Rockin' Instruments

Three Simple Tips for Caring for Your Acoustic Guitar During Fall From Our Friends At Breedlove Guitars

by Kristin Farraj Oct 29, 2024 0 comments

A repost from our friends at Breedlove Guitars ...

#breedloveguitars

As the days grow cooler and the leaves start to fall, it’s the perfect time to cozy up with your acoustic guitar. But autumn weather can bring unique challenges for guitar care, with fluctuating temperatures and dry air potentially affecting your instrument. To keep your guitar playing beautifully all season long, here are three essential tips for caring for your acoustic guitar in the fall:

1. Keep an Eye on Humidity

One of the biggest threats to your guitar in the fall is low humidity. Dry air can cause the wood to shrink, leading to issues like cracks, fret sprout, or poor intonation. The solution? Invest in a guitar humidifier to maintain the right humidity (around 45-50% RH) inside your case. Use a digital hygrometer to track humidity levels, and if your home gets too dry, a room humidifier can help protect your instrument.

2. Clean Regularly

Fall can bring dust, dirt, and other debris that may harm your guitar. Regular cleaning keeps it in top shape both aesthetically and functionally. Follow these simple steps:

Wipe down your guitar’s body and neck with a soft microfiber cloth.
Use guitar polish to protect the finish (avoid household cleaners).
Clean the fretboard with a damp cloth or fretboard cleaner.
Check for any rust or dirt on the hardware, and lubricate tuners if needed.

A clean guitar plays better and stays protected from the elements.

3. Store Your Guitar in a Stable Environment

As fall sets in, many homes turn on the heat or use wood stoves, which can drastically dry out the air and affect your guitar. To avoid issues like cracks or warping, store your guitar in a place where temperatures and humidity levels are more stable. Avoid placing it near heaters, fireplaces, or direct sunlight. Keeping your guitar in its case when not in use also helps protect it from sudden temperature changes. A consistent, moderate environment will ensure your guitar stays in great condition throughout the season.

2024 Holiday Gifts That Will Rock Their (Or Your Own) World!

by Kristin Farraj Oct 25, 2024 1 comment

Are you looking for the perfect gift for the music lover in your life?

Of course we think a guitar, a mandolin or music gear would be the ultimate experience gift, but here are some additional gifting ideas to jazz up the holidays and rock their world!

Of course, they'll dig the effort you put into finding their dream gift and think of you as the rockstar gifter you are!

Happy holidays and jamming out y'all!

Please note, that the following is straight from our own experience here at Rockin' Instruments and life lol - we have no affiliation with any links* provided, do not receive affiliate income, and simply just enjoy the sites referenced.

🎁Happy Gifting🎸

1. Guitar Accessories

From guitar picks to capos, there are plenty of accessories that every guitarist needs. Consider getting them a set of high-quality strings, a stylish guitar strap, or a tuner to keep their instrument in perfect pitch.

2. Guitar Lessons

Give an experience gift with guitar lessons from a local music school or online platform like TrueFire, Yousician or Guitar Tricks. Whether they want to learn a new technique or improve their skills, this gift will be both educational and fun. Also consider a subscription to useful playing sites like Ultimate Guitar ~ we hightly recommend this site and the guitarist in your life will LOVE it!

3. Unique Music Gifts

Rock things up with some unique music related items. Some of our favorite sites for great music related ideas (in addition to us of course 😉) are Uncommon Goods, RockMommy's Gift Guides, and Cratejoy.

4. Guitar Pedals

Add some flair to their sound with a new guitar pedal. Whether they are into distortion, delay, or reverb, there are endless options to choose from to help them create their signature sound.

5. Concert Tickets

Treat them to a live music experience by gifting them tickets to see their favorite band or artist in concert. This gift will create lasting memories and inspire them to keep playing and improving. Don't forget to support local musicians and venues as well!

6. Online Music Subscription

Give them access to a world of music with a subscription to a streaming service or online music platform. They can discover new artists, create playlists, and jam along to their favorite songs anytime, anywhere. Ask your local musicians as well as to what streaming service serves them best like Soundcloud.

*We do not control any outside linking or content, you are leaving our site when selecting a link.

Winter Blues: Guitar Set Up & Care Fom Our Friends at Hagstrom Guitars

by Rockin' Instruments Feb 17, 2021 0 comments

There is no better expert for guitar care than the manufacturers themselves. And, for those of us in the Northern hemisphere, the Winter months can wreak havoc on wood - which means on our precious guitars.

The folks over at Hagstrom Guitars posted on their Facebook page a two part winter guitar care guide for not just Hagstrom, but all applicable wood/materials instruments. We found their information incredibly helpful and thought we would put together in one spot for you:

"As we try to make the best of the weather by keeping our homesteads warm while we pear out into the Nordic tundra from within our warm dwellings, there is also something else going on with our prized possessions that are also exposed to the heat inside of our homes... Our musical instruments.

As we heat our homes and the air outside is generally drier at this time of the year, our guitars need a little extra love and attention during this colder/drier season. Heating systems that warm our living spaces, fireplaces, electric heating elements, etc. etc., are also drying out the air that we breath, where our wooden musical instruments are especially susceptible to such drier conditions.

This is a very important topic for many of us working professionally with musical instruments, where we cannot stress enough to customers about properly looking after their musical instruments, especially at this drier time of the year. By taking certain simple steps helps avoid possible problems, which could easily be avoided just by giving your instruments that little extra love that they obviously deserve.

Today, we are going to look at keeping our fretboards clean and most importantly "oiled".

Fretboards made of Rosewood or Ebony require oiling at least once per year. As our Hagstrom Resinator fretboards are composed of a special 50/50 (composite/wood) formula, is it recommended to also treat your Resinator fretboard just as you would a Rosewood or Ebony fretboard with oil, once per year.

As we are now in the middle of the drier winter season, why not take the time this weekend to make a point of oiling your fretboard, and to reward your instrument with a new set of fresh strings?

Which oil should you use on your fretboard?

We highly recommend to oil your Resinator fretboard with “Paraffin Oil”, which can be purchased at most hardware shops. Paraffin oil can also be referred to as “cutting board oil” and works equally well on both Rosewood and Ebony fretboards with amazing results. Paraffin oil is clean, odorless, and rather inexpensive.

1) Remove the old strings from your instrument

2) Using a clean cloth/rag, apply approximately 1-2 Tablespoons of Paraffin oil

3) Massage oil into the entire fretboard – For areas where excessive dirt and grime may have built up, continue to massage the oil until the dirt and grime has lifted from the fretboard. In extreme cases, use a soft toothbrush to remove excessive dirt and grime. Reapply oil to the cloth/rag as required.

4) Once the fretboard is thoroughly oiled, use a new clean cloth/rag and carefully remove any excess oil from the entire fretboard

5) String your instrument up with your favorite brand of strings, and enjoy the look and feel of your freshly oiled fretboard. Your guitar or bass will thank you!

6) Repeat process in exactly one years’ time

Part 2

Heating systems are working double time to heat our homes/living spaces, where many may suddenly start noticing those all too familiar “electric shocks” flying from our electrified fingers through a major build-up of static electricity in our bodies due to these dry indoor environments (anyone remember terrorizing siblings growing up, by dragging your feet across the rug to power up a well-executed surge of “magnetic electricity” to zap your unsuspecting siblings’ ear?).

What’s happening is that the environment inside your home is suddenly dropping its humidity level to extremes, due to the drier air during the cold winter season. Multiply this factor with our heating systems, and suddenly you may be experiencing indoor humidity levels of down to 30% air humidity, or even less.

So ultimately, what might this mean for your musical instruments?

Guitars feel their best when the humidity levels are at a consistent 45% humidity. This is what guitar owners should strive for, where your instrument will thank you. You may ask what signs your guitar might be communicating to you, if the humidity drops to dreadful levels that your instrument might not be enjoying?

Strings lay closer to the fretboard, necks become back bowed (suddenly fretted 1st fret notes sound like a buzz saw), sharper fret ends, are a few of the most common signs that the humidity level is too dry.
More extreme signs of low humidity levels over longer periods of time might show such issues as:

- cracks in fretboards, and even the instruments hardware coming loose

(in very severe cases).

- on acoustic instruments which are far more susceptible to

climate/humidity changes, the wood of your tops, sides and backs may

crack, the surface behind the bridge may become flat (and severely

lower the string action of the instrument), support braces within the body

may release from the top or back (and suddenly cause ringing inside the

body when playing the instrument), which do not include any of the

issues as mentioned above concerning fretboard and neck issues.

Might you be experiencing any sudden changes with your instrument this winter?

If so, now is the time to address them, where there are a few simple steps to take to reduce the risk of damages of your instrument caused by improper storage of your instrument in such dry conditions:

Store your instrument in a hard case when not in use – Consider purchasing an “In-Case humidifier” to maintain moisture levels, and REMEMBER to keep it moist. Just by owning an “In-Case humidifier” and not keeping this moist and under close tabs, will NOT protect your instrument from the dry air. It’s ideal to check it once a week, and remoisten as required.
Does your house have a basement? – Moisture levels in basements are generally higher than the rest of the house, where if stored in a heated basement this is a more ideal environment for your instrument.
Use a Hydrometer – These come in all shapes and sizes (both digital and analog), where you can keep a closer eye on the humidity level in your home. These can also be placed in your guitar case, which is an essential for the proper storage of your instrument.
Use a humidifier – Somewhat pricier compared to a incase humidifier, these add moisture to your home and help maintain a consistent humidity level. It’s better for your skin (say goodbye to chapped hands and lips), better for your health, wood furniture, and will even help reduce costs of heating your home (humid air tends to keep a more consistent temperature). The benefits are many, where fellow family members will also thank you.
When was the last time that you oiled your fretboard? – Oiling your fretboard will help to directly inject moisture levels into your fretboard. This will protect the instrument from dry cracks, sharp fret ends, etc. In more extreme cases, binding can start releasing from the fretboard and fret inlays can suddenly fall out. Keep your fretboard oiled and re-apply once every six months."

Content Copyright Hagstrom Guitars 2021

From Our Friends at Breedlove: Selecting An Acoustic Guitar: A Buyers Guide To Finding The Right Instrument

by Rockin' Instruments Dec 30, 2020 0 comments

#repost from our friends at Breedlove guitars:

Buying a guitar should be easy. It’s just about the nicest thing you can do for yourself, a friend or a loved one! But with all of the guitar options to choose from, it can be overwhelming. We’ve developed this handy guide—which you can use for any brand, not just Breedlove—to make the process easier.

If you have time, we suggest reading through to learn everything you need to know. If you’re in a crunch, the Quick Tips for Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced Players will give you enough information to make a wise gift giving guitar decision.

Download the digital guide here .

For more great Breedlove Blog posts visit https://breedlovemusic.com/acoustic-guitar-blog.

Top 5 Absolute Beginner Acoustic Guitar Online Starting Spots

by Rockin' Instruments Dec 22, 2020 0 comments

We've been proud to help many find their or members of their family's first guitar and look forward to putting the right guitar into the hands of countless others. However, starting to play guitar can seem intimidating, overwhelming and, at times, complex.

We get it and we've been there so in anticipation of that exciting moment when you get your first guitar, here are some links, tips & videos* to help get you started:

#1 ~ Learn The Parts Of The Guitar

Hey, none of us were born with this information ☺️

https://youtu.be/Fs5RjfUDRmM

#2 ~ Watch This When You First Pick Up To Play

https://youtu.be/J-f5mm44JPc

#3 ~ Download A Teaching/Chords Song App

After you get the hang of it and want to read music for all sorts of popular and amazing songs, we recommend (based on nothing else other than what we have found helpful) the Ultimate Guitar APP.

It will bring up the chords, lyrics and music at a pace you select. There are plenty of others from guitar manufactures, musicians and guitar instructors, this is simply one to have a place to start.

There are also a ton of free online lessons to choose from as well and we recommend visiting our friend Beginner Guitar HQ's article on Online Guitar Lessons as a great, non-overwhelming place to start!

#4 ~ Find Songs You Love

Of course, simply google your favorite genre and songs to learn to play and the basic chords of C, D, G, F, A (to initially start). If you love and know the song, you'll be more inspired to learn.

Obviously there are a bizzilion Youtube videos out there for playing, but narrowing it down to songs or artists you love can provide a little extra inspiration.

We happen to think the Free Access option from guitartricks.com is a fun place to start as well, we love the "Learn These Rolling Stones Songs" https://www.guitartricks.com/blog/rolling-stones-songs, but they have artists for every taste of music, so pick your favorites!

#5 ~ Find Social Media Musicians To Follow That Make It Fun

Although we are huge fans of Ryan Roxie https://ryanroxie.com/ for learning and playing electric guitar, after checking in on Acoustic Guitar Magazine's https://acousticguitar.com / posts, we also love to follow Gabriella Quevedo (https://www.youtube.com/user/Gabriella9797/videos | gabriellaquevedo97 on instagram | https://www.facebook.com/GabriellaQuevedo9797/about/)

Once you have the very basics down, we highly recommend checking out the 11 best free online guitar lessons blog from our friends over at All Guitar Stuff.

* Rockin' Instruments does not control the content or privacy policies of the websites included in this blog post.

A Glossary Guide To Types of Guitar Woods (Tonewoods) and Components

by Rockin' Instruments Jun 04, 2020 0 comments

One of the most common FAQ topics we get here, and virtually every guitar dealer or manufacturer out there, is about guitar wood or specifically, tonewoods. When anyone first sees the term 'Ovangkol', ourselves included, we wondered how the heck to pronounce it (that would be: oh-van-gual), let alone know the use in a guitar.

So here are some of the most commonly used tonewood definitions and how it impacts playing or the guitar itself (based on many writers on the subject):