Light - Your Opinion Once Again

[punkin]

Hello there Light,

Really respect your posts. I took your advice awhile back and had a guitar refretted with stainless. Cost a bundle but the best money I ever spent.

Was hoping to get your advice on a in case or in guitar humidifier. I have a guitar that I travel with and I carry it in a hard case. What's the best product on the market in your opinion for this application.

Here's my situation with guitar that causes me to ask... it may just be showing the first signs of some drying out (not sure).

With a straight edge just below the bridge between the bridge and the bottom of the guitar with the straight edge laying across the front left to right, there's a very slight rise in the middle...very slight. However just above the bridge between the bridge and the sound hole, there's a slight dip in the middle. It's an older Martin Dread. Not sure of the model. It's a good player. I've never measured or even had a real close look at this before and I'm not sure if it's always been this way.


keep up the great posts!


Thanks,
punkin

 

[32-20-Blues]

Okay, I'm not Light, but trust me on this, I've been reading Danny Guitar's 'Cracked Bridge' thread for the last two days, and I know what Light is going to say...

...The issue you describe is called 'bellying'. Rest assured, it is a perfectly normal occurence on any well built acoustic. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with this happening.

...This issue is probably not related to humidity. However, I suspect Light will tell you to get a humidifier anyway, and he is right.

Well Light, how did I do? Am I right? Turns out you learn stuff by just quietly reading these threds for a couple of months.

Btw, Punkin, wait for Light to confirm what i have just said.

 

[Light]

Yeah, it sounds like you've got some behind the bridge bulge going on, which is normal so long as it is not excessive. That being said, during certain times of the year you will need to humidify the guitar.

Ideally, your guitar should be kept in an environment around 45% relative humidity. However, if you are heating your house a lot, you do NOT want to try and humidify the house as you will cause sever damage to the structure of the house. If you are heating much, water will condense out of the air at about 35% and will collect on your window sills and studs, which will cause the wood to rot - something you probably want to avoid if you can.

Any time you get very dry RH (which can be from desert type heat or from heating your house in a cold winter), you should be humidifying your guitars. Up here in the frozen north, I recommend a dual source setup during the winter. I really like the Kyser Lifeguard - they are the best humidifier on the market. Make sure you throw out the hard plastic ring (which is for packaging), and then keep them in the sound hole whenever you are not playing. You can keep them in while your are playing if you want, though it will change the sound a bit and make your guitar quieter (which can be good if your SO is sleeping in the next room). In addition to that, you need to be keeping your guitar in the case when you are not playing it, and it is best to use a second humidifier in the case along side the Lifeguard. You can use another Lifeguard if you want, but it makes more sense to me to make what we call a soap dish humidifier instead. Just get a plastic travel soap dish from Walgreen's or Target, or wherever, drill some holes in the top, and keep a damp sponge inside. Keep this in the case up by the peghead. If you have your furnace turned on, you need to be humidifying your guitars, but once you turn your heat off, you can stop humidifying. However, in my part of the world, you will never do any damage by continuing to humidify all year.


Now, all of this is good for the upper Midwest. If you live in a swamp in Louisiana, the situation will be different. If you live in the desert of Arizona, you will have yet another set of concerns. Unfortunately, not living in those parts of the country, I can't help you too much. The best thing to do is seek out a good reputable repair person in your area, and ask them what they suggest.

 

[punkin]

Thanks Gents,

I keep all the acoustics in their cases and I do keep an in case foam-filled unit in each. I too have been eying the "cracked bridge" thread and it caused me to have a closer than usual inspection of this guitar. The upward buldge at the tail side of the bridge is slight...very slight. I'd say 1/16 inch at the crown. On the sound hole side, the dip is also about 1/16 inch.

Playability isn't a problem but as I mentioned, the discussion in other threads simply had me looking real close. Living in Denver, the air get a bit dry in the winter time, I'll invest a few extra buck and get all the hollow-kids some extra help with the Keyser.

Thanks!