Guitars are no different then your car or truck they need a bit of maintenance. When a friend brought me his Ibanez guitar to have some life breathed into it there was a ton of things that needed to be done. When looking at the guitar the bridge pickup was all way way down. The fretboard was really dirty and dry. the bridge was all the way down and dirty. The action was really high on the guitar and it had a ton of scratches.
This write up will be what I did to take this guitar from where it was at and then get it up and running almost like new!!
The products and items I used to bring this bad boy back to life!!!
Strings
I used a set up Ernie Ball Cobalt Slinky's (These are roughly 9.99 a set) I know there are cheaper strings out there but I really wanted to dress this guitar up the best I can.
Cleaner
Dunlop 65 cleaner is the best on the block and not very costly about 6.50 for a bottle that will last a very long time.
Fingerboard Conditioner
Dunlop's fingerboard conditioner is great stuff and only roughly 3.99 a bottle what will last a long time. (Check before you use on maple fretboards)
Finger ease
Finger ease is great for strings they lubricate the strings to keep rust off and coats the strings. I also use it in between conditions on the fretboard. This product is awesome also to use on the back of the neck to slick it up to take any drag out (Do not use on satin finish). Roughly 3.75 a bottle.
Dr Gooze Axe Wax
This is the best stuff in the world for small and light scratches and also waxes the body and leaves a nice shine. This is roughly 12 bucks.
String Winder
I will admit it I am lazy and this saves time only runs about 2 bucks.
Soft Cloth Rags
I usually buy these down at the local Napa and get a dozen for a few bucks. They are super soft and works great for guitars!
Trem Stopper
This model of trem stopper be purchased for about 12 bucks. There are some bigger and more bold ones you can buy for more money but for the average trem this one works just fine for the musician on a budget.
You will also need the normal guitar tools from allen wrenches and screwdriver and needle nose pliers.
I first tore the guitar down to basically the body including taking the strings off and removing the tremolo.
The first thing I put the trem stopper in the guitar
I then next cleaned the fretboard and conditioned it using the Dunlop cleaner and conditioner. I also check the nut cause gunk and dirt can build up in the nut what can cause some problems. I have a high tech way of cleaning the nut and a old luthier technique. I use a old toothbrush LOL yep I know really high tech huh BUT it works very well for cleaning the nut and even parts of the guitar like the bridge or small places. (Do not use toothbrush on body of guitar).
Since I have everything taken off the guitar I cleaned up the guitar and used the Dr Gooze Axe Wax on the guitar to make it pretty but also to remove most all the light scratches. ( I know there is a chance of getting a few prints on the guitar later on but will buff of really easy). I also like to run a bit of oil on the two contact points of the trem bolts where the trem will fit in the cavity of the guitar.
I put the tremolo back into the guitar after a through cleaning and adjusting. Adding the trem stopper will make it where the small plate that holds the springs in place cannot be used. In
25 years I have never had a spring come out of my trem so no worries. It is important to also get your trem set at the right height. I went to factory specs on this but your trem will be at the height you prefer for your guitar. After I am done I loosen the two screws going thru the claw plate one full turn. (You will see why in a second) Also the fine adjust screws should be right in the middle so minor tuning will be a breeze.
Time to put on the strings and make sure you stretch them really well I just use my hands but some people invest into a string stretcher.
I then tighten up my strings to snug a bit. Then I am ready to tune the guitar I always tune the guitar a step low so if I want to have the guitar in a standard E then I will tune the guitar to D. When I am done with this I turn the guitar over and them screws we already pre loosened now it is time for them to do there job. I use a screw driver and then tune the guitar screwing in them screws till I get to E standard (It takes a few min to do this but once you are there you will be right on the money). Then I put on the locking nuts and the back over the trem cavity.
I adjust the pickups to where they should be and then we are ready to remind the neighbors why they hate us so very much!!! It is really simple to do most of the maintenance on your guitar that even them that do not have much skill with a screwdriver can usually take care of things like this.
It is kinda hard to explain some of this so if you have any questions about your guitar or if you need help with your favorite axe feel free to contact us. We will do our very best to help out and even set up a skype session if possible to help even further. It is important to try to keep your strings clean to get the full life out of them. It is important to keep an eye on your fretboard and not let it get to dry also.
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