7/30/2011

Ukuleles- Caring for Your Ukulele

By Scott E. Hutton


As all musicians know, instruments call for standard care and maintenance. Weather as well as other environmental elements have an effect on the condition of a Ukulele. Given that they are 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 and also the wood could swell or warp. For this reason, the instrument requirements cleaned and inspected often. Occasionally this indicates keeping them in a case with a humidifier or taking them out to dry. Modifications in weather may also impact tuning and cause the neck to warp.

Cleaning and caring for your instrument is the same as caring for a guitar. Clean and care for your Ukulele regularly. Exactly the same brand of polishes, cleaners and fret board oils employed for guitars can also be utilised to clean a uke. The body and also the fret board are made of differing materials and require distinct type of cleaners. In no way use the same one on each 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 may cause the wood to swell and make those blemishes worse. If the ukulele shows some tiny scratches or surface marks, it is possible to use a clear nail polish to seal them. This approach demands the use of a small brush along with a steady hand. Wax is excellent to utilize for sealing cracks in the wood. You can use a guitar wax as it's going to also keep moisture out. One way to prevent scratches when cleaning is the use of a microfiber towel.

In no way use ammonia based cleaners on your instrument. These types 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 aren't great cleaning items also. They leave a residue that attracts dirt and dust permitting it to collect on the instrument. Never use straight lemon oil to clean the fret board as it can be a solvent. Even so, there are fret board oils that contain lemon oil, but not at a high enough concentration to hurt the instrument.




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