I decided I would learn guitar. My dad grabbed an old acoustic from the loft. How can I “revive” it?
I haven’t the money to buy a new one, The model is a Maxtone MX-58, I think. Very old. I believe it is a steel string. It is out of tune, very dusty. ect What steps do you suggest I take in refurbishing the guitar because in it’s current state I believe it is unplayable and my Dad is having difficulty tuning it. It this down to the strings? Thank You.
October 24th, 2010 at 9:59 pm
First you should see if the neck in straight…it should got a metal stick in the middle of the neck..(you will see that trough the whole on the guitar..)than about the tuning you should buy a tuner…and if not download one its free…just type “free guitar tuner” in the search bar and look for…and about the strings…if you or your dad doesn’t know what number the strings are,you should get them to a guitarist…because i played my guitar with very heavy strings and i got a skin problem….so all these stuff really depends on how much do you want to play your guitar….
October 24th, 2010 at 10:14 pm
This is hard to decide from afar. Strings are a strong possibility, if the guitar hasn’t been tuned down during storage. If they change pitch (“tooanggggg”) after being hit, this is certainly the case. Take the guitar to shop (be nice and dust it off before) and have them recommend a set of strings for it and for your beginner’s fingers. They will probably alert you to other problems the instrument might have.
Unless you can get at least a rough pitch from another instrument in the house, get a tuner, too, while you’re there.
October 24th, 2010 at 10:43 pm
1. Take the old strings off and throw them away.
2. Get some guitar polish and clean it from top to bottom. (with the strings off)
3. Restring the guitar with some extra light gauge strings. (good for beginners)
4. Tune the strings up to pitch.
5. Check to see if the neck is straight. (must be done with guitar tuned to pitch)
6. If the neck is okay then physically stretch and retune the strings.(repeat this process until the guitar stays in tune fairly well)
7.Check any screws, nuts or bolts to make sure they’re tight.
If the neck isn’t straight or the action is too high then take it to a good guitar tech and have it set up properly.I would also suggest beginner lessons from a qualified guitar teacher.You can learn from books and videos but the best way to start is a real live teacher. They can answer a lot of the questions you will have that books and videos can’t answer. A good teacher can get you off to a good start and then once you are comfortable enough you can go it on your own if you choose.Good luck and have fun with it.