Richardst
Hello everyone, i recently bought my first acoustic guitar (Parkwood pw310) and im wondering if the guitar should have any special treatment, specially cuz of the summer that is coming up, i heard that the temperature can get really high around here (Senekal, Free State). Should I buy any kind of product? Keep the guitar out of the bag? Thanks ?
Chocklit_Thunda
Keep it in the case/bag when not in use and out of sunlight. A humidifier may help of it gets too dry there.
Bob-Dubery
+1 on the humidifier. On the highveld the winters are very dry. I humidify my flat tops from Easter to end September, maybe even into October.
Low humidity can result in the bridge being pulled down and thus buzzing because of the consequent low action. In extreme cases wood may split.
With any guitar in any environment wipe down the strings and the fingerboard after playing. Use a microfibre cloth and get in between the strings and the frets. This will extend the life of the strings and of the frets.
Christmas is coming. Drop hints about the book "The Acoustic Guitar Owner's Manual." It's available from Amazon (maybe Kalahari, but I haven't checked) .
Obviously don't leave it in hot places.
If you haven't had it properly set up then consider that. If the saddle and/or nut are plastic consider replacing them with bone or tusq. If the money is tight then do the saddle first.
Shibbibilybob
If you treat your guitar sensibly, you should be fine in most South African climates. We are lucky to have a winter that is relatively mild, and a nice summer that is not as humid as a lot of places.
I would also recommend a humidifier during winter. They are cheap units available for around R100 from most music stores.
The only real point on acoustic care in this country, is never to leave your guitar in the car during the day. A quick trip in to a shop for a few minutes is not a huge issue, but I always open the windows a tiny bit when I do this. The surest way to damage your guitar, short of smashing it, would be to leave it in a hot car for the day while you're at work or school.
Enjoy it dude. I find acoustic guitars to be very fulfilling instruments to play.
