With the guitar prices taking a hike for a while now, it is absolutely essential that we take good care of them. Buying a new guitar is a separate issue though, the issue at hand is something else.
Now, no one likes it when we’re out to perform a gig and our guitar decides to finally give up on us, isn’t it? It’s almost traumatizing, the embarrassment of having your instrument give up on you at the last moment in a huge crowd.
We’ve had this happen to ourselves and we’ve also seen it happen to many, which is why we have come to the conclusion that we have to treat our guitars with extreme care.
We have come up with a little list for you guys, these are basically the main bass guitar parts that need to be maintained regularly to avoid those on-stage blunders.
So, keep reading if you want to learn more guys!
List of Important Guitar Parts:
Before getting into the details of how to clean and maintain the guitar parts, let us quickly enlist those that are important and you should be aware of.
This is going to be especially helpful for beginners, so, take notes fellas!
- Strings
- Fretboard
- Bridge
- The rest of the hardware
- The body
These are the main and important parts you need to keep in mind. Now, let’s move forward!
Detailed Maintenance Tips For Your Guitar
Let us again emphasize the fact that your bass guitars need to sound crisp and high-quality. And, to make that possible, you have to follow certain maintenance instructions. No need to stress out if you aren’t already aware of them because we’ve got you covered.
Here are the detailed maintenance tips we have made for each guitar part so you can take notes:
Strings
The strings are basically the voice of your bass, they are the main key to making you look like you got something epic going on, you know what we mean? Anyway, what you can do is that you can wipe them down with a soft cloth to remove any sweat and grime that may cause an issue for your future performances or gigs. 
Make this practice a regular habit as this is what is going to make them sound bright and will make them last longer.
You won’t have to worry about changing the strings every other day if you are more careful and that is literally the best thing with the cost of those strings nowadays.
Of course, you will need new strings eventually, depending on how much you play, but at least you can make them last longer, won’t you?
Apart from the maintenance, a little pro tip, we would recommend that you change your strings every few weeks to a few months, depending on how much you play.
Fretboard
The second thing we would add to our list of bass guitar parts that have to be regularly maintained is the fretboard. This is the flat piece where your fingers press down on the strings.
After playing, you should use a clean cloth to wipe away any sweat or dirt, similar to how you clean your strings actually. Think of it as if you are dusting your furniture!
To keep it fresh and healthy, you can also use a special fretboard conditioner every now and then (depending on the type of wood). This is basically like a lotion for your fretboard, keeping it from getting dry and cracked.
It is like Nivea but for your guitar!
Bridge
Next up, the bridge. The bridge of the bass guitar is a metal part where the strings attach to the body, making it an important part of your instrument. It is often neglected and this causes issues for your strings as well as your guitar.
It can get all dusty and grimy, so we recommend that you wipe it down with a clean cloth regularly. Not ‘every time you have to play’ regularly, we mean ‘on a daily basis’ regularly, even if you don’t play.
Think of it as cleaning the crumbs out of your toaster, you don’t do it and you ruin it. Also, keep an eye out for any loose parts or rust (guitar cancer). If you see anything that looks suspicious or fishy, get it checked by a professional before it gets worse.
The Rest of the Hardware
Now, we know what you all must be thinking. It’s literally a tiny instrument, how many parts does it even have!? Well, don’t worry. We’re almost done with all the parts.
These are just the incy wincy bits that we usually neglect and in the end, they ruin our entire guitar and boom, you’ve got to throw it out the window or give it away because you give up. Don’t stress, we got you covered. 
What are these incy wincy parts? Here is a little list for you first (we’re obsessed with lists):
- Knobs
- Tuners
- Any other metal bits
These parts may not seem very important but trust us, they are just as important when it comes to the maintenance of your guitar.
Maintaining them is not even that hard either, just a quick polish with a soft cloth is going to keep them looking all shiny and pretty.
This is going to help prevent them from getting tarnished. Think of it as giving your doorknobs a wipe-down.
5. Body
The last thing we are going to be highlighting for you is that pretty body of your guitar, we’ve got to keep it in top shape at all times!
Cleaning it is actually pretty simple, all you have to do is wipe down the whole body of your bass with a soft cloth.
This is going to remove all dust, fingerprints, and sweat. It is like washing your car (but way gentler!). We would not recommend using any harsh chemicals or cleaners because they can damage the finish of your guitar.
And that just means all your efforts to keep it looking pretty going down the drain.
Conclusion
And there you go boys and girls, these are all the bass guitar parts that need your extreme care and attention. We recommend that you follow these tips VERY carefully if you want to keep that guitar up and ready for a performance all the time.
And if you can’t maintain it properly yourself, you can always reach out to a professional for guidance or a proper bass guitar service. They’ll take care of everything for you so you’ve got nothing to worry about.
If you still have any doubts in your mind regarding certain things, feel free to reach out!
