Being kind to my J-45

[RabiesGotBack]

When I was young, my father used to let me play around on his Sigma guitar and taught me my first chords. In 2010 he committed suicide, and his 2008 Gibson J-45 was left to me. I've been playing for close to 15 years, but I realized I never learned how to truly take care of a guitar. Not only is this a valuable guitar due to its price, it's way more valuable to me sentimentally. Basically I'm looking for tips I can use every day to make sure this thing lasts as long as possible (and still look as beautiful as it does!) It has some very minor scratches on the finish, are these because I wipe it with a cotton cloth, or is it just normal wear and tear? They're barely visible unless you're up close, but I'd like to keep ANY damage to it at a minimum. I play it quite a bit and store it in its case in a room that doesn't get too hot. How often should I clean it and with what? Etc. I'm not used to owning such nice instruments, so any help would be great! Thanks, guys!

 

Here is a picture of it. (I think I've heard not to put it on those guitar stands, but I'm not sure about that! Shows what I know!)

Link to Image in case you have images disabled

 

Also, excuse my wallpaper. I didn't choose it.

[Lars68]

That's a beatiful guitar!!

 

If I were you, I would get a digital hygrometer and a small humidifier to keep the guitar humidified during the cold season. The safest place to store the guitar is in the case when it is not being played. Keep the humidifier and hygrometer in the case and aim for 45-60 % humidity.

 

Apart from that, I think the best way to honor your father is to play the guitar and play it hard. Honest playwear is nothing to worry about.

 

Good luck!

 

Lars

[EuroAussie]

Thats good advice from Lars, proper humidifcatiom is a huge factor in keeping your guitar sounding and feeling good.

 

The other thing is you should play the heck out of it, J-45's love that more than anything else ..

[jfletcher67]

Just an observation, but the type of stand you have it on with the surgical rubber type of padding might not be best for the nitro finish on your J-45. Some people have reported reactions between the rubber and the finish on the guitar. Just to be on the safe side it might be best to go with a new style stand with foam padding.

[guitarstrummer]

Like everyone else has said already, keep it humidified at approximately 45%. I don't trust any guitar stand so I keep a piece of cotton diaper on the stand between the guitar and any place where the guitar touches. Wipe the guitar down after each use with a soft cloth. The best polish I've found is the Gibson pump polish (orange and white label). It contains a small amount of nitrocellulose so it will also fill in any minor scratches that you may have. Sorry about your father.

[BigKahune]

.

Do you ever treat your fretboards? It might be the flash, but your fretboards look a bit dry to me. In case you need a reference, Gibson makes a fretboard conditioner. I use Fret Doctor about once a year.

 

I also use pump polish for quick clean ups. And I use Virtuoso polish and cleaner for deeper cleaning, haze and swirl removal.

 

 

.

[Yorick]

That's a beautiful guitar. You're also getting great advice--if you live somewhere that's cold and your heat dries stuff out in the winter, pay attention to humidity.

 

Avoid any sudden drastic changes in temperature. Honest, I've known otherwise sane people leave their guitars in their cars in the dead of winter or the scorching blaze of summer.

 

I would not use that guitar stand if I were you. As others mentioned, guitar finishes react badly to certain plastics.

[bobby b]

Beautiful guitar.

Some good advise on the previous responses re: humidity, the guitar is a few years old now and is probably somewhat more stable now than it was when new....that is a good thing.

 

As far as the stand goes, yes it can harm the finish if left on there for extended periods of time ( days/weeks/months) . If you just use it every now and then while you have the guitar out of the case you should have no worries. I have used the same type of stand on many occasions with no negative affect, when I am not using my guitars I keep 'em in their cases.

 

 

 

 

 

Funny .....lol .... user name btw.....

[retrorod]

First of all, welcome to the forum. I am sorry about your Father. You do not have to baby the guitar. Just treat it with respect and common sense maintenance. Most of all, play it till your fingers hurt and you get good on that 'bad boy'. People have lived a long and natural life and never owned a Gibson as good as that one right there!

Did not catch where you live, but people in a large area, never have to worry about temperature and humidity swings.

The best rule of thump, is don,t use those stands for extended lengths of time....

Keep it in the case when not playing it for extended periods.

...and keep the guitar in similar environments as you are comfortable with...

NO EXTREMES

 

It will be just fine ;)

[fortyearspickn]

CP, keep her in the case if your not expecting to play her for a week or so. At least, if you think you'll be busy with the kids or work for the next month, put her in the case. Treat a guitar like you would a baby. Not left in the car, not dropped, make sure you don't use lemon oil on the body. It's good for the fingerboard though. Wipe off with microfiber clothe after hard playing. . Don't forget under strings up the neck. Use polish (Gibson Pump like GuitarStrummer said) when changing strings. In between, wipe off with a slightly moist cloth).

Your Dad got this guitar to enjoy, not to preserve for future generations - that is why we buy guitars instead of stamps and coins. So honor his memory by playing it. 99% playtime / 1% cleaning and polishing!

[guitarstrummer]

You'll also want to make sure that if you use a vinyl strap that you also keep it away from your guitar's finish (same reason as the stand issue).

[blindboygrunt]

best user name prize for sure :)

 

you have already made the guitar look more beautiful than it already is by puttin it by that wallpaper . that really is something else , did you buy kenny rogers house ?

 

a good polish every once in a while with the likes of gibson pump polish , or virtuoso if you have a few extra quid . i recommend boiled linseed oil for the fretboard , once or twice a year , about 6 or 7 drops the length of the fretboard and wiped off quickly with kitchen roll . no sudden changes in environment . that keeps them happy

 

sorry for your loss , nice that you have something so personal as a keepsake and the fact that it's good for the soul to use it .

[RusRob]

I can't add much that has not already been said. All good advice that should be followed if you want to keep it for a long time.

 

The only suggestion I have is you keep fresh strings on it. Play around with different ones until you find the gage and brand you like the best and then buy them in bulk if you can. You can find deals for some major brands of strings in packs of 3 and save a fair bit of money. But fresh strings will make it sound as good as it can and will keep you coming back to it to play more.

 

Enjoy that nice guitar and play it a lot. It will keep sounding better and better the more you play it. Don't put it in a closet and think you are preserving it in your fathers memory.

[MissouriPicker]

First of all, truly sorry about your father. Sad loss.......Regarding the guitar---don't fold it and put it away wet. Beyond that, play the hell out of it. Play it and think of your dad. Write a song about him. You've got an iron-clad link to that guitar. It was your dad's guitar. Now, make it your guitar.

[duluthdan]

First of all, truly sorry about your father. Sad loss.......Regarding the guitar---don't fold it and put it away wet. Beyond that, play the hell out of it. Play it and think of your dad. Write a song about him. You've got an iron-clad link to that guitar. It was your dad's guitar. Now, make it your guitar.

Ditto. What he said. Make it spin.

[kidblast]

it's just about all been said,

 

regarding the scratches you asked about. don't worry about these, as it sounds like they are just surface scratches and they are unavoidable unless you keep it in a glass case and never touch it! (ya,, don't do that..)

 

There are products that will help to reduce if not remove those. Virtuoso cleaner/polish is one, and there are some other products out there that are made just for this. for example: http://www.guitarscratchremover.com/

just make sure they are good for Nitro finishes

 

also, here's a pretty good fret board conditioner, which if you use about 2 times year should be enough if you're casing it when you're not playing (definitely the best place for em when not being played)

http://www.americanmusic.com/Gerlitz_Guitar_Honey_Fingerboard_Oil.html

 

 

regarding the stands, the best bet is take a white cotton t-shirt, cut it into strips and wrap the cotton around any area of the stand the guitar will touch.

 

and please don't use those 20 dollar "pitchfork" stands. the guitars just fall off them too easily.

 

for example, here is a really good stand: http://www.herculesstands.com/guitars/GS415B.html

(still use the cotton, no need to take the chance!)

 

also am sorry to hear about your dad. That must have been a tough few years for you and your family.

 

anyway, what a lovely guitar, wishing you years of great playing on that.