How to buy, maintain and set up your acoustic
guitar

Paul Balmer

Most rock and pop guitarists begin their playing on an acoustic guitar,
and the advent of MTV’s Unplugged and improvements in acoustic
amplification mean this once poor relation has returned to centre stage –
although, of course, the acoustic guitar has always reigned supreme in
classical, flamenco, folk, delta blues and country music. Superbly
illustrated and designed, the manual includes case studies of key models
– from a Martin D28 to a Yamaha budget classic – and explains in
detail how to set up, maintain and repair most popular types of acoustic
guitar.

Key content

Know your acoustic guitar – classic, flamenco, Parlour, Dreadnought, Selmer
Gypsy, Resonator, ‘cello’ and acoustic-electric guitars explained.
Buying an acoustic guitar – used and new options, pitfalls, authenticity issues,
getting the right guitar for the job.
Tuning – what to do if the guitar won’t stay in tune, string checks, machine
heads, saddle and nut, electronic tuners and their limitations.
Fault diagnosis – body and lacquers, neck and frets, pick-ups and tone, bridge
adjustment and replacement, machine heads, string guides.
Set-ups – alignment and lubrication, nut adjustment, bridge height and string
length, truss rod adjustment.
Maintenance and repairs – fretwork repairs, replacing kluson and grover
tuners, earthing and RF issues (for electro-acoustic guitars), repairs to nontruss
rod necks, cellulose repairs.
Replacement parts and common modifications.
Case studies – including Ramirez, Epiphone 12-string, Martin Dreadnought,
Gibson L5, Selmer Maccaferri, Yamaha budget Dreadnaught, Archtop,
Resonator guitar and Parlour guitar.