Saturday, July 30, 2011

Ukuleles- Caring for Your Ukulele

By Scott E. Hutton


As all musicians know, instruments demand normal care and maintenance. Weather along with other environmental factors impact the condition of a Ukulele. Considering that they're made of wood humidity impacts the condition of the instrument as it loses or absorbs moisture.

Too dry as well as the wood may possibly crack or shrivel. Too moist along with the wood may possibly swell or warp. For this reason, the instrument needs cleaned and inspected regularly. Often this means keeping them in a case having a humidifier or taking them out to dry. Adjustments in weather can also impact tuning and cause the neck to warp.

Cleaning and caring for your instrument may be the exact same as caring for a guitar. Clean and care for your Ukulele regularly. The same brand of polishes, cleaners and fret board oils used for guitars can also be utilized to clean a uke. The body as well as the fret board are made of differing supplies and require various type of cleaners. Never ever use the same one on both surfaces. Cleaning and polishing protects the instrument against the sweat and salt produced by the player's skin. Sweat can deteriorate the wood finish and corrode the fret wires. It also collects on the wood surface causing it to hold on to dirt and dust.

Take care when cleaning around dings, blemishes, cracks or dents. If cleaning fluid gets into them, it could cause the wood to swell and make those blemishes worse. If the ukulele shows some small scratches or surface marks, you'll be able to use a clear nail polish to seal them. This technique demands the use of a little brush along with a steady hand. Wax is great to use for sealing cracks within the wood. You can use a guitar wax as it will also keep moisture out. 1 way to stop scratches when cleaning may be the use of a microfiber towel.

In no way use ammonia based cleaners on your instrument. These varieties of cleaners are not produced for wood and dry the surface out causing it to warp or crack. Ammonia will also deteriorate strings and dull the ukulele's finish. Household cleaning items like furniture oils are not good cleaning items as well. They leave a residue that attracts dirt and dust allowing it to collect on the instrument. Never ever use straight lemon oil to clean the fret board as it really is a solvent. Nonetheless, you'll find fret board oils that include lemon oil, but not at a high sufficient concentration to hurt the instrument.




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