Members aussieguitarnut Posted February 22, 2008 Members Share Posted February 22, 2008 yeah - a while back my cole clark developed a raised bump just near the bridge. its not really visible but its very easy to feel by running the hand over it. cole clark hq was friendly and reassuring - saying it was probably some humidity and if anything was to happen they'd look after me anyways. is there anything i can do to fix it / prevent it from getting worse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members melandy Posted February 22, 2008 Members Share Posted February 22, 2008 Do you have a hygrometer to measure humidity with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members aussieguitarnut Posted February 22, 2008 Author Members Share Posted February 22, 2008 nope Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members daklander Posted February 22, 2008 Members Share Posted February 22, 2008 nope Get one.If the humidity is out of range, in your case, it's probably too humid, correct that condition and guitar should, over time, revert to normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members melandy Posted February 22, 2008 Members Share Posted February 22, 2008 Might be good to pick one up to know what kind of humidity you are dealing with. You can get decent digital ones over here for 20 USD. Not sure what they run on your side of the pond. Guitars like around 45% relative humidity, which is comfortable to humans too. If the humidity is low, and you have a hardshell case to keep your guitar in, you can make a very effective humidifier out of a plastic zip baggie with holes punched in it and a damp kitchen sponge (just damp... not wet). Sponge goes in the baggie and the whole thing goes behind the headstock in the case. If you are experiencing symptoms of low humidity in your home (dry skin, staticy clothes, etc), then humidity is something I'd recommend looking into sooner rather than later. -A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members melandy Posted February 22, 2008 Members Share Posted February 22, 2008 ...If the humidity is out of range, in your case, it's probably too humid, correct that condition and guitar should, over time, revert to normal. hmmm.... I assumed humdity would be low if anything. I don't know the UK climate at all. -A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members daklander Posted February 22, 2008 Members Share Posted February 22, 2008 hmmm.... I assumed humdity would be low if anything. I don't know the UK climate at all.-A High humidity will cause the wood to swell and can cause the top to bulge. A lack of humidity will shrink the wood, cause frets to stick out, seams to pull apart and cracks in the tops of solid wood guitars. That's actually one advantage of laminated tops, not being anywhere near as susceptible to dryness cracks as solid wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EvilTwin Posted February 22, 2008 Members Share Posted February 22, 2008 http://www.larrivee.com/5_features/educationEssays/humidityWood_essay.html higher humidity = bellied top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members garthman Posted February 22, 2008 Members Share Posted February 22, 2008 All of my guitars have been subject to the ambient humidity of the UK for all of their lives and some of them are nearly 40. They don't seem to mind it at all. Maybe it's because it is metric humidity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members aussieguitarnut Posted February 22, 2008 Author Members Share Posted February 22, 2008 ok - first step to get one of these hygrometer things - good advice. i never really thought about this before. i didn't really think it was humid here in london but just had a look at the weather on bbc and the humidity does get pretty high. funny - i knew it was wet but didn't think it was humid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members aussieguitarnut Posted February 22, 2008 Author Members Share Posted February 22, 2008 oh yeah - and if i get a little dehumidifier will the little bump go back in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 32-20-Blues Posted February 22, 2008 Members Share Posted February 22, 2008 Yeah, humidity in the UK isn't particularly high, but, if you heat your home in Winter (which I presume you do), you might have problems. Incidentally, if the bulge is behind the bridge, it's perfectly normal and, provided it's not excessive, shouldn't really be anything to worry about. Strangely enough, it's something most often seen on higher end (solid wood) guitars; cheap laminate models tend to be overbuilt, and so don't develop the bulge. Make a humidifier out of a soap dish / empty film cannister / plastic bag and some sponge, and throw it in the case now anyway. it's not really possible to over humidify your guitar this way, and it'll put your mind at rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Michael Martin Posted February 22, 2008 Members Share Posted February 22, 2008 oh yeah - and if i get a little dehumidifier will the little bump go back in? I don't know. My '73 Hummingbird developed a bump in that area back in the late 70s. The bump is at the lower right corner of the bridge (the treble side). It is barely visible, but can be easily felt. It's been completely stable since it happened. I don't know what caused it, although I have not always paid attention to humidifying it properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted February 22, 2008 Members Share Posted February 22, 2008 You might want to read this article by Frank Ford...the Grand Pooba of guitar repair Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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