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Joined:
March 2004
Posts: 120
Location: UK - Canterbury Kent | Over here in the UK, we have had a very dry summer, particually down here in Kent in the South, with some higher than normal humidity and temps during the high summer and a warm fall.
I have two accoustic guitars, being a 1778LX-BCB and a Martin D28. My Fender Strat and Telecaster do not seem to be effected in any way.
Due to the change is humidity and now that the house heating is on part time, the Martin D28 is virtually unplayable - still sounds fine but everything has move, expanded and now I have probaly a 1/4 inch gap between the strings and the fretts, at the neck joint. It is one year old.
I rang the local luthier and it seems that he has had many calls from people with the same problem, mainly Martins and Gibson accoustics.
And the Ovation 1778 LX - No change that I call see, feel or hear. Nothing has changed.
So a visit to the local guitar doctor is on for tommorow with the D28.
In the States, the weather has bigger swings and changes. How do you cope with this.
Piers |
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Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | Originally posted by Piers:
[QB
In the States, the weather has bigger swings and changes. How do you cope with this.
Piers [/QB] We play our Ovations. :D |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | In the fall, the guitars go back to their cases with their hygrometers and humidifies, monitored at least once a week.
Also, in the fall, I change the batteries and put mineral oil on the fretboard if they haven't been changes in the past couple of months. It's no big deal. |
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Joined:
April 2006
Posts: 2491
Location: Copenhagen Denmark | How about a Trussrod adjustment ?!..(no more than a 1/5 to 1/4 turn at a time..if that`s not enough then wait 3 days and turn again , that way nothing gets damaged.. :)
seen from "bridge to "nut "
turn clockwise to tighten = lowering neck
Vic |
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Joined:
January 2005
Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | Around mid October I turn the heater on for the swimming pool, de-thatch my lawn, and stop using sunscreen until about April. I switch from ice-mocha's to hot cappacino. Life is pretty high maintanence around these parts. Fortunately humidity does not change much. Outside swings from 10-30% but inside it's somewhat higher. I keep the guitar room set at a constant 42%. Have never had a problem. Dave |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Winter sucks
We moved to Florida
1/4 to 1/2 should be all that you ever need. High humidity loosen, gets rid of the bow(too flat). Dry, tighten, gets rid of the warp(Bow and arrow).
Remember the military description for the threads, righty, tighty, lefty, loosey. |
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Joined:
June 2004
Posts: 375
Location: Rocky River, Ohio | i like using a dampit along with those feedback buster plugs for the soundholes for elite style models.
I can get a week out of a dampit with 21 of the 22 holes on my 1758 plugged.
without the plugs, i need to re-water the dampit every other day in the dead of winter.
EC |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Hi! Once again... Will a home-made humidifier (damp sponge in a film can) cause the plush fuzzy carpet in my hard cases to mildew?
Also, it is pretty dry in my apt at night, with the windows closed, but I open my window everyday. And I live in Oregon.
Plus I play my O everyday.
Will any of this make a difference? |
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Joined:
March 2004
Posts: 120
Location: UK - Canterbury Kent | Following my earlier post, thanks for the advice.
Today, I took the D28 to the local guitar luthier.
He said that due to the weather, the truss rod needs adjustment, the action needs 1 mm off the saddle and the soundboard have bowed. Should be ready by next week. While I was there, I played a D-28 12 string - wow what a sound. I am still looking for a 12 string, but this was a $2850 guitar here in UK.
So the 1778LX will be in action this week, as it seems completly uneffected by the weather.
Piers
As a second issue, I like to play John Fogerty music. I saw Credence CR at the Albert Hall many years ago and the songs left a lasting impression on me. His music is great and he is one of the heros of Country rock in my eyes. Are there any specific web sites applicable to his music etc. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15677
Location: SoCal | Humidity? Dryness? What're they? |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | Get a hygrometer. If you are in a part of Oregon where everything has mildew on it, you probably don't need a humidifier. If it is below 40% in the house, you probably need a humidifier.
We just had a cold spell here and the furnace started kicking in. The humidity in the basement, where my guitars are, dropped from the mid 40s to 33 overnight. That heated air really dries things out fast. If the collection gets any bigger, I may need a big humidifier with a humidistate in it. The 2 gallon room humidifier that I have is having trouble keeping up. |
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Joined:
June 2006
Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | Down here in Florida, we usually have to wring out the guitars before we play them for 9 months of the year. The other 3 are just fine.
SWAMP COUNTRY :rolleyes: |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Up north, if we kept the windows open, no problem with humidity, but we have to turn on the heater otherwise the wife starts complaining.
Anyhow, I also have a warm air humidifier. I'll take it out and post the brand name, I got a good deal on it from amazon. I think some other people here may have something similar. |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Hi! Once again... Will a home-made humidifier (damp sponge in a film can) cause the plush fuzzy carpet in my hard cases to mildew?
NO. As long as you monitor the humidity with a hygrometer. Keep the humidity between 40 and 60
Also, it is pretty dry in my apt at night, with the windows closed, but I open my window everyday. And I live in Oregon.
Plus I play my O everyday.
Will any of this make a difference?
NO |
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So here comes Winter
