I'm gonna start this section with a few thoughts about what is and what isn't reasonable to attempt on your instrument, in the way of repairs. Most of the ideas I present here are simple, non-destructive suggestions for keeping your axe in prime working order. Please, be careful when doing work on an acoustic guitar. As sturdy as they may seem, they are really very delicate instruments, and I feel they are much more prone to "ruining" than their electric counterparts..
Basic maintenance on an acoustic instrument is not that hard. Naturally, you'll want to keep your instrument clean. Use a clean cloth or a polishing rag to wipe down the face of the guitar after you play it, especially if you're a heavy sweater (be honest - we know who we are). While you're at it, wipe down the strings after you play, too. In part, it's the grime and oil and stuff that coats your strings and makes them go dead. Wiping them down will help prolong their brilliance.
Keep an eye on the fretboard of your guitar. Fretboards get dirty after prolonged exposure to sweat, finger grease, dust, and other crud. After a while, you may notice some buildup of crud right next to the frets. Curiously, the area in between the frets (where your fingers probably tend to touch more often) will stay cleaner. This is because the direct finger contact (especially on high-traffic frets) rubs away some of this buildup; but the fretboard right next to the frets is somewhat "protected" from finger contact by the strings themselves. I've tried to sketch it for you in a sample illustration here. It's not a great drawing, but it SHOULD give you an idea of what it can look like. It may not be REAL obvious; I just took a glance at one of my basses, and though it looks relatively clean, but there was already a "halo" effect between frets, surrounded by duller-looking (i.e., dirtier) wood. Cleaning this stuff off is pretty easy: with the guitar strings removed, use some steel wool to lightly rub the wood across the guitar neck, right along the frets. Don't overdo it, of course; you don't want to score the wood. But some light rubbing should eliminate most or all of the gunk. Though I discourage yanking ALL the strings every time you change the stings, doing so bi-annually or so (depending on your guitar use and the level of build-up) should keep the fretboard clean.
There are several widely available guitar polishes and polish cloths out there, and ANY of these should do just fine to periodically clean and polish your guitar's finish.
Changing strings
Changing strings shouldn't be a big deal. When I change my strings, I generally do it one string at a time, rather than pulling all the strings off, then re-stringing the whole instrument from scratch. I also prefer to unwind the strings with a string winder, rather than using a pair of wire cutters to cut the strings off. Why? It seems to me that any stringed instrument exists in a permanent state of opposing forces, since the neck and strings are tugging against each other. I think sudden changes in this balance are probably not good for the instrument. So I think unwinding the strings is probably a little less traumatic for the neck than having the tension suddenly changed by cutting the strings off.
The additional benefit to the one-at-a-time string change is that as you replace them, you can tune your new strings to the old ones. This means that your instrument will probably end up being much closer to the correct pitch when you finish (instead of pulling off all the strings, then trying to "remember" what an A440 sounds like).
While there is no right or wrong way to wind the strings onto the posts, I have adopted a method of winding
the strings on the posts that I find quite effective. If you're interested, instructions are available
here.
Tone is a consideration for those with demanding ears. ALL strings go dead after a while, and if you can't stand the sound of dead strings, you're going to WANT to change them more often. But this "dead" threshold is different for everyone. Extraordinary bassist Stu Hamm claims that he can hear his strings go dead and loose their brilliance over the course of the string's first evening on stage!! Your ears, however, may not be as sensitive as THAT.....
That's a good question. And it's a complete judgement call. What strings you use depend on what your preferences are.
If you play a nylon string guitar, my impression is that you won't have as much choice as a steel string player (unless you want authentic gut strings). My brother seems pretty well sold on his Augustine Black nylon strings, but *I* have formed no opinion....
Again, generally speaking, the lighter your strings, the easier time you will have playing the thing. But the lighter strings don't create nearly the same amount of sound as the heavier ones. I have some friends who are casual players of acoustic guitar. They only pick up the instrument once in a blue moon, and then for only a short period. Most of them seem to be happier with "easy" strings. A couple of them, however, have opted for sore fingers and good tone over easier playing. One, in particular, asked me to restring her acoustic the very next evening. Even though the heavier strings made playing for longer than 30 minutes more painful to her, she just couldn't get over the amount of tone she lost.
Intonation and your acoustic
Intonation describes how in tune with the neck a guitar string is. The scaled length of your guitar's strings is supposed to correspond PERFECTLY with the layout of the frets. If your 12th fret harmonics are out of tune with your FRETTED 12th string pitches, then your instrument is out of intonation. This means that the bridge is situated in such a way that the 12th fret is NOT at the halfway point between the nut and bridge.
Sadly, most acoustic guitars do not allow for intonation adjustment. If you owned an electric guitar, then intonation adjustment would be MUCH easier. This is not a function of some oversight of the acoustic instrument industry; this is simply a function of the traditional guitar. In theory, a good guitar maker can create an instrument that it perfectly in tune with itself, and perfectly intonated with "traditional" designs and structural layouts. Certainly, that is the AIM of ANY luthier. But if the designer is mistaken, or if the construction of your individual instrument doesn't go exactly as planned, then you can end up with intonation problems. If you own a guitar, take a look at the bridge, and you'll see what I mean. The saddles on most acoustic instruments are a single piece of bone or plastic, and do NOT allow for any adjustment (to shorten or lengthen the strings).
Having said this, a select few instruments DO allow for some intonation adjustments. Some archtops, in particular, have a bridge that is held in place mostly by friction from the pressure of the strings (i.e., the strings' pressure on the bridge tends to hold it in place against the face of the guitar). With some care, these bridges can be scooted one direction or another (along the length of the string), which allows you to make adjustments in intonation. You'll just have to check the intonation of each string, and guestimate which way "most" of the strings need to be adjusted. The final location may end up being an "average" of the "ideal" location for each string.....
Action
How a guitar and its strings feel when you play it can be described (in part) as the instrument's "action." How close the strings are to the fretboard is part of this equation; it all works into a general impression of how "easy" your instrument is to play. Some of you out there may have instruments that are in generally good shape, but have trouble with excessively high action, or perhaps necks that fret out at certain points (i.e. the action is such that fretting a string on one fret actually causes the string to sound against another, higher fret).
Action can be changed by adjusting the truss rod, but I'll cover that more fully later on. Another way to change the action is to change the gauge of your strings. This will, of course, mean getting a whole new set. If you'll remember, the neck of your guitar is pulling against the strings, and the strings are trying to pull the neck forward. Changing the tension of the strings will affect this balancing act.
If the action on your instrument is too low, or if it buzzes too much when you play it, you MIGHT consider going with heavier strings. Not only will they be fuller and louder, they will (when tuned up) tend to pull the neck a little further forward, which will raise the action. If THAT doesn't work, you may want to look a little closer for the source of the problem. You may have to try something a little more aggressive to fix the problem. I cover some string buzz issues down below.
The reverse is true as well. If your action is a little too high, you might consider going with a lighter set of strings. Try it and see if the tone is still acceptable.....
Tuning problems
Problems with tuning can come from a number of sources:
- sticky nut
- gear slippage
- insufficient string windings on the post
- instrumental damage
- Sticky Nut
- If you hear a "pinging" sound from your strings as you tune up or down, and if your string seems to rise and fall in pitch in intervals, rather than a smooth curve, odds are you have a problem with the string catching in the nut. This is relatively easy to cure, though, so don't despair.
- All you need to do is rub a little graphite into the string slot, and that should lubricate it up. You can get a bottle of powdered graphite from a hobby shop, but there's also a simpler way. Simply take a sharpened pencil and rub/roll it in the string slot until it is coated with the graphite. If you want, you can also rub a little on the string as well. Now grab the tuning peg and tune the string up and down a couple of times, just to work the graphite around a little. Now how does the string sound? Any of that pinging noise? You can repeat this every time your instrument needs it. I've heard that the more you do it, the more graphite gets worked into the slots, and the guitar will tend to stay in tune better.
- Gear Slippage
- Sometimes the gears in old, damaged, or corroded machine heads will slip and cause the string to go flat. This will usually happen in a sudden, dramatic, "Damn, what happened?!?!" sort of way (rather than a slow detuning process). Unless the problem is a simple as a loose screw somewhere in the machine head, you may have to replace the tuner. Replacing a tuner should be as simple as taking off the string, undoing all nuts and screws that are holding the old machine head in place, popping it out, and putting the new one in.
- If you're having trouble with a Nylon-stringed instrument, things are a little different. Classical guitars tend to have tuners that are more interconnected, three to a side, than their steel-string counterparts. So it may be difficult to replace just ONE tuner. On the other hand, these instruments typically have exposed gears on the outside of the headstock; you should be able to SEE which tuner is damaged, and you MAY be able to remove only the broken parts and replace THEM. It'll kind of depend on what your individual instrument needs.
- Insufficient Winding
- This is most likely to be noticeable if your guitar goes out of tune when you play really hard or perform radical bends. You'll play along, attempt that 4-step bend, and notice that your B string is now tuned to an A flat. Basically, you're gonna have to get MORE WINDINGS on the post. It's a pain to unwind the string and re-wind it, but that's what you may have to do (this would be a good time to run out and get one of those little string winders - they REALLY save time!). Alternately, you COULD re-tune the string and do ANOTHER radical bend. As the string goes out of tune, it's pulling more and more lengths from the loose end of the string onto the post. Eventually the post will get enough windings on it and stop slipping. Whether or not that's gonna be faster or slower than re-winding it....it really depends.
- Instrument Damage
- If your instrument has been damaged somehow, this may make tuning more difficult. If anything has happened to the joint between the body and neck of your guitar, the neck may not be strong or stable enough to hold a tune.
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String Buzz
Sometimes when you play an instrument, you'll notice that certain notes will "buzz"; that is, you'll hear the vibrating string rattling and knocking against one or more of the frets. Again, this can come from a number of sources, so let's look at some of them.... Be sure to rule out the first before you go to the next; a symptom like string buzz can have several causes, and treating the wrong one can be a waste of time or can make things worse.
Excessively low action? If he action on your neck is a little too low, you may encounter some string buzzing. Whether or not it's TOO much buzzing for your tastes is something that your ear is going to have to judge for itself. Just like any action problem, you can treat it with a fresh set of heavier strings, and sometimes the problem will go away. If not, try working the truss rod and see if that helps.
Loose or raised fret? Try to isolate the buzz to a particular fret range. When you've done that, examine the frets carefully. Are they all well-set in their grooves? If any of the frets are starting to come up, it can cause a string to buzz. If you identify a loose fret, try tapping it lightly back into place. If it's a severe problem (i.e., if you can see a space UNDER the fret where it's lifted out of the fretboard), you might have to squirt a little super glue into the crack and hold it in place for a few seconds (mind that you don't GLUE your fingers to your guitar!).
Neck Curvature Problems
Sometimes a guitar's neck will become warped, whether it be through overexposure to the elements (rain, sun, whatever), or through faulty materials or workmanship. Sometimes the warping is mild, and does not interfere with playing, except perhaps to make it a LITTLE less easy than before. The instructions below can put you on the right track to correcting this type of mild neck curvature problem. Other times, however, the neck is so badly twisted that the guitar can become impossible to play. In THESE cases, you're best off taking the instrument in to a professional for an opinion.
To attempt a correction on these kind of neck curvature problems, you will need to change the balance in that tug-of-war of the strings vs. the neck. We do this by adjusting the truss rod. On most guitars, the truss rod runs through the length of the neck, either just under the fretboard, or a little more towards the back side of the neck. Tightening the trussrod will tend to pull the neck back, and loosening it will tend to allow the strings to pull the neck forward.
The trussrod can be in a couple of different places on your instrument. Most acoustics seem to have soundhole access to their trussrod ends. Take an angled peek into the soundhole of your guitar, looking up towards the neck. You should see the open end of a hex nut staring back at you. If you DON'T, look at the front of the headstock, usually just on the other side of the nut. If there's a little plastic or wood plate held down by screws (usually 3 of them), then THAT's where your trussrod will be. On SOME models (Ovation 12=strings, for instance), access to the trussrod is sometimes made through the BACK of the instrument. You'll just have to check your own guitar to see. Adjustments to the trussrod need to be made with a hex wrench.
Adjustments to the trussrod should be GRADUAL!! You'll be surprised how much a little bit of tightening will change the curvature of the neck. Try going a quarter of a turn, then re-checking the action.
If you play a nylon stringed instrument, however, you may not have a trussrod. Check and see, though.
A Normal Neck
Ideally, the fretboard on a guitar should be pretty much straight. The picture above shows how a "healthy" neck should look.
Warped Neck
The image immediately above shows a (outrageously) warped neck. In this case, you're probably going to notice that your action is too high; you may be able to play open chords down by the nut, but anything mid-neck or higher may simply be too hard to play. Pressing the strings down will take too much effort to be tolerable.
To correct this, you'll need to tighten the truss rod. This is typically done with a clockwise rotation of the trussrod. You usually won't have to take the strings off to make the adjustments. Again, be conservative with your tightening, and check the neck and playing after each adjustment.
Bowed Neck
This last example shows an unrealistically bowed neck. In this case, the neck bends back so far that you may NEVER manage to get the strings to sound. In the REAL world, a neck bowed like this would be a RARITY. Subtler bowing, however, can cause excessively low action, and may make it tough for you to play loudly or with light strings. To correct bowing, you'll need to loosen the trussrod, typically by rotating it counterclockwise.
Saddle Adjustments
Okay, let's suppose that you examine your guitar neck, and find that it's really pretty much straight. But the strings are STILL a little too high or too low. There is one LAST place you can make some adjustments to your guitar string's angles. This is at the bridge or saddle (depending on what type of guitar you have). To raise the strings at the saddle, you'll have to add some very thin shims in the saddle-notch in the bridge. This will raise the saddle up, and hence, raise the strings. If you need to LOWER the saddle, you're gonna have to go in there and shave or file away some of the bottom half of the saddle.
If you own an Ovation Roundback guitar, then you are somewhat more fortunate than your non-Ovation counterparts; the Ovation bridge has 2-3 special shims already in place under the saddle, specifically designed for easy adjustment of saddle-height. To adjust the saddle, simply remove the strings, gingerly pull up the saddle (be EXTRA careful if this is an acoustic-electric Ovation), and add/subtract the shims. Then you carefully put the saddle back in place, restring, and you're good to go.
Though adding shims to a saddle is reversible, shaving down a saddle ISN'T. If you screw up, or if the instrument sounds worse after the shaving, you'll have to ADD shims to get it back to where it was before. Personally, I've stayed away from saddle and bridge experiments on any but the CHEAPEST instruments. Whereas I feel pretty good about tweaking a truss rod, saddle adjustment (while I probably COULD do it) seems like something a little more specialized and PERMANENT. But I've also been LUCKY: I am in possession of instruments that have been very, very good to me, and have all stayed in good playing condition.
