Solid wood instruments do not break because they are delicate. They break because the air around them changes faster than they can.
Humidity is the whole game
Keep the case at a moderate, steady humidity and almost nothing else matters. When the air is too dry, the wooden top shrinks and can eventually crack. When it is too damp, the top swells, the strings sit higher, and the guitar feels harder to play.
Put a small humidity gauge inside the case, not in the room. Rooms lie. If the reading drops too low, add a humidifier sachet and close the case.
Strings
Change them when they stop sounding like themselves, not on a schedule. Wipe the strings and the fingerboard down after playing; sweat and skin oil wear strings out faster than playing does. On a twelve-string, change one string at a time if you can, to keep the neck under steady tension.
The finish
A traditional lacquer finish stays slightly soft for years. Do not leave a rubber guitar stand, a vinyl strap or a silicone polish in contact with it — all three can leave permanent marks. A dry microfibre cloth removes almost everything. For anything else, breathe on it first.
The fingerboard
Once or twice a year, when you have the strings off, wipe the fingerboard with a barely damp cloth and then a trace of conditioning oil. Twice a year is plenty; more than that does more harm than good.
Travel
Loosen the strings a little before a flight — not slack, just off full tension. Never leave an instrument in a car. A car in the sun gets hot enough to damage the finish in under an hour, and a car overnight in winter dries the air inside the case to a level no guitar survives.
When to send it back
Send it to us if you see a crack of any length, a lifting bridge, a top that looks raised or sunken, a buzz that comes and goes with the weather, or anything else that does not look right. The first annual setup is free for life on every instrument we have built, and we cover the postage both ways for the first two years.