Capo's Winter Instrument Care

With "winter" in full force, proper instrument care is essential. One of the biggest threats to a healthy instrument is dry heat. This can come from your cozy wood burning stove or that toasty electric heater that sits beside you on those chilly evenings. With so much dry heat in your home during the winter months it's important to protect your instrument from its damaging effects.

To help educate our customers we have compiled a list of helpful tips to get you through the rest of the winter with a healthy and happy banjo, guitar, mandolin or whatever the case may be. The first thing to remember is to keep your instrument away from the heat source. Your guitar may look beautiful propped next to the fireplace but don't be tempted to leave it there, being that close to a heat source will dry out your fingerboard fast!

Along with not keeping it near the fireplace, you shouldn't store your instrument in an attic, closet or basement. Any area where there is poor humidity control is going to be damaging. A good rule of thumb is, if you are comfortable in the room so is your instrument. Also, your instrument should be stored in its case when not in use.

Another good piece of advice is to keep a humidifier in the case with your instrument. This will help maintain a more consistent level of humidity, which is much better for your instrument. We sell humidifiers here at Capo's starting at only $6.00.

One more helpful tip is to detune your strings when you aren't going to be playing for a while. This will relieve some of the pressure from the neck of your instrument, to help avoid cracks.

How do you know if your instrument is being damaged by dry winter heat? Simply run your thumb and forefinger down the sides of your fingerboard. If your frets start to feel sharp that means your fingerboard is too dry and is starting to shrink.

You should inspect your instrument often. Look at it from all angles, keep an eye out for cracks in the wood or signs it may be seperating from the binding. If you notice any of these problems bring it in. If we can catch a problem early it's much easier to fix. We do service most instruments here at Capo's and we would be happy to help with any repairs!