i have an old Gibson SG. i love it – it’s the finest guitar i have ever owned. it sounds incredible, looks great, and is starting to get some real character. it’s about 16 years old now. i’m the first owner and it will be staying with me as long as i’m here on earth.

recently it started having some electrical issues. i was worried that the entire thing needed rewiring and that some of the components needed replacement. i was about to pull the trigger on all the parts/pieces when i thought “hey, maybe it just needs a good cleaning! it is old enough to drive, you know”

so after digging around i found out that you can clean the pots on your guitar fairly easily. i hit up radio shack and bought a can of their “Tuner Cleaner/Lubricant” and went to work. about 30 minutes later it’s like the guitar is brand spanking new. i even found that there are special tools available for this from places like http://www.stewmac.com and other luthiery supply houses. a whole new world has been opened to me! this exercise saved me some money, allowed me to keep my original parts/pieces, and saved me the hassle of desoldering and rewiring my guitar.

anyway, the moral of the story is this: don’t fix what ain’t broke. i do this a lot. when something seems like it’s wearing out i want a shiny new one. when something gets old i want to replace it. when my life is broken, when i’m in a tough spell at work, i want to pack up the tent and move on. patience isn’t one of my virtues, but i’m getting better. i’m trying hard to learn to be content with what i have and to keep it going with a little more effort than whipping out the plastic or moving on.

if you’re interested in the guitar cleaning part, look here:

pot cleaning cap

pot/switch cleaning solution