New Take Care Of Your Guitar

Ok, so you have bought this piece wood equipped with some metal or nylon threads on it that makes nice sounds when you strike at them. And now you have come to this page to learn some songs, and you suddenly realised that there is more to being a guitarist than just playing, so you clicked the link saying "columns" to see if there are some interesting tips on how to take care of your precious little instrument, and you decided my article was interesting. Wow, I'm really flattered. So now I'm gonna cut the BS and go over to the tips, or do you wanna read some jokes instead?

So, it was the Swede, the Dane and the Norwegian who were gonna see who could piss the longest.

I'm only kidding. Here's my tips:

The "Basic Care Of Your Guitar" Part

Your guitar should be treated with respect. I.e never lay it down, unless in the case/bag or on a padded workbench if you want to do some maintenance on it. But never ever lay it down on the ground when you don't play it or do maintenance on it. The best place for your guitar to be is A) In a case B) In a gig bag C) On a wall hanger D) On a floor stand.

Every now and then, pick it up, check for damage and polish it. If you have an electric guitar, try loosening the strings a bit so you can remove the dust that most likely has gathered around the pickups. If you have an acoustic, loosen the strings and remove the dust by the bridge. You don't need to loosen them much, just enough to get a cloth underneath. Also prod the hardware to see if it's loose, and if it is, see if there's a screw you can tighten. If you have a strat-type of guitar, check the nut on the socket. It is probably loose, so tighten it, either just by your fingers (but it's gonna get loose again real soon) or with some pliers (don't tighten to hard, or you are gonna damage the nut).

Now your guitar looks real nice and shiny. So let's move on to part 2.

Changing Strings - Help Me! What Do I Do?

Calm down. Restringing guitars is not as hard as it may seem. It's actually really easy, when you know how. The thing to remember is: One at a time (when replacing all. If just one string has called it a day, then you don't have to replace all. I recommend you do, though, because one string snapping shows that this set of strings is getting tired). Do not take of all strings before you put on new, because the neck needs to have the tension provided by strings put on and in tune (almost in tune, at least). I start with the low E (6th string), mainly because it's at the top, and because, well, just because I like to do it this way. You might find it easier to start with high E (1st string), but I think it's all the same.

What string brand should you go for, and what gauge?

I cannot help you. This is a matter of what you yourself find it comfortable to play with. The best advice I can give is to try and fail. Try different brands and gauges until you find something you like. I myself like D'Addario .009-.042 for my BC Rich. They are really easy to play on, I feel. For my Strat, I go with GHS Boomers, .011-.050. I like the heavier gauge for this because I down-tune it so much (I tune it down to C#) that any lighter gauge will cause a lot of fret buzz. Also, a heavier string gauge will provide a richer sound. Beware that you probably need to change the bridge's height when you change gauges, as .013s are thicker than .008s (of course they are) and .013s can buzz where .008s will not, and .008s will be to high if the previous gauge was .013.

For acoustics, I use GHS EXP strings. I personally think they are the best acoustic strings on the market. They cost more however, but they last longer, and I find the sound far better than on any other acoustic strings I've ever tried. Gauge? .012 or .013 is what I use. I would not recommend going lower than .011, as the strings will probably easy buzz for you unless you fingerpick. My dad's a racer at fingerpicking, he does .008s on his acoustic, but that's mental if you strum, with or without pick.

So, what do you do, when replacing a string?

A real nice thing to possess is a string winder. It makes the process of unwinding a string and winding the new one all that much easier. It's not a required tool however, but most certainly a thing I would recommend that you go out and buy, right now. First, you unwind the string at the machine head. Keep on turning the tuner until the string is so loose you can wind off the string with your hands and removing it from the machine. Then, you go down to the bridge and notice how the string is fastened there.

There are quite a lot of different ways that the guitar manufacturers use at the bridge, so I'm not gonna explain them all, it simply will take to much time. However, on most electrics it's quite simple and you don't need a tool to loosen the strings. Except if you are so lucky that you have a Floyd Rose system on it, then the strings are fastened by tightening the string into a clamp. This you need the specific tool for, but it should have been provided when you bought the guitar.

On acoustics, it's not that different. Only place where acoustics differ from electrics is at the bridge. (where else?) Steel string acoustics, the string is attached to the bridge by putting the ball-end into a hole and putting a peg on top of it. The combination of a peg that just fits and the string's tension will keep it in place. Don't worry about the string suddenly flying out of the bridge and make you blind with the ball-end or something, as long as you push the peg properly into the hole and the peg isn't damaged in some way, you will be fine. Since the peg sits so hard, however, you might experience some trouble getting it out of the hole when replacing your strings. Trying to yank it out with the string will probably not do anything. My string winder has a kind of fork thing at the end that I can use to get the peg out, but if you don't possess this sort of luxury, pliers again will do the trick. Two ways (depending on which type of pliers you have in your hand) to remove the peg with pliers:

Cutting pliers: Put the pliers parallell with the strings, the jaws in underneath the peg's head. It should look something like this, seen from above: \\o// (\\ and // being the jaws of the pliers, o being the peg's head)

Other types of pliers, like the one you might used to tighten the nut at the jacksocket: You simply put the jaws over the head, and yank it out. Be careful, as the peg is plastic and will develop some ugly scars if you press the pliers to hard around the peg head. It should look something like this, seen from the side: //o\\

I recommend the way with the cutting pliers however, as that will not damage the head (unless you clip of the peg head, but you are not supposed to press that hard on the pliers, if you do that you are doing it wrong. Don't worry if you break the peg, however, they are real cheap at the music store, and they are bound to have some)

If you have a nylon stringed guitar, it is yet a new way. Look at the bridge. You will see that the strings seem to be tied around it? That's right. Note the knot used, then simply copy it with the new string (The knot isn't that hard that you need an experienced person to show you) Just make sure the knot will last, and you'll be perfectly fine.

Ok, now you have done one string. Repeat for the 5 next.

You now have new strings on your guitar! Congratulations. Next thing to do is to tune it. Start at the top, tune the low E (6th string) to E. Then proceed with 5th string, 4th string... You see where this is going. When you are done with the 1st string, strum all the strings to see if it's tuned. (I usually strum them like this: all strings open, Em chord, Am chord). Unless you are really really lucky, you will notice that your guitar isn't in tune. This is because the strings need time to settle. So you repeat the tuning process, and now your guitar will probably be more in tune. Strum again. Still out of tune? Tune again. This is the main reason that I replace strings on my own guitars just before I go to bed. I tune them once, strum, tune again, then I go to sleep and let the strings rest until the next day. However, since I work as a music store tech, I many times have to tune guitars up to 3 and 4 times before I am sure they will stay in tune for a while, and even then I reckon that the guitar's owner will have to tune it again when he/she comes home.

So, now you have replaced your strings and tuned the guitar. I will now make a little intermission. Here is the rest of the joke that was in the beginning of the article. First pissed the Swede. He pissed 3 metres, and though he had done real well. Then the Dane pissed. He pissed 5 metres, and so he was in the lead. Finally, the Norwegian pissed. No-one could see where his piss landed, and therefor he lost the competition. The next day, however, they could all read in the newspaper that it had raining yellow in China, and they understood then how far the Norwegian had pissed, and so he was made winner of their competition.

Well, part 3 of the "Take Care Of Your Guitar" article then. I have called it

I Think My Guitar Looks A Bit Standard (Boring). What Can I Do With It?

Well, there are a couple of things you can do. Go to your local guitar store, or look on the internet for spare parts. Replacing scratchplate or volume knobs are things almost everyone could do with their guitar. I have replaced the standard white knobs on my Strat with some chrome ones, similar to those used on bass guitars. It makes just a little nuance, but it makes it seem a "not stock"-guitar. The scratchplate can be a bit more complicated, since there are screws you have to unscrew, and you probably have to take off the pickups as well, but again, if you just simply notice how it is fastened to the scratchplate you will be very fine.

If you are a talented artist (and now I mean "artist" as in painter), you can try to customize your axe by painting it with some paint that will stick on (I'm no painter, I have no clue what paint to use), or you can (as I have done) put on some stickers. Basically, to customize your axe, use your imagination. Almost everyting can be done with it. Do not try to reshape it, neither the body nor the neck nor the headstock, as this can mess up the sound coming from it.

"My acoustic has a nice finish, however no scratchplate, and I play with a pick, what should I do" - Either you should go and learn fingerpicking or clenched fist strumming, or you could go to your local music store and ask for acoustic scratchplates. They most likely have some. I think the nicest scratchplates are the ones that are completely black, but this is a matter of your taste. Acoustic scratchplates have a protective sheet at the back that you remove, and then you put it on the guitar where you want it (align it with the soundhole), adhesive side down (obviously).

"My strap keeps falling off when I play!"

Get straplocks. Simply put. Boston and Jim Dunlop makes some nice ones. All there is to strap locks is: Remove old strap button. Insert new strap button. Put straplock on strap. Put strap on strap button. Strap button does not come off unless a) You remove the strap by triggering the straplock mechanism or b) the strap button comes out of its hole, in which case you pour wood glue down into the hole and put the strap button back on.

Part 4 then.

Protecting Your Instrument For Transport

At one point or another, if you are serious about playing the guitar, you need to go out of your house with your guitar. Just grabbing it by the neck and throw yourselves at the bike could damage your instrument seriously, especially if you like to do a bit BMX or FMX when you go around town, or if you like to drive out in the road in front of large trucks.

So, what should you do then? You probably got a cheap bag with the guitar when you bought it, a bag that in most cases is nothing but a piece of woven nylon made into a guitar shaped bag. If you are lucky, it was a bit padded.

So head down to your local guitar store and check prices for padded gigbags or even better, cases. Guitar cases have a hard shell that protect your instrument from damage, and I think cases are the best way of protecting your instrument. However, as a young 14 year old guitarist who is gonna ride your bike to band practise, a gigbag would be better, as most bags have straps so you can carry it as a backpack. I will recommend you to check out Ritter Bags, 500 series or better, as they are really good. They are well-padded, they are waterproof (or resistent, at least), and they have lots of pockets for you to put all your gadgets in (notes, cables, tuners, fx boards and pedals, extra strings, you-name-it), Also, they are one of few independent bag companies I've seen that make bags for odd-shaped guitars, like BC Rich or Gibson Explorers.

Link to Ritter Bags.

The Ending Of The Article

Now you've read some tipe on how to take care of your instrument. The most important piece of advice, however, is: Treat your guitar with respect. Treat it almost like a baby, but that doesn't mean you can't play searing solos or play your guitar while having it on your neck or whatever. Just be sure it doesn't fall into the floor or is exposed to hazards, like acid or mean stuff like that. And remember; when you are drinking and playing acoustic, the "one for me, one for the guitar *booze poured into soundhole here*" rule does not apply. Do not pour booze or beer into the soundhole of your guitar. Your guitar doesn't drink.

Comments

[teo_huat]

good tips for beginner like me hehehe...

[teo_huat]

gisshhh... i never know anything bout the string tension...

[teo_huat]

at my place here... gig bag are quite expensive and i hardly can afford to buy one

[punkrocklove999]

not bad...but that was a crappy joke. haha but good article.

good article, other than the fact that it doesnt hurt to take all the strings off at once. most people dont feel comfortable taking them all off, so i usually find that changing 3 at a time is a good compromise.

nice article tho!

[smalltollie]

So what happened to the Swede, Dane and Norwegian? No, was a decent article. One that should benifit beginners and save them the time and money spent from learning the old fashioned way. Also remember that if you're gona take your guitar on a plane you MUST loosen the strings or the pressure and very cold temp could snap the neck.

[monkeyspks]

yeah really, i'm kind of interested about the piss joke.

[starfox72]

same with the joke

[thedankle]

not bad. aimer more for beginners i hope

[thedankle]

*aimed*

[jimjam3]

perfect... but u forgot the string streching thing after changing stirngs.... that move will save u on the tuning part.. cause u don't have 2 tune so many times after a string change

[Mad Marius]

Somewhat good, minus the intro. Author was wrong here and there, especially in the guitar cleaning section, but other than that, well written

[booze_blood]

good article

[Tchort]

the joke was shit. So was the article. And not as shit as it was pointless, there already is a tonne of stuff on how to do all this, and if someone still cant manage, I doubt another article will help. An judging by the amount of people that wanna hear the end of the joke, no one actually read the article properly (yeah I skimmed through too but I saw the joke). So whats the point?

[Tom Martin]

Wow... I read the whole article and I've still not learnt anything. Your telling me that I should dust my guitar? Jeez... thanks dude. Then you tell me how to restring? Wow... thanks again. Then you tell me I can put stickers on it. Wowzers... how do you do it? Seriously, this is all common sense.

Also, for strap locks... the answer is simple: DiMarzio Clip-Lock straps... the best straps and strap locks, all in one.

[LeoKhenir]

For those who asked: The rest of the joke is right before part 3.

As for my reasons:
-I want to see what score I could get on an article posted tens of thousands times before

-I want to see just how creative you people can be in your flaming. Do your worst.

[LeoKhenir]

Oh, and the guide is for beginners, not pros. I probably should put "for beginners" up there somewhere, but I must have forgot. I know there are a lot of people out who KNOWS all these things, but I also know there are quite a lot who DOESNT know them. So I don't care about all the "I knew that already posts", I judge by the "Oh, that has helped me alot, thanks man" posts.

[LeoKhenir]

(because if you know it all, why did you read the article?)

[fingerpkngood]

So the Norwegian won...if he was good enough, he could have pissed and hit himself in the back of the head.

[Slashfan#1]

I want get on here like I am 12 and say ( suck , shit, FU*K) but I own a GIBSON LES PAUL LE for 2400$ and it is not to good to sit on ground every know and then and dude I am not rich I paid for it out of my own pockett I am in the military so you know I am broke.

[Abyssal]

Nice, good adivce for beginners, hmm i gotta get one of those fast stringing thingies..

[useful_idiots]

i am so happy to have floyd rose

[WishIHadAGibson]

this is okay, sort of common sense stuff though

[Guitarholic]

Well, it was more useful advice for a beginner than telling them to buy a $2,000 dollar guitar ad their first guitar

[Guitarholic]

*as

[Nelsean]

so i dont get it, Norwegian people can pee real far?....article was ok if ur an idiot

[x_themetalfan_x]

^ or a beginner ***tard.

[BadGuitar]

good job i like how u started the coloum

[Mrmachine628]

one helpful little hint on the input jack coming loose. take the nut mos the way loose, so that the treads that the nut covers when it is tight are exposed. then put a drop of blue threadlock on these threads.if you use red threadlock you will have an imposible time if you try to get it off. then tighten the nut with the proper sized socket or some pliers so that the drop of threadlock is under the threads of the nut, and it is reasonably tight, not torqued down. after the threadlock sets it shouldn't come loose again. i did this on my strat when i got tired of tightening it every day. i haven't had a problem since. also take care not to get the threadlock IN the input jack where the electrical connection is made. you just want it on the outside threads. i can't beleive threadlock in the jack is good for sound quality....

[Mrmachine628]

P.S..... ^^^..threadlock can be bought in any hardware store

[oddling8]

.... If you don't lay her down on the ground, once in a while, what will happen to her personality? PLAIN JANE! Duh!

[oddling8]

Fuck it, I can't resist, I have to insult you. The whole, "OK, you have a duh duh duh, and you duh duh duh, now, how do you duh duh duh?!?" That is really ***ing annoying, your opening paragraph pissed me off, I couldn't get past it.

[DaveGilmour1189]

pretty good. About the part on painting the guitar...Gutar World's doing a series of articles on how to paint and finish ur guitar using spraypaint. I can speak from experience that you shouldn't try to paint a guitar uless its a cheap one you got 5 years ago on ebay for 50 bucks or you really know what your doing. Trying to figure it out for yourself is a wonderful way to make ur axe look like a giant blob of s***.

[Spydr]

good article, other than the fact that it doesnt hurt to take all the strings off at once. most people dont feel comfortable taking them all off, so i usually find that changing 3 at a time is a good compromise.

When you take of all your strings you release a lot of tension on your neck so when you put new strings on they will go out of tune faster during about the first week or so.

[Tim_5150]

great article. i'd like to add something though. if you want the "5150" finish (the striped finish of EVH) all you need to do is wrap your guitar with some tape (not fully; just lines) pant over the tape, let it dry. then remove some tape, paint the "un-painted" lines, let it dry. then remove the rest of the tape, paint the "un-painted" lines left over, then let it dry. the process may take a month or two since it takes two weeks for paint to fully dry and settle. don't use a fan tor dry it or else the paint will form bubbles. btw i suggest you use car/bicycle paint.

[Tim_5150]

ps. you have to wait for each coat of paint to dry before removing the tape, and painting the stripes. this is to prevent the paint from peeling. laquer/ varnish is optional after the final coat of paint has fully dried and settled.

[LeoKhenir]

Since so many didn't like or found my entire joke I give you another one:

It was the Swede, the Dane and the Norwegian (or American, Canadian and Mexican, or Englishman, Scotsman and Irishman, or French, German and Austrian, or whatever you damn well like) who was going to see who could stay the longest in the pig shack. First in went the Swede. He stayed for 5 minutes, then the pig farted and the Swede had to run out. Then came the Dane. He was in for 10 minutes, then the pig farted and the Dane had to run out. Then came the Norwegian. He went in, and after 15 minutes the Norwegian farted and the pig had to run out.

[Vinura]

^..ok.....god article dude..but you jokes are well..dry

[monkeyspks]

yeah... that joke wasn't even... funny...

i tell ya, if it was a norweigan MONKEY, then it would be HILARIOUS.

[monkeyspks]

the new one about the pig ain't too hilarious either.

[Burpbelly]

Decent Article for beginners, but come on, learn some new jokes man. The Internets full of em and most are better than yours.

[clwy87]

not bad...

[Super Llama]

I personally like to clean off all the spaces between frets when changing strings. good article.

[KENZI]

not bad, not great

[Stagg_300]

Im sorry, but couldn't get past about the second or third paragraph because i'm alergic to BULLSHIT! wall hangers are not good for guitars, it will *** it up on a long tearm basis, i saw it happen at my music school, use floor supports and there is nothing wrong with putting ur guitar on the floor, just make sure the string aren't streched and nothing is going to damage it (little brothers or sisters, pets, falling objects, bla bla...).

[Ryan Bravo]

completely uneccesary, there are tons of articles on this that can expain and help even more

[Spl!nTeRgu!tAr]

stagg might be being a jag(lol) but hes right, wall stands suck...the day after my friend got his Ibanez K5 all set up and everything he put it on his wall stand and the body fell form the neck taking the bolts with it.....he was PISSED

goo article tho, i need a gig bag for my BC Rich

[toastchad]

so let me get this straight. you're not suposed to pour booze into your guitar?

jk, it was an ok article about basic stuff that anyone who has even touched a guitar should know about.there were a few typos too.

When you take of all your strings you release a lot of tension on your neck so when you put new strings on they will go out of tune faster during about the first week or so.

unfortunatly for you, thats a myth. your guitar neck is board with a metal rod rammed down the middle of it. the release of tension wont damage your neck.

[hoobariffer87]

You forgot to mention what a beast vintage and Floyd Rose tremolos can be, and how they make special strings for Floyd Rose. You NEED to change strings one at a time with them, but for hardtails and acoustics you can just take them all off at once. Complete beginners need stuff like that. Otherwise, good stuff.


And wall hangers are fine if you get good ones that won't come out of the wall you screw them to. Make sure to find a stud, too. And if the body FELL OFF of your friend's guitar, that thing already had some issues that the hanger only helped bring to light.

[LeoKhenir]

Hm, yes, I forgot to mention that some Floyd Rose systems require the ball end to be removed, and that certain string companies ship special string packages without ball ends.

And I say again, I would like you to change the string one at a time, whether you have Floyd or not. Firstly, yes, there is a truss rod in the neck that will keep some of tension, but the strings actually make a bit of tension themselves, working the opposite direction of the truss rod, so if they are all removed, you could experience that your neck will suffer. I say COULD, not WOULD. Secondly, if you never have changed strings before, it could be nice to have something to look at while putting on a new string.

For wall hangers: Well, if wall hangers suck that much, why is it that most (read: all) guitar shops have their guitars on wall hangers out in the store? Wouldn't you think that people that knew a lot about guitars would show them on a better way if wall hangers were so risky?

If your friend's guitar actually had the body separated from the neck while it hung on the wall, then the guitar is the problem, not the wall hanger. Of course, the best place for your guitar is in a bag/case, but stands are actually a very nice thing to have. About the "put your guitar on the ground" thing, I am talking about laying your guitar FLAT on the floor, not putting it down and supporting it on the wall or something, leaving it standing up. If your guitar LIES FLAT on the floor, damage is easier to occur (after all, it is a relatively large thing), but you could leave it standing against the wall, I suppose, but I'd rather have you go out and by a floor stand, they don't cost that much (wall hangers actually are a bit cheaper)

[eastern_riffs]

Well yeah ok article.

Makes sense,but thats the only advantage I see it has over many other articles.

[kerrang]

good article for beginners. lots of tossers complaining about it but i reckon alot of noobs will get alot out of this- nice one!

[Stagg_300]

people always tell me to *** off, but never say why, so for the dumb *** the told me to *** off, and lets not mention names...(jr1976)...tell me why punk ass bitch!

[Tim_5150]

Tip: Edward Van Halen BOILS his new strings for 20mins, and sun dries them before using them! He says that boiling the new set of strings will make them streach, so that you don't have to tune too much. Sun drying them will prevent them from rusting (just wiping the srtings won't cut it! H2O sill still be in between the coils).

[Tim_5150]

*strings, *will still

[queen471]

state the obvious with this column. but its for begginers so cool. lame jokes i might add though

[monkey_xxx2003]

ya, ok great article

[the_clairvoyant]

bullsh*t i always leave my jackson laying around ...this is for idiots

[punkrocker_336]

dude yur are so not a rocker mang rockers juss throw their guitars around and get pissed when sumthin happens to it geeze this article is pointless...hahaha not really

spam deleted.

[Jimmy_Page_Zep]

i think you should have included some points on setting up the action/intonation of your guitar in the changing strings section. you could have also included things like how to clean the fretboard, the frets, and what NOT to use when cleaning the electronics or hardware. this was a pretty good article though.

[IzZy_sTRaDlLiN']

Nice 1, I havent needed to replace my strings yet (i dont think) because they havent snapped yet. Would they need replacing 4 any other reason? Also whats wrong with laying yourguitar down on the floor?

[poontastic]

crap joke, article was decent. as for somne of the posters here - there are a lot of mentally challenged persons here. for those being referred to that means a stupid head. enjoy your day asshole!

[kello]

GUITAR PLACE IS NOT IN THE case what an noob

[J_Dizzle]

OK Article

[J_Dizzle]

But the joke wasn't very good

[istandalone]

i wanna know the joke

[BradleyGibson]

When I drink alot, I piss my pants! How many meters is that!

[BradleyGibson]

Norweigian wood! E Huh Huh Huh,Huh Huh. He said wood!

[rank-n-file]

great article dude

[Hosscat]

This article was so amazing I SHAT MY PANTS!! Please put out a warning or pre-mail DEPENDS undergarments or something B4 you post another!

Seriously, you won't hurt your guitar if you take all strings off at once. But it is nice to keep old ones on so you can tune new ones to old ones in manner he describes.

[Lick_Soloist]

Very basic stuff, but its good none the less!! Nice one!!

[carlsbad]

And remember; when you are drinking and playing acoustic, the "one for me, one for the guitar *booze poured into soundhole here*" rule does not apply. Do not pour booze or beer into the soundhole of your guitar. Your guitar doesn't drink.

.....but my accoustic loves booze

[LeoKhenir]

Izzy: Changing strings should be done on a regular basis, how often depends on how much you play. Check strings for signs of wearyness, for instance if there's miscolouring either where you pick them or over the frets you use most often. If you spot many places where this has happened, string changing is at time. I change my strings once a month, but I play my axes for several hours each day. My dad plays his guitar like perhaps once every two months or so, and he changes the strings on a yearly basis, but that could be a little too less. At least every 3rd month you should change the strings, and get that lovely feel of a new set of strings.

[thrashing moles]

that was a dumb joke

[stratomaster 17]

y does everyone have to have something stupid to say?

[MonkeyOnDope]

who pissed the longest? just kidding but anyway that article is good for a begginer.that guy really knows what he is talking about.crappy joke

[neev]

that was cool

[pinktie]

yeah, dumb joke

[tomguitarworshi]

Why didn't you write that months ago before I learned it all the hard way?

[lesismore666]

good article

[ruberducky]

that was kinda dumb.

know what go run in circles and eat pie

[the_dude1829]

i iked the article and the joke. its one of those jokes thats so stupid its funny. like

why did the cat fall out of the tree?
because it was dead

now everyone put your favourite crappy joke up

[the_dude1829]

car paint and an air brush is the best for a finish. as well as some form of paint sealer(car paint sealer, yacht varnish although that may slightly yellow the colour) with car paint you get a uniform finish that is pretty cheap, looks good and is very durable. you can also get any colour you like, wit mettalic finishes or whatever. but try it out on something else first just to make sure it is what you want. really think hard though, cause most guitars come with a very good finish and slaping a few stickers on might do the same thing for you.

[local_hippy]

im from a less developed country and dont hav any guitar store who have original or guitar accesaries
but i do hav frens in states.

[local_hippy]

nice article

[LeoKhenir]

Whoah, people STILL reads this article? Cool.

[dillman215]

hey i have a Jackson fire Storm and it has a bridge i have never seen b4 iv only used fender Bridges witch are essay to Chang strings on but with the Jackson i cant figure it out plz hellp

[dillman215]

hey i have a Jackson fire Storm and it has a bridge i have never seen b4 iv only used fender Bridges witch are essay to Chang strings on but with the Jackson i cant figure it out plz hellp

[LightningHands]

i thought it was a good article. considering how i just changed my strings from reading it. lol

[Kroach]

I came back to this article when searching, why would it be bad to lay your guitar on the ground?