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  #1  
Old 10-03-2018, 05:16 AM
Silly Moustache Silly Moustache is online now
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Default Strange issues with two collings guitars (Help?)

Hi, I have ... a number ... of Collings Acoustics, including my first - a 1998 build Ds2H, and a 2003 0002h. Both of these guitars have been afflicted with some sort of lack iof clarity and strange overtones in various notes on the fretboard and on the dreead particularly the bass string seems choked.
The dreadnought has been set up, well, didn't cure the issues, and so the fretboard had been smoothed and refretted but still the issues persist. I spent an hour with my tech/luthier who is extremely experienced and confesses puzzlement, and assures me that it is not my old ears! He has investigated the 000 for loose struts and placed some dabs of glue where there "might have been" some looseness although he wasn't sure.

He is now about to do the same thing with the dread, but currently can find no external evidence. Most of the time my house is pretty standard in heat and RH although, of course during winter RH does reduce and it may have at times gone as low as 20%, but I usually keep my guitars in cases in a cooler place. (btw - heating is via water filled radiators -not warm air!)
I was very ill last year with cancer treatment and did keep the 000 out to try to encourage me to play (without much success) but the dread spent most time in its case, alomng with the others.
I put mediums on my Dreads and lights on my 000. My other Collings guitars have been kept in similar circumstances without negative effect. In the absence of the Collings forum, I'm reaching out to anyone who might have experienced such issues to advise me (and my tech) . Thanks in advance.
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  #2  
Old 10-03-2018, 09:01 AM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
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You've had it looked over by a good tech, so got an independent evaluation. That leaves high humidity as one culprit. Use a hygrometer to measure RH in the case and see where things really are. Didn't the UK have an unusually wet and hot summer? My guitars certainly sound better to me at 40% RH than at 60% RH. Some guitars are just more sensitive than others.

The other possibility is something that I really don't believe in - the guitars just "went to sleep". Get some aggressive play hours on them and see if that helps.
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Old 10-03-2018, 11:04 AM
runamuck runamuck is offline
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This is anecdotal but I have a Martin OM and a fine classical that sound quite different depending on humidity. Several months ago, I dropped a dehumidity pack into the Martin to lower the RH. It made a noticeable difference within a few days.
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Old 10-03-2018, 11:32 AM
Silly Moustache Silly Moustache is online now
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Hi, thanks for this. I have hygrometers in all my cases.
They have not suffered from high RH as my house hasn't had anything over about 55%.

We did have low humidity during last winter and this summer possibly as low as 20% - there was no visual sign of tops either bellying (high) or dipping) but both guitars have been in normal RH since at least May.

Obviously something has affected them, and RH extremes would be the obvious culprit. However, assuming it was the low humidity sometmies last year, wouldn't they have recovered by now ?

Thanks for the input this far.
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I'm here to try to help and advise and I offer one to one lessons/meetings/mentoring via Zoom!
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  #5  
Old 10-03-2018, 12:34 PM
Bunny64 Bunny64 is offline
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I haven't been on here for a while due to several health issues myself. Thankfully I am now in good shape. I always used to love your posts and your YouTube clips. I was sorry to hear you have not been well. I would like to wish you a complete recovery and many more guitar playing years ahead. Can't really help you with the guitar issues but even I have noticed strange fluctuations in RH over the last couple of years. I remember once years ago a guitar salesman laughing at me when i suggested that a problem might be related to RH because it tends not to be an issue here in the UK but maybe things are changing and we will need to be more vigilant. All the very best to you for the future.
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Old 10-03-2018, 02:04 PM
tadol tadol is offline
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I’d try to dry the guitars out a bit, and I’d also try some different strings - very different. You may just need a change -
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Old 10-03-2018, 04:38 PM
Silly Moustache Silly Moustache is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bunny64 View Post
I haven't been on here for a while due to several health issues myself. Thankfully I am now in good shape. I always used to love your posts and your YouTube clips. I was sorry to hear you have not been well. I would like to wish you a complete recovery and many more guitar playing years ahead. Can't really help you with the guitar issues but even I have noticed strange fluctuations in RH over the last couple of years. I remember once years ago a guitar salesman laughing at me when i suggested that a problem might be related to RH because it tends not to be an issue here in the UK but maybe things are changing and we will need to be more vigilant. All the very best to you for the future.
Hi Bunny, I'm sorry to hear that you, too,have had health issues, and I'm very touched by your kind wishes.
I may have had my cancer removed (may) but the side/after effects of the treatment are life changing,so I have to adjust to coping with compromised mouth/throat issues.

I am still singing and playing although I have had to learn to sing and talk through a different shaped pharynx and mouth which I'm working on.

I am delighted that you have enjoyed some videos that I've posted on this forum, but I've posted many more on YouTube which I haven't posted here, so please have a look at my Silly Moustache channel.

I tried to keep posting during my recovery, and when I couldn't sing I started doing some "chatty" videos, albeit with a rather awkward speaking voice.

I even made a video about guitars and RH! There's a laugh!
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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!
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  #8  
Old 10-03-2018, 05:01 PM
Bunny64 Bunny64 is offline
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You are very courageous. I am rooting for you. Thanks again for the videos.
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D45 Replica in open D
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Line 6 Amplifi 30
Blackstar HT1R Tube Amp
DigiTech JamMan Stereo Looper Pedal
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  #9  
Old 10-04-2018, 06:02 PM
Silly Moustache Silly Moustache is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bunny64 View Post
You are very courageous. I am rooting for you. Thanks again for the videos.
Thanks Bunny,and that is what my wife said, but really, I had no choice.

I did have a friend, a little older than I who had the same thing. He gave up at the end of June. That really hurt me.
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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!
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  #10  
Old 10-07-2018, 02:00 PM
Bunny64 Bunny64 is offline
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Well I sincerely hope you don't give up the fight. I went back through your videos and they are so informative. I love your style of play. I am told that I sing well and guitar has always been to accompany that for me but I started late. Folk and country are definitely my preferred styles but I also try other stuff too. Your guitars sound amazing on the videos. I intend to study them more closely to get better at the base runs and hammer-ons and pull-offs that you do. Thanks so much for your time and energy in putting them up. This is one grateful student. Take care. My humidity currently at 48%!
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Guild D50 Bluegrass Special (Tacoma)
Cordoba C5 CE
Martin Dreadnought Junior
D45 Replica in open D
Squier Classic Vibe 50s Telecaster
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Line 6 Amplifi 30
Blackstar HT1R Tube Amp
DigiTech JamMan Stereo Looper Pedal
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