An uncle on my dad’s side has been a guitarist on the side for years. We don’t talk about it too often, but now that he’s getting older and preferring instruments with better ergonomics, he offered me a Stratocaster that he really enjoyed but wasn’t playing anymore. I happily took him up on the offer.
It plays beautifully, with a well-maintained neck that feels comfortable and fast. However, some of the metal hardware has begun rusting.1I don’t know how long he had this guitar, but it was definitely purchased used. My guess is that dealing with this aging hardware simply wasn’t a high priority. My plan is to use this as a first step in understanding how to maintain my guitars. Until now, I’ve changed the strings and left further setup to professionals. They do an exceptional job, but you pay for it. Considering this guitar was free, it seems appropriate to determine what I can learn to do for free.
Maintaining your own tools both helps you use them better, and provides a better sense of ownership over them. The first experience with this I can remember is oiling up my baseball gloves each year. It’s a small task, but a necessary one to extend the lifespan of the leather. More recently, it was working with computers and operating systems, gaining comfort with technology and understanding how far I’m willing to go to get the result I want. I plan to develop a sense of those boundaries with guitars as well, particularly electrics because they’re sturdier and simpler than acoustics.
I’ll write up something once I complete the process, with some before and after pictures. I figure the worst that could happen is I mess it up slightly and end up bringing it in to a shop, but if I can at least manage cleaning it, the cost of anything else is reduced.
- 1I don’t know how long he had this guitar, but it was definitely purchased used. My guess is that dealing with this aging hardware simply wasn’t a high priority.