Cleaning
Regular cleaning of your guitar is one of the most important ways you can maintain the finish and lengthen string life. After playing, wipe down your instrument to remove any perspiration from the instrument. Perspiration can actually contain acids that can be corrosive to the strings and metal parts of the guitar. Gloss finish guitars should be polished with polish formulated specifically for musical instruments, and a soft, treated guitar cloth or a cotton rag. Abrasive rags such as polyester can scratch the finish.

Strings and tuning machines
If strings become dirty, discolored, or produce a dull sound or buzz, replace the strings with new ones. For best results we recommend replacing one string at a time, this will help avoid removing the string tension from the neck. When replacing strings with different gauge strings, it may be necessary to adjust the truss rod tension (we recommend only qualified technicians perform this). Instruments that have tremolo systems installed may need to be adjusted after string replacement as changes in string tension can cause the tremolo to raise or lower. The strings should be tightly wound on to the tuning machines from top to bottom with two to three string wraps around the post.

Neck
Anthem guitars are equipped with adjustable truss rods. The purpose of a truss rod is to adjust the neck to counteract string tension. There are many reasons for truss rod adjustments. One of the most frequent reasons is changing string gauges or tuning pitch which can affect string tension. String tension changes may affect the string height and cause fret buzz or notes that don't ring true. To adjust the truss rod locate the truss rod nut and adjust it by inserting the correct wrench into the nut and tightening (clockwise) or loosening (counter clockwise) the rod. Truss rod tension can be measured by installing a capo at the first fret holding the strings down at the fret position where the neck joins the body. Insert a thickness gauge between the string and the fret at the 8th fret. There should be between 0.3 mm to 0.5mm clearance. That clearance is referred to as "neck relief." Too much neck relief can cause the neck to have higher action in the middle of the neck causing poor intonation and uncomfortable playability. No neck relief can cause fret buzz.

Action
Anthem guitar and bass string action is set at the factory. However there are many reasons that an instrument's string height can change. Instruments can be affected by changes in temperature and moisture. High string action can make the guitar difficult to play. If the string action is too low, fret buzz or unclear notes can occur. In the case of string action, make sure the guitar is in tune and the truss rod is adjusted properly. Anthem action is set at the 14th fret of guitar, the 12th fret of bass. The action may also need to be readjusted after the neck has been adjusted or strings have been changed to a different gauge. Follow the instruction in the relevant bridge manual to make adjustments.

Intonation
Intonation adjustment is the operation of adjusting the location of the string at the saddle to compensate for different string gauges or different tunings. Intonation is properly set when the 12th fret note and the 12th fret harmonic are exactly the same note. This is the center point of the scale and the most accurate way of setting a standard scale length. With the harmonic note as the standard, if the fretted note is flat, move the bridge saddle forward toward the headstock to decrease the string length. If the fretted note is sharp, move it back away from the headstock to increase the string length.

Pickups
The output level of the instrument as well as the quality of the signal can be affected by the pickup height. Pickup height should be adjusted until the volume of neck and bridge pickups are almost equal with both volumes wide open. The volume may drop drastically if the pickup height is too low. As the pickups are magnetic, fret buzzing and distortion may occur if the pickup is too close to the strings. Use a small screwdriver to make adjustments to raise or lower the pickup.