Guitars Are an Investment—Protect Them

If you own a guitar, it’s worth your time and effort to understand how to best protect it so that you can continue using it for years to come. A guitar should be looked at as an investment. You want to secure it and store it safely so that it does not lose its value. Here are a few things to know when considering how to best protect your guitar.

Biggest Dangers to Guitars

Heat and humidity can be detrimental to the condition and performance of your guitar. For this reason, it is important to consider the climate control of the area that you plan on keeping your guitar when it is not in use. “Musical instruments, and guitars in this case, react negatively to too much indoor humidity because a rapid buildup of moisture causes the wood to expand and swell.” (venta-usa.com) Storing your guitar in the center of the room away from the walls will help to keep it at a consistent temperature, especially if you live in an area that is prone to temperature extremes.

Treat Them as Antiques

If you plan to leave your guitar for an extended time, you must take the proper precautions to ensure that it is protected from the elements. A guitar is similar to “electronics, photographs, art works and antiques in that they must be stored in a climate-controlled storage room. These types of items are most prone to being damaged by heat and humidity, so it’s worth the time to consider protecting them with climate-control.” (allstorageonline.com)

Utilize the Guitar Case

The guitar case was included with the guitar for a reason. Do not neglect to use it when attempting to keep your guitar well preserved and out of harm's way. Not only is the case specially made for guitars, but it is also sized perfectly for your particular guitar. Guitars should be stored in their case standing up and not lying down. If storing them standing up is not possible, then it is recommended to store them on their side with the handle pointing up.

Cleaning Your Guitar

You must also regularly clean the guitar in order to maintain the optimal function. A compressed air spray is the safest and most effective way to blow away dust. You can then use a warm, damp cloth to wipe away other particles and grease. An old toothbrush is also helpful in cleaning the bridge and frets. For cleaning matte finished guitars, is recommended to use “grit-free polish with light pressure to clean matte, semi-gloss, and satin finishes. [It is stressed] that satin finishes do not become glossy if they are cleaned properly. With these finishes, it is especially important to stay away from aggressive polishes, as the grits will mar a satin finish and silicone will build up upon the finish unevenly.” (Reverb.com) Treating your guitar as an investment will ensure that it will be able to bring you joy for years to come.  If you're looking for a solid cleaner, we like to recommend Boogie Juice as a quality great quality product.

The Right Guitar for the Right Climate

One thing we've always been amazed at is how varied maintenance requirements are for our customers.  Some places make life easier while others make things seem impossible to keep your gear tuned and sounding perfect.  Too much humidity, too much dryness, too much rain, too much sun, it can all have an effect.  For some climates, you may want to look into alternatives such as graphite guitars which are much less susceptible to climate change.  These guitars, generally not inexpensive are starting to grow in popularity due to their functional qualities.  Check out our article on RainSong Guitars here to learn more. 

Having a guitar is a wonderful thing but we understand that sometimes people can’t keep them and don’t know what to do with a perfectly good guitar. We’re here to help.We buy used guitarsso if you have one just lying around and you need it removed, contact us and we’ll take it off your hands for a fair price.