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Summer seems to be really here and it’s time to either save your stringed music instrument for the duration of holidays or prepare it for use in summer months.

Following are few suggestions to keep your music instruments happy throughout the holidays!

Things to do for the instruments that will be stored for the summer:

• Detune ¹ ​

Violin neck can easily unglue if the instrument is left tuned in hot space:

www.wallindependent.com

Guitar bridge can be another victim of string pull and summer heat: 

www.frets.com

• Choose cool, dry storage space²


• Oil fret board³

²Luthier glues are specifically formulated to release with heat application, so leaving music instrument in a really hot space, e.g. car boot, sunny room, etc, in many cases results in instrument ungluing and needing complicated and costly repairs once the summer is over. 

¹The danger is much worsened in case if the instrument happens to be tuned and therefore kept under strain, glue softens in day heat and sets during cooler nights, resulting in instrument bending following the pull of the strings or in many cases ungluing.

³Humidity and heat are extremely dangerous to instruments whose necks have dried over time, which can be prevented by treating the neck with oil made for fingerboards*.

*not applicable for maple fingerboards

Jim Dunlop System 65 care system for stringed instruments offers 2 products for fingerboard conditioning:

	Dunlop Lemon oil - €3.50(1oz spray)
	Dunlop Fingerboard deep conditioner - €6.00 (2oz with applicator)

The instrument that will be used in summer months will need a little bit more attention than the same instrument during cooler part of the year, due to the temperature changes, higher humidity and sweaty fingers!

The points mentioned in a checklist above (for instruments stored in summer) apply also to the instruments that will be played, except that you don’t need to detune.

Additionally I would also suggest deeper cleaning for fingerboard before applying the oil as besides humidity the fingerboard of your instrument will also be faced with sweat which is almost impossible to avoid in summer heat.  You will also need to change your strings more often than in winter months as together humidity and sweat make more damage & faster.

You can find following Jim Dunlop products useful for your instrument maintenance:

	Dunlop Fingerboard cleaner & prep (4oz spray) – deep clean the fingerboard
	Dunlop Fingerboard deep conditioner - €6.00 (2oz with applicator) – deep conditioner
	Dunlop polish & cleaner - €3.50 (1oz spray) – polish and cleaner for the body of guitar, bouzouki & other stringed instruments, except violins
	Dunlop orchestral polish & cleaner - €4.00 (2oz spray) – polish and cleaner for violins and other orchestral stringed instruments
	Dunlop cream of carnauba bodygloss - €8.60 (4oz) – protective wax coating for instrument body
	Dunlop ultraglide string cleaner & conditioner -€5.00 (2oz with applicator) – – clean and protect strings for longer life reducing finger squeaks at the same time.