Andy P
C.O.G.
Posts: 4,982
My main instrument is: Taylor 312ce, Guild D25, Deering 5 string banjo
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"","color":"8e2be1"}
Mini-Profile Name Color: 060607
Mini-Profile Text Color: 0b0b0c
|
Post by Andy P on Mar 21, 2018 20:31:08 GMT
Sorry if this video has been shared on here before, but it's worth doing so again for the benefit of those who may have missed it. Watching them will be 50 minutes or so well spent. David Reid is a former acclaimed luthier, who a year or so ago had to give up making instruments as he developed an extreme allergy to working with wood. He's now relocated back to Perth in Scotland, where he concentrates on repairs. I wanted to take a couple of my guitars up to him for set-ups and he more or less insisted that I watch this (and the much shorter Part 2) before doing so, the reason being that he's fed up with having to go through all this stuff every time. He also didn't want to waste my time, explaining that if the instruments weren't humidity stable, the set-ups might soon need repeating. On advice, for the past four months my guitars have been stored in their cases (apart from being taken out to be played of course ) with humidity control packs. My Lowden S25 should now be reasonably stable - fingers, legs and eyes crossed (they need three months minimum). It needed shims under the saddles at the start of that period but I've now been to cast them aside. I took it up to David today and spent a very illuminating morning with him in his workshop. I'm having a new treble saddle fitted just to get it bang on, but I'm now realising that previous work on the saddles (three times!) may have been unnecessary if I'd kept the humidity controlled from the time I bought the guitar three years ago, since when it's changed home environments twice (shop, to house in damp Cornwall, to house in drier Fife). The same goes for my Lowden G9 which is also in for adjustment - hopefully for the last time He's a nice guy too.
|
|
|
Post by dreadnought28 on Mar 21, 2018 22:21:08 GMT
I have a Vax humidifier to maintain 45% humidity in my living room where I have 8 guitars, 3 banjos and assorted other instruments out on stands. It cost about £150 which is cheap for insurance and peace of mind.
|
|
|
Post by jackorion on Mar 22, 2018 7:27:34 GMT
I haven't watched the whole thing yet but I will.
When I worked at Mansons you would not believe the amount of guitars that came in for 'setups' where it was obvious the guitar was being kept in a damp environment - I would estimate at least 50% of acoustics.
Customers would be adamant that their house wasn't damp, or that it wasn't cold and that the problem was the guitar. I used to spend a lot of time explaining to them the care needed with guitars, and suggest ways to combat high humidity (much more likely than low humidity in the UK!) and we would very often do nothing to the guitar other than keep it in a modified hiscox case (that we'd made as airtight as we could) with a remote hygrometer and some silica gel and, over two or three weeks, we would slowly dry the guitar out to being stable again.
Once we had a D18 come in with an action of over 5mm and a warped neck beyond what the truss rod could control - the top of the guitar was so arched and swollen it looked like an archtop. We were amazed when, after three weeks of careful drying, the guitar ended up back at 1.9mm on the treble and 2.4 on the bass side, with a straight neck and we'd adjusted nothing at all.
That guitar really sold us on the idea of making sure people were aware of humidity and we used to give out sheets of paper explaining it, and I would always mention it to customers... But they always came back with wet guitars!
Looking after your guitars is easy - I live in quite a damp house (from may to october the humidity is nearer 70% than 50% most of the time) - because I'm aware of this I just keep my guitars in their cases with a sock of rechargable silica gel and I keep an eye on them.
|
|
|
Post by Banadog on Mar 22, 2018 10:07:04 GMT
Maybe coincidence, but I have found lightly made guitars seem more prone to changes in humidity.
|
|
Andy P
C.O.G.
Posts: 4,982
My main instrument is: Taylor 312ce, Guild D25, Deering 5 string banjo
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"","color":"8e2be1"}
Mini-Profile Name Color: 060607
Mini-Profile Text Color: 0b0b0c
|
Post by Andy P on Mar 22, 2018 10:54:47 GMT
Maybe coincidence, but I have found lightly made guitars seem more prone to changes in humidity. It's no coincidence. My old Guild, built like a tank, hasn't changed in 38 years, regardless of humidity variations. It seems that, as a general rule, the better quality the instrument, the more fussy it is and the more care you need to take of it.
|
|
|
Post by jackorion on Mar 22, 2018 12:47:33 GMT
Maybe coincidence, but I have found lightly made guitars seem more prone to changes in humidity. It's no coincidence. My old Guild, built like a tank, hasn't changed in 38 years, regardless of humidity variations. It seems that, as a general rule, the better quality the instrument, the more fussy it is and the more care you need to take of it. Yeah I used to compare it to looking after a ferrari or looking after a ford transit... A transit is built for solid, reliable everyday slog and you can probably get away with less care because of that and they'll keep on trucking... ferrari's are not workhorses and need more care...
|
|
|
Post by andyhowell on Mar 22, 2018 18:07:32 GMT
I met David a few times and watched his videos. I seem to remember he wouldn’t use a face mask when scraping !!!!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2018 8:13:04 GMT
What should I do if I want to leave a nice guitar out in the room on a stand 100% of the time? Don't care so much about my Faith, but may have a Brook coming in next year. Paris is quite damp most of the year too, like in the UK. So do I need something to read the humidity in the room, and then something else to humidify or dehumidify it? The video probably answers these questions, I shall watch later...
|
|
|
Post by RodB on Mar 27, 2018 9:47:13 GMT
What should I do if I want to leave a nice guitar out in the room on a stand 100% of the time? Don't care so much about my Faith, but may have a Brook coming in next year. Paris is quite damp most of the year too, like in the UK. So do I need something to read the humidity in the room, and then something else to humidify or dehumidify it? The video probably answers these questions, I shall watch later... Now would be a good time then probably to get a hygrometer and get an idea of the Relative Humidity variation you can expect well before the guitar arrives. I use Caliber IV digital ones that are reasonably priced and the reading can be offset to recalibrate if necessary. Down here in the South West RH levels are fine most of the year but can get quite high for a few weeks in the spring / early summer and extremely low for periods in the winter. I keep my guitars cased anyway and stabilise the RH level during these extremes. Rather than condition the room you might be able to keep the guitar out on a stand and just case it when necessary with the appropriate ‘treatment’.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2018 9:57:17 GMT
Thanks Rod! Will look into hygrometers.
BTW a bit off topic, but do you know anything about the Folk music scene in France/Paris? Have been trying to find some folk clubs or something, but can't seem to find any. In future will also be looking for a teacher. Feel free to PM back if you like.
|
|
|
Post by andyhowell on Mar 27, 2018 13:33:12 GMT
What should I do if I want to leave a nice guitar out in the room on a stand 100% of the time? Don't care so much about my Faith, but may have a Brook coming in next year. Paris is quite damp most of the year too, like in the UK. So do I need something to read the humidity in the room, and then something else to humidify or dehumidify it? The video probably answers these questions, I shall watch later... Well, I recognise that and can only report back on my own experience. For several yeas I hung two guitars on the wall permanently. The Santa Cruz OM has had no problems except maybe a slight living of action when I put medium strings on — it is now strung with lights and back to normal. My Martin J40 has suffered though. To be fair this is now 30 years plus old and could do with some work. The action is now to high, regardless of the strings. I can't adjust the trust rod any further. I haven't had it checked out buy I suspect it needs a neck reset. I don't use this much but did a gig with it last year while my main guitar was having a service. It was finest long as I used a capo — actually it coped with my open tunings superbly. I don't take a risk now. The guitars are mounted on the wall only in decent weather and not in the winter. And my main guitar always goes back into its case !!! SaveSave
|
|
Akquarius
Cheerfully Optimistic
Posts: 2,510
My main instrument is: Towet Fingerpicker, Dreizehnter SJ15 "Akquarius"
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"","color":"020202"}
Mini-Profile Name Color: f9a507
Mini-Profile Text Color: f9a507
|
Post by Akquarius on Mar 28, 2018 7:44:17 GMT
Thanks a lot for all the information!
The only thing I need now is a proper guitar stand that holds a guitar upright (to save space) inside its case... . I haven't found one yet.
any ideas ?
|
|