Members Prozak Posted July 2, 2004 Members Share Posted July 2, 2004 I was wonderng what kind of extra problems, if any, living near the beach poses. Anybody around here have any experience? I'm thinking maybe the humidity levels would be higher, and maybe you'll need a dehumidifier, but I'm not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LittleBrother Posted July 2, 2004 Members Share Posted July 2, 2004 AC usually takes care of that. Buy a hygrometer for 20 dollars and dont guess. Also dont assume because the weather channel says 50% that your house is not 30%. Dryness and extreme heat are your two main enemies. I would think excessive hot direct sunlight could be a problem too in place like that. Also ocean spray will eat the finish right off some guitars. You can buy a carbon CA guitar and not have to worry at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bbrunskill Posted July 2, 2004 Members Share Posted July 2, 2004 When ever I take a holiday near the sea, my acoustic starts buzzing. The neck seems to shift closer to sea level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Prozak Posted July 2, 2004 Author Members Share Posted July 2, 2004 Originally posted by LittleBrother AC usually takes care of that. Buy a hygrometer for 20 dollars and dont guess. Also dont assume because the weather channel says 50% that your house is not 30%. Dryness and extreme heat are your two main enemies. I would think excessive hot direct sunlight could be a problem too in place like that. Also ocean spray will eat the finish right off some guitars. You can buy a carbon CA guitar and not have to worry at all I'll be buying a hygrometer for sure. You mentioned ocean spray though, thats more of the "extra" I was thinking about, but I wasn't sure if the contents of whats in the air changed near the beach. Is there anything that can be done to prevent this "ocean spray"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members labjr Posted July 2, 2004 Members Share Posted July 2, 2004 I would worry about corrosion if you live close to the beach. However, I'm not sure close you would have to be to be affected. I'd have to guess 8-10 miles or more would be a safe distance. Closer than that and I would be worried about having an expensive instrument. Maybe Taylor makes a guitar with driftwood sides and back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tom A Posted July 2, 2004 Members Share Posted July 2, 2004 I was wonderng what kind of extra problems, if any, living near the beach poses. If you're a traditionalist, copper cladding or a layer of tar will protect your guitar from shipworms (teredo navalis). I don't think there's much you can do about barnacles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LittleBrother Posted July 2, 2004 Members Share Posted July 2, 2004 Originally posted by Prozak Is there anything that can be done to prevent this "ocean spray"? Yeah dont play 10 feet from the water in the waves and wind etc. etc... Perhaps I was being a little too paranoid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LittleBrother Posted July 2, 2004 Members Share Posted July 2, 2004 I just realized if you live too close to the beach you might get alot of slobber on your guitar and that can make your strings and other things get rusty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shecky Posted July 2, 2004 Members Share Posted July 2, 2004 How close to the beach do you live? If you live near the beach, there should be no problem. If you live on the beach, then you'll have to take precautions. I used to live less than a mile from the ocean. I think the weather extremes in St. Louis were harder on my guitar. Humidity in both places will cause strings to rust if left unplayed in the open air. Using the case solves that problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Prozak Posted July 2, 2004 Author Members Share Posted July 2, 2004 I don't live near the beach at the moment, but my brother is moving out to some really nice apartments and I might be moving in with him, possibly, so I thought I would just go ahead and ask. He took me down there today and I found out, and I didn't exactly find out how close to the beach these apartments are, but the pier would be about half a mile away. From the apartments in the back, the queen marry is visible I believe. I'm not at all familar with shipworms or barnancles. Also, what kind of corrosion increases near the ocean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted July 2, 2004 Members Share Posted July 2, 2004 I would think that salt and sweat will increase corrosion on your strings and frets - basically anything metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members franchelB Posted July 2, 2004 Members Share Posted July 2, 2004 but just be sure that you're somewhere comfortable because your guitar would feel the same way. Too much dryness or too humid will not be good for your guitar...and it's uncomfortable for the human body too... I think a central air would be okay...keep it in the case when you're not playing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted July 2, 2004 Members Share Posted July 2, 2004 When I moved to Florida I threw out all the humidifiers in my acoustic collection and never missed them. The humidifiers often would over humidify or not do enough in New York City in the winter. They would get dry and hard after only 3 weeks! Anyway since I moved here my Action on my 2 J200's hasn't changed in 10 years at all. No cracks or even finish crazing. Guitars were made for tropical humidity it seems. The only Time I think a guitar really ever suffers from "over-humidifying" is from improper use of a damp-it or other humidifier. I think it's rare that humidy from the air can cause it often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members labjr Posted July 2, 2004 Members Share Posted July 2, 2004 When I moved to Florida I threw out all the humidifiers in my acoustic collection and never missed them. The humidifiers often would over humidify or not do enough in New York City in the winter. They would get dry and hard after only 3 weeks! Anyway since I moved here my Action on my 2 J200's hasn't changed in 10 years at all. No cracks or even finish crazing. Guitars were made for tropical humidity it seems. The only Time I think a guitar really ever suffers from "over-humidifying" is from improper use of a damp-it or other humidifier. I think it's rare that humidy from the air can cause it often. In the Northeast you have to watch the humidity carefully. In Florida you have the A/C running which keeps the humidity at a reasonable level. If you didn't have the A/C There would probably be too much moisture in the air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brokenwing Posted July 2, 2004 Members Share Posted July 2, 2004 Originally posted by Prozak I was wonderng what kind of extra problems, if any, living near the beach poses. Anybody around here have any experience? I'm thinking maybe the humidity levels would be higher, and maybe you'll need a dehumidifier, but I'm not sure. The only problem I found with bringing your guitar to the beach was drinking too much beer and falling asleep in the sand. No way to treat your '77 Guild D-50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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