espskully
New member
I have a 1997 Gibson J30 acoustic. It's really dry here, consistently. From the 11th to 13th frets, all the strings choke out, barely sound or buzz. Can I fix this myself or should I just take it in for a set up?
T
TylerDrums109
New member
Could be a few things...depending on how its set up...can't tell exactly as i am not holding the guitar...the action might be a bit too low...(raise it via truss rod) ....could have a warped neck...has it been exposed to the elements?...left outta the case?...if the action is very low...the problem can be corrected by raising the action a bit...not sure as im not holding the guitar...but if your not sure what the problem is and you really don't wanna mess things up...take it to get set up properly...
B
bryantx512
New member
I would definitely recommend you get a humidifier/hygrometer for your case/guitar. Now for the neck, start by looking down both sides of the neck (looking from the bridge down to the nut). It should only have very slight relief. My first guess is you have some back-bow. Make sure both sides of the neck have roughly the same curve. If they're noticably different, your neck may be warped and you should take it to a reputable luthier/repairman. If they're roughly the same, try loosening the truss rod. Turn it 1/4 - 1/2 turn counter-clockwise. Then check the neck again. Play a little to see if it alleviates the problem. If not, try another 1/4 - 1/2 turn. I wouldn't turn it more than that without letting it settle a while.
muttley600
Banned
14th fret hump. Take it to a decent tech and get it set up correctly.
The truss rod is not for adjusting the action it is to counter the pull of the strings. No other purpose.
Most guitars have a warped neck by design, it's called relief. What is normally called a "warped neck" is one that has the thing bowing in more than one direction. As the problem is up above the body join this is highly unlikely. In this case it sounds as if it a classic case of body joint (14th fret) hump. Not uncommon.
espskully
New member
Thanks much guys! I think I'll just take it in to a tech.
I suspect the weather here the last few weeks (average -25 C, 4 feet of snow in the backyard) isn't helping things.
Cheers
I suspect the weather here the last few weeks (average -25 C, 4 feet of snow in the backyard) isn't helping things.
Cheers
Light
New member
I suppose that, given that Muttley lives in a cool wet place, he can be forgiven for not getting to this, but the FIRST question anyone should ask, particularly given the time of year and as you start out by saying it is really dry where you live, is, "what are you doing to humidify the guitar?" because this is about as classic a case (without seeing it, of course) of a sunken top.
Whatever you are doing to humidify, it almost certainly is not enough. Do more. A LOT more. Unless you start pouring full glasses of water into the soundhole, you can not possibly over-humidify a guitar. (Unless you live in a swamp, I suppose, but I don't so I wouldn't know.) Get yourself a Kyser Lifeguard (don't forget to take off the hard plastic ring that they package it with - not the cover with the holes in it, but the hard plastic thing that sits in the groove around the outside), and make yourself a soap dish humidifier (take a plastic travel soapdish, drill some holes in the top, and put a damp sponge in it - you can buy all the materials at Walmart for about $1.00). Don't let anyone try to sell you anything else for a flattop guitar, because there is not a more effective way to humidify a guitar out there, and all the other humidifiers on the market suck.
Use both humidifiers, and keep them wet (damp, really, but you know what I mean.) I'm betting that if you look at your guitar from the side, the top will be dished like a very shallow bowl. The next step is cracking. There is also a good chance that if you run your hands along the side of the fingerboard, the fret ends will be sticking out.
So, the first step is to humidify the crap out of your guitar. Hell, make a second soap dish humidifier and stick that in there with the other two. Give it a couple weeks, and it will likely come back. THEN, when you have reached a state of equilibrium (because from now on you are going to remember to humidify, right?), take it to a shop and get any setup work done which needs to be taken care of. If you bring it in while it's dry, the first thing they are going to have to do is let it sit in the shop with a bunch of humidifiers for two weeks to re-humidify (and if they don't want to do that, you shouldn't be taking your guitar to them). Why not do that at home and see if you actually need them first? That's frequently what I tell my customers (and they usually end up coming back for a setup anyway, so why not? Plus, it keeps the guitar count in the shop down to only hip deep).
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
Whatever you are doing to humidify, it almost certainly is not enough. Do more. A LOT more. Unless you start pouring full glasses of water into the soundhole, you can not possibly over-humidify a guitar. (Unless you live in a swamp, I suppose, but I don't so I wouldn't know.) Get yourself a Kyser Lifeguard (don't forget to take off the hard plastic ring that they package it with - not the cover with the holes in it, but the hard plastic thing that sits in the groove around the outside), and make yourself a soap dish humidifier (take a plastic travel soapdish, drill some holes in the top, and put a damp sponge in it - you can buy all the materials at Walmart for about $1.00). Don't let anyone try to sell you anything else for a flattop guitar, because there is not a more effective way to humidify a guitar out there, and all the other humidifiers on the market suck.
Use both humidifiers, and keep them wet (damp, really, but you know what I mean.) I'm betting that if you look at your guitar from the side, the top will be dished like a very shallow bowl. The next step is cracking. There is also a good chance that if you run your hands along the side of the fingerboard, the fret ends will be sticking out.
So, the first step is to humidify the crap out of your guitar. Hell, make a second soap dish humidifier and stick that in there with the other two. Give it a couple weeks, and it will likely come back. THEN, when you have reached a state of equilibrium (because from now on you are going to remember to humidify, right?), take it to a shop and get any setup work done which needs to be taken care of. If you bring it in while it's dry, the first thing they are going to have to do is let it sit in the shop with a bunch of humidifiers for two weeks to re-humidify (and if they don't want to do that, you shouldn't be taking your guitar to them). Why not do that at home and see if you actually need them first? That's frequently what I tell my customers (and they usually end up coming back for a setup anyway, so why not? Plus, it keeps the guitar count in the shop down to only hip deep).
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi