Classical Guitar Sales, Instruction, and Free Resources
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Classical Guitar Care and Ownership Guide
Classical guitars must be built very lightly in order to vibrate in response to nylon strings. As a result, they are fragile and sensitive to temperature and humidity. If the following guidelines are followed, your guitar should give you years of musical enjoyment.
Don't leave the guitar in a parked car during any season of the year. If you do, the heat or cold will damage it beyond repair.
Don't place the guitar in the trunk of a moving car. Instead, keep it in the passenger compartment, preferably restrained with a seat-belt.
Don't place the guitar near an open window where sunlight can heat it up. Don't place it near a heater or heating duct.
Keep the guitar at room temperature, and within a humidity range of 40-55%.
During the winter months, the air in our region becomes very dry. The first symptom of excessive dryness is a guitar that sounds dead or thumpy. At humidity levels below 40 percent the neck may warp or shrink. In the former case, the cost of repairing the guitar will be more than it is worth if its original price was less than $500. In the latter case, the frets may stick out of the side of the fingerboard, a problem that causes nearly $100 to repair. Dryness can also cause large cracks to open up on the top or back, or cause the bridge to come loose. If this happens when you are playing the guitar, you could be seriously injured. Repairing a detached bridge is very expensive, and if the slightest error is made in reattaching it, the guitar will never play in tune.
Humidification: The best way to ensure proper humidification is to keep your guitar in its case or gig-bag, using guitar humidifiers. If you don’t have a Humicase (see below), insert a large dampit in the sound hole, and a smaller one near the neck. To properly fill your dampits: Run them under the faucet, squeeze out the excess water, dry the exterior with a cloth, making sure no water is actually dripping out, which could damage the guitar. Room humidification: Place a "cool" evaporative humidifier in the room, with the guitar at least six feet away. Since most room humidifiers don't have accurate humidity gauges, you will not know when your guitar is in the danger zone (below 35 percent humidity). Also, most room humidifiers must be filled daily.
Regulating Humidity: We recommend using an in-case hygrometer. Purchase an accurate hygrometer, preferably a battery-operated digital unit. An inexpensive hygrometer inserted in the case will read the actual humidity level. It should stay in the range of 40-55%
Self-humidifying Cases: If you have a "Cordoba Humicase", use the built-in humidifiers. The manufacturer states that the solution provided with the case should be used first until it is gone. Then, distilled water can be used for three months. At that time, another dosage of the solution must be used. Our supplier claims that only the solution should be used, never water. You may wish to contact the manufacturer about this by looking up their web site on the Internet. Take the Humicase humidifiers out of the case before filling with solution or distilled water. Wipe off any excess moisture before reinserting them. Otherwise, moisture may contact the guitar and seriously damage it.
Never leave home for extended periods (days) with a partially-filled humidifier because the water may run out before you get back. In the summer months, as long as air conditioning is running in the room where the guitar is placed, the humidity will probably not be higher than 55 percent. Above this level, the guitar is in danger, and the room needs a dehumidifier.
If you can purchase a Dampp-Chaser humidifier/dehumidifier controller separately from the entire system, you can plug both devices into the controller, which will activate them if a humidity is not 42 percent.
When the silver-plated bass strings become discolored or sound dead, they should be replaced. Otherwise, they will also deaden the sound of the trebles.
When the guitar will not tune, check for faulty strings. This is accomplished by playing the 12th fret note of every string followed by the 12th fret harmonic. If they are not the same or very close, replace the string. To play a 12th fret harmonic, lightly touch the string directly ABOVE the 12th fret, not behind it as you do when playing normally. Pluck the string close to the bridge and let go of the left-and finger immediately.
Always use NYLON strings on your classical guitar. Be aware that there are many ignorant music store salespeople who insist you can use certain types of steel strings on a classical guitar. No matter how much they insist on doing this, please ignore them.
CARBON FIBER strings are now available, but usually have a thin or overly bright sound.
Never use EXTRA HIGH or EXTRA HARD tension strings on your guitar, as doing so may cause significant damage. As before, ignore any salesman or "guitar expert" who argues otherwise. Note that some guitar builders specifically warn against this.
Even if these strings don't damage your guitar, they are very hard on the fingers and may cause muscular injury if used extensively.
Beginners do best with LIGHT/LOW or MEDIUM/NORMAL tension strings because they are easier to pluck and fret. They are also more responsive and have a sweeter, more colorful tone in the trebles (the three clear or pure nylon strings).
HIGH/HARD tension strings produce a more solid sound in the basses (the three strings wrapped with silver coating), but the trebles sound somewhat dull. For guitarists with weak fingers, these strings may cause repetitive strain injuries. Therefore, unless your guitar buzzes with lower tension strings, use them exclusively.
A compromise is to use high/hard tension basses and medium/normal tension trebles.
If you or anyone else, such as a guitar dealer or builder, alters your guitar in any way, the warranty is no longer in effect.
You'll need a receipt to make a warranty claim. Most student classical guitars have only a one-year warranty. The exception is the Cordoba line, which offers a lifetime warranty if a Humicase is purchased with the guitar and used properly. In the case of a warranty claim, the responsibility and cost for shipping the guitar to and from the manufacturer or wholesaler falls on the guitar owner. Call 952-322-4329 if you believe your guitar has a problem covered by the warranty, or if you have any questions about care or maintenance.