Dead notes, humidity and intonation

A

ahuimanu

New member
Hi,

I recently picked up a used Yamaha acoustic/electric and had it set up by the shop where I bought it (actually a GC). Anyhow, at first, in the store, it had a problem with F#,G,G# above the 12th fret on the high E where a note would sound dead. I understand this is due to intonation?

Now, I bring it home and keep it stored (as with my other guitars and basses) hanging from a wall mount (kinda like are at the store). Being that this is winter time, the air inside of the house is now quite thoroughly dry.

The quitar is a solid-top and I am concerned about it drying out. Since bringing it home about 3 weeks ago, the E,B and G strings now have "sour" notes up around the 12th fret and I am concerned it may be due to low humidity. Do you think this might be so?

I plan on taking it to the shop again, but do you think my problems are related to humidity and would getting one of those humidifiers you hang in the sound hole help?

Thank you,

A-
 
If you are doing nothing about humidity, your problems ARE because of humidity. You MUST humidify your guitar, and all of the problems you describe are frequently humidity related.

What we recommend is a two step approach to humidity. The first step is to get a Keyser Lifeguard, and use it. Check the sponge every time you play the guitar, or at least every 3-4 days. If you MUST hang it on the wall, which is a really bad idea in the winter, do not use anything but a Lifeguard. The Plant Waves humidifier will just let the humidity out, and the Dampits with the soundhole covers are too small to hold enough moisture, plus they scratch the top. In room humidifiers can only work if they are huge (mine puts out twenty gallons a day, plus we have a humidifier hooked up to our forced air HVAC which does another 10 gallons). Anything less will not be sufficient, and by the time the humidity is high enough for your guitars, you are causing damage to your house. The Lifeguard is made by both Ontek (which is own by the inventor) and Kyser. Get one, and get it soon.

The second step is to go to a store and buy your self a plastic soap dish with a cover, the kind you use for traveling. Drill some holes in the top of the soap dish, and put in a wet sponge. Keep this in the case with the guitar (and the Lifeguard) whenever you are not playing it. It is always best to keep the guitar in the case when you are not playing it. Your guitar is much safer in the case than out of it.

By the way, the problems you are describing are not intonation problems. Dead notes can be caused by many things. A partial list might go:

-action too low
-high fret
-low fret
-frets worn flat
-no neck bow
-too much neck bow
-neck is back bowed

There are many others, but the problem you are almost certainly having is that the top is sinking. Look at it from the side, and I would bet it is starting to look like a shallow bowl. I would not be surprised if your guitar's frets are starting to stick out from the side of the fingerboard. The next step, if you don't humidify, is for the top to crack. I would not recommend getting any work done to your guitar until you have aggressively humidified your guitar for at least a month. Unless, of course, the top actually cracks.

At the end of that month, the notes which have gone "dead" will (I would bet) have gone away. Then, take it to a good shop to get setup. And I do NOT mean a Guitar Center. You will never find a great repair person in a Guitar Center, and you do not want anyone who is not great. I also have to say that the shop you went to was clearly useless, as they did not give you enough of a lecture about humidity (if they had, you would have taken care of it).

Humidify your guitar


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Light,

Thank you for your thorough and informative reply. I will check out the humidifier you recommend although I bought one from SKB and am not sure how much good it will do.

The thing with my leaving them on the wall (hanging from an arm which is mounted to the wall) is that they are up and out of the way (my music room is getting crowded as it is also my office). Although used, this is my first decent acoustic quitar.

Also, what effects does winter have on electric instruments?

Thanks,

J-
 
ahuimanu said:
Also, what effects does winter have on electric instruments?

Thanks,

J-
Click to expand...



The primary problem here is goig to be the fingerboard drying out. The fingerboard will shrink, and the frets will not. This leads to protruding fret ends, which can be very sharp and painful.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top