Guitar swelling due to humidity

[jeverist]

I think my Martin(DC-16 RGTE) which is less than two years old is in some process of seasoning. Admittedly, I haven't maintained its humidity level as consistently as I should have. Over the winter, I needed to loosen the truss rod to give it some relief. Now I think its swelled up due to moisture - too much humidity. I've got the truss rod as tight as it will go and I've ground down the saddle to where theres not much of it sticking out from the bridge. The action is pretty good, but theres pretty much no room to adjust it more, and I think the intonation is a little off because of the low saddle height.

 

Basically, I think my guitar needs to dry out. Any recommendations for gradually getting it back into shape?

[DonK]

First question, where do you live? A typical guitar can gain or lose up to an ounce of water as the seasons (and humidity and temperature) change.

 

The Taylor Guitars website has some of the best info on this topic; check out this page:

 

http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/reference/faqs.html

 

I live in the Mid-Atlantic region, where the winters are cold enough to require several months of serious, forced air dry heating, but also includes summers with high humidity (today the high temp was 102, with the humidity at nearly 95%). I use a whole-house humidifier in the winter in addition to including a Damp-It in each of my guitar cases (the whole-house humidifier just can't keep up at times). In the summer, I've got excellent A/C.

 

The above generally lets me avoid the seasonal effects on my guitars. I rarely have to mess with my truss rods, nor do I need winter/summer saddles. More importantly, I've been able to avoid cracks and other structural problems.

 

If I were you, I'd really start focusing on the disease rather than the symptoms. You can mess around with truss rods and saddles as the seasons change, but eventually you're going to find yourself dealing with structural problems, which are a lot harder and more expensive to fix.

 

So, for the time being, get a couple of dessicant packs in your guitar case to get it to dry out a bit. Then, get to work on stabilizing the humidity and temperature in your house, or at least the room where you keep your guitar.

 

BTW, I just bought a D-16RGTE this evening; great guitar!

[flip333]

Good question. I am in a similar position. I began to notice my dread action rising as I faithfully over humidified my guitar. I took it out of the case for now and I am going to get a humidity gauge for my studio.

 

At least over humidifying a guitar is reversible (generally).

[Freeman Keller]

If you look a Larrivee's chart, it takes prolonged exposure to some pretty high (70-80% or so) humidity to really start seeing big changes.

 

http://www.larrivee.com/flash/features/education/humidity/humidity.html

 

If you are truely in that environment, you need to be taking serious action. For most people, the big affects of humidity are at the low end. Probably the best place to start is to get a little hygrometer, check its calibration, and find out what you are dealing with.

[BackPocket]

Get a hygrometer so you can see what the situation is like - i use the Caliber III - got it on amazon for 20 bucks. Works well so far.

 

It's been extremely humid in my area of New Jersey lately so I have kept my guitar in an air conditioned room with a humudipak (still not sure if the humidpak works great or not). It's been kept at 52% humidity and 71 degrees which is fine enough.

 

To dehumidify a little - look into www.zorb-it.com . They aren't too expensive and it's free shipping. Should help soak up some of the moisture.

 

One fella in my area uses a large dehumidifier and humidifier for his house. They were both kinda expensive but he has 6+ nice guitars.

[Emory]

I think fqms has a dehumidifier (silica thing in aluminum case) for cheap. I live in Thailand, and WHEW! what that climate can do! Tacoma jumbo: top swell so much have to slot the bridge, finish coming off in chunks!!!, rust of tuners (true of Larrivie within months of buying).

[jeverist]

My guitar seems to be more in the 50-70% range with these moderate symptoms as listed by that chart:

 

Top and back will probably appear slightly more convex than normal. Playability may be affected.

 

So nothing too extreme. Its monsoon season in Albuquerque, plus I have a swamp cooler that is on all the time. Part of the action problem may have stemmed from me loosening the truss rod back in the winter time to give the neck a little more relief.

 

The taylor site recommended some dessicants as well as running a fan for about 15 minutes at a time so I'll try that. Basically I was just looking for a safe way to dry it out a little without overdrying or doing too much too fast.

 

I'll definitely get a hygrometer and also one of those planet waves systems that keeps the guitar at a constant humidity level once I get it back to normal.

 

 

 

 

If you look a Larrivee's chart, it takes prolonged exposure to some pretty high (70-80% or so) humidity to really start seeing big changes. http://www.larrivee.com/flash/features/education/humidity/humidity.html If you are truely in that environment, you need to be taking serious action. For most people, the big affects of humidity are at the low end. Probably the best place to start is to get a little hygrometer, check its calibration, and find out what you are dealing with.

 

[Broadus]

This thread started me wondering about how folks took care of their instruments before the climate controlled homes we enjoy today. What happened to guitars in homes that were cold in the winter and hot in the summer, with the humidity being what day it happened to have been?

 

Bill

[dwerlin]

another D-16 series owner here (2006 D-16RGT)!

 

Planet Waves came out with that idiot proof humidifying/dehumidifying item that either will dry out your guitar if it's too sogged, or humidify it if it's too dry. I forget the name of it off the top of my head though.

[peppy]

 

This thread started me wondering about how folks took care of their instruments before the climate controlled homes we enjoy today. What happened to guitars in homes that were cold in the winter and hot in the summer, with the humidity being what day it happened to have been? Bill

 

 

Good question...I'll know soon when my 1929 Martin is brought to me next week. Haven't seen it in years. It spent its first half of its life in a non-controlled environment (in Ridgeway and Fort Mill, S.C.). My Santa Cruz having spent their lives carefully controlled and doing really well so far. Will be interesting to compare.

[Freeman Keller]

 

This thread started me wondering about how folks took care of their instruments before the climate controlled homes we enjoy today. What happened to guitars in homes that were cold in the winter and hot in the summer, with the humidity being what day it happened to have been? Bill

 

 

I would guess that many didn't survive. Most old guitars have badly checked finishes and frequently some problems. But I think one big difference, as our resident luthier Bjorn-Fjord has pointed out, is that many guitars today, including lots of the imports are built much lighter - seriously scalloped and thinner plates - to get that instant gratification of "great sound out of the box" that an old guitar gets with age.

 

As you know Martin started beefing up their guitar in the 60's and 70's because they were having so many failures - that tells me (1) earlier guitars did in fact fail, and (2) maybe we are re-entering that phase with our new ones.

 

In my humble stable a 1974 Martin has had very little care and very few problems, my 2003 Taylor (and my heavily scalloped home made ones) required constant babying.

 

Peppy, you gotta post some pics. And some clips too. Of both.

[peppy]

I would guess that many didn't survive. Most old guitars have badly checked finishes and frequently some problems. But I think one big difference, as our resident luthier Bjorn-Fjord has pointed out, is that many guitars today, including lots of the imports are built much lighter - seriously scalloped and thinner plates - to get that instant gratification of "great sound out of the box" that an old guitar gets with age. As you know Martin started beefing up their guitar in the 60's and 70's because they were having so many failures - that tells me (1) earlier guitars did in fact fail, and (2) maybe we are re-entering that phase with our new ones. In my humble stable a 1974 Martin has had very little care and very few problems, my 2003 Taylor (and my heavily scalloped home made ones) required constant babying. Peppy, you gotta post some pics. And some clips too. Of both.

 

Hey now, got a pic of my favorite woman in my avatar...isn't that enough?

[Freeman Keller]

Hey now, got a pic of my favorite woman in my avatar...isn't that enough?

 

No. I'm a sucker for both a lovely woman and a lovely guitar - both to hear and to see. You gotta show them off. And we don't get enough chance to see/hear Richard Hoover's beautiful work either. Post 'em!

[DonK]

This thread started me wondering about how folks took care of their instruments before the climate controlled homes we enjoy today. What happened to guitars in homes that were cold in the winter and hot in the summer, with the humidity being what day it happened to have been? Bill

 

Ha Bill, they played $12 ladder-braced, laminated Stellas strung with .015" gauge Black Diamonds!

[flip333]

Hey Freeman,

 

That's really good detective work!

 

Good logic.

[lovemachine97]

 

another D-16 series owner here (2006 D-16RGT)! Planet Waves came out with that idiot proof humidifying/dehumidifying item that either will dry out your guitar if it's too sogged, or humidify it if it's too dry. I forget the name of it off the top of my head though.

 

 

It's called the Planet Waves Humidipack, developed with Bob Taylor.

 

It's 27.99, and regulates the inside of your case to 45% humidity by either adding or subtracting moisture inside your case. You get 3 gel packs, and the mesh pockets you need for them to work properly.

 

When the gel packs get hard, you can buy replacements for 6.99 each. They last 2-4 months.

[peppy]

 

Good question...I'll know soon when my 1929 Martin is brought to me next week.

 

 

Okay, so I was wrong, think it's actually a Great Depression model. By serial number it appears to have been built in 1930. It's small too...a 2-17 model. Needs some fret work and some new...but "old"...tuners. Anyone know where I can get a set of black-buttoned, older style replica tuners? (Nothing comparable at Elderly's...for one source.)