Tuesday, 10 February 2015

Care For An Old Charango

A charango is a small, 10-string South American instrument related to the ukulele and guitar. Equipped with five sets of two strings, the charango projects a large sound for such a small instrument, according to bobbrozman.com. The instrument is tuned to G-C-E-A-E. Caring for an old charango is simple and inexpensive. You must take several elements of the charango into consideration to cover all your bases.


Instructions


1. Create a checklist, and do a brief assessment of the instrument. Your checklist should include the nut, which is the white strip between the headstock and neck; tuning machines, which are the knobs that tune each string; the strings; and the finish. Purchase replacement parts for anything that isn't working correctly.


2. Take the old strings off, and replace any faulty parts. To replace the nut, take the old one off by lightly tapping on the end of it with a flat head screwdriver and hammer. It should come loose. Epoxy the new bridge into the slot. To replace the tuning machines, unscrew the old ones and, using the same screw holes, attach the new ones.


3. Polish the finish of the charango using the wood polish and rag. Get rid of all dust, residue, rust and other debris on the aged instrument. This will bring back some of the luster and shine of the charango.


4. Put on the new set of charango strings, and tune the instrument. Tie a knot at the end of each string and slide the non-tied ends through each hole in the bridge. At the other end of the instrument, wrap the string ends around each tuning machine, then begin to turn the knobs to tighten the strings.


5. Play the restored instrument and enjoy.

Tags: each string, tuning machines