PHOTO : WIKIMEDIA COMMONS your guitar is the fretboard , because that ’ s where a lot of dead skin lives . Not only is it pretty gross , but it doesn ’ t feel good to play . This is the number one thing that I suggest to people who are looking to improve their at-home setups : get some fretboard oil . It ’ s very inexpensive and it makes a world of a difference when you ’ re playing .
Protip : If your guitar has a whammy / tremolo / Floyd Rose or a floating bridge , you may have to take the strings off one by one , replacing each one before moving onto the next . This is because the springs that hold your tremolo system in place require tension from the strings . If you take all of the strings off at once , the bridge may angle itself in a way where you can ’ t put strings back through it . I have made this mistake before and it is a huge pain ; trust me . If you ’ re looking to clean the fretboard , loosen the strings fully without taking them off so you can work in between them . Once the fretboard is clean , tighten the strings back up then replace them one at a time .
QUESTION # 1 :
I wanted to know what guitar maintenance questions you have and want me to cover in this article , so we reached out to readers via Canadian Musician ’ s social media platforms to ask what questions you had .
The first question comes from Greg O ’ Toole : “ What kind of oils should I use on my guitar neck ? And what do they do ?”
Thanks for the question , Greg . Most commonly you ’ ll see lemon oil , which is meant for rosewood fretboards exclusively as the acidity in the lemon can eat away at maple necks . Personally , I use the Music Nomad ’ s F-ONE oil , which doesn ’ t contain any lemon oil and can be used on any type of fretboard . As mentioned above in tip # 2 ,
46 CANADIAN MUSICIAN these oils help clean any gunk off of your fretboard , they condition the wood to keep it from drying out , and they make your neck feel really good to play .
Tip # 3 : String Wounds & Placement
Of all of the guitar issues that I work on during a setup , I would say that almost half of them can be solved simply with a good restring . I ’ ve seen a new set of strings cure a nasty fret buzz , uncomfortably high action , tuning issues , the list goes on . So regardless of the issue , I almost always start my setups with a good restring . A big part of this is string wounds ; not just how many times the string goes around the peg , but how they sit on the peg .
Now , there are a lot of opinions on this and not all of them are wrong . What I aim for is roughly two wounds on all pegs except the G and B string , on which I aim for three . As a general rule , on standard tuning pegs , I would never go less than 1.5 wounds or more than four . Less than 1.5 wounds can lead to the string slipping through the tuning peg , causing tuning issues . Any more than four wounds may put too much pressure on the guitar , which , over the course of several years , may cause damage . If you ’ re within that range on a standard set of tuning pegs and it feels good to play , you ’ re doing it right .
Perhaps more important than the number of wounds is how they sit on the tuning peg . On many guitars that I look at , the wounds are overlapping or spaced out throughout the peg . This will inevitably lead to tuning issues as the string can move around the peg . I find the best way to avoid this is to guide the wounds to sit tightly , one on top of another . If the headstock is sitting to the left of you , use your right hand to maintain tension on the string as you wind and use your right index finger to guide the string , ensuring that each new wind is sitting just below the previous . The string wounds should not be overlapping or have any space between them .
Protip : Sometimes tuning issues come from the string getting caught on the nut . This can cause your string to jump in pitch when you ’ re tuning or go flat while you ’ re playing it . This is most common on headstocks where there are three tuning pegs on each side . You can purchase lubricant for the nut of your guitar , but an even easier and cheaper solution is using graphite from a pencil . While cleaning the fretboard of your guitar , grab a mechanical pencil and draw in the slots of your guitar ’ s nut . The graphite will act as a natural lubricant , allowing the string to flow more freely through the nut .
QUESTION # 2
This question comes from reader Joseph Landau : “ Some people say leaving a guitar leaning against a wall is bad for the neck . Is this true ? Does the angle matter ? How about the side of the neck facing the surface ?”
To be honest with you , this one puzzles me . I ’ ve also heard this many times but I have never seen a guitar warp out of shape because it was leaning against a wall . I ’ m sure if you left a guitar leaning against a wall for a few weeks or months you may start to notice some movement , so in that regard : I wouldn ’ t recommend it as a permanent place for your instrument , but for a few hours , even days , I really don ’ t think you would notice a difference . I have also heard the theory that if you lean it strings side towards the wall that it ’ s somehow better . Again , not sure about this one . Your guitar ’ s neck is a pretty solid piece of wood and I don ’ t think that leaning it against a wall is going to cause any kind of irreparable damage .
Tip # 4 : Truss Rod , AKA the Boogie Man
I think a lot of people are afraid of working on their neck because of those horror stories of friends overturning their truss rod . It ’ s true , you can destroy your neck by over-adjusting your truss rod . Needless to say , if you really don ’ t feel comfortable working on your neck , by all means bring it into a shop and have them look at it . That said , I believe that with the right patience , precaution , and technique , you can absolutely learn how to adjust your neck , but also learn when to stop and bring it in .
Your guitar ’ s neck is naturally a little bit curved . We call this a bow . Your neck can bow either away from the strings , causing