In addition to the extraordinary craftsmanship, good guitarists need to know how to maintain their guitar. Due to the relatively large area of China, most of them are in temperate regions, and the temperature changes significantly throughout the year. So there will be significant differences in temperature and humidity, which is bad for the acoustic guitar in our hands. Therefore, between the above questions, this time I will introduce some suggestions from Martin Technician for the maintenance of Martin Acoustic Guitar.
- Humidity, temperature, and storage environment
Wood is a natural material made up of fibers. Therefore, it is easy to perceive changes in environmental humidity and temperature. The most suitable storage environment temperature is 22-25 degrees Celsius and the humidity is 45-55%. Deviating from the proper storage environment will have an adverse effect on your instrument. Sudden exposure to cold air can cause cracks in the paint surface. We recommend that you use a temperature/hygrometer to make accurate measurements of your storage environment.
When the humidity suddenly increases and the moisture enters the interior of the wood, the wood expands and swells. When the humidity is gradually increased, it will not cause permanent damage to your instrument. When the high temperature is accompanied by high humidity, the firmness of the glue joint is lowered. If your guitar leaks in a hot, high-humidity environment for a period of time, the glue under the bridge will be less secure and will cause the bridge to be pulled down from the panel.
The local humidity that changes periodically is a problem you need to be aware of. If you place your guitar near a dry heat source (such as a heater, fireplace, etc.), the humidity will drop much more quickly than in natural conditions; Similarly, the same changes will occur as the dry season approaches. If the water content of the wood decreases rapidly with the change of the environmental humidity, the loss of water of some parts of the wood is faster than other parts, which will cause the wood to be cracked due to uneven water loss; It also causes the glue to partially open. So don’t put your guitar near the heat source or place it outdoors in the winter. At the same time, do not hang on the wall, because the temperature of the wall will be lower than the indoor air temperature, which will cause the top and back of the guitar to have a certain temperature and humidity difference, which will cause potential harm.
In the winter, when the guitar enters the room from outside, keep the guitar in the hardshell case and wait until it is in line with the room temperature before opening the case. This will gradually adapt the guitar to room temperature and reduce the risk of cracking the paint surface. If you use a humidifier to humidify your guitar, you need to be careful not to touch the wood directly. Avoid blowing the sound hole of the guitar directly from the wet mouth of the indoor humidifier, as well as the surface; Avoid physically evaporating the body humidifier directly in contact with the wood to prevent dripping due to excessive water addition. We recommend placing the guitar in the case when you are not playing. Humidity is easier to control in small environments. Unless you don’t play in the next few months, you don’t need to loosen the strings. Frequently tightening the strings will destroy the strings and lose the tone.
Your guitar is placed in a hardshell case for Martin Guitar, which is designed to support your body and neck in the most scientific way. Do not place anything under the neck to prevent the head and knob from being stressed and causing injury. If the guitar needs repair, you need to consult a professional.
- Cleaning
The best way to clean your guitar surface is to use a clean, damp, regular temperature cloth. Wipe gently to remove harmful chemicals from your guitar surface. Your guitar lacquer is currently the world’s top professional musical instrument lacquer, it is very sensitive. Alcohol, citric acid, aftershave, pesticides, and the like, as well as any dissolved substances such as plastics, vinyl faux leather, or leather straps can cause damage to the paint surface. Sweat can also have an adverse effect on the paint surface, so try to keep it dry and wipe off the sweat and sweat after playing. For cleaning and polishing, please use Martin’s special polishing cloth and polishing agent. We recommend that you wipe the fingerboard and strings with a soft, dry cloth after playing to remove skin secretions and grease from the fingerboard and strings. Do not use cleaners containing silicones.
- Knob protection
The guitar knobs are just a little bit more protective than the rest of the guitar. The closed knob with a metal cover, the manufacturer has applied lubricant inside the knob, no need to add it yourself.
You can see the open knob of the gear and add lubricant once or twice a year. Use a household Vaseline lubricant to apply the Vaseline lubricant to the toothpick and apply it to the gear. It should be noted that do not add excessively to avoid dust adsorption.
For ease of adjustment, some knobs are adjustable and tighten the screws in the middle of the gears, which will increase the resistance when the tuning knob is turned. Check the screws in the middle of the gear each time you change the strings. It doesn’t need to be tightened too tightly, the tighter the resistance of the tuning knob will become.