Guitar Care and Repair | Acoustic Guitar

Ask the Expert: Why Is the Action Suddenly High on My Guitar?

Action (string height) plays a big role in how comfortable it is to play your guitar. High action could be due to a lot of different reasons—some are easy fixes.

Stewart-Macdonald truss rod rescue tool kit

Acoustic Guitar Truss Rods: Correcting an Adjustment Gone Wrong

Truss rod adjustments can make a big difference in an acoustic guitar's playability. However, even the most straightforward adjustments can have their pitfalls.

Can a Budget Guitar Be Transformed into Something Better?

How can you improve a budget guitar? This is a simple question with a complicated answer. To really tackle the subject, we’ll have to let's consider a few different areas.

a repair tech making adjustment to an acoustic guitar in a workshop

Ask the Expert: Why Does My New Guitar Need a Setup?

It can be frustrating when a brand new acoustic guitar isn't set up for optimum playability. Here are some reasons your new axe may need setup work right out of the box.

Lyon and Healy Lakeside parlor guitar early 20th Century

How to Avoid String Tension Problems on Vintage Parlor Guitars

Should you be concerned about string tension on parlor guitars from the early 1900s? Considering that very few of these instruments have truss rods, it's a valid worry.

closeup of an acoustic guitar's binding that has deteriorated due to the aging and chemical breakdown process known as celluloid rot

Ask the Expert: All About Celluloid Rot—and What to Do About It

Celluloid rot, the degrading of the plastic used for the binding on vintage guitars, is a common occurrence. Here we take a look at why this deterioration happens.

Ask the Expert: How to Minimize String Breakage—and What to Do When it Happens

Is it safe for the guitar, the strings, and the player to switch back and forth between standard and open tunings? Ask the Expert!

How a Skilled Touchup Artist Can Make Your Guitar’s Dings and Scratches Disappear

Touchup is one of the real dark arts of instrument repair, and one that exists in an almost entirely different universe from structural and functional repairs.