How to maintain a classical guitar - service clean prevention steps

[@Nezalu]

This is criminal that this channel isn't more popular. Tour tips are really good.

[@NeilTaMusic]

Thanks Nezalu, hopefully you can help this channel get more popular by sharing the content among your friends. Have a wonderful day.

[@tap6943]

Thanks a million for demonstrating the actual care of a beautiful guitar, and our own guitars at homes. Wonderful how you care for the instrument like it’s a living creature with a soul.

[@NeilTaMusic]

Thanks so much Tap for the kind words. I believe that when you play an instrument, our soul finds voice through the instrument. Traces of our soul will remain with the instrument, like the hand that gives a flower will have the flower’s scent on it even after partying with the flower. Knowing this, I treat every guitar with the utmost respect.

[@atomic432]

Great advice. Thank you.

[@jamesearlsumagang4440]

I wish I knew much earlier about these things, thank you and for playing music.

[@andysutton6436]

Thank you for explaining the mysteries of guitar maintenance.

[@NeilTaMusic]

@@andysutton6436 you’re most welcome.

[@hastenbrucke]

Woweee...that is so good to see what you have achieved ..so good...wonderful playing and workmanship...brilliant...thanks so much

[@zetsun0]

Very educative, thank you so much! Please keep teaching us nice tricks!

[@NeilTaMusic]

Thanks. Please feel free to request any topic/tricks you may want to learn.

[@raybennett8399]

Hello Neil new to classical guitar or any guitar.I have a 1960s Gilb made in Mexico she sounds great im useing the d65 kit she really cleaned up Great.The Gilb has a bit a of a warp next to sound hole where you set you your right arm its dry inside .Im useing your tip for humidity.,oh I believe guitar made in paracho Mexico if if anyone who knows about gilb handmade qatar's please comment and thank you again Neil for having this to me it was a world of information Ray

[@NeilTaMusic]

Thanks Ray for the kind words. Best wishes.

[@apollohill6733]

Thank you for the info. It's going to help my guitar. Your playing is peaceful sounding. Very meditative and calming.

[@NeilTaMusic]

Thank you Apollo. Glad to know my video is of help to you. Thanks for the kind words.

[@motopazury]

Bardzo przyjemny i użyteczny poradnik. Pozdrawiam

[@matteo6763]

Thanks man. I just bought a second hand Alhambra 4p and i have to do some maintenance. Nice informative video, very informative and really appreciated++++

[@NeilTaMusic]

@@matteo6763 thank you so much, I’m glad you’ve found the video helpful. Enjoy your classical guitar.

[@raybennett8399]

Hello Neil! I'm sooo excited the sandwich tissue and spray bottle method is working great!! The warp is almost gone. Thank you again cheers from Ray from Grants Pass, Oregon

[@NeilTaMusic]

Hello Ray, I’m so glad to hear the method has worked for you. Best wishes.

[@i-monocle]

Yeah! This is a GREAT channel!

[@NeilTaMusic]

Thank you very much!!!!

[@tebs]

Great video Neil! Thanks for the tips 🙏🏼

[@NeilTaMusic]

It’s a pleasure Tebs. I see you are enjoying your new guitar.

[@i-monocle]

I like lemon oil for the fretboard. It leave a nice aroma!

[@NeilTaMusic]

Yes Matt, I agree with you. I prefer lemon too. It reminds me of my teenage years when I used to ride my bicycle in the summer evenings in Italy.

[@adirsab]

amzing thanks !!

[@NeilTaMusic]

@@adirsab thanks

[@mistermister2801]

great tips! thanks

[@qhodave]

Wow this info is gold. Telling luthier well hidden tricks? And a good musician too? Instant sub. Thank you for this!

[@NeilTaMusic]

Thanks so much qhodave :)

[@patricwr]

thank you for this video!

[@NeilTaMusic]

Thank you for the comment 😃

[@pauljardenil1472]

Great tips sir! Where can I send you a picture of my classical guitar that badly needs your opinion, it is quite damaged. I'm hoping you can help

[@ry7hym]

I was looking for a good explaining video about giving my classical guitar a good maintenance job. and as a bonus I got the best unintentional asmr video I've ever found hahahah. great video! also I loved the jokes in the video😂

[@NeilTaMusic]

Thanks very much. This is what I teach all my guitar students. It is essential. Without this, it would be like learning to drive a car and never learnt how to pump a car tyre or add water to the windscreen wiper reservoir.

[@ry7hym]

@@NeilTaMusic It's really good advice! I just gave my guitar a maintenance job a couple of days ago and it plays great again!

[@NeilTaMusic]

@@ry7hym glad to hear the video helped. :)

[@Chanpanpapi]

AMAZING!!!!!!❤❤❤❤❤

[@NeilTaMusic]

Thank you

[@Chanpanpapi]

@@NeilTaMusic i can’t find the video of the neck

[@shayanyadegari811]

Even using earphones to me the No 20 sounds better as well😊

[@NeilTaMusic]

Thanks for your input.

[@ayushkumar1183]

Thankyou very much

[@NeilTaMusic]

Thank you for visiting the channel.

[@SussyJoeMama]

Hey, hey classical guitar worth 700$ is sad, because I knocked it on somewhere, and the orange finish just fell, now you can see the thin wood in front of the guitar, it’s kinda soft, you can leave marks in the wood with your nails, what should I do about it

[@shsgroovy]

Hello sir, is Dunlop 65 guitar polish good for all classical guitar? I have a Yamaha C80 Classical guitar.

[@ry7hym]

on the music store website there is sometimes a disclaimer that it is not suitable for certain types of lacks or woods so you should check what type of wood / finish your guitar has and then if the polish is suitable for your guitar

[@davidmontes5989]

Thanks for the tips! Is it bad to take off all the strings at once when changing them instead of replacing one at a time so that you maintain the general level of tension?

[@NeilTaMusic]

Hi David, it’s not bad at all to replace all the strings at once. The tension changes every night when it gets cold and again during the day when it gets warmer. Strings usually break at night. Why is that? And which of the six string is more likely to break? By removing all strings you can see I’ve the guitar properly, this will also allow you to tight the strings at the saddle so that they won’t slip and damage the guitar. I will have to do a video on how to tie the strings as I’m getting many guitars in for damages caused by improper string ties. I hope my answer has helped you. Best wishes.

[@londonacoustics]

Impressive video! BTW, I know it was just a joke, but I think olive oil is not suitable as a lubricant because it is very acidic and corrodes the metal.

[@NeilTaMusic]

Hahaha olive oil makes the guitar taste better ;) Thanks for the comment.

[@paulnapier2636]

Hello ... I was waiting for the part about the frets. I have a Kasuga with the fret ends that are a bit grabby ( a bit sharp in the edges ) ... I'm hesitant to file them for fear of damaging and/or marking up the ebony fret board. - I'm sure you've done this correction - any advice ?

[@NeilTaMusic]

You gotta file them down. I'll make a video about this problem soon.

[@erikhoffa966]

What,s your opinion on a CG 150SA value, wood, sound ? Thanks 👍

[@NeilTaMusic]

It depends on the production year. Have a look at the video I've done for the Yamaha guitars.

[@JimmySlacksack]

I've just bought a new Yamaha NCX1, it has a very fine grittines on parts of the back of the neck, the texture is not perfectly smooth as you would expect, considering it has a satin finish how can i fix it?

[@NeilTaMusic]

You have two options: 1. Make the whole back of the neck satin finish by gently rubbing it with 0000 grit steel wool, or 2. Polish it with super fine sand paper starting from 2000 grit and making your way gradually to 10000 grit or polishing compound. Many professional players ask me to make their guitar necks satin finish as this has less friction and allows them to move their hands faster.

[@JimmySlacksack]

@@NeilTaMusic I did get some 0000 wire wool which did the job, strangely tho the finish on the back of the neck now seems closer to gloss than to a matte finish which is what I would prefer, is there an easy way to make it matte/satin again? a more course wool perhaps?

[@danielgomessilva8966]

Hello I am so thankful for this instructions 🙏🙏🙏 I have a question. My first classical guitar was not Varnished, meaning you can touch and feel the wood directly. With the passing of time now it's all greasy in the spots where my arm had most contact with her, having that glowing light reflection on those spots. I feel shame to show her to others... I tried to clean it but is impossible, so i am assuming that i have to oil it all (or varnish her?). How can i do it? Btw she also cracked (luckily not much, like 30mm) on that front spot because of dryness. If i had her Oiled/Varnished would she be a bit more dry resistant?

[@NeilTaMusic]

You are most welcome. There are many ways of fixing your guitar problem. The best and easiest solution in your case is to use Scandinavian oil. Practice first on a piece of wood before applying to your guitar. That’s a lot of practice!!!! French polish will work too but it will take months if not years to acquire the skills to do a proper job. Good luck.

[@danielgomessilva8966]

@@NeilTaMusic thanks a lot for you answer 🙏🙏 ❣️ Looking forward for that video about changing strings. Once again thx

[@Craig77775]

Hi neil how about if i put slica gel inside the guitar?

[@NeilTaMusic]

Yes. Silica gel will suck the moisture of of a guitar when it gets damp, but beware it could also dry up your guitar leading it to crack. I use both a humidifier or silica gel to add or remove moisture/humidity from the guitars.

[@Craig77775]

@@NeilTaMusic thanks sir, i appreciate

[@atomic432]

First guitar looks like a Ramirez 1A.

[@Craig77775]

Hi sir. How much is your cheapest guitar?

[@NeilTaMusic]

My students buy most of my guitars under $500, the ines I have on my website are for intermediate to advanced level.

[@Craig77775]

Is it ok to keep the guitar on a stand. Our average temperature on our country is 31C and 21C at nightime

[@NeilTaMusic]

It depends on how much your guitar is worth. If it's below $500 you can leave it out on a stand. If it's over $5000 you'd know what to do.

[@Craig77775]

@@NeilTaMusic got it sir

[@SlavaKulchytski]

The average temperature in my country is +21C during three summer months and 31C below zero the rest of the time… 😉

[@NeilTaMusic]

@@SlavaKulchytski that’s very cold. Where are you?

[@SlavaKulchytski]

@@NeilTaMusic Belarus - aka “White Russia”. Maybe I exaggerated a little, but we are used to cold) Btw thanks a lot for your helpful tips! 🤝

[@tsakalos21fingerboards72]

Can I use regular lemon oil?

[@NeilTaMusic]

Yes, lemon oil is great. It smells nice too. Cheers

[@joshbraun7152]

Distilled water or just water?

[@NeilTaMusic]

Distilled water is better but normal water is fine too. Any calcium residue will be absorbed in the towel/tissue so it won’t harm the tone wood.

[@chonbenthung]

how about truss rod?

[@NeilTaMusic]

Good question. Which classical guitar do you have?

[@chonbenthung]

@@NeilTaMusic takamine c132s 2002 model

[@charlesfoster141]

Matsouka M20 gets my vote as better sounding guitar.

[@NeilTaMusic]

Thanks Charles, I played the M20 for sometime before I upgraded. The earlier M20 (no.20) are very nice. What guitars do you have?