Guitar Maintenance

Extreme humidity, as well as aridity, are both harmful for classical, acoustic and flamenco guitars. Sudden changes of environmental conditions from dryness to humidity or viceversa must be avoided at all times, as this can cause cracks in the wood, regardless of how well-cured the wood is.

Guitars should never be hung from a wall, as humidity which gathers on the wall can be transferred to the instrument. Excessive humidity can soften the glue and cause the woods to separate.

Wood is a hygroscopic material which easily absorbs and expels moisture, according to the climatic conditions. lt is recommended that you keep your instrument where there is between 40-75% relative humidity in the air. Where the humidity is less than 40%, the wood can crack and the action change. When the humidity is greater than 75%, the glue might soften, resulting in loss of sound and a buzzing due to the lowering of action.

When the guitar is carried in the luggage compartment of a plane, the strings should be loosened.

Guitars must never be placed in the boot of a car in sunny conditions, as temperatures can reach up to 75°, which would cause the instrument to break.

Wood is easily affected by temperature and humidity changes, therefore taking care of the surroundings of your guitar is very important in order to keep the instrument in a proper way. Gradual changes won’t generally do permanent damage but sudden ones do. For this reason it is important to avoid them and assure that the guitar acclimate to its environment.

As humidity increases, moisture content of wood goes up fast, causing it to expand and swell. When high humidity is combined with high temperature, glue joints could possibly become weakened and may even open slightly. Then, for example the glue under the bridge.

could weaken causing the bridge to pull off. On the contrary, if the moisture content of wood is forced down in a hurry, portions of it shrink faster than others, causing cracks and open joints. For all these reasons, rapid changes in local humidity are what you want to guard your guitar against. In view of that, you can follow the below recommendations:

• Don't let the guitar next to a source of dry heat. (e.g. radiators, heater) since they raise the temperature and drop down the humidity of the surroundings.
• Don't let the guitar exposed to freezing or blistering temperature for a long time, for instance inside a car park outside.
• Avoid hanging your guitar on an outside wall during winter months. The wall will be cooler than the inside air. The result is a conflict between the temperature of the top and back, with potential damage as a result.
• Store your guitar in its case when not in use. Humidity is easier to control in a smaller space. This allows the guitar to acclimate to room temperature more slowly, decreasing the possibility of wood and finish cracks.