At Gimenez Guitars, we care for our guitars like the precious babies they deserve to be treated like. That’s not to say we don’t also turn it up to eleven and rock out until our ears bleed; but at the end of the day, we do everything we can to ensure they last and keep that tone we love to hear.
Here are a couple of cheap yet effective ways to keep your electric guitar playing like the first day you picked it up.
Keeping Your Guitar Playing Smoothly
Keeping the bridge saddle and nut of your guitar well lubricated can help your guitar stay in tune longer and makes it easier to get the tones guitarists crave when bending strings. Guitar strings make contact with the nut and saddle every time you tune your guitar, bend a string, press a string, or when your guitar neck is flexed. There are a ton of guitar lubrication products available that all claim to be the best; but there’s a good chance you already have what you need in your desk drawer.
The Power of Graphite
The same graphite that can be found in a number two pencil can also function as an effective lubricant for your electric guitar. If you’re an engineer or just an all-around machine-head, then you may already know graphite is as good of a lubricant as it is a writing utensil. In fact, graphite acts as a lubricant in temperatures as hot as 1,450 degrees Fahrenheit; so, unless you plan on throwing your guitar into a volcano, you’re good to go. Simply apply the tip of a pencil to the bridge saddle, the string slots on the nut, and other areas of contact. It’s generally recommended to lubricate these parts about once a year; however, this will vary depending on how often you play the guitar.
At Gimenez Guitars, the nut on each of our signature models is comprised of Teflon-infused graphite. This helps to ensure your guitar continues to play at peak performance levels everytime you plugin.
Reducing the Stress on Your Guitar Neck
Minimizing the stress on the neck of your guitar can help extend the longevity of its tone while keeping it in tune. One of the easiest ways to do this is hanging your guitar by its neck when outside of the case. Many people are hesitant about hanging guitars by the neck. Just think about the last time you walked into your local music shop and how all of their guitars were displayed (hint: they were all hanging by the neck).
To put this into perspective, most Gimenez Guitars weigh between 5lbs and 7lbs (the Saint generally weighs slightly more than the Sinner because of variations in design). On a six-string guitar, the total tension exerted by the strings ranges from around 80lbs up to nearly 200lbs when using certain baritone gauged string sets. If your guitar can handle that many pounds of tension from the strings, it’s safe to say that it can more than handle the tension from being hung by its neck.
At Gimenez Guitars, we offer three varieties of guitar stands; each of which reduces the stress on your guitar’s neck.
We’ll be sharing more guitar maintenance tweaks and tips in the near future. Until then, contact us if you have any questions or if you’re interested in trying out one of our signature guitar models.
