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Old 02-25-2020, 10:26 AM
WildBill82 WildBill82 is offline
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Default Soundhole stickers and humidity

Guys - my Clarence White is showing very early signs of corduroy in the top, despite keeping a wet soundhole humidifier in it all the time. I want to do a quick rehumidification with a hot washcloth, but I'm concerned that that much humidity might curl the soundhole sticker. Anyone have experience or advice for this?
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Old 02-25-2020, 12:00 PM
jseth jseth is offline
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Not sure what you mean by "soundhole stickers"? I guarantee you that your Martin does not have any 'stickers" around that soundhole, not at that price point!

Do you mean the rosette (the thin circular pattern around the soundhole)? If so, that's not a sticker, it's inlaid into the top wood.

As far as the "corduroy" appearance - if it's really slight, it's normally a sign that the finish (lacquer?) has settled into the top wood grain a bit as it's aged... not necessarily a sign of being too dry.

Only you know if you've allowed the guitar to "dry out" a bit much... but I sincerely doubt it if you've been diligent about that soundhole humidifier gizmo... if the guitar shows no other signs of being dry, I wouldn't be too concerned; keep doing what you're doing, so far as paying attention to the general humidity of the guitar and keep playing it!
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Old 02-25-2020, 12:15 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jseth View Post
Not sure what you mean by "soundhole stickers"? I guarantee you that your Martin does not have any 'stickers" around that soundhole, not at that price point!

Do you mean the rosette (the thin circular pattern around the soundhole)? If so, that's not a sticker, it's inlaid into the top wood.
I believe the OP is referring to the paper label inside the Soundhole, glued to the back. Although CFM don’t routinely put a label in their guitars, in the case of artist signature models, they do - often with the signatures of CFM IV and the artist concerned. His guitar is the Clarence White signature model, and I’m guessing it will have such a label.
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Last edited by JayBee1404; 02-25-2020 at 12:48 PM.
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Old 02-25-2020, 01:03 PM
Goodallboy Goodallboy is offline
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I wouldn't go that commando at first. I'd use a damp sponge inside a sandwich baggie, with a few holes in it. The other method you mentioned would most likely detach the soundhole sticker, and or damage it permanently.

Good luck.
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Old 02-25-2020, 01:27 PM
PorkPieGuy PorkPieGuy is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Goodallboy View Post
I wouldn't go that commando at first. I'd use a damp sponge inside a sandwich baggie, with a few holes in it.
This. Also, a plastic travel soap dish with holes drilled in it with a damp sponge inside does well too.

You might want to do one of these at the body of the case and maybe another one around the headstock somewhere. Put it in your case and leave it closed. It may take a few days to get it back where it needs to be, but take your time. I wouldn't put anything damp on the inside of your guitar.
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Old 02-25-2020, 01:33 PM
JERZEY JERZEY is offline
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Yea adding gobs of humidity to wood often creates more issues then it solves. I would consider using a better metric and meter it so it does not exceed normal parameters. I would certainly avoid using a sound hole humidifier that seals the hole as well.
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Old 02-26-2020, 06:28 AM
Pnewsom Pnewsom is offline
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It is easy to over humidify guitars, especially with all the paranoia that goes around here. Putting a wet cloth on or in a guitar is a recipe for disaster. Corduroy texture come with age thin finishes. It is a good thing IMO.
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Old 02-26-2020, 06:36 AM
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Back in the winter of 2004/5, before I became aware of the issue of humidification, my Martin J-40 suffered thE effects of low RH - sunken top, severe string-buzz, and ‘corduroy-effect’ in the top.

Proper humidification brought the playability issues back to normal, but the corduroy-effect never disappeared. I still see the guitar occasionally, and the corduroy-look is still apparent.
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Old 02-26-2020, 06:57 AM
guitararmy guitararmy is offline
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I still remember having an Alvarez Yairi dreadnought, and my soundhole humidifier dripped and erased the serial number on the label...so yes it is a concern.
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Old 02-26-2020, 07:23 AM
DownUpDave DownUpDave is offline
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Because no one, including myself is 100% sure what you mean by corduroy have it looked at by a qualified tech. Without really knowing what conditions exist over humidifing could make it worse.
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