Looking after your Guitar

Guitar Maintenance


One of the most annoying things we as guitarists can experience is playing a poorly set up guitar. If a guitar isn't intonated correctly, its just not worth picking up. Can you imagine what it is like playing a gig with a guitar that's as tuneful as a car crash?

Thankfully though after a few horrible gigs, I've learnt the importance of looking after my guitar, and I'm going to share these lessons with you.

Fret Buzz
We all know what it sounds like and its not pleasant. Fret buzz occurs when the strings or a string of your guitar, while vibrating, makes contact with the metal strips on the neck of the guitar. Although fret buzz can be the indication that something is very wrong, more often than not, it is very easily fixed, usually the action of the guitar needs increased or the truss rod needs adjusted.

Intonation
Intonation occurs when the length of the string from the bridge to the 12th fret is different than the length of string from the nut to the 12th fret. As a result, strings will appear out of tune the further up the neck you play. This can be solved by adjusting the saddles, which are located on the bridge. for a guide, click here

Scratchy Pots
This occurs when dirt gets inside the tone or volume potentiometers, this can result in a volume loss in severe cases, but more commonly it leads to a scratchy sound when turning them. Here is a video that will show you how to fix them.

Truss Rod Adjustment
The Truss rod is a metal rod that runs up the inside of the neck. It is there to offer support, but also to help correct any bending in the neck which occurs do to the warping of wood due to temperature or humidity. For a guide on Truss Rod adjustment, click here

I hope you guys learn from this.

Thanks for reading, Paul