6 Inexpensive Ways to Rekindle Your Relationship with an Old Acoustic Guitar

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, one of my favorite things about this hobby is helping people. Recently, one of my readers left this comment:

“Hi, I was reading your comments and they re-sparked a dormant passion I have for acoustic guitars. After being self-taught and playing in my teens & 20’s, I quit playing due to work & moving around. I would now like to resume playing & start with something inexpensive but having potential, like replacing strings and tuning gears to start. Any suggestions on where to begin?”

First off, wow! I am so happy/amazed/flabbergasted that the rambling words I type have a positive impact on anyone. Especially the fact that they help to lead people back to something that they used to love doing.

Second, this is a really good question! And I do have several suggestions on inexpensive upgrades that anyone can do which should help to re-ignite that spark with an old acoustic guitar:

#1 – Put some new strings on it

This reader is spot on with his first idea – new strings. For me, as soon as I put a fresh set of strings on an old guitar and pluck that first note, it’s like hearing the voice of a long lost friend again. Old strings can sound muddy, bland, or dead. New strings sound bright and shiny, the way your old guitar should sound. I use Elixir Nanoweb strings exclusively on all my steel stringed acoustic instruments (guitars, mandolins, etc.) for several reasons: 1) I love the bright, crisp tone of these strings, 2) I like the feel of the Nanoweb coating, it feels easier to play to me, and 3) due to the protective coating, they last a long, long time. Pick up a set for yourself on Amazon for around $20. You won’t be disappointed.

#2 – Full guitar setup

One of the most important things that you can do to your guitar to prolong the life of it and make it play better is to do a full setup. This includes fret leveling, truss rod adjustment, intonation, and fret polishing. For fret leveling, you’ll need some tools to be able to identify and file down the high frets along the neck. For truss rod adjustment, you may only need an allen wrench (depending on your guitar). For fret polishing, use painters tape to tap your fretboard in between the frets and polish the frets with 00 steel wool. Intonation on an acoustic guitar can be challenging if you’re not used to doing it – but essentially, you’ll need to adjust where the string sits on the saddle depending on if the intonation is sharp or flat. Here’s a great instructional video from Premier Guitar on how to setup and intonate an acoustic:

#3 – Replace the nut, saddle, and bridge pins with bone components

Most acoustic guitars come direct from the factory with cheaper plastic components. Even Martins and Taylors. I know this first hand because I replaced all of these on my own Taylor 314ce. Bone components are harder than their plastic counterparts. And the density of these components improves the sound the string makes. You can even get all of these in a set on Amazon for about $12, and at that price, it’s a no-brainer project.

#4 – Clean your guitar and oil your fretboard

Your guitar is dirty! Believe me, it is, even if it doesn’t look it at first glance. All that dead skin and oil from your hands gets embedded into the fretboard. Gross right? Well, the good news is that you can easily clean it with specialized guitar cleaner. Once you are done cleaning it up, oil up your fretboard with some lemon oil. You’ll be amazed at how good it looks.

You can get all of the cleaning solutions and oil in one kit. There are a few different brands out there, but I’ve personally only used the Dunlop stuff. I can personally attest that it works really well.

#5 – Replace your tuners

Nice tuners will help you get your guitar in tune faster and keep it in tune longer. If you notice that your guitar goes out of tune too easily, you may want to consider installing new tuners. I probably wouldn’t start out with this one unless you have a problem. If you do decide to change out tuners, keep a few things in mind: 1) you (typically) get what you pay for – expensive tuners are more well made than cheap ones, 2) make sure you measure the tuning peg hole – if you buy tuners that are too thick for the hole in the headboard, you will either have to re-drill the hole or return those tuners, and 3) if you buy connected tuners, measure twice – I learned this the hard way…

#6 – Humidify your guitar when not in use

This may be the most basic rule for acoustic guitars, but you would be surprised how many times I see improperly humidified instruments. Keeping a guitar humidified will keep your instrument playing like new forever!

There you have it, my thoughts at least. Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments below!