Welcome to the select family of users of the world's hottest guitar design. This is no ordinary guitar, so even though you already know how to care for a standard wooden guitar, please take a few moments to study the particulars of this new instrument design.
Stringing: Our guitars are designed to provide years of rugged service. You will, however, have to change the strings. Dead strings degrade tone, so change them.
Lay the guitar flat on a table. Remove the strings and clean the neck with a paper towel. Don't use abrasive cleaners. Make sure not to pull on the neck when the strings are off, because it is attached only by the pickup wires.
Restring in the following order, for greatest convenience: 6,1,5,2,4,3. Cut off or coil excess string ends. We recommend using .010 strings for our metal fretboard guitars, due to their light action. It is unnecessary to use .009 on these guitars, and you lose the benefit of the tone of a heavier string. Your guitar is factory-strung with D'Addario XL110's, which we recommend.
You don't need locking tuners to lock the strings. Just loop the free string end under the string before you start winding, and this will lock the free end under the tensioned string and prevent slippage. This is important for all guitars. Ask your dealer to show you if you don't know how.
When retuning, it will take several passes to get all 6 strings up to tension, as the neck tube flexes to take up the string tension. This is normal, same as on a tremolo guitar with springs on the bridge. If you wish, you can change the strings one at a time to avoid the need for 3 passes to retension. New strings need to stretch out in order to hold perfect pitch. This can take a day or so. When the strings start to feel a little stiffer, they will hold the pitch precisely.
Polishing: If the finish becomes scratched, don't fret: you can touch it up by polishing with a SCOTCHBRITE pad, same as used for scrubbing pots and pans! Make sure to rub gently with the grain, not across it, in order to restore the finish.
Noise: If the pots become noisy, use spray-on control cleaner from Radio Shack.
Attention Guitar Heroes: If you plan on gymnastics with your guitar, use strap locks. Run your cord between the strap and the body and leave a loop before plugging it in, to absorb its pull if you step on it.
No Suntan: Don't leave your guitar in the hot sun or in a closed car. This could damage the plastic parts.
Shipping: Ship the guitar in a padded road case. Leave the strings tuned. If the neck should become displaced, just reposition it: the neck prong fits in the hole on the headstock and the bridge mount rests on the bridge shelf, between the two guide rails. A standard gig bag can be used for local hand-carrying.
Our guitars are versatile and suited to many playing styles. For country, use a bright amp and the neck pickup. To simulate an acoustic guitar, mix both pickups and turn down the volume slightly on the guitar, up on the amp. For jazz, boost the mid and bass on the amp and use the neck pickup. For blues or rock, use the bridge pickup with moderate or heavy distortion, respectively.