Effect of humidity on non-solid wood acoustics?

[Pierre]

I have two all-solid wood acoustics and I'm a bit worried about the winter here as temperatures and humidity can fluctuate quite a bit and very quickly.

My all solid Ibanez AW800 took very badly to last winter; the 13th fret rose and caused huge buzz. It's gotten better as it got warmer/less dry.

So to prevent this from happening to my Taylor I read up a lot on the subject and the conclusion is that they'll have to live in their cases, which right now NONE of my guitars do.

So if I want to keep my Taylor in good condition it seems I'll simply stop playing it during the winter :crying: Hence me looking for a backup, and I was considering the uber cute and huge sounding Taylor GS Mini.

This one only has a solid top and is about 3/4 of the size of a full GS or GA.
Would I also run into equal issues during the winter or will I have much less to fear?

Thanks y'all

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Effect of humidity on non-solid wood acoustics?

Glue don´t care about water

In other words, generally the more plywood is in the guitar, the more stable it will be. :beerchug:

BTW: As a general rule it´s ALWAYS best to store guitars (or musical instruments period for that matter) in their cases or at least a gigbag. The separate enclosed space slows the rise and fall of environmental factors, and this is the MOST imporetant factor as far as damage is concerned.

Why? Becasue the speed of the change is much more important thatn the size of the change. For examplle, you can take a normal drinking glass, place it in the freezer, take it out, and instantly shatter it with boiling water. But you can also freeze that glass with liquid nitrogen, allow it to warm up by itself, then take the room temperature glass and place it in water, which you then boil. THe glass survives.

If the change is so quick that it wants the material to expand or contract faster than it can, the material starts to fatigue and damage itself, in some cases such as the glass to the point of catastrophic failure. If the change happens gradually, materials can acclimate themselves more easily and any damage that does happen is generally less major in nature.

However in your case it sounds more like the humidity made the joint rise (or rather the dryness made the rest contract a bit) and that would be slowed but not stopped.

 

[Surgeon]

Re: Effect of humidity on non-solid wood acoustics?

If you let your guitar in its case, you can adjust the % of humidity with a humidifier in the winter and use silica packs (from new products packing, just don't throw them away and keep them for your guitar) to keep it down in the summer... I keep a cheap (10%) and small hygrometer in the case all the time in order to let me know when I need to humidify or get the packets out.

If you store the guitar in its case, there's no need to stop playing it anytime. Just make sure to get it back in a controlled environment after you're done.

That's what I do and I have never had a problem with my Taylor, and yet it gets really humid in the summer over here (especially in the basement where I mostly play) and quite dry with heathing in the winter.

I'd never deprive myself of playing a guitar I love so much. It's just a matter of taking good care of it.

Lots and lots of great info about this on Taylor's website by the way.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Effect of humidity on non-solid wood acoustics?

If you let your guitar in its case, you can adjust the % of humidity with a humidifier in the winter and use silica packs to keep it down in the summer.

+1. You have some control over the environment in your house. Keep the temp and humidity as uniform as possible. That, and with guitars being stored in cases when not in use, should get you thru.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Effect of humidity on non-solid wood acoustics?

Glue don´t care about water

In other words, generally the more plywood is in the guitar, the more stable it will be.

Absolutely. It's called lamination and it prevents a lot of warping. A laminated gun stock is influenced much less by temp and humidity than a soild wood stock.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: Effect of humidity on non-solid wood acoustics?

laminated... not how i want to describe a guitar. how does it affect the sound?

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Effect of humidity on non-solid wood acoustics?

laminated... not how i want to describe a guitar. how does it affect the sound?

It all depends on the rest of the design...how it's braced, and the thicknesses involved, etc., but if it's done right a lam top guitar can sound killer. It just won't change and improve over the years, so what you get at first is what you'll always have.

FWIW, every 335 and their copies are...ulp...laminated.

 

[Jessie's ghost]

Re: Effect of humidity on non-solid wood acoustics?

FWIW, every 335 and their copies are...ulp...laminated.

They're not acoustic guitars.

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Effect of humidity on non-solid wood acoustics?

They're not acoustic guitars.

he didn't specify,,,just no lam.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Effect of humidity on non-solid wood acoustics?

I have two all-solid wood acoustics and I'm a bit worried about the winter here as temperatures and humidity can fluctuate quite a bit and very quickly.

My all solid Ibanez AW800 took very badly to last winter; the 13th fret rose and caused huge buzz. It's gotten better as it got warmer/less dry.

So to prevent this from happening to my Taylor I read up a lot on the subject and the conclusion is that they'll have to live in their cases, which right now NONE of my guitars do.

So if I want to keep my Taylor in good condition it seems I'll simply stop playing it during the winter :crying: Hence me looking for a backup, and I was considering the uber cute and huge sounding Taylor GS Mini.

This one only has a solid top and is about 3/4 of the size of a full GS or GA.
Would I also run into equal issues during the winter or will I have much less to fear?

Thanks y'all

Buy a room Humidifier. They run anywhere from $50 to $150 depending on how sophisticated they are and how much moisture you will be blowing into the air. The other concern is the heating system. A forced air heat exchange will suck a large amount of humidity out of the air and replace it with warm dry air. This can be devastating to your guitar. Your guitars are generally made in a facility that is 40 to 50% humidity. That is where you want to keep it. Get a Humistat as well as a Humidifier and you can keep your guitar out of the case on a stand(not my preference btw). If you are more concerned about the guitar keep in t in the case and add a dampit type of device into the guitar and check it every few days.

Here is a Humidistat:

Here is a dampit which should be installed into your guitar when needed

This is a whole house Humidifier that costs about $90.00

Guitars are made of wood; wood requires moisture no matter if it is laminated or solid. A guitars frets will begin to feel sharp as the wood dries out. and shrinks. KEEP THE ROOM OR THE GUITAR AT 45 to 50% HUMIDITY!!

 

[blueman335]

Re: Effect of humidity on non-solid wood acoustics?

They're not acoustic guitars.

Hollow and semi hollow both have a lot of raw wood exposed to air. Principle holds for both.

 

[Pierre]

Re: Effect of humidity on non-solid wood acoustics?

I live in a one bedroom/room appartment. Does a house humidifier hum? If so it's a no-no.

I'd just keep both all solids in their cases and humidify these with a dampit style kit, keeping it easy.