you can find the different keys that suit your voice, also the sound changes.
- Example: Here Comes the Sun (Beatles) played on the 7th or 9th frets can make a magical change to the sound.
Well good luck on your new adventure to purchase a second-hand used or new guitar. If I can help you to choose the guitar that is the right fit for you, drop in, ring or email Bill on the site.
This is my field, helping people get the right guitar in the price range you have set. Check out my reviews in google. That says it all.
Cheers
Bill Bungalow
