How to Care for a Banjo

As an active or even casual banjo player, you want to make sure your instrument has a long life. The most effective way to increase a banjo's lifespan is preventative care. A little extra time, effort and care will give your banjo extra years. While different banjos require different types of care based on the materials in the banjo, here are some universal care ideas to keep in mind.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Keep your banjo in temperatures that you are comfortable in yourself. Just like your body, your banjo cannot handle extreme temperatures or sudden temperature changes. Wood is pliable around wet air and fragile in dry air. Keep these factors in mind when you store your banjo. Avoid exposing your banjo to extreme hot or cold weather.

2. Keep the banjo out of direct sunlight. Your banjo can experience problems if exposed to direct sunlight. Glue joints can start to break down.

3. Wash your hands. Having clean hands can help you extend your banjo's life. By thoroughly washing your hands before using your banjo, you remove acids that have the potential to create additional wear and tear on the banjo's base or neck, as well as the strings.

4. Wipe your banjo down after every use. Just as you shower after exercising or after a strenuous activity, wipe down your banjo after you finish playing.

5. Take the mystery out of mystery damage. It is possible for the banjo to be damaged even in a hard-shell case. The most frequent damage type is cracking the neck. This usually occurs when the case falls over. Be careful when leaning the case upright against an object or do not lean it at all.

6. Polish your banjo weekly or daily if needed. Polishing keeps dust and grime away from the wood and metal hardware. Use a dry cloth to polish your banjo.

7. Choose the proper attire for your banjo. A good case is an obvious choice but what about strings? You have to choose strings based on the type your banjo can tolerate. Older banjos need gut or nylon strings while contemporary banjos use steel banjos. It is possible for a banjo to be too light to tolerate string strings. As far as metal hardware goes, there are chrome, nickel and gold plating. Review the positives and negatives of each plating type and decide which one is best for your banjo.

8. Adjust the banjo's head. After a banjo is manufactured or a head is installed, the head on a banjo continues stretching. The head needs to be re-tightened within a few weeks of purchasing a new banjo. Some shops will do this for you. Adjust your banjo's head by using a bracket wrench to adjust each nut in a star pattern. Check with an instrument sales and repair shop if you are nervous about adjusting the banjo. Over-tightening a banjo head will cause damage to your banjo.