A guitar rarely stops working in an obvious way; instead, it begins to feel slightly less cooperative, until the small issues stack up and the whole experience becomes less rewarding. Chords can start sounding crowded, slides may catch more than they should, and tuning can drift between takes, even when your technique has not changed. Many players blame their hands or their practice, and then quietly play less because the instrument no longer feels “easy.” In a lot of cases, the wire under your fingers simply does not match how you play right now, or what your setup allows comfortably.