Phil Smith - The Repair Guy in action.  Don't miss Phil and the KC Raindogs at the City Market, BB's Lawnide BBQ or the KC Blues and Jazz Festival.

Spencer's handles in house maintenance and repair of your stringed instrument as well as installation of your custom pickups, trems and accessories. If you are in the Kansas or Missouri area and need guitar or bass repair, Spencer's is the place to go.

 With over 10 years of hands on experience with practically every make and model guitar and bass, Phil can keep your instrument in top condition.

Free!!! How to change a guitar string in 60 Seconds

Find out more about Phil and the KC Raindogs

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Phil's Guitar Maintenance 101

Now that you have added that dream axe from Spencer's to your arsenal, you need to keep it in top shape for years of carefree playing. 

Electronics

There are basically two places that should be cleaned to keep Cheeto dust, Red Bull residue and grime from ruining your axe; Switches and Potentiometors (pots).  Use a de-oxidizer cleaner (Deoxit 45) available at most electronic stores (Radio Shack) : oil-based products can muck up the works even worse.  Use a phillips head screwdriver to remove the pickguard, control plate or back control panel to gain access to the pots.

Spray the cleaner directly on the switch contacts and move the lever back and forth to clean and quiet the switch.

Body and Neck

Use slightly damp cloth to keep your instrument fingerprint free.  If you use a polish, use a non-silicone type to keep from ruining the finish. Polish should be applied to the cloth first, not the instrument.

When changing the strings on a Maple fingerboard, a slightly damp cloth or a mild dish soap can be used to remove finger funk.  Finish with a dry, 100% cotton cloth.

Rosewood or Ebony fingerboards, which normally don't have a finish need to be oiled now and again to prevent splitting and cracking.  Lightly apply a wood paste wax after cleaning to remoisten the wood.  Wipe away the excess oil.

Knobs and Buttons

Finally, check all screws for snugness.  If your control knobs feel wobbly, pop em off and check the hex nuts that hold the pots to the plate.  A loose pot can twist under pressure and break wires and short contacts.

Also check the strap holders, nothing like bouncing your new ESP off the stage in front of a crowd of screaming fans.

This concludes this installment.  Next Month we will discuss maintenance of your percussion instruments and field questions from our dedicated surfers on their particular instruments.

Also, be nice to your drummer, though mildly retarded, ugly as a red headed stepchild, and technically, not a member of the band, he is one step above a lead singer in the grand scheme of things and could be useful to borrow money from or date his sister.

Hardware, Tuning Keys and Bridge

Just wipe these monkeys down.  If you bought a vintage instrument from Spencers, there may be a small hole in the back casing to apply a small drop of 3 in 1 oil to keep the gears moving smoothly.  Always wipe off the excess.

You can also apply a small drop (use a Q-tip) of 3 in 1 oil on the bridge saddle, saddle screws and intonation adjustment screws.