Detune Acoustic after each use ????

[zabba]

I have had a disagreement with a friend that has lasted several months.
He has been claiming that it is best to detune or loosen the strings on an acoustic guitar when not in use. To protect the neck from warping and reduce the strain. This will make the guitar last longer.

My position has been
It is best to leave the tension on the strings unless ,
1) it will be stored a long time
2) moving the guitar and subjecting it to major temperature changes.
It seems to me that changing the tension and bending the neck a lot is not good.

figured only test would be to wait and see, probably would have an answer in 5 or 10 years

However, last week The neck on his guitar began to delaminate
The sound began to get dull , then he noticed splits in the wood of the headstock and neck.

Sorry that his guitar is now trash , but I win, .
Surprised that it happened so quickly.
I realize this does not prove that detuning is the culprit , because other factors might be the cause.
It is something to consider

makes one suspicious of removing all the strings at one time ,,when replacing a set instead of removing and replacing one at a time

 

[Jimi D]

I would think that maintaining a consistent tension is far better for the instrument that subjecting it to the strain of rapidly changing the string tension twice each time it's used... Wood MOVES when you change the tension, so tuning up and then loosening the strings creates a flexing motion that - done repeatedly over time - could weaken the guitar and make it susceptible to damage from the stresses of string tension... Where'd your friend ever get a hair-brained idea like that, anyway?

 

[Hookpunch]

I agree with Jimi D on that one, acoustics are built to have consistent string tension on them.

 

[zabba]

The guy is from South Carolina, he is actually somewhat intelligent
but he obviously lacks a certain something, ,

Like an acoustic guitar at the present
his glue job was unsuccessfull,
he did not use any wood clamps
and used epoxy instead of wood glue
he did read a book on building guitars, but

Maybe he should watch some more McGyver re-runs

I loaned him a squier Strat
he built a amplifier out of a trashed stereo unit sounds good but is weak in the high tones

he does not detune the strat, In fact he does not mention loosening up strings any more
h
Wow nice collection of guitars there Jimi D
Seems like they must multiply
I guess you start with one or two and people hear about it and bring them to you to collect
Or did you purchase them at a retail outlet

 

[bing4sons]

makes one suspicious of removing all the strings at one time ,,when replacing a set instead of removing and replacing one at a time

While I definitely think detuning/retuning is bad for the guitar, I don't believe there is harm in replacing all of the strings at the same time. The only downside is that the truss rod may need to be adjusted slightly. I do both, but most often take all the strings off, so I can clean the neck, headstock, and top where it's normally hard to get to.

Bing

 

[Hookpunch]

Yeah a couple of times a year you have to take off all the strings and polish the frets and oil the board anyway. If you take your guitar in for service they will likely do that. Its important to re-string and tune it back to pitch and likely wait a day or so before fooling with the truss rod. I myself don't mess with the rod too much, if I think its out too much, I'll get a pro to do it.


First rule of doing guitar maintenance yourself - if you have any doubts about your ability - don't do it.

 

[zabba]

A good point

The best cleaning and polishing on the fret board
is done with strings removed.

A lot of corrosive crud builds up , with playing , .
I play several hours every day. a set of strings lasts about 2 weeks. After that i can feel wear spots on the underside of the strings, mostly where I have been bending the strings over the frets. Literally sawing the strings in half , they will eventually break at the wear points

About every third set of strings, it is time to pull out the oil soap, sponge and scotch pad To srub the fretboard and polish the metal frets .
Followed by a good oil
A drop pf 3 in 1 oil at the spots where the strings pass over the bridge and nut.

Many people think that the truss rod is supposed to adjust string height.
Actually the truss rod adjusts the neck :relief.
How this works is
The sting vibration has a bigger amplitude at the center of the string ,. The ends of the string move at the same frequency , but the amplitude of the wave is less.
So down at the 13 th fret , the gap between string and fret needs to be greater then at the ends.
The neck instead of being straight , should have a slight concave bend to accommodate for the addtional string travel.

0.5 mm at the ends and
2.0 mm in the middle of an average low E string

That is what the truss rod does is bend the neck in the middle , to prevent the strings from buzzing

The string height is actually omly adjusted at the nut and the bridge.

I realize most of you know this already, but foir the benefit of those who did not

 

[Hookpunch]

Hey Zabba - that is what I do, I use Tung oil but I found the standard scotch pad too harsh so I use xtra fine steel wool like here

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?SID=&ccurrency=1&page=20062&category=1,190,43040

 

[zabba]

HEY HOOK

It was your post that caught my interest concerning polishing the frets
Tung oil is what I use , also, to penetrate and protect it.
2Tung oil seals up the wood grain very well , then it hardens(from what I can tell). . I usea lemon oil as a cleaner , but the lemon oil does not protect like Tung.


I have used 0000 steel wool, and recently switched to the synthetic wool pad., on someone's reccommendation ,, without really thinking .
You are right he - 0000 steel wool gives a better polish, So I will be going back to using the steel wool.

I imagine the Silo's neck is so smooth because they must be using a buffing wheel at the factory.
I would not try it at home , one slip could easily destroy my
guitar

However a Dremel with a small buffing pad would take polishing the frets as far as possible at home.
I have never tried it, but it seems safe.

To me the weakest part on a guitar is the plastic nut.
I am considering fabricating a nut from a piece of quartz (either Agate or common opal). It will be harder and should transmit the vibrations from the strings to the wood better.

Hopefully it is not too brittle and start chipping, I'll have to test it out on one of the guitars I use as a loaner .

Thanks for bringing up the steel wool ., I will use it instead of the scotch pad.

 

[peter71]

You know, I always change all my strings at the same time. I didn't ever think that was bad. I just do it for the same reason as bing. Mostly to clean my guitar some. Is there any harm in swapping all the strings at once?

 

[Hookpunch]

I myself change one string at a time but I don't think its a problem, but no matter what you do, do not cut off the guitar strings while they are still tuned up to pitch, the sudden change in tension will not be kind to your neck. Loosen them by turning the tuners.

 

[peter71]

Yeah, I usually tune them down and then take off the strings. But thanks for the advice! You never know what I might do sometimes...

 

[zabba]

I would think a new neck or one that has been well
maintained and not allowed to dry out will not have any problem when removing all the strings..

The excessive chronic messing with the string tension is a serious concern only on older guitars , where the wood has dried and become brittle, making it easy to snap the fibers

Human bones are a good comparision a childs bones are like green wood , they bend readily , when we age the bones are more brittle and break easily , like driedi out wood.

So some guitar shops have humidified rooms to store guitars in . At home you have the time to apply a sealant oil and this should even restore older woods to a less brittle condition


The guitar that delaminated was a mid-priced brand , I don't
recall what it was but is was over 10 years old and looked fairly well dried out
not abused just neglected . When my friend aquired it , it was his only quitar and he used it alot , with mostly full strumming , fairly aggressive Skynrd type music , he is about 6' 3" tall and heavy handed
the guitar lasted him less than a year
<chuckle:>

So in the right hands a poorly maintained guitar is WAITING FOR it 's metamprphosis from a musical instrument into a PILE OF KINDLING
A

 

[NorM]

If you use steel wool on your guitar be sure to cover your pickups with masking tape!!!

 

[bing4sons]

do not cut off the guitar strings while they are still tuned up to pitch, the sudden change in tension will not be kind to your neck.

Not to mention potential bodily hard to the person changing the strings!

Norm, good point on covering the pickups. I was thinking the same thing.

Bing

 

[zabba]

Not only the pups but
it is possible that some of the metal will get embedded in the frettboard.

Metal debris is famous for degrading sound quality by interfering with the magnetic pups .
Sealed pup are fairly easy to clean using Blu tak or a sticky paper ot sticky glob.

Exposed coils are fragile , breaking the coil wire can get expensive.
On the pups with a removable covers, metal often gets under the cover

If you have never cleaned your pups, consider removing the cover(if possible) clean the metal out , to improve output and sound quality

 

[Hookpunch]

You never rub hard enough to hit the fretboard, I have never had a problem, I actually learned to use the steel wool at a pro-shop when I took my guitar in for maintenance. They were kind enough to show me what they do so I would not have to keep bringing it in.