Care for the classical and flamenco guitar

  Classical and flamenco guitars are the most delicate of the modern guitars.

  In general the woods are planed or sanded thinner and the bracing is less substancial than steel string
instruments.  These quelities make the classical and flamenco guitar more refined, but also more fragile.

  The chief  enemy of all guitars is the lack of humidity or excessive dryness.  This problem exists in all
parts of the world which have heating and air conditioning, and in areas which are commonly dry outdoors.

  It is very rare that excessive humidity will cause irreversible damage.  Equally rare is damage due to
cold or heat.  This is not to say that complete submersion in water will not harm and instrument, however,
even this damage can often be reversed.  Nor should one leave a guitar in direct sunlight for extended
periods of time or in an automobile which is parked in the sun.  Automobile trunks are know to reach very
high temperatures.  However, even high temperatures may only do damage to the finish.

  The most common form of damage is exposure to excessively dry conditions for prolonged periods,
meaning more than a day or two.  Most classical and flamenco guitars are made at approximately 50%
humidity.  Thus they sound best when kept similar humidity.  However storing a guitar between 40% up
to 60% or 70% is generally fine.  Below 40% generally produces a shrinking of the fingerboard, wich
leads to the sharp ends of the frets stincking out past the edge of the ebony.  You can check your guitar's
moisture content by running your hand over the sides of the fingerboard.  If you feel sharp fret ends,
your guitar is probably drying out.  Below 30% humidity generally produces distorsion of the top, and
eventually cracking.  As the wood shrinks due to loos of moisture, the wood stretches until in finally cracks.
Exactly when this will occur and at what precise humidity is impossible to tell, since all pieces of wood
are unique.

  If dryness is noted early, by adding humidity to the guitar's enviroment, you can often restore the guitar
to its original condition.  Fingerboards will sometimes return to their original width.

  The are two ways to humidity your guitar:

  The first is to insure that the humidity in the room or home where the guitar spends most of its time is
humidified to the desired percentage, normally 50% or greater.  This can be accomplished by using any
type of humidifier.  You wil need to install a hygrometer to verify that the humidity in your room is 50%
or greater.

  The second way to maintain the humidity of your guitar is to humidify the instrument's case, assuming
you store it there.  This method is less invasive, meaning it doesn't affect your home at all.  This is an
excellent method.  It is possible to make your own case humidifier using a plastic film canister or a plastic
soap dish and a sponge.



Machine head

  The machine head is lubrificated from factory.  But is convenient to put a few oil once a year.



Cleaning

  Alway clean your guitar with a dry clothe.