That depends. How often do you play? If you're playing every day for at least a half hour, then you'll find that the tone of your strings will deaden after three or four weeks. Maybe sooner, maybe longer. If you play a little less than that, or if you're just not sure, then it's a safe bet to have them changed every other month. You can bring your instrument in to a guitar shop to be re-strung, or you can learn how to do it yourself. It's really not that hard.

After playing, wipe it down with a clean, lint free cloth. Also, wipe your strings so they'll last longer. You can purchase guitar polish to keep the finish nice and shiny, as well as string cleaner to make them last as long as possible.

Alright, stands are okay provided you make sure of a few things. First, make sure that the relative humidity in your house is between 45% and 55%. Anything higher or lower will cause damage. Second, make sure that no children will be anywhere near your instrument. If that is impossible, then purchase a wall hanger instead of a stand and place the hanger so that the bottom of the instrument will hang higher than a child could reach.

Hey Bob I just wanted to thank you and Shamus for taking the time yesterday in helping me pick out a new guitar. The experience was one of the best I have had in many years, no salesman pressure and no gimmicks. Even though I travelled quite a piece to get there, you have made yourself a new client and continued customer. Everyone that informed me about your store and staff were right. In my opinion I would describe it like this, A BIG CITY MUSIC STORE WITH THE SMALL TOWN PERSONAL TOUCH.

Once again, thank you very much.

Fred D

Hi, I was at the GREAT garage sale at Class Axe yesterday,and picked up a new axe along with a couple of accessories. Awesome shop,and Bob and his staff were excellent to deal with and very friendly! To anyone who hasn't been there before,you have to go,you'll have a hard time walking out the door empty handed!!!

Derrick M

For the hardcore COLLECTOR - amazing selection of vintage guitars PLUS loads of Gretschs!

Mische H

It arrived today and it’s fabulous and your customer service was outstanding. Thank you!

George Teply

I'm sorry I missed you at the store the other day. It was nice to meet Shamus and get a tour. First off, I have to say that the quality of your stock and the extensive inventory offering caught me off guard. I mean this all in a very good and respectful way. I just didn't expect to find a pro guitar shop that good in a rural area like Kemptville. My experience in the music industry goes back a few years. I worked in a retail music store in Mississauga for almost 13 years. 1988-1990 I was the Canadian rep for Martin Guitars through Martin Canada. 1990-1995 I worked for Coast and Erikson and 1995-2013 at B&J Music doing the Toronto area only. So you can see that I am not a tourist in this industry. As the Brits say.."well done sir ! " The vintage room and the Gretsch guitar room along with all the other stock would have no rivals even in a city like Toronto. I am certainly telling all my music colleagues about your shop. I hope to meet with you on my next visit in March as I go through to the Ottawa area again. Would like to discuss guitars, products and promotions with you.

Warmest regards, Wally Bieniawski

Good attitude. Your new instrument, like your car, house, computer, or dog, needs the right conditions and treatment in order to function to the best of its ability.

There are three big factors to consider when it comes to looking after your wooden instrument:

1. Temperature.
2. Relative Humidity.
3. Domestic violence.

Temperature: This one's easy. Keep your instrument at room temperature at all times. It's made of wood, so when it's exposed to drastic changes in temperature it will react accordingly. If it's exposed to very cold temperatures, the wood will contract and cause finish cracks. Those don't come out. Hot temperatures can cause glue joints to soften, and your fretboard can crack and pop up. Don't keep it in the car, and don't let it get exposed to direct sunlight or heat sources or large explosions. Or lasers.

Relative Humidity: This one's pretty straight forward too. When your guitar was created, it was dried, seasoned, and acclimated to a specific relative humidity (RH). A guitar is at its happiest when the RH is between 45% and 55%. If the RH goes below 45% you may find some major problems beginning to occur as a result of your guitar drying out. Here are the symptoms:

• the arch in the top will sink taking the bridge with it
• the neck will bow forward causing a "banana" shape to the neck
• the fretboard will shrink in width, causing the sharp ends of the frets to extend beyond the edge of the neck

How these problems are corrected: a truss rod adjustment (the truss rod is the piece of metal that runs up your guitars neck), and the insertion of a sound hole humidifier or a case humidifier for some intense re-humidifying. We wouldn't recommend readjusting the neck yourself. That sort of thing is best left to professionals. It's a very delicate process, and taking the truss rod too far in either direction can do more damage than good.

The re-humidifying, however, can be done with relative ease. You can use either a sound hole humidifier for acoustics, or a case humidifier for electrics. It can take as long as three or four days to restore your instrument to an acceptable humidity, so don't get impatient and soak your instrument in the tub. Bad.

It's a very good idea to bring your instrument in to a guitar shop for a check up at least once a year or even better at the changing of the seasons (when temperatures and humidity naturally change).

Domestic Violence: This is where we tell you to be nice to your instrument. Don't kick or punch it. Don't drop it. Don't strip the finish and re-paint it. Don't cover it with stickers. Don't let your uncle who's been in to the "juice" get up and perform an air band version of Thunderstruck with it. These are all bad things. Pete Townshend smashes guitars, but keep in mind that Mr. Townshend can buy new guitars like we can buy chewing gum. The best place for your instrument to be (if it's not in your hands being played) is in a case.

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