Take a step outside and there's no doubt, it's summertime here where I live. I'm always happy to see summer roll around because a large percentage of our concerts move outside to the festival stage. I enjoy everything about playing outside, except for the heat. Heat is hard on your strings, hard on your instrument, and hard on your playing in general. This month I'm going to give you some pointers to help make the great outdoors a friendlier environment, at least for resophonic players.

STRINGS

If you've ever played outside in the summer, you know just how quickly your strings seem to lose their tone, or "go dead" as many players refer to it. It's usually a combination of the heat and sweat from your hands that causes this loss of tone. I suggest that you always keep a dry cotton hand towel with you to frequently dry off your hands and wipe down the strings.

When wiping down the strings, you should always use the hand towel to kinda "pinch" the individual strings as you slide it along the total length from the nut to the cover plate of the guitar. When I say "pinch", I mean to grip a small portion of the towel with the thumb and the tip of the index finger so that the towel totally wraps around the string as you slide it along. This will not only remove the moisture, but also any dirt. Do this once again before putting the guitar in its case after you finish playing, using a cleaning agent on the strings.

There are many great cleaners which are available to clean your strings, but the regular alcohol in your home medicine cabinet works great. When using cleaners such as alcohol, apply them ONLY to the portion of cloth that will be used to do the cleaning. Never spray or pour cleaning agents directly on instruments because some cleaners can damage your finish! Even with proper care, however, strings are going to have "less life" during the summer because of the heat. While following this advice will certainly help, in most cases you are still going to have to change your strings more often than usual. Proper string care will merely help you extend the time between string changes.

INSTRUMENT CARE

Nothing is harder on an acoustic instrument than heat. Heat will place stress on all parts of the guitar. I have had guitars come apart due to heat, but I have since learned my lesson and now take extra care on those hot summer days. The worst thing you can do to a guitar is leave it in the passenger compartment of a hot vehicle. Window glass seems to intensify the heat of the sun, and the temperature inside a car is much hotter than in the trunk. When I travel, I take my guitar inside with me where it is air conditioned. Once I get to my destination, I place my instrument indoors or in a shady spot outside of the automobile. If there is nowhere to store it besides my automobile once I get to my location, then I place it in the trunk. It's still going to get hot, but not like it would inside with all the glass.

It is definitely best to bring your guitar inside to an air-conditioned environment. Another thing I recommend is a humidifier. Wood can really dry out during the summer heat and dry wood will often crack. A humidifier can be placed in your guitar case or right inside the instrument. These are usually fairly inexpensive, and are easy to maintain. They are certainly worth the price, and much cheaper than a costly guitar repair! Humidifiers are a must if you play outdoors frequently. There are many brands available, so just talk to your local music store or go online and find one that you like.

It is also a good idea to clean your instrument frequently during the hot summer months. Sweat and dirt can really build up on the surface of a guitar. Pollen and airborne dust particles can really get nasty. First, you should always wipe your guitar down completely with a dry cotton cloth to remove all surface dust. Then, apply a high-quality instrument polish/cleaner to the guitar. NEVER use regular furniture polish because many of them will build up a "film" on the wood surface, or even damage the finish. Good polishes and conditioners can be found in most music stores.

An air compressor or a can of compressed air can be used to occasionally blow out all the dust and dirt that accumulates in the resonator of the guitar. It is best to hold the guitar upside down (with the cover plate/strings facing downward) while sending a few blasts of compressed air in through the openings in the cover plate. You will be surprised at all the junk that will come out of there! Always perform this procedure OUTSIDE or in a shop because it will make a mess!

Another thing that helps to control heat damage is the use of a light-colored guitar case. Black really tends to attract heat. Gray and tweed seem to work well. If you don't have a light-colored case, you can always use a case cover. The Colorado Case Company and Summit make really good ones. These also add extra protection for your guitar. As with most of the covers, the more you pay the better the cover.

CARE OF ACCESSORIES

Just like your guitar, you need to also keep your picks, tone bar and capo dry and clean. Sweat can cause these items to get sticky and build up a nasty film. Be sure to always wipe each of these items clean after a picking session. I use regular household alcohol to keep my accessories clean, and follow up with a really good metal polish. "Nevr-Dull" is a good one. You can also find excellent metal polishes at auto supply stores. It is best seek out polishes in small tubes so a small controlled amount of polish can be applied without making a mess. Use a clean cotton cloth to apply the polish. Make sure this cloth is used ONLY for this purpose and that it never comes in contact with your strings, or your instrument. The abrasives in these cleaners can scratch a guitar finish as well as damage a set of strings. I never clean or polish the inside of fingerpicks because that would make them tend to slip off my fingers. I only clean the outside surfaces on these.

I guess the only thing left to do now is to take care of yourself. Grab your resonator guitar, a cold bottle of water, something cool to wear and go hit that jam session. There's nothing more fun than getting together under a big shade tree with some of your best picking buddies for a nice summer jam session. I hope some of these tips will make that session more enjoyable for you!

See you next month!

Phil