What you should do to adjust an acoustic guitar easily
Sometimes guitars lose their tuning due to problems such as changes in temperature, humidity, unexpected blows, among others. Therefore, it is important that you adjust the truss rod of the instrument, the height of the strings and the levels of the frets. In this way, you can leave your acoustic guitar in good condition.
Guitars with or without soul
On the market there are several models of guitars with a soul, for example, Electric, Silent and Folk. His designs incorporate a metal rod inside the neck, which reinforces the neck of the instrument and makes the shape of the fingerboard more stable.
These types of guitars have the ease of adjusting the soul when the curvature of the neck has been affected by changes in temperature. On the other hand, the guitars without a soul are the acoustic and flamenco ones, since their necks are made only with wood, that is, without metal reinforcement inside. These latest guitars do not need truss rod adjustment at any time, but they do require other restoration processes.
How do you know if your guitar needs tuning?
Now that you know which guitars have a soul and you know which ones do not, the next thing is to find out if they require an adjustment or not. To know if the guitar needs an adjustment, it is best to play it. If when doing so the sound is out of tune, it is because it is out of tune.
In addition, although the tuning is very important, you should also check the aesthetics, for example, when the frets are rusty and the fretboard is stained, it is best that you solve these small problems.
On the other hand, guitars with soul sometimes go out of tune, for example, when you buy them out of tune, since sometimes they have been there for months in companies waiting to be acquired. This last fact could affect the curvature of the fretboard, thus affecting the tuning of the instrument.
In addition to this, the guitars also become a bit difficult to play in the first few frets. If this is happening with your instrument, it is most likely due to incorrect bending of the fretboard. Perhaps this has occurred due to changing strings, weather, accidental hits, etc.
Another aspect through which your instrument indicates that it needs to be adjusted is fretting, a word that is also known as fretting. This is an annoying sound that a string makes when you play chords or melodies. This means that fretting doesn’t occur all the way down the guitar’s fretboard, so to check this point you must play each fret separately. However, there are guitars that are too out of tune and fret almost anywhere on the fretboard, but don’t panic if your instrument is going through this problem, as it is something that has a solution.
Also, if your guitar has the strings too far off the fretboard, you may need to adjust it. The same thing happens when the strings are very close to the fingerboard. By this we mean the height of the strings, which greatly affects the ease of playing the instrument and its tuning.
As if that were not enough, falling a guitar could crack the wood. This is a problem that must be solved, especially if the crack is in the handle, as it could affect the soul and its curvature. All of this is fixable, so you can set up the guitar again and play it.
Likewise, there are other factors that can affect the wood of the instrument, for example, sometimes there is a lot of accumulated humidity on the fingerboard, due to the heat and sweat of the guitarist’s hands. If you see this type of moisture on the fretboard, it most likely requires adjustment.
Actions you can do to adjust the guitar by yourself
First of all, nut adjustment is a very common and easy thing to do. By this we mean the piece that goes on top of the guitar, dividing the head with the neck. This element of the instrument can be changed for a new one, so that you can enjoy your guitar again. By changing the nut or adjusting its height the strings could be a little closer to the fretboard. This will help when you play, because when you place the chords you won’t have to press down too hard on the strings.
Another aspect that you can do for yourself is soul tuning. Silent, Electric or Folk guitars offer direct access to the soul. This can be found at the top or bottom end of the neck, for example behind the nut or near the soundhole. To adjust it, you will only need an allen key, which some guitar models include in their packages.
In addition to this, at home you can adjust the height of the bridge bone, of course, only vertically, because horizontally you would affect the fifth of the guitar and this is almost always only the task of instrument manufacturers. After making this adjustment the guitar will be more comfortable to play. If you want to solo on the guitar, it is recommended that you lower the height of the nut and the bridge bone a little, so that the strings are closer to the fretboard, thus being able to move your fingers more easily.
In addition, it is possible to polish the frets yourself, so that the aesthetics of the instrument stand out again, as when the guitar was new. Even the fretboard can be oiled with some special liquid, since this task will greatly eliminate the effect produced by humidity.
Things that only a luthier should do
Sometimes guitars are so out of tune that they require an expert. It is there where the luthiers play a very important role, since they are manufacturers of musical instruments. The leveling of frets, calibration and fifth of the guitar are tasks that only these specialists should do.
In addition to this, we mention that the repair of a broken soul or cracks in the wood is a process in which luthiers have a lot of experience, so you must take it to them so that they can restore it.
However, if the adjustment or repair requires a high budget, it is best to buy a new instrument, in addition, perhaps on the Internet you will find a good and cheap acoustic guitar.
