Guitar Maintenance / Becoming a Guitar Technician

 Introduction 

Hello and welcome to our online resource for Guitar Maintenance by Tristan John. Tristan John is an accomplished backline technician working for artists such as Lewis Capaldi, Gerry Cinamon, KT Tunstall and Franz Ferdinand. 

 What will you learn? 

Tristan will take you through the process of cleaning and restringing both acoustic and electric guitars. He will then offer some advice for anyone who is curious or interested in becoming a guitar technician.

 Who is it for? 

This resource is for anyone who is keen to learn how to maintain guitars and/or becoming a guitar/backline technician.
Age range: All


 Let’s Get Started 

 Cleaning and restringing an electric guitar 

This video will demonstrate how I change Electric Guitar strings whilst I am on tour.  I have broken this method down into easy to follow steps, using specialist tools that are easily obtainable from your local music shop or online. (Download the video transcript here.)

This video will demonstrate how I clean an Electric Guitar whilst I am on tour.  I have broken this method down into easy to follow steps, concentrating on different parts of the guitar, using specialist tools that are easily obtainable from your local music shop or online. (Download the video transcript here.)

 Cleaning and restringing an acoustic guitar 

In this video, I will demonstrate how I change Acoustic Guitar strings whilst I am on tour.  I have broken this method down into easy to follow steps, using specialist tools that are easily obtainable from your local music shop or online. This video differs from the one above on changing strings on an Electric Guitar as some of the components and processes differ since it is a different type of instrument. (Download the video transcript here.)

In this video, I will demonstrate how I clean an Acoustic Guitar whilst I am on tour.  I have broken this method down into easy to follow steps, concentrating on different parts of the guitar, using specialist tools that are easily obtainable from your local music shop or online.  This video is similar to that of the one I made on cleaning an Electric Guitar, however I use different products due to the different type and finish of the wood involved. (Download the video transcript here.)

 Further information and top tips 

Here you can also download an additional resource that contains further information but also provides some top tips for those who are curious or interested in becoming a guitar technician.

Graphic title card: Could you become a guitar technician?

 Feedback 

We hope you enjoy this activity. Once you have completed this activity you can submit feedback here.


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