Maintaining your classical guitar is crucial to ensure its longevity, playability and tone. By following a regular maintenance routine, you can keep your instrument in pristine condition for years to come. In this guide, we will walk you through the essential steps of how to properly maintain your guitar, covering everything from cleaning to checking the guitar’s setup and putting measures in place to avoid damage.

Start your maintenance routine by wiping the surfaces of your classical guitar clean using a good quality dry microfibre cloth. This helps remove dust, fingerprints and other debris that may have accumulated during playing. Pay particular attention to high contact areas such as the neck and where your arms sits on top of the body. Don’t forget to wipe your strings too.

It’s recommended that you do this at the end of each practice session. The guitar can then be stored away in top condition and will be ready to use when you next open the case.

For stubborn blemishes, you may need a little more help. If it’s safe to use on your guitar, D’Addario offer a good little cleaning kit with everything you might need. Be sure to refer to our guitar finishes guide to check these products are safe to use on your guitar’s finish.

Your fretboard is a high contact area of your guitar and needs a little conditioning from time to time.

Whenever you change strings, apply a small amount of high-quality lemon oil to a clean cloth and gently rub it into the fretboard. Lemon oil helps to moisturize the wood, prevent cracking, and maintain a smooth playing surface. A little goes a long way, so apply sparingly. It’s always a pleasure applying lemon oil to the fretboard as not only does it remove unwanted grime, it also adds a nice sheen to the fretboard which looks great!

You’ll obviously need to remove all strings to do this. But thankfully this is a treatment that only needs to be done once every 6 months or so.

Over time, the frets of your classical guitar may accumulate dirt and become tarnished. Thankfully due to the use of nylon strings and nylon centred wound strings for the basses, the frets of a classical guitar do not wear very quickly. A little polishing is usually all that’s needed to bring these back to their best.

To restore their shine and ensure smooth playability, you can use a special fret polishing kit. This kit consists little disposable polishing cloths that are pre-treated with polishing compound. By rubbing each fret with the cloth, you can remove any tarnishing and restore the frets’ original lustre.

Regular string changes are vital for maintaining the sound quality and playability of your classical guitar. Guitarists are notoriously bad when it comes to changing strings and we often put this task off, but we really shouldn’t!

The frequency of string changes depends on the amount of use and personal preference. If you play often and for long periods, once every couple of months is a good guide. If you play less frequently you may get away with once every 3-4 months. Don’t wait until the strings have turned brown or show serious signs of wear. Just because your classical guitar strings haven’t broken, doesn’t mean they’re fine to leave on.

Fresh strings provide improved tone, better tuning stability and enhanced projection. Additionally, they offer a more enjoyable playing experience, ensuring your classical guitar always sounds its best.

Again, this is another task most classical guitarists simply don’t do regularly. Just because there are fewer parts we can adjust with a screwdriver compared to an electric guitar, doesn’t mean we should neglect paying attention to the set up. A well-set-up guitar ensures optimal playability and comfort. Here are two key aspects to check the set up of your classical guitar:

1. String Height at 12th Fret: Measure the string height at the 12th fret using a ruler or string height gauge if you have one. A standard action for classical guitars is around 4mm on the low E string and 3mm on the high E string. Some players may prefer a lower action, but remember that lowering the action too much can result in fret buzz. Find the balance that suits your playing style and consult a qualified luthier if needed.
2. Check for Uneven Frets: Place a straight edge (a credit card works well) over three frets and try to wobble it from end to end. If there is significant movement, it indicates uneven frets. While minor movement may not be problematic, substantial wobbling suggests the need for fret leveling and re-crowning by a skilled luthier. This procedure is not as daunting as it may sound and can typically be completed within a couple of hours.

Wood is susceptible to changes in humidity, which can lead to cracks and damage in your classical guitar.

Protect your instrument by regularly checking the humidity levels using a hygrometer and using humidipaks if your environment is prone to significant changes in humidity. Sudden or extreme humidity fluctuations can harm the wood. Humidipaks help maintain a consistent level of relative humidity inside the guitar, ensuring its stability and longevity. Invest in high-quality humidipaks and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for proper usage.

It’s also worth monitoring the temperature to ensure this doesn’t fluctuate too much either. This little device sits inside your guitar case and provides all the information you need to your smartphone via bluetooth.

Proper maintenance is vital for preserving the playability, tone, and overall condition of your classical guitar. If you’d like further advice please feel free to leave a comment and we will respond as soon as possible.