Guitar Burn‑In: What to Do With a Brand New Guitar

When you buy a guitar and take it out of its box, it isn’t really set up to be played straight away. It's prepared to give a certain impression in the shop during a brief test. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be made far more comfortable and rewarding to play. As a rule, factories tend to leave the truss rod slightly more curved than ideal and the action a touch on the high side, just to be sure the frets won’t buzz. Also, pickups are often set quite high to create the illusion that the guitar sounds “louder” and therefore “more”. Of course, playing a guitar for five minutes in a shop is a far cry from playing it for hours on stage. If you intend to use it regularly, you want it to be as comfortable as possible. That means a proper setup, tailored to your own tastes, is absolutely essential. Even if a factory did provide an acceptable “standard” setup, that standard might not suit your personal preferences. Some players are happy to trade a little clarity for very low action; others prefer it higher. That’s perfectly normal, and you could argue that setting up the guitar is the first and obligatory thing to do over any new instrument.

The String Swap

Another fundamental part of this “customization” process is changing the strings. With every new guitar, you should buy a set of strings to replace the factory ones. There are two good reasons for this. First, you might not like the factory strings. Second, factory‑fitted strings are rarely of good quality. Even when a particular brand is advertised as stock, believe me, they are not the same as the strings you would buy off the shelf from that same brand. Factory strings are always inferior. What’s more, the setup must be done with your preferred string gauge, so that the neck curvature, the height of any floating bridge, and finally the action can all be adjusted to match the tension of those strings.

Always check that the tailpiece of Tune-o-Matic bridges is not set flush to the body to prevent the “banana” bridge effect. This is the correct break angle of the strings between the bridge and the tailpiece.

The Nut: Don't Overlook It

One often overlooked area is the nut. Very often, especially on mid‑priced and budget guitars, the nut hasn’t been properly cut; it’s simply been fitted. This means that in most cases the string height is incorrect, or the fretboard radius hasn’t been respected. A well‑cut and properly adjusted nut makes a world of difference to the playing feel, not to mention the problems caused by a nut that’s too high, too low, or has slots that don’t match your string gauge. We all know this. In short, factories simply don’t pay enough attention to nuts.

A well made nut doesn’t just look prettier. It keeps the strings in tune and makes them vibrate more. Nut making is way more important than the material itself. Slots should be calibrated for the string gauge. Wound strings should soak into the nut by ½ and unwound ones should be soaked by ¾ .

Hardware Check

Another thing always worth checking is how well the tuning machines are mounted. Very often, even on expensive instruments, the tuners aren’t properly tightened. A quick nip‑up of all the tuner screws – without overdoing it – takes only a few seconds but can make a huge difference.

*Be sure that tuning machines screws are tightened. Do not overtighten them to prevent wood stripping.

*Be sure that the hex bolts are tightened enough without overdoing it. They should just feel firm.

*Tighten or loose those screws to tune the peg rotation stiffness.

Cleaning & Finish

Then there’s cleaning. In the factory, instruments are aggressively buffed to a high gloss because they need to look good on display. The trouble is, a finish that has been polished, cleaned and completely degreased may look lovely but can feel rather unpleasant and sticky to the touch. This isn’t about gloss versus satin. Even a gloss finish can be smooth and slippery. The problem is simply that a brand‑new finish is extremely degreased. Cleaning the instrument with a beeswax‑based wood spray solves this issue almost entirely. I’ve never bothered with specialist products myself. I’ve always used ordinary furniture polish. Some people frown upon sprays that contain silicones, but I’ve been using a beeswax and silicone spray on the whole guitar – plastics included, on all types of finishes, on varnished and unvarnished woods – and I’ve never had the slightest problem.

Fretboard Conditioning

Next, check the condition of the fretboard. Very often, fretboards from factories are poorly finished and still have a rough, furry texture. They also tend to arrive rather dry. A quick once‑over with a multi‑grit nail buffer (the kind with several grades) makes the fretboard much smoother, shinier and faster to play. Start with the coarsest grit and work your way up to the finest polishing surface. After that, you can treat the fretboard with a wood oil – not lemon oil. You can use raw linseed oil, or any of the specialised wood oils (darker or lighter) that nourish the wood and bring out its beauty. Be careful: some people recommend soaking the fretboard until the wood stops “drinking” the oil. That is absolutely not the right approach. Simply apply the oil moderately, wait about thirty seconds, and wipe off the excess. *A cured and moisturized fretboard makes it prettier and keeps it from cracking.

By following these steps, you’ll end up with a guitar that looks great, plays well, and is tailored to your own tastes and needs. More importantly, it will be YOUR guitar, not just a guitar that looked good in a catalogue.