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1.Damian Fanelli
Like to keep your axes in tip-top shape? Here are my six tips for maintaining your guitars.
1. Keep your old strings. You never know when they might come in handy. Old strings will work for:
• Replacement strings or backups for 1/2- or 3/4-size guitars.
• Pulling pots, output jacks and other electronics through a semi-hollow body guitar
• Backups, if you pop a string
• String repairs[1].
2. Start and maintain a guitar-parts pile. Have a junky old acoustic or electric guitar that got smashed at a party, a la Animal House? Before you throw it out, strip the tuners, nut, any string retainers, saddle, endpin(s), pickguard, output jack, pots, pickups, pickup selector switches, bridge, neck plate, screws, pre-amps, etc. If it's there, take it. Just the body is smashed? Keep the neck. The neck was broke in half? Keep the body. You never know when you'll need one or more of those old parts.
3. Start and maintain a guitar touch-up kit containing different-colored finish pencils, magic markers, paint markers, different glues, etc. We're talking Elmer's glue, wood glue, hider's glue, etc. Do the same with any special rubbing compounds and cleaners you use.
4. Try to keep all guitar-centric tools in one spot. If you've ever used it on your guitar, chances are you will again. Neck rest, side cuts, files, sandpaper, screwdrivers, allen wrenches, etc. Nothing is more frustrating than knowing you have a tool in the house that worked well on a guitar before, but you can't remember what you did with it. Especially when the project requires multiple tools you've used before.
5. Establish some good working habits when working on guitars. For example, if you're pulling screws