Man sitting with acoustic guitar in room with musical equipment and tools on table.

Resources

Resources

We want to give you all the tools to keep your guitar set-up for worship. This is what we use in our workshop for regular maintenance.

  • Looking after your fret wear is an important part of maintaining your guitar. It’s also very easy to do!

    We use:

    • Wet and dry sandpaper grades 240, 400, 600, 800, 1200 & 2000

    •  0000 steel wool (fine grade)

  • Once you’ve spent time getting your frets prepped and restored we want to bring them back to a shine.

    We use:

    • AutoGlym Metal Polish (UK, AU)

    • Meguiar’s metal cleaner (US)

    • Shellite or Zippo lighter fluid (to clean off metal polish)

    • Roll of paper towel

  • For fretboard rehydration what we’re trying to do is rehydrate the fretboard of your guitar without adding anything that could damage the wood. 


    We use:

    • Music Nomad F-One Oil

  • To tackle the build-up of dust and sweat that comes with playing a guitar you can clean and polish the body, headstock and back of the neck.

    We use:

    • Music Nomad products

    • Maguires Scratch 2.0

    • AutoGlym Rapid detailer

    • AutoGlym Super Resin Polish

  • This is a question we get asked a lot! “Which strings should I use?” There isn’t a ‘one answer fits all’ solution to this. This comes down to personal preference and how the guitar is set-up.

    We recommend the following strings for your guitar:

    • Acoustic - Elixir Phosphor Bronze

    • Electric - Elixir Optiweb

    • Bass - Ernie Ball


    Watch-out! Only purchase strings from a reliable retailer. There are a host of fakes and knockoffs out there in the marketplace!

  • Your truss rod is something you should check each time you come to set-up your guitar. Bear in mind that as the seasons change you will need to make minor adjustments to your truss rod.

    We use:

    • String Action Gauge

    • Truss Rod Tools such as allen keys or wrench

  • Each and every time you play your guitar it’s important to wipe down your strings. This removes any sweat and dirt you have introduced to your guitar strings, ensuring you get the most out of a fresh set of strings. 

    We use:

    • Paper towel

A man repairing a red acoustic guitar at a workshop, wearing magnifying glasses, and surrounded by tools.
Woman with purple hair working on guitar repair, wearing glasses and an apron, in a workshop with tools and a lamp.

FAQs

  • Guitars need to be cased when they are not being played for a number of reasons.

    1. Guitars are made of wood and are hygroscopic i.e. they absorb moisture and release moisture according to the humidity and temperature within a room/environment. 

    2. Like us they can become dehydrated and dried out which can lead to structural issues over time. Examples of this include: splits in the back and top, braces (inside the guitar) becoming loose and bridges lifting from the face of the guitar

    3. When guitars are too wet, this can cause distortion to the face (top) of the instrument and also lead to serious structural issues.

    Casing your instrument in a quality case, is a micro climate and ensures structural stability and continued playabilty of your guitar.

  • We are a ministry that is dedicated to serving Worship Teams and Worship Communities. We are committed to assist and develop teams in any way that is needed. As a result, we also are available to speak at Team Meetings, to speak at Youth Band meetings/rehearsals, to run Worship Seminars, as well as work with singers and other instrumentalists.

  • All you have to do to book us to come to your church, is email us via the booking form with preferred dates. We will then begin the process of making that booking a reality!

  • There are a few tell tale signs to let you know when your strings need changing. We recommend regular string changes of 4-6 weeks for average players. Those who are sweaty and acidic will find they need to change at more regular intervals. If you do not use a calendar to record when you need to change your strings, the following indicators will assist you in knowing when to change them.

    1. The first and most obvious sign is the actual string condition. Do they look dark and discoloured? Are they “furry”? When you run your fingers underneath the plain strings, do they feel rough or “lumpy” rather than smooth? 

    2. Are the strings staying in tune or are they difficult to tune? 

    3. Is there string buzz particularly on the G string when fretted? 

    4. Have any of the strings broken? 

    5. Do the strings have a “dead” sound rather than a ringing sound.

    If you notice any of these things about your strings, IT’S TIME TO CHANGE YOUR STRINGS.

  • For a capo to work correctly and for the guitar to sound in tune when it is used, the guitar needs to be setup and serviced regularly. Without this setup, the truss rod, the action and intonation and the condition of the strings put at risk the sound of the guitar when the capo is used. 


    Capo choice is also important. Non spring loaded capos such as the G7 and the Shubb capo are recommended as the tension can be adjusted. Too higher tension can pull the strings sharp and not enough tension causes buzz/choking sounds.

  • There are a few things you can check to work out why your strings are buzzing.

    1. The age and condition of your strings (see Question 1)

    2. The condition of your frets. Are there marks or divots on your frets?

    3. Poor service history (recommend twice a year for servicing)

    4. Lack of regular truss rod adjustment

    5. Noticeably high string action