Acoustic Guitar Care / Ukulele Care
We select the very best tonewood for each handmade instrument and each set is carefully dried in our climate controlled shop. Each is then built with the greatest attention to every detail and to exacting tolerances. As you can imagine, as soon as an instrument leaves our shop it can be bombarded by changes in humidity, temperature and care.
Taking the best care of your acoustic guitar or ukulele from the first day forward will ensure it maintains its beautiful appearance and tone and will ensure that it will provide years and years of play.
Guidelines for acoustic guitar care and ukulele care:
- Environmental conditions that are too damp, too dry, too hot, too cold or that change rapidly are the biggest dangers to your instrument. Store in a climate controlled environment, ideally between 40% – 50% and approximately 75 degrees. In other words, not too hot, not too cold, not too dry, not too damp. Look to a small room dehumidifier if it’s too damp and to a room humidifier or a guitar humidifier if it’s too dry.
- When your guitar first arrives (though this may be one of the hardest things you will ever do), leave it packed up in the case for at least 6 hours to acclimate to its new home environment. Follow this same idea, allowing your instrument to acclimate slowly, when moving from extremes in climate and temperature.
- Keep your guitar in its case when not playing, and keep the case latched to prevent accidents.
- Change your stings one at a time to slowly shift tension and change them often for the best sound.
- Clean the guitar with a soft dry cloth or with a slightly damp warm cloth, making sure to gently buff dry.
- Loosen strings when storing for extended periods of time.
- If you play with one, never leave a capo in while in storage.
- Most important of all, play your guitar or ukulele often. You’ll stay on top of regular care and become aware of any changes and, we like to think, the more you play them the happier they get!