D
Dani Pace
New member
OK you got it and it felt and sounded great at first, but something has happened and now it's harder to play and sounds dull. Don't panic. Chances are that you are due a few adjustments and a new set of strings. New guitars have a "break in period" while the materals settle in. While any major adjustments are best left to the pros there are some things that can and should be done as a regular part of care for your instrument.
#1; sounds dull, quick fix, new strings are in order, guage and brand are your choice. #2; rattles, loose screws are the most common cause of this, tighten any that you can find (except the ones that adjust pickup hight) but be careful not to overtighten and strip any, good and snug is sufficient for most. #3; action seems higher, neck bolts need tightened or truss rod needs adjusted. The truss rod is rarely set at the factory and normally needs adjusting, this will be obvious if the neck appears bowed, you might want to have this done by a pro, in fact if you have ANY doubt in your abilities take it to a good shop and have a complete set up done. Most manufactors recomend this somewhere between three and six months and then again at about one year. #4; fingerboard feels sticky, clean and lubricate it, a few drops of lemon oil and a little rubbing will work wonders, just dont overdo it and get oil on the finish. A good cleaning and polish will keep the body looking and feeling good too. #5; noise or static in volume or tone controls, likely they need cleaning with a good cleaner (an anti oxidizer is best, avoid WD 40 or silicone products)
There are other things which can be done to improve the way your new guitar plays and sounds but these few steps should help to keep it feeling and sounding good as new for quite some time.
Most of this has been dirrected at electric guitars, if anyone has any recomendations for acoustic please add them, we are all in this together.
#1; sounds dull, quick fix, new strings are in order, guage and brand are your choice. #2; rattles, loose screws are the most common cause of this, tighten any that you can find (except the ones that adjust pickup hight) but be careful not to overtighten and strip any, good and snug is sufficient for most. #3; action seems higher, neck bolts need tightened or truss rod needs adjusted. The truss rod is rarely set at the factory and normally needs adjusting, this will be obvious if the neck appears bowed, you might want to have this done by a pro, in fact if you have ANY doubt in your abilities take it to a good shop and have a complete set up done. Most manufactors recomend this somewhere between three and six months and then again at about one year. #4; fingerboard feels sticky, clean and lubricate it, a few drops of lemon oil and a little rubbing will work wonders, just dont overdo it and get oil on the finish. A good cleaning and polish will keep the body looking and feeling good too. #5; noise or static in volume or tone controls, likely they need cleaning with a good cleaner (an anti oxidizer is best, avoid WD 40 or silicone products)
There are other things which can be done to improve the way your new guitar plays and sounds but these few steps should help to keep it feeling and sounding good as new for quite some time.
Most of this has been dirrected at electric guitars, if anyone has any recomendations for acoustic please add them, we are all in this together.