Maintenence on my new solid top?

[abandonedbrain]

sorry to start a new thread; i realize it's not all about me, but you guys really know your stuff and i couldn't resist. i've pretty much blown the budget set by the wife, so what's essential right off and what will i want to consider as i save to keep this guitar in good shape?
also, are there adjustments i might want to play with as far as the setup? obviously i'm new to the world of quasi-decent guitars and i appreciate your patience.
btw- the gtar in question is a seagull s6 and i live in mobile, al so the humidity here is pretty high.
Thanks.

 

[32-20-Blues]

sorry to start a new thread; i realize it's not all about me, but you guys really know your stuff and i couldn't resist. i've pretty much blown the budget set by the wife, so what's essential right off and what will i want to consider as i save to keep this guitar in good shape?
also, are there adjustments i might want to play with as far as the setup? obviously i'm new to the world of quasi-decent guitars and i appreciate your patience.
btw- the gtar in question is a seagull s6 and i live in mobile, al so the humidity here is pretty high.
Thanks.

As Light will tell you, if you heat your house at any time during the year, you need to humidify your guitar. Furthermore, to quote directly from Light, "short of pouring buckets of water into your soundhole, there is nothing you can do to overhumidify your instrument." If you have a case, leave your guitar in it whenever you're not playing it. If you don't have a case - think about getting a cheap one.

As for adjustments with regard to the set-up, only if they're necessary. If things are the way you want them, leave them that way.

Congrats on the new guitar.

Congrats on the guitar.

 

[travelin travis]

I lived in Pensacola so I know about the humidity in your area. I don't think you're going to have any issues with lack of humidity there.

I wouldn't worry about adjusting anything until the guitar asks for it.

 

[Light]

It is pretty typical for a new guitar to need some adjustments. Some stores do this as a part of the purchase, and if they have a good repair staff that's great. If their setup guys are a couple of 15 year olds on their first jobs, that's not so great.

As for the best way to maintain your instrument, I would STRONGLY recommend finding a good repair person in your area and asking them what they recommend. More and more, over the years, I have realized that guitar maintenance is a regional issue. Oh, and I believe what I said (and certainly what I should have said) is that in the upper Midwest you can't possibly over-humidify your guitar. In other, very humid, parts of the world it is a real possibility. It's has very different structural issues, but it CAN be an issue if you live somewhere where the humidity is 75-90% year round. Those are issues I don't have much experience with (after all, that doesn't happen up here), but your local repair person will.

Beyond the humidity issues, the biggest thing is to just keep your guitar clean. When you are done playing, wipe down your guitar with a soft lint free cloth (old tee shirts are good) when you are done playing, and if you want to use a good GUITAR polish on your guitar from time to time. Do NOT use furniture polish, as it will damage the finish on most guitars. Change the strings from time to time, and a few times a year you can clean the fingerboard with some oil-free OOOO steel wool and condition it with some mineral oil or a good quality lemon oil (which is mostly mineral oil).


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi