Gear maintenance

[beano]

what do i need to do to maintain my gear? i have a fender strat (american) and a small fender amp and a Rolland BR Recorder;not much gear really but its just for home use (no giggin yet); since i have bought this stuff a few years ago i have not had any problem but read in a mag that it is important to maintain the gear.

[rockon1]

Well for the guitar one of the most important things to do is wipe the strings off with a rag after playing it to get finger oils off them. Some people have more oil/sweat than others . Its a string killer. I use a rag lightly moistened with pledge furniture polish. The strings and frets will thank you! I like to wipe off the bridge too as the acid/oils might affect them too. I use a slightly damp cloth and a small bit of pledge also (usually terrycloth-AKA stolen bath towel lol!) to clean the body too. You should learn to adjust the neck bow too but thats a bit more involved. Heres a link on the subject thats very informative.

http://www.athensmusician.net/archive/2001-05-01_geneimbody1.php

You did not mention what model fender amp. If its SS then all you really need to do is keep it clean. Again pledge works well on the vinyl too. If its tube you should have a spare set of tubes on hand. The pre amp tubes are "plug and play"The power tubes would need to be biased if /when changed and should be left to a tech to do so. Im sure Ive left out a bunch of stuff but thats some of the basics. Bob

[shadowbox]

For me, this is a well-timed thread. For years I've been a just-grab-it-and-go type player; I never gave any thought at all to how my guitars are set up. If something seemed funky, I just ignored. Now, though, I'm giving lots of thought to the problems each of my guitars is showing. My SRV needs the p/u height adjusted, the action's too high, etc.; one of my Heritages has a problem with a volume pot, etc. I've been doing lots of reading about how to maintain an instrument in top playing condition. I'm getting the basic set-up kit from stew-mac for Xmas this year and look forward to fine-tuning the guitars I own.

Does anyone own the stew-mac basic set-up kit? Any feedback on its quality/usefulness?

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Measuring_tools/Basic_Setup_Kit.html

[rockon1]

Remember Google is your friend! Although I know how to adjust the truss rods in my guitars explaining it would take too much typing for this one fingered typer so I googled "adjusting truss rod guitar" and came up with the link I posted. Tons of useful info out there. I'll add that having some contact cleaner around like Deoxit is very useful too for jacks,tube pins ,pots etc. Bob

[FFTT]

It's normal for the neck to tighten and expand a bit depending on the time of year, temps and humidity, so you may need to adjust the neck very slightly from time to time.

When you change strings, take the extra time to clean the grunge and
dust from hard to reach places like around the pick-up and the bridge.
I just use Q-tips and my wiping cloths.

If you change the gauge of your strings, you'll need to carefully adjust
the intonation and may need to raise or lower the action a bit
depending on how heavy or light your new strings are.

I change one string at a time to keep the neck tension constant.
I bought a pack of microfiber cloths at Advance Auto that work well
for wiping and polishing. I'd wash them first though.

If you plan to store the guitar for any length of time, I'd drop the tuning down 1 whole step and then still keep an eye on the neck.

To keep your amp clean and prevent minor bumps and scrapes, I'd invest in
a good slip cover like the Studio Slips padded covers.

[rockon1]

If you change the gauge of your strings, you'll need to carefully adjust
the intonation and may need to raise or lower the action a bit
depending on how heavy or light your new strings are.


More importantly you will most probably need to adjust the truss rod to compensate for the heavier pull of the thicker gauge strings. If its a locking trem equipped guitar the fun really begins ! lol!

Also I prefer to keep the tension on the necks the same in storage as when being played. I realize many say to reduce tension but on an electric guitar I dont feel its necessary. I have 25 guitars and only use a couple at an one time. They all remain perfectly playable after years of storage. I check on them every couple of months and NEVER put them away dirty!. Bob

[FFTT]

Even if you only play some of your guitars from time to time, you are seasoned enough to know what to watch out for as far as trouble.

The most valuable thing you can do to maintain your gear is learn
how to set up your guitars properly.

[rockon1]

Even if you only play some of your guitars from time to time, you are seasoned enough to know what to watch out for as far as trouble.

The most valuable thing you can do to maintain your gear is learn
how to set up your guitars properly.


Yep. It stinks not knowing how. I imagine its a drag bringing it to somebody to set up for you. First of all you have to pay for it and secondly it may need adjusting shortly( a few months) there after (especially the neck bow) depending on the climate you live in. I have freinds that have played for decades and are actually scared to adjust the truss rod as if the guitar was going to implode if they touched it! Yes there are instances where the rod can be "frozen" but if you dont force it it wont break. I set my guitars in this order after cleaning and restringing.

1) Tune to pitch ,check and adjust neck relief

2) Check intonation (which is never going to be perfect) and adjust to my liking if necessary. Bob

3) Check string hieght and adjust - recheck and readjust intonation if necessary.

4) Check and adjust pickup hieght. I find I get a meatier tone if I put my PU's close to the strings as I can get away with. Too close and the magnetic pull on the strings causes problems.

Bob

[FFTT]

Of all the gear I've bought, the one thing I should buy is a Peterson strobe tuner for intonation set-ups.

The 490, not the strobo stomp

[Flux]

The most common repair you'll face on your amps (other than periodic tube replacement) is scratchy pots. Easy to fix with some spray, but even easier to prevent by throwing a cover over your electronics when not in use. Smokey environments are the worst. I've been tossing light cotton covers (unfitted chunks of fabric) over my gear for years and have way less need of pot cleaning than most people I know, even when I was a smoker. Covers also keep that light fuzzy dust film off everything too, so you never have to clean your gear. I'm not a neat freak, just lazy. :)

[rockon1]

Of all the gear I've bought, the one thing I should buy is a Peterson strobe tuner for intonation set-ups.

The 490, not the strobo stomp

I dont sweat it that much but it would be nice to own something like it.The 490 is probably more tuner than I'd ever need though. FWIW-Intonation is usually a compromise- not exact. Most guitars will never be perfectly intonated all over the neck. There are things like "compensated nuts" Ive read about to help the issue but I think I might drive myself crazy trying to get it 'perfect". Bob

[FFTT]

The problem with your standard Boss TU-12 tuner is that delay you get because it's a sampling tuner. It's that delay in the response that makes me nuts trying to get the intonation accurate.

The Peterson is what guitar techs use, so I figure it must be worth the expense.

From what I hear, you take a guitar that you think is properly intonated
and the Peterson will show you the real story.

Supposedly, you can even spot which individual string is out of tune in a chord once you learn how to read the display.

Yeah, they're $500.00, but if you play for a living, it's kinda one of those tools of the trade things in my view.