Caring for guitar strings. Guitar care and cleaning

In this article we will try to dispel the fog of uncertainty about what cannot be done with an electric guitar, what is possible, and what must be done. We will talk about caring for your musical instrument. And caring for an electric guitar is necessary, like all other musical instruments or household devices.

How to care for the body of an electric guitar?

Polyurethane varnish is the most common wood finish on modern electric guitars, making life easier for today's guitarists. Still would! After all, it is quite convenient to remove fingerprints, dust and dirt using a regular rag soaked in a soapy solution. The final touch is a special guitar polish, which can be purchased at almost any music store. Simply apply the polish to the body of the guitar and wipe it dry with a non-rough cloth. If the guitar is covered with wax, you should first make sure that it does not contain alcohol. Otherwise, everything will become worse than before you started this event.

How to care for the neck of an electric guitar?

Caring for the neck of an electric guitar is also simple and straightforward. There's not much to polish here other than the fretboard. And then - entertainment is for perfectionists. During use, dirt accumulates on the frets, which can be conveniently removed with a not too hard brush or rag. Great fit Toothbrush. A little hint: before cleaning the frets you need to remove the strings. We have already written about how to remove the strings in. It is usually recommended to treat the fretboard with a small amount of essential oil. It is not expensive and is sold in pharmacies.

How to care for electric guitar accessories?

A dirty bridge or floyd rose machine stupefies those guitarists who with all their nature resist contemplating dirt on their instrument. How to clean this part of the guitar, where there are so many hard-to-reach places even for such an unsightly instrument as a toothbrush. Everything is simpler than it seems. We remove the typewriter or bridge and rinse it in a soapy solution until it shines with its former light. Just don’t rub the piece of iron with rough materials - scratches will remain! We washed it, now wipe it and leave it aside to dry thoroughly. After this, lubricate the friction points and contacts with machine oil. The main thing here is not to overdo it!

How to care for the electronics on an electric guitar?

Electronics, if they are in adequate condition, do not require special care. Therefore, if everything is soldered normally and does not rustle, skip this step. IN otherwise It's easier to take the guitar to a master. Although if you are a soldering master, then you know what to do without these tips.

How to transport a guitar?

These tips apply to all types of guitars. Both electrical and acoustic guitars. The electric guitar is made of wood and therefore does not like sudden changes in temperature. It is not recommended to take it outside in bitter frost. However, if this cannot be avoided, then it is recommended to buy an insulated cover for it. When you enter a room with a guitar, do not rush to uncover it. It won't hurt if it stays in the case for a while. This way you minimize the inevitable condensation that will damage wiring and metal parts. IN ideal It is best to transport and store the guitar in a special case. But the pleasure is not cheap.

Caring for your musical instrument is simple and unpretentious, so take care of your guitar and it will delight you for a long time!

IN this material We will tell guitar lovers how to properly care for strings, why they lose their brightness, and what factors harm strings the most.

For every musician, the most enjoyable moment of playing is the sound of freshly installed clean and shiny strings. However, most often this joy does not last so long - and not always due to the characteristics of the strings themselves and their cheapness. Today we will tell you why strings lose their sound brightness over time and how to try to avoid this.

Why do strings lose sound and stop building?

Each of us knows that sooner or later the strings simply stop keeping in tune, it becomes difficult to tune them to scale, after each bend you have to reach for the tuner... The thing is that due to frequent playing and constant tension, the core of the strings gradually stretches , losing physical properties, and dirt and grease accumulate in the winding, which oh, how greatly affect the possibility of fine tuning
The strings react with the external environment: the winding may become covered with fine deposits or rust over time, bronze acoustic strings oxidize from prolonged exposure to oxygen
The most significant and threatening factor is you and me. After playing, particles of sweat, dirt and grease remain on the strings (as well as on the neck, soundboard, and pickups). As mentioned above, all these aggressive elements make the winding heavier, make the strings sound dull and kill all prospects for achieving reliable and accurate tuning.

How to properly care for guitar strings?

We get used to washing our hands. Yes, yes, as my parents taught me before meals, now I control the cleanliness myself before the game. And, although this does not guarantee complete removal of dirt, it will extend their service life by 1.5-2 times

Buy a cheap string cleaning cloth - and use it after every game. In addition, when frequent play We can recommend special devices for deeper cleaning, for example T he String Cleaner SC-G or Planet Waves XLR8 - cheap and cheerful, but you will have to buy strings a couple of times less often
In the end, you can use special chemical compositions, corroding dirt and grease. The most popular of them all: Dunlop 6582 String Cleaner.

This composition is applied evenly to the string - and after a couple of minutes of waiting, the dirt can be wiped off with a cloth. In addition, the mixture coats the strings with a slight polymer coating, which prevents dirt and grease from entering the winding without making the sound flatter.

This item is for those who have a tremolo installed on their guitar and who actively uses it. You are definitely better off choosing strings that are protected from stretching and changes in tension. The weakest point of the first three strings is where the ball is attached at the bridge. With active use of the lever, the tuning will gradually creep away due to the fact that the string will become increasingly unraveled at its base.

Check out Ernie Ball's patented RPS (Reinforced Plain Strings) technology. In such sets, there is an additional wire on the first three strings that protects them from tension changes.

And finally, one of the most effective ways- purchasing strings with a protective coating, which we talked about in a separate article. Initially, this type of strings does not sound as bright and colorful as sets without a protective layer - but we guarantee that their sound remains unchanged for about 5 times longer than regular sets of strings

Good afternoon friends! Do you often play the guitar and cannot live without it even a day? Did you know that when you play an instrument regularly, the strings wear out quite quickly and lose their original ringing quality? I think yes, since you are reading these lines. In this article I will tell you how to properly care for your guitar strings so that they last you as long as possible, but this of course does not mean that they should not be changed at all. We will talk about this and much more further.

In the previous article I talked about how to adjust the bridge and string height, anyone interested can read about it. Let's now find out the reasons why the strings lose their original brightness and sonority.

The main reasons for the “aging” of strings

If you play an electric or acoustic guitar, you have probably noticed how new strings installed on it, after some time after prolonged practice, begin to sound very dull. Why is this happening? This is due to their contamination or, in other words, greasing, because during the playing process, sweat, grease and dirt from the guitarist’s hands get onto the strings. Not everyone washes their hands before picking up a guitar.

- the most short-lived part on your guitar and is essentially an ordinary consumables, which needs to be constantly changed and updated. But some guitarists still manage to play the same strings for years. It is not right. Maximum term their operation is 2-3 months if you play every day. With moderately active guitar playing, after a week they gradually lose their timbre characteristics, and after a month it is advisable to replace them with a new set.

To enjoy the clear sound of your guitar, you need to regularly care for your strings and then they will retain their good timbre much longer. But you also need to take into account that even with the most proper care and careful attitude The process of “aging” of strings cannot be avoided, but it is quite possible to slow it down slightly. Now we will look at several main stages of “aging”.

Appearance of strings

If you notice that the strings have lost their original shine and hear a slight decrease in the brightness of the sound, timbre, and find abrasions in the place where they contact the frets, then you can safely change them if possible. This stage can last up to several weeks and is called working; no special intervention is required, just wipe them with a cloth. It all depends on the conditions under which you use these strings.

Sound deterioration

This is the second stage of “aging”, which smoothly passes after the first. The sound is already becoming dull and inexpressive, the abrasions are becoming even greater, the bass strings are becoming rougher to the touch. You can, of course, extend their life (re-tighten or wash), but it is best to change them as quickly as possible. What does it mean to drag? To do this, you need to remove all the strings and reinstall them so that the contact with the frets is in a different place - you need to move the strings relative to the frets in the other direction. How to wash it? To wash bass strings and thus remove dirt from them, you can use regular soap or washing powder, after “bathing” they need to be wiped dry with a cloth and given a little more time to dry before installation. Then install taking into account the constriction. The strings, of course, will not become new, but you can still restore their timbre and brightness for a while.

Winding destruction

If you have worn the strings to such a state, then you have no choice but to change them urgently. The main signs of the third stage are severe abrasions in the fret area and torn winding. Neither washing nor reupholstering will help here, but will only do more harm. Such a string will not last long and will inevitably break, but before that it will “delight” you with the extraneous sounds of a dangling winding.

Always keep your strings clean – this is the most important condition. Every time after you finish playing the guitar, you need to wipe all the strings one by one with a special soft rag (which does not leave lint) or a cloth napkin to remove moisture and sweat from them. And before playing, it is advisable to wash your hands well to reduce the ingress of dirt and grease. Moisture is the most main enemy metal strings, which creates corrosion and oxides on their surface, which naturally leads to a significant deterioration in sound. It may still remain on braided strings. a large number of dead skin picked up from your fingers while playing, which will build up between turns over time. In this regard, it is also always important to remember that you need to wipe the strings with a cloth after each guitar practice.

Special string cleaner - a good anti-pollution assistant for every guitarist who wants to extend the life of his strings a little. Musical instrument stores today offer a wide range of special cleaning products. This product can be used once a week; it removes all greasy dirt from the strings well. This product will last you for a long time. As an alternative, you can use alcohol for degreasing (some of my friends even clean with vodka). When using it, be careful not to let it come into contact with fingerboard and other parts of your guitar, if any of its parts are not covered with varnish.

Use string lubricants – a good solution for those who want to keep both their strings and their hands in good shape. Such lubricants are made on the basis of special ultra-light mineral oils. This product is applied to the surface of the strings, after which it covers them with a thin film. This helps protect the strings and makes playing easier. A lubricant containing silicone is less preferable due to the fact that it is quite difficult to remove from the surface of the instrument, so a lubricant with an applicator that will provide direct application directly to the strings is best. But aerosol-type applicators can ruin the wood of the instrument, so when applying you need to place at least a sheet of paper under the strings.

String cleaning device Tone Gear is a unique invention of its kind that helps you easily and quickly clean all the strings on your guitar at once and extends their life several times. It can be used in tandem with special string care liquids. ToneGear is suitable for any type of guitar, be it acoustic, electric or bass. The price of such a miracle is only about $12.

In addition to all of the above, when installing strings on an instrument, it is very important to avoid over-tightening them. Also, you should not loosen or tighten them often, because in the future this will lead to microscopic separation of the braid from the core and, as a result, the timbre may deteriorate significantly. If the strings have not been installed on the guitar, then it is best to store them in a dry place in the original sealed packaging, because high humidity has a negative effect on both metal and nylon strings. Though polymer material and contains special additives, but despite this it can absorb moisture, and this only leads to a deterioration in the sound of nylon strings.

You can also use strings – a very cool thing! Their main feature is that the strings are coated with a special composition on top, which protects the winding from dirt from the fingers. Such strings last much longer and retain a good sound, but they also cost accordingly. In general, I advise you to try it, you won’t regret it!

That's all! Subject proper care behind the strings of the guitar I have completely opened up today. Additions and corrections are welcome, you can leave your comment below. Good luck and fruitful studies!

The shape of a guitar is often compared to its curves. female body. And really, it's beautiful musical instrument, from which the master can extract amazing sounds. But caring for your guitar should be as careful as your attitude towards the woman you love. We will tell you about the main secrets later in the article.

How to care for a guitar and what details to pay special attention to?

The guitar consists of several components, and each of them “suffers” in its own way during use:

Strings. Of course, the easiest way is to replace them with new ones after N hours of play, but this is not at all necessary.
Neck and frets. A musician's hands inevitably sweat while playing, which means that sweat and sebum will contaminate these elements. Hence the bad sound (sweat gradually corrodes the frets, a process similar to corrosion occurs), and unaesthetic appearance instrument (the wood of the neck will darken and look oily).
Other metal parts of the guitar. The problem here is the same as with fret saddles - the destructive effect of sweat getting on the metal.
Tool body. During use, cracks and chips may appear on the case, the varnish will fade and become stained. The reason for this is very often improper storage. You need to look after your guitar extremely carefully if you want the instrument to for a long time served you faithfully.

Now that we have found out what problems may affect certain elements of the guitar, let’s move on directly to the intricacies of caring for your pet.

Care in detail

How to care for your guitar in terms of cleaning the strings? To prevent the formation of deposits consisting of dust, sweat and particles from the skin of your hands, after each playing session, use a dry, clean cotton cloth, such as a regular handkerchief.

How to store a guitar so that its neck is always in perfect condition? Regularly cleanse it of sweat and sebum. Important: cleaning the neck is carried out only when the strings are removed, for example, when you decide to change them. By the way, good strings, as well as complete guitar sets, can be bought in the online store at gitaraist.ru. There you can also consult about the features of caring for the instrument.

So, varnished necks are cleaned with special products for varnish surfaces. But to care for unvarnished ones, use lemon or gun oil. Simply spread a few drops of the product over the fingerboard and rub the surface with a soft cotton cloth.

The metal parts of the guitar are cleaned with ordinary machine oil. A soft toothbrush will help you get to the grooves. Be careful not to let oil come into contact with the wooden body of the instrument!

Finally, let's talk about caring for your guitar body. If it is varnished, then first wipe it with a cloth soaked in a weak detergent solution. When the body is dry, treat it with polish. It will help smooth out small cracks and scratches on the varnish and make the surface shiny. Rub the polish in a circular motion using the same cotton cloth.

If the body is not varnished, then dry cleaning and treatment with special oils and waxes are used.

How to properly store a guitar?

The guitar is mainly made of wood, and it is very sensitive to changes in humidity and air temperature. Hence the requirements for tool storage. So, how to store a guitar at home?

Requirements for temperature - plus 10-25 ° C, for humidity - 50-60%. If these values are exceeded, the varnish layer may begin to soften, and the wood may swell and warp.
Keep the guitar away from windows and heating devices (at least 1.5 meters).
The instrument should not be exposed to direct sunlight.
It is a misconception that a soft case will protect the guitar if it is hit or dropped. A hard case will do a much better job of this.
Do not think that by locking your guitar in a sealed case (box, bag, etc.) you will protect it from dust and other aggressive environmental factors. She can literally suffocate, so the cover must be slightly open for proper air circulation.
Remember to loosen the strings if you leave the guitar on long-term storage(more than 1 month).

“Why do this, it still works the same as it should? It still sounds as great as the first day I bought it!”

One can agree with this, but still, without corresponding guitar care, she is much more susceptible to destructive factors and literally suffers. This creates a real problem that can result in permanent damage to the guitar.

There are particularly susceptible parts in the guitar:

1. Strings

“Well, we know that,” many of you will say and think that I will advise replacing the old strings with new ones if they have become unusable. Do strings that have been used for X hours really need to be replaced because they sound bad?

In this article, I will tell you a little secret that will help your strings stay “like new” much longer. Hint: this secret will be related to cleaning strings.

2. Vulture

Frets are especially problematic here. Every person, and therefore every guitarist, sweats when playing. This sweat naturally settles on the fretboard and strings. The more you play, the more you sweat. This sweat causes wear on the frets and frets.

In addition, the wood of the vultures suffers, which, of course, is mainly a visual problem, since sweat forms sediment over time. This is especially noticeable when the neck is made of light wood. Still, even if the neck is made of dark wood, it can darken even more if not cleaned properly. Therefore, it, just like the light vulture, can and should be cleaned.

If there is dirt on the neck of your guitar, not only does its appearance suffer, but also its playability. In particular, the fret thresholds are very vulnerable here, on which deposits appear over time. In addition, sweat slowly but surely eats into the metal and a process very similar to corrosion occurs.

It doesn't matter whether it's a tremolo, tension springs, or perhaps even a Floyd Rose system. Anything metal is susceptible to sweat and corrosion. Here, over time, there may be big problems, which usually hit your pocket very hard.

4. Body

When cracks and other signs of wear appear on the body due to lack of care, it can greatly deteriorate the sound of your guitar. Therefore, it is very important to know how to clean your guitar.

“Okay, okay, I understand that. But what should I do now?

There are countless guitar care products, countless opportunities to invest your money, and countless user opinions about it. Which opinions have a rational streak and which are nonsense? Ultimately, all this is just various ways removing the consequences of playing a musical instrument.

How to deal with deposits under the strings, on the neck of the guitar and on its metal parts? How to deal with all kinds of stains on varnish? There are very simple and effective methods to combat all these negative things.

1. Cleaning guitar strings

Here we must first clean the dirt (sweat from hands, skin particles and dust) from the strings.

Dirt reduces string vibrations. The consequences of this: bad sound. In order to avoid this, you need Clean the strings every time after playing dry and clean cotton scarf or cloth.

2. Cleaning the neck and frets

Necks are divided into varnished and unvarnished.

Lacquered necks are most often made from light wood (for example, maple), rather than varnished from dark wood (for example, rosewood).

First of all, you need to bring the frets to a shine. This can be done very effectively using steel wool

and a soft toothbrush.

Wherein you should always work in a longitudinal direction.

In order to get shiny edges, you need to use varnish care products. However, you need to be careful, because you cannot apply varnish care products to unvarnished fingerboards! In this case, the fingerboard must first be cleaned with a damp cloth.

The most good time The time to take care of your guitar is when you change the strings. It is mainly used for cleaning unvarnished fretboards. lemon oil.

You just need to spread a few drops over the fingerboard and then wipe with a soft cotton scarf. At the same time, some dirt will be removed. To clean unvarnished fingerboards, you can use synthetic oil along with lemon oil. gun oil(Waffenöl), for example, Ballistol).

It is very important to consider the following: the strings are made of metal and the neck is made of wood. Both are cleaned separately. For example, fretboard cleaning oil causes strings to corrode. Therefore, only oil your fretboard after removing the strings.

3. Cleaning the metal parts of the guitar

The mechanics of the guitar are steel, which brings with it the fact that it is susceptible to corrosion. This happens when the mechanics come into contact with sweat or when you play the guitar in the rain ;) Therefore, you need to regularly clean the metal parts of the guitar.

Here you can use oil with simple sewing machine

or synthetic gun oil Waffenöl (Ballistol). One or two drops will be enough. In this case, you need to avoid contact with electrical parts of the guitar and wood. In order to get to the grooves and recesses of the tremolo, you can use a soft toothbrush.

4. Guitar body care

If the door is varnished, it is almost impossible to make a mistake. The easiest way to clean the body is to use a handkerchief or cloth. The scarf should be as clean and thread-free as possible. In addition, it should not leave scratches on the varnish. Every music store has these scarves, and this will also work microfiber fabric(the one used for cleaning glasses).

We dip the handkerchief in rinse water (water + detergent) and clean the dirt from the body. Caution: Do not use too much detergent! 2-3 drops per liter will be enough! In the end, don't worry about the wood because the varnish protects it.

After drying, you can use a varnish care product. It's called “polish”.

Please note that there are various polishes that differ in their composition and strength. Thanks to polish, surfaces are smoothed and light scratches are removed.

For guitars covered modern (polyurethane) varnish Different strengths of polishes are not a problem - their surface is quite durable. The same cannot be said about concert guitars, western guitars and high-quality vintage instruments, which most often use quick varnish (nitrocellulose varnish). This varnish is very thin and is used to seal wood. But, unfortunately, it is much less tolerant of varnish care products.

The meaning of the above: you cannot work with polishes here. Such guitars should be wiped with a dry, soft cotton cloth.

The polish is quite easy to use:

It is rubbed into the varnish in a circular motion using a scarf. The body of the guitar is then polished to a mirror finish using another dry and clean cloth. Don't think about polishing your guitar every day. This is best only when changing strings. At the same time, I also want to add that the head and back side The necks are cleaned in the same way as the body.

Now let's move on to unvarnished surfaces. It is not advisable to use the above method using rinse water (with detergent) here.

Due to the fact that there is no varnish to protect the wood, water is absorbed into the wood. This may lead to cracks. At the first stage, you just need to remove the dust (using a dry cloth).

In addition, varnish care products should not be used on unvarnished surfaces, since without a protective varnish, ugly oil stains may appear. There are special oils and waxes for these purposes.

Lots to do!

I hope that in this article I have convinced you of how much you can do to care for your guitar. At the same time, you can spend a fairly large amount of money, at the same time you can achieve your goal with inexpensive means. Many people probably think that their guitar's uncleaned body looks as good as it did a few years ago and their guitar has finally acquired the worn-in look they desire. Other people have a Custom guitar with a special varnish. And at the same time they do everything to make it shine and shine.

Ultimately, what matters is how valuable your guitar is to you and what value you place on it.

How do you take care of your guitar?

Do you have your own tricks for caring for your guitar? How do you approach this issue? Do you have any questions? Write your comments under this article. And of course, like the top of the article if you liked it...