#1
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Do some guitars survive through humidity issues better than others?
OK I know this question is weird. From my limited observation, I tend to find that guitars made by certain manufacturers endure low humidity better than those made by other companies. For example, guitar A can be left in a room with RH as low as 20ish% for weeks without developing cracks or sharp frets whereas guitar B develops such issues even in an environment at 30ish% RH during a similar period of time (or even in a humidified hardshell case). I wonder if some of you can confirm this from your experience or knowledge. If this is true, what could possibly be the reasons?
My tentative guess is that some guitars (especially cheaper ones) are built heavily and with less precision in their structure so that different parts of such a guitar can move a little bit more during humidity changes without causing harm to the whole structural integrity. I know every piece of wood is different. I'm just curious about other reasons that are within our knowledge. What do you think? Last edited by musicwu; 10-03-2019 at 09:45 PM. |
#2
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IME the modern tendency to use kiln-dried woods is a major contributor to structural issues - FWIW I never encountered the problems you cite in any well-made vintage (roughly pre-1975) instrument, produced when woods were routinely air-dried and aged for a decade or more, and I've seen orchestral strings whose age could be reckoned in centuries in better shape than many guitars that were 15-20 years old. Bottom line, as the saying goes, is that it's all about the benjamins; until/unless we as players collectively demand better from the major manufacturers, they'll play to the lowest common denominator in the name of higher profit margins and maximum market saturation - and we'll get exactly what we deserve...
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#3
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Then again, I do live in Phoenix.
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Larrivee OM-03RE; O-01 Martin D-35; Guild F-212; Tacoma Roadking Breedlove American Series C20/SR Rainsong SFTA-FLE; WS3000; CH-PA Taylor GA3-12, Guild F-212 https://markhorning.bandcamp.com/music |
#4
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Not quite what you’re talking about, but certainly there are differences in neck stability in terms of withstanding extremes. For example the 5-ply neck that Yamaha uses on their higher end offerings is supposed to be bomb proof in that regard.
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2020 Yamaha LL56 Custom 2021 Boucher SG-51-BMV 2020 RainSong CO-WS1000N2 2019 PRS Silver Sky |
#5
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All I can add to this is that my Collings are less sensitive to RH than they seem to be to temperature.
They've been fine all summer with an RH of 50-60% and temps in the low '70s but since I switched the central heating on, whilst RH stays the same, night-time temps get lower (naturally)and high strings all start buzzing (although I like higher than normal actions).
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Silly Moustache, Just an old Limey acoustic guitarist, Dobrolist, mandolier and singer. I'm here to try to help and advise and I offer one to one lessons/meetings/mentoring via Zoom! |
#6
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In general:
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A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings… |
#7
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Congrats on your new Yam. The high end L series guitars are stellar. |
#8
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As for the stability of the neck. Everything I said was based on various bits of info out there that suggested they were mega stable compared to the average product out there. It is so nice to hear a direct example like this from someone like yourself. Thanks for telling me that. Gives me some extra confidence in my decision. I found the neck stability aspect appealing. Apparently that structure adds a fair amount of labour to the price of their guitars...the layup process is apparently quite time consuming. Apparently it is worth it in terms of performance. Yamaha know what they’re doing. No doubt. They ain’t sexy to a lot of folks around here, but they are a solid product.
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2020 Yamaha LL56 Custom 2021 Boucher SG-51-BMV 2020 RainSong CO-WS1000N2 2019 PRS Silver Sky |
#9
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My layman's guess is that where necks are concerned, the 'holy grail' one-piece neck which these days sounds like have been made of kiln-dried wood is literally sticking its neck out and more readily gives in to moisture fluctuations, while inexpensive multi-piece necks which have been made to hide their picture-puzzle assembly, are more resistant to moisture fluctuations, and laminated necks proudly showing off their many layers are as happy as the cheapies. I guess.
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#10
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2020 Yamaha LL56 Custom 2021 Boucher SG-51-BMV 2020 RainSong CO-WS1000N2 2019 PRS Silver Sky |
#11
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I've read that torrified timbers care less about humidity due to their lack of hemicellulose which absorbs and looses water in cells.
If so it follows that old timbers would behave similarly. |
#12
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For your reference, I've just found this thread:
https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=461082 I have to say that my personal experience confirms this. I can't say vintage instruments, but seems like modern guitars are not consistent enough in this respect. Or as they say 'every piece of wood is different.' |
#13
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no humidity related issues with carbon fiber.
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#14
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And for this reason, my Modern Deluxe seems to behave better in high humidity.
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Consensus, by definition, is a lack of leadership. |
#15
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