Squeezebox Care & Maintenance - A guide to looking after your squeezebox

We are often asked how do I look after my squeezebox and how do I clean it?

Here Eagle Music answers in simple terms the important dos and don’ts regarding general care of your squeezebox, storing, cleaning and transporting your squeezebox safely.

Eagle Music Shop offers a full tuning and repair service for squeezeboxes.

The Bellows

Take great care of the bellows on your squeezebox. this part of your box is the most vulnerable part of your instrument. Damaged and leaking bellow can make your box hard to play and cause you to put more effort into your playing than is needed. Check before playing that you don’t have a belt buckle or other part of your clothing that is rubbing on your instrument. Also watch out for buckles and metal fitting on shoulder straps that may damage your box. its also good practise to cover the buttons and keys of your box with a soft towel or cloth when you put your instrument away in its case.

Storing

In general musical instruments like the same environment as their player ...conditions where it is not too hot or hot and certainly not wet or damp!

Keep your instrument clean and free from dust, dirt and moisture ...In a UK home, its OK to leave your out say on a table between playing sessions, in fact we encourage this as it makes you pick up the instrument more frequently to play and practise. Try to keep your instrument ‘out of the way’ on a table in a corner of the room. Never leave it near a radiator or in a window where direct sunlight can fall upon the instrument and bake it! Also, never leave your instrument stored in a cold or damp place eg. cellar, loft or out in the garage, and never leave your instrument in the back of a car!

Cleaning

Each time you have played your instrument give the keys a wipe over with a lint free cloth to remove finger marks. From time to time you may want to polish your instrument …always check that this is suitable for the finish on your instrument eg. On a modern gloss finish, always choose a non-smear wax free polish. Never use abrasive cleaners as this can damage finishes.

Transporting

Care of your instrument during transportation really depends on where it is being transported to, and how it is being transported. Hard-shell cases, Mally Bags and accordion rucksacks have their pros and cons. It can be said that a padded gig bag is sufficient to take your instrument out to the pub or a jam session.But please note …when using a gig bag, you must always remember that your instrument can still be damaged if you don’t take extreme care of how you handle it, how you put it down and where you leave it …other persons can sit on your gig bag! Also, If you are a gigging musician, It wouldn’t be a good idea to put your gig bag/ instrument in the back of a van or in the boot of a car with PA gear and other hard objects! We recommend a hard-shell case always for gigging musicians. If you’re travelling by by airplane we recommend a hard-shell or even better a flight case. Also, for added protection ‘bubble wrap’ your hard-shell case before letting it go in the hold of an airplane …the handling of baggage at airports can be very rough!