By playing Guitar for a long period, we establish some kind of connection with it. It becomes a part of us and nobody will want to keep it dirty. Buying the best Acoustic Guitar is not a difficult task, but maintaining a Guitar in perfect condition is! Also Guitar is a costly investment and it can get damaged if it will not be cleaned regularly, resulting in a waste of money. To avoid such thing I've created this how to clean an acoustic guitar guide for you.
So, in this article, I've given the complete guide and pro-tips to keep your acoustic guitar clean. Let's start with a few cleaning tips and then jump to the complete guide to deep clean the acoustic guitar.
First of all, keep your acoustic guitar in a case when you are not using it. In the outside atmosphere, there is a lot of humidity and particulate matter, which can damage your Guitar. So, keep your Guitar in a good quality case. It will not only save it from humidity, but also from accidental wear and tear. Therefore, it is necessary to use a Guitar case.
Secondly, change your guitar strings regularly. Guitar's strings catch oil, dead skin cells and dirt with time. And if not changed in time, then these strings can transfer this dirt to the fretboard.
And for last, wipe your Guitar with a clean cloth after playing it. It will remove most of the oil and dirt from the Guitar. Also, try to keep the clean room while playing the Guitar. And prevent playing the Guitar in a very humid environment.
Note: You can change strings whenever you feel they are not producing enough crisp sound. Also, you can restring your guitar after cleaning.
Guide For how to clean an acoustic guitar
Now, here is the step-by-step guide to clean an acoustic guitar. Follow it to keep your acoustic guitar clean and well maintained for a longer duration.
1 Step
The very first step for cleaning Guitar is to collect some materials which will you need for deep cleaning your Guitar. These materials include two soft cotton cloths, a spray bottle containing detergent and water, lemon oil, guitar polish and something pointy like pliers or pen. You can also buy a guitar cleaning kit straight and save your efforts.
2 Step
This is the second step. Unwind all the strings by rotating the tuning heads in an anti-clockwise direction. Keep rotating until strings become loose enough. Now pull out all bridge pins and remove strings from there. Remember to store bridge pins at some safe place so that you can put them back later. Perform this step on all six strings and then jump to the next step.
3 Step
Now use a soft cotton cloth and remove dust from the body and neck of your acoustic guitar thoroughly. Then apply some grease to the creases of the Guitar and remove dust from creases of the Guitar.
Then take a cloth and wipe off the tuning keys. You can also apply some detergent and water for better cleaning of your tuning keys.
4 Step
Take some pointy tool like a pen and wrap your cloth around it. Now, use this to clean an acoustic guitar fretboard. Start from the headstock and slowly reaches the bottom of the fretboard. Now, put some drops of lemon oil on a cloth and use it to oil the fretboard. Do it in a circular motion in the direction of top to bottom.
You have to clean an acoustic guitar fretboard at least twice a year to keep the Guitar crisp and melodic.
5 Step
Now, use the same oil and cloth and oil the bridge of your acoustic guitar. Do it in circular motion too. Then inspect your bridge and ensure whether it is in good condition.
6 Step
If your acoustic guitar is somewhat dirtier at some places and its not possible to clean it by just wiping a cloth. Then put some detergent and water on the cloth and try to remove the dirt from the acoustic guitar.
7 Step
Now, the next step is to polish your acoustic guitar to give it a new finish. There are a lot of polishes available in the market and the most suitable polish for your acoustic guitar depends upon your acoustic guitar's build material and color. So, search online about the most suitable polish for your acoustic guitar by using the model name of it.
After getting the polish, apply a small amount of it on a cloth and oil your complete acoustic guitar very gently in a circular motion.
8 Step
Now, use a bluff cloth and wipe your acoustic guitar to give it a classy and premium finish. However, if your acoustic guitar has a matte finish, then a regular cloth will do the work.
After that, inspect your acoustic guitar and look for cracks and any other damage. In case you find any, take your acoustic guitar to a repair-person for repairing.
9 Step
Now, take a new string or the old string(if it is in good condition). And put the ball-end in the bridge hole followed by the bridge pin. Then, push the pin and pull the string simultaneously and make sure not to leave any extra string in the soundhole.
Now out the other end of the string in the tuning hole, pull the string in the direction of the bridge and tighten it.
Note: Once you have inserted the new string you have to tune your guitar for perfect tone, but tuning a guitar is quite difficult. You can refer the how to tune a guitar article to tune your guitar like a pro..
10 Step
Now, wind the string by using a string winder. Repeat this step with all other strings. After winding all strings successfully, check the tuning of the Guitar. You can tune your Guitar by ear or an electronic tuner. Otherwise, you can also reach to a local music shop for tuning.
If you have completed all the above steps successfully, then congratulations, you have cleaned your Guitar by yourself. Now you can play it for some hours or put it back in the case, or do whatever you want (except showcasing it on your wall).
CONCLUSION
That is the end of this how to clean an acoustic guitar article and I hope you also learn how to clean an acoustic guitar fretboard easily and know the importance of cleaning the acoustic guitar from this guide. If you have learned something useful from this article, then give a thumbs up and if you know any pro tip, share them in the comment section.
Hello readers, welcome to my blog! I’m Stefan. I’m in hard love with the music and used to collect all kinds of musical instruments at my garage. While looking for the best instruments, initially, I’ve struggled a lot. Like me, some of you might be struggling to choose the best musical equipment. So, keep reading my articles and get the best musical instrument that is worth your pay.