Having CF guitars is about to get real important...

[Captain Jim]

We just came from the title company this morning - signed our part of the paperwork to close on the sale of our house. The house in the Tropical Tip of Texas, with plenty of humidity. Keeping my guitars between 45 and 55% humidity has been easy... the a/c generally takes care of it, with occasional use of a room dehumidifier.

Towards the end of this year, we will be moving to the desert. To be closer to our daughter and son-in-law. Because, apparently, I'm not getting any younger. I was the last hold-out once my wife got onboard this past winter (our daughter has been lobbying for this for years). Resistance is futile (as the saying goes), and I am looking forward to lots of time with our kid.

I became interested in carbon fiber guitars because of our traveling lifestyle. I don't anticipate the traveling changing much, we'll just be based in an arid climate as opposed to a sub-tropical climate.

I may have to re-think my wood guitars. The new house will have a music room for me... my wood guitars have been able to stay out in our current house. I have time to consider, but I may be thinning the herd. But, not right away.

My music partner Mark (also in the Phoenix area) says he is looking forward to more face-to-face time, too. Who knows, maybe I'll feel like playing out once in a while again. Changes.

[Melt in the Sun]

You might find it's easier than you think. Generally our house here in Tucson is in the mid 30s. A/C doesn't lower humidity when the dew point is so low, it raises it instead.

Mid 30s doesn't scare me, and unless it drops lower I leave instruments out (two wood mandolins and one octave mandolin).

Welcome to AZ!

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Captain Jim

We just came from the title company this morning - signed our part of the paperwork to close on the sale of our house. The house in the Tropical Tip of Texas, with plenty of humidity. Keeping my guitars between 45 and 55% humidity has been easy... the a/c generally takes care of it, with occasional use of a room dehumidifier.

Towards the end of this year, we will be moving to the desert. To be closer to our daughter and son-in-law. Because, apparently, I'm not getting any younger. I was the last hold-out once my wife got onboard this past winter (our daughter has been lobbying for this for years). Resistance is futile (as the saying goes), and I am looking forward to lots of time with our kid.

I became interested in carbon fiber guitars because of our traveling lifestyle. I don't anticipate the traveling changing much, we'll just be based in an arid climate as opposed to a sub-tropical climate.

I may have to re-think my wood guitars. The new house will have a music room for me... my wood guitars have been able to stay out in our current house. I have time to consider, but I may be thinning the herd. But, not right away.

My music partner Mark (also in the Phoenix area) says he is looking forward to more face-to-face time, too. Who knows, maybe I'll feel like playing out once in a while again. Changes.

Keeping guitars in the cases with something like 1 or 2 Oasis humidifiers is not all that problematic (as people used to having them out on display,, imagine.) It is really just a simple change of habit ....

[Captain Jim]

Thanks, Melt and Kev. Years ago when we lived in the Black Hills, I thought that was a dry climate. When we have gone to visit our kid in Phoenix every year for the last 20, I wind up with "Vegas throat" within a day or two and I have to squirt saline up my nose to keep things from cracking in there. TMI?

In my current music room, I don't have space on the walls to hang all my guitars. That should be remedied in the next music space. I have wood guitars that are in cases that rarely see the light of day, because there is already a nice selection on the wall.

This past winter while there, I left my Taylor 12-string in its case at my music partner's house, with a humid-pack in the case. Pulled that out each time we got together so I didn't have to schlep a guitar on my motorcycle. One of the Emeralds travels with us in the motorhome.

I appreciate the comments. Back in the 70s when we first moved to the Black Hills, I had a Gibson acoustic that developed a crack in the top... guess I have been extra careful since that time. Good to hear I may ease off on some of that concern.

[steelvibe]

We are here for you Cap’n. Feel free to send me gifs or URL’s from the builder should you need help deciding.

[jdinco]

Congrats Captain!! I just moved from AZ, I had a 6 gallon Aircare humidifier in my "guitar room" that worked well and was not a lot of maintenance, I was able to have my wood guitars out on the wall all the time. You'll figure it out pretty fast I think, don't sell those great wood guitars too fast !! Best of luck on your move, it was a hard one for us.

[Earl49]

My days in Alaska taught me all about the effort to maintain humidity -- it was real work to get the house UP to 20% RH during the winter. That took 8-10 gallons per day in a cabinet type evaporative humidifier. We could not go any higher without frost appearing on exterior windows. That frost would eventually melt and rot the windowsills, so a very big no no! I had to supplement each instrument case with dampened sponges that had to be re-wet every week, a Monday morning ritual. That is where I first got into carbon fiber guitars, my 2001 Rainsong WS-1000. You won't have a problem with frost, but the desert is DRY. Instead of damp sponges, I now use water beads in perforated soap dishes, per this thread by Fazool:
https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=478974

The beads last about 3-4X as long as damp sponges, maybe a whole month before drying out. Having seen what a leaking Humidipak did inside a case once, I am not brave enough to try them with MY instruments (although I concede that many do it successfully).

[Mandobart]

I've mentioned several times I grew up in the high and very dry mountains of northern NM (7000' above sea level). In the winter the outside temperature and relative humidity are in the single digits.

And yet my dad, myself, and thousands of other people had wooden stringed instruments that miraculously survived with no attempt at humidity control. I still play my grandpa's 1880's wooden violin that survived that environment for over a century.

I played in the school orchestra all through grade school, junior high and high school. Hundreds of kids with wooden violins, violas, cellos, basses. Never ever heard of any damage to any of them.

Now i live in a low elevation desert in Washington state. I keep my music room humidified in the dry winter with evaporative Aircare units. I have 24 wooden stringed instruments. No damage at all in the nearly 30 years I've been here.

No, you do not need carbon fiber instruments in Phoenix. But you're going to get them anyway.

[Captain Jim]

Originally Posted by Mandobart

I've mentioned several times I grew up in the high and very dry mountains of northern NM (7000' above sea level). In the winter the outside temperature and relative humidity are in the single digits.

And yet my dad, myself, and thousands of other people had wooden stringed instruments that miraculously survived with no attempt at humidity control. I still play my grandpa's 1880's wooden violin that survived that environment for over a century.

I played in the school orchestra all through grade school, junior high and high school. Hundreds of kids with wooden violins, violas, cellos, basses. Never ever heard of any damage to any of them.

Now i live in a low elevation desert in Washington state. I keep my music room humidified in the dry winter with evaporative Aircare units. I have 24 wooden stringed instruments. No damage at all in the nearly 30 years I've been here.

No, you do not need carbon fiber instruments in Phoenix. But you're going to get them anyway.

No, I already have them (carbon fiber guitars, that is). While our travels over the last 20 years have taken us to the desert, it was generally for two months (+/-) per year. The guitars didn't have to live there (one always travels with us). Um... I didn't have to live there.

On an unrelated topic, I'm thinking about buying a mule and some prospecting tools and learning to say, "Dagnabit!" Too stereotypical?

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by Captain Jim

No, I already have them (carbon fiber guitars, that is). While our travels over the last 20 years have taken us to the desert, it was generally for two months (+/-) per year. The guitars didn't have to live there (one always travels with us). Um... I didn't have to live there.

On an unrelated topic, I'm thinking about buying a mule and some prospecting tools and learning to say, "Dagnabit!" Too stereotypical?

Nah, it is a trip down memory lane, dagnabit!

These days, carbon fiber guitars are one of many flavors of guitar, so going all CF is certainly viable and would make sense in certain environments (i.e. chronically too wet or too dry requiring constant attention).

Tony

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Captain Jim

No, I already have them (carbon fiber guitars, that is). While our travels over the last 20 years have taken us to the desert, it was generally for two months (+/-) per year. The guitars didn't have to live there (one always travels with us). Um... I didn't have to live there.

On an unrelated topic, I'm thinking about buying a mule and some prospecting tools and learning to say, "Dagnabit!" Too stereotypical?

Don't forget the soiled white cotton long johns , plaid shirt (sleeves rolled up) and Levi's 501 with suspenders.

[gwandsh]

Originally Posted by Mandobart

I've mentioned several times I grew up in the high and very dry mountains of northern NM (7000' above sea level). In the winter the outside temperature and relative humidity are in the single digits.

And yet my dad, myself, and thousands of other people had wooden stringed instruments that miraculously survived with no attempt at humidity control. I still play my grandpa's 1880's wooden violin that survived that environment for over a century.

I played in the school orchestra all through grade school, junior high and high school. Hundreds of kids with wooden violins, violas, cellos, basses. Never ever heard of any damage to any of them.

Now i live in a low elevation desert in Washington state. I keep my music room humidified in the dry winter with evaporative Aircare units. I have 24 wooden stringed instruments. No damage at all in the nearly 30 years I've been here.

No, you do not need carbon fiber instruments in Phoenix. But you're going to get them anyway.

Interesting, we are about to reverse your journey, moving from low elevation WA desert to much higher elevation NM. I've been promised a music room (aka office aka guest room aka workout room...), but not likely to have things set up for quite some time. So far the only thing that gives me peace of mind is leaving my wood guitars in a humidified case, which for me makes it a pita for quick sessions. May have to consider an Aircare unit myself.

[zeeway]

Cap’n, best wishes for a smooth move. Is that Glen Campbell singing in the background…by the time I get to Phoenix…

[Mandobart]

Originally Posted by gwandsh

So far the only thing that gives me peace of mind is leaving my wood guitars in a humidified case, which for me makes it a pita for quick sessions. May have to consider an Aircare unit myself.

I've got them all hanging up on the wall. Year 'round. Fiddles, ukulele, mandolins, resonators, banjos, guitars....

The Kay bass is on a stand. I've got a couple hygrometers and each Aircare is humidistat controlled. In the driest part of winter I go through about 6 gallons per day. For the past 2 months everything's sitting at 45 - 50% RH with no humdifier running.

I know most AGFers obsess about this more than I do.

[Captain Jim]

I like my carbon fiber guitars. I have been trying different strings with my X10, and feeling some frustration. Seems that I always come back to Elixir strings. I put Martin LifeSpans on it and it seemed that the guitar lost its sparkle. I tried some D'Addario PB Lights, and it seemed "tight" (for lack of a better word). Next up, a set of Elixer electric (nickel plated steel) lights, and they felt like too little tension and I was unintentionally bending strings while playing chords.

Today, I put a set of Elixir Nanoweb PB Custom Lights (.011 - .052) ... all is right with the world again. That guitar sings again! Great sustain, light enough for these old fingers to bend, but not when I don't mean to. Sounds good acoustically, and a great variety of tones plugged in. Nice balance from trebles to bass. I did some minor adjustments to the individual saddles. This guitar sounds and plays like I expect again. The few custom touches I had Emerald do (long before the 3D-Builder), the 24.6" scale and the Cracked Ice back and sides, just works for me.



Plays and sounds "lively" again. Someone whack me in the back of the head if I consider trying other strings again.