Whether you have a custom or a standard, when cared for properly, your Fodera should last you a lifetime. As a general rule of thumb, never allow your Fodera to experience environmental conditions that you would personally find uncomfortable.

• Ideally, always keep your Fodera between 50-80 degrees Fahrenheit and 40-60 percent relative humidity.

• Avoid rapid temperature and humidity changes whenever possible.

• Avoid leaving your instrument in direct sunlight.

• If you won’t be playing for awhile, store your Fodera in its case.

• Do not leave an instrument cable plugged into the jack for extended periods when you are not playing your Fodera, as doing so will drain your batteries.

Daily Maintenance:

• Wipe off your strings, hardware, and the body of your instrument every time you are finished playing with a clean, soft, dry cloth. There is no need to rub very hard when you do this.

Monthly Maintenance:

• Check the adjustment of your truss rod at least once per month. Click here for a guide to help you with this task.

• If you have a Fodera Standard (except for the Matt Garrison Standard), please consult this guide to help you with adjusting your truss rod.

• If your truss rod looks like this, it is not removable. Please contact us at info@fodera.com for further instruction.

• Change your strings. Fresh strings prolong the life of your frets and provide optimum intonation and tone.

• Once you have changed your strings, check to make certain that the bridge of your instrument has been adjusted for proper intonation.

Every Six Months:

• If you have a fingerboard made out of Ebony, Rosewood, Pau Ferro, or any other unfinished wood, while you have the strings off of your Fodera, you need to oil your fingerboard at least once every six months. We use clear mineral oil with no additives (found in most pharmacies). Apply it to the surface of the fingerboard using a clean, soft, dry rag (an old t-shirt is perfect for this). Allow it to sit and be absorbed for approximately five minutes before removing any remaining mineral oil with a different clean, soft, dry cloth. Restring your instrument only after all excess oil has been removed and take extra care to make sure that you do not get mineral oil on your strings!

• Give the body, back of the neck, and hardware of your instrument a gentle rub down with a very slightly damp, clean, soft cloth (or t-shirt) and then immediately do the same gentle rub down with a clean, DRY, soft cloth. Do not put the damp cloth anywhere near the control knobs or pickups.

• At your option, you can apply a very light coating of clear wax (we use Bowling Alley Wax, by BWC Company). Rub on a small amount with a clean, soft dry cloth and then wipe it away with a different clean, soft, dry cloth. Take care not to get any wax on any of the hardware, pickups, or fingerboard. The wax should only come into contact with the finished wood.

• If your pots have gotten a bit noisy, they can be cleaned with anti-static spray. We use Anti-Static Spray made by STATX Brands (Cat. No. 64-3310) and sold at Radio Shack.

• Change the two 9-volt batteries in your pre-amp.

Once Per Year:

• We strongly encourage you to have your Fodera checked out and set up by a top quality luthier, or stringed instrument repair shop.  If you live within a drivable distance of our shop here in Brooklyn, we encourage you to bring your Fodera to us for an annual setup.