Issues with Guitar

1.When should I change the strings?

Strings will deteriorate over time, causing buzzing or inaccurate pitch. There is no set rule for how often you should change your strings. If you have strings that are worn, flattened, kinked, corroded, rusted or mucked up with sweat grease and grime, then it is time to change your strings.

Bent, twisted, or damaged strings will not produce the appropriate quality sound and therefore, should not be used. Otherwise, strings should be changed when they are no longer giving you the tone, brightness and response that you desire.

Solution:

Replace all the strings as a set.
The strings should be replaced one by one instead of removing all at once.
Wind the string around the tuning machine post two or three times, making sure to wind from top to bottom. Wind about 5–7 cm of string for guitar and 8–10 cm for bass. Do not wind the string on top of itself.

2.How do I tune my guitar?

When looking straight down at your guitar the open strings from the thickest to the thinnest are EADgbe; E being the thickest string and e the thinnest string.

Solution:

Use a tuner or tuning fork to tune up the sound of each open string to ensure accurate adjustments.
Place your index finger on the fifth fret of the string. Now pick the next string and fretted six string in turn, gently adjusting the next string tuning peg until the two notes are in harmony. (Follow this instruction for all the strings except for the G string, instead of placing the finger on the fifth fret, you need to place the finger on the fourth fret.)
If the pitch is too high, loosen the string to lower the pitch, and wind the string in small increments to tune it up.
If you’ve changed string gauges or are using your guitar with an alternative tuning, you’ll need to adjust the string length (intonation) to ensure that the correct pitch is sounded at all frets.
After tuning your guitar accurately, hold the guitar in playing position and compare the pitch of each string pressed down at the 12th fret with the pitch of the harmonic played at the 12th fret.
If the pitch of the fretted note at the 12th fret is lower than the harmonic at that fret, move the saddle of the tremolo/bridge forward to shorten the string. Conversely, if the pitch of the fretted note is higher than the pitch of the harmonic, move the saddle backward to lengthen the string.

3.How do I clean my guitar?

Solution:

After playing, wipe sweat and oil off metal parts such as the underside of the strings, the frets, bridge saddles and nut. This will help to prevent rust. Dirt or dust that adheres to metal parts may adversely affect their function. Wipe off stubborn dirt with a soft cloth moistened with a small amount of oil.
To clean the finished surface, do not use volatile or abrasive cleaning compounds; instead, gently wipe using a soft cloth with polish formulated specifically for musical instruments.

4.Left Vs. Right-handed Guitar - which is better?

• If the (thicker/bigger/wider) bass strings are on your left and the (thinner/smaller/narrower) treble strings are on your right, then you are looking at a Right-handed Guitar.

• If the (thicker/bigger/wider) bass strings are on your right and the (thinner/smaller/narrower) treble strings are on your left, then you are looking at a Left-handed Guitar.

If you are wondering if you should buy a lefty guitar or a right-handed one and just flip it (or vice-versa), you might want to have into consideration that flipping has its limitations:

Witches and tone pots - Pickup selector switches and volume and tone knobs will likely be in a less convenient location. On right-handed guitars, these controls are placed for easy access with the right hand while playing. Unless they are moved and rewired, they actually may get in the way of your picking.
Tremolo arms - Having the whammy bar on the top side of the guitar is a pain for lefties. The tremolo bridge could be customized to mount the bar below the strings in the lefty position, but it’s probably simpler to forego it if you are not using a lot of vibrato bends.
Intonation - Restringing a right-hand guitar as a lefty can cause problems when trying to intonate each string during setup. Setup of a “flipped” electric guitar is easier if it has adjustable bridge saddles that allow fine-tuning each string’s height. The compensated bridges found on acoustic guitars will require modification to work as a lefty.
Input jack - Often the jack is angled so the cable drapes directly toward the floor. When flipped the cable will emerge from the jack pointing toward you. Guitars with the jack built into the top of the guitar can also be problematic depending on the location.
Pickups - Pickups with staggered pole pieces are designed specifically to work with each individual string, meaning that when the string order is reversed, the pickup does not work as intended. Typically, however, these can be replaced with a left-handed pickup.
Pickguard — The pickguard (if your guitar has one) will be facing the wrong direction once the instrument is flipped. While this may not be important to you, it could lead to extra wear on the body of the guitar. Ultimately, most of the issues you’ll run into can be fixed with some modifications, but keep in mind that these will add to the purchase price.

5.How can I connect Amps and Pedals?

Solution:

Connect the amp's power cord to the wall.
Plug your guitar cable into the guitar’s input jack. The guitar's jack should be on the front of the guitar or the edge of the guitar and will look like a metallic socket.
Turn down the volume and the gain of your amp to prevent feedback and will stop you from blowing out your speaker when you plug in your guitar.
Take the other end of your guitar's cable and plug it into the input jack on your amplifier.
Turn your amp on and turn the volume and gain up until your guitar reaches a suitable volume.
Test other knobs on the guitar like bass, mid, and treble knobs. Start these knobs off in the 12 o'clock position to give your guitar a default tone. Then, start to adjust the different knobs and play your guitar until it reaches the sound that you desire.
You can also connect your guitar to a pedal using an instrument cable. Plug one end to your guitar and the other end into the input jack on your guitar pedal. You will need another instrument cable to plug one side into the output jack on your pedal and the other end into the input jack on the amp.
You will need to repeat this process if you want to add more pedals.