John Bohlinger

Elle Cordova

Sean Daniel

Steve Howe

Jimmy Leslie

Brooke Ligertwood

Steve Miller

Zach Myers

Paul Riario

samuraiguitarist

Mary Spender

Ask the Experts | January 24, 2024

Q: What is one thing you always do to make sure your primary acoustic guitar stays in good shape?


John Bohlinger

Honestly, I don’t do anything. I just play them all the time. That’s the secret. I’ve seen beautiful acoustics that go unplayed, and they never sound as rich.


Elle Cordova

HUMIDIFY, HUMIDIFY, HUMIDIFY. Especially when I lived in Minnesota. Now in California, it's a little less dire, but it never hurts to keep the room or case that instrument is stored in at optimal humidity levels – sure cuts back on trips to the luthier.


Sean Daniel

To keep my Martin in tip-top shape, the one thing I make sure to NEVER do, under any circumstances, is to practice. 

Kidding!

It blows my mind that there are people out there who leave acoustic guitars in a car during the summer. Don’t do that! Oh, and change your strings, kids!


Steve Howe

Keep it at concert pitch during the changing seasons.


Jimmy Leslie

Change strings often, not just to have fresh strings, but also because that’s when you’ll naturally take the time to do other care and feeding such as polishing, changing batteries, adjusting the truss rod, and so on while you have better access with the strings off.


Brooke Ligertwood

I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but I don’t baby my guitars at all. They are workhorses and after all these years they just continue to get better, despite varying climates, countless times in cargo holds and how physical I am on a stage. I think this is really a testament to the quality of Martin instruments.


Zach Meyers

Humidity and temperature. Also Drew Foppe, my longtime tech, is truly one of the best in this business. He cares about the instruments so much. I’ve never seen someone give love to a guitar like him, truly.


Steve Miller

I try to keep the room I store my instruments in at 50% humidity and 68 degrees, 365 days a year, so the guitar remains stable.


Paul Riario

Keep it in a controlled temperature environment. And play it often so you never have to keep adjusting it with shifts in temperature.


SamuraiGuitarist 

I live in a place where the humidity in the winter is drastically different than the humidity in the summer. During the winter I run a large humidifier in my studio and all year long I use the D’Addario humidity packs in the case to keep things in check.


Mary Spender

Don’t be a slob. Make sure you replace your strings often and always give it a good clean as you change them – it's the easiest way to keep it looking spic and span. I’m often filming closeups of mine, so it needs to be fingerprint free, the fretboard needs to look nice and clean. You don’t want a dirty fretboard or rusty strings on camera!