Our instruments are built with utmost care and dedication, using only premium quality solid tone woods and the best available hardware. We give our guitars lots of love and care and we hope you do too. Guitars need to be played, but also need some care and sometimes repair. There are a number of important things you should know when buying a Dejawu Guitar.
CLEANING & CARE
It is important to clean de body, neck but also the strings of your guitar regularly. Wipe off perspiration and fingerprints, as this affects the lacquer, the wood ánd the metal of your guitar. A soft, damp cloth (not wet) will perfectly suffice. Make sure to remove remaining moisture with a clean, dry cloth.
HUMIDITY & TEMPERATURE
Wood is directly affected by humidity and temperature; it takes on and gives off water and therefore expands and shrinks. Extreme or sudden changes in air humidity or temperature can cause great damage and should be avoided at all times!!
You should be fine when keeping your guitar in an environment with humidity levels between 40-70%.
Do not place your guitar in the near vicinity of a heater, air conditioning system, vent, window etc.
When traveling with your instrument, give it some time to acclimate itself to the new temperature at the destination before taking it out of its case. Avoid transporting your guitar in a car trunk as temperatures in there are extreme in any kind of weather.
Signs of a guitar that is too humid are: high action, swollen top/warped back and sides, fret buzzing in the high registers, muffled tone, low volume, possible cracks in the lacquer finishing, separating bindings or weakened joints with water-based glues.
Signs of a guitar that is too dry are: low action, fret buzzing and lifting, sharp fret ends, dips in the top or back, lacquer checking or even wood cracks. When you live in a dry climate, you can consider purchasing a guitar humidifier. These should be handled with great care.
Stand damage (FOAM/RUBBER/vinyl)
Beware that the chemicals in rubber used in many guitar stands (and clip-on tuners!) react with the nitrocellulose lacquer of our guitars and can cause damage. In some cases, this causes a slight discoloration, but in other cases may dissolve the lacquer entirely. We recommend only using a guitar stand temporarily, for example when going to a gig. Also, we recommend using a soft cotton cloth or a guitar polish cloth to cover the rubber when using a stand. We will provide you with these. When you store your guitar for longer periods of time, we advise you to store it in its case or bag.
ACTION & PLAYABILITY
Your Dejawu will arrive completely assembled and set up. All you have to do is tune the guitar and (possibly) adjust the truss rod a little bit. All our guitar necks can be adjusted with a 4mm allen wrench. Adjusting a truss rod is a delicate task, so make sure you handle this with utmost care. Use the correct wrench to avoid stripping the truss rod nut. We will provide you with the tools and information you need. If you are not comfortable to do it, we strongly recommend you taking you guitar to a local guitar shop or repairman. If you have a guitar equipped with a signum bridge or a tremolo, you will need an allen wrench and a special Schaller spanner that comes with the guitar.