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dry guitar


lanenyc

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Hi folks,

have an Epiphone acoustic /electric that I allowed to become very dry and now is in need of humidification.I have purchased D'Addario two-way humifidify system.Any suggestions,tips ,etc. as to what I should do prior to using the system would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

-Brad

===========

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Bring the humidity up slowly. Get a soap travel dish, punch a bunch of holes in it and put a very damp sponge in it and keep it in the case with the guitar for a week or so.

 

Here's the FAQ from the D'Addario site:

 

http://www.daddario.com/resources/jdcplw/images/products/manuals/Humidipak_Frequently_Asked_Questions.pdf

 

 

 

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You might try running the shower, and leaving your guitar in the bathroom while it's running (not actually IN the shower, obviously😀). I would try running the shower for half an hour reasonably hot, then leaving the guitar in there for quite a bit longer. Other forumites might have more specific instructions. But I've heard this technique can humidify an instrument quite well.

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Hi folks,

have an Epiphone acoustic /electric that I allowed to become very dry and now is in need of humidification.I have purchased D'Addario two-way humifidify system.Any suggestions,tips ,etc. as to what I should do prior to using the system would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

Thanks,

-Brad

===========

 

 

The case provides the best enivornment for rehydration from what I've read. If it is severly dehydrated, it might take more than a week.I would invest in a hygrometer and make sure that the rehumidification system doesn't run out of water. Patience is key here, oh and move it away from any heat source if possible.

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The case provides the best enivornment for rehydration from what I've read. If it is severly dehydrated, it might take more than a week.I would invest in a hygrometer and make sure that the rehumidification system doesn't run out of water. Patience is key here, oh and move it away from any heat source if possible.

 

thanks everyone for advice and suggestions.One more question:saddle has come off.what is recommended glue and any advice on re-attaching?

Thanks again.

-Brad

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One more question:saddle has come off.what is recommended glue and any advice on re-attaching?

 

Do not glue the saddle.

 

It's meant to be seated with the down pressure from the strings when the guitar is strung up and in tune, That is enough to hold it in place, so no glue here, ever.

 

about your "dry" guitar.. you've got good advice here. The soap travel box, yes, and a sound hole humidifier, yes again. I would also get a hydrometer so you can watch the humidity. you want it around 50%. Keep the guitar in the case when you are not playing it.

 

And for year round climate conditions, consider that if you're running your heat, keep recharging (keep moist) your humidifiers, and check them at least once every 4 or 5 days, or at LEAST once a week. when the weather warms up and the humidity naturally returns, don't use the humidifiers, but I still monitor humidity (I want to know what the RH level in my cases are)

 

It will probably take a few weeks for the wood to re acclimate to proper humidity, I would not try the "shower" method,,, this could cause too drastic an increase and result in cracked finishes, cracked top, or frets moving about. slowly restore humidity

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You haven't said which guitar you're wanting to humidify; if it is all solid woods or has a solid top, you should definitely stay on top of the humidity during the winter. If it's all laminate, it's much less of an issue. My solid guitars live in a humidified room during the winter, but my all-laminate Epiphone PR-5E lives out all year. I bought its specifically because of this, and so far no cracking or any other humidity related issues.

As far as the drilled out soap case, make 2 large holes ( about 1 in.) per side instead of lots of small ones, this works much better. And since most cases aren't airtight, if you live in an area of very low humidity and your living space is heated by forced air, check your sponges daily. They can dry out surprisingly quickly.

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  • 2 weeks later...

One more question:saddle has come off.what is recommended glue and any advice on re-attaching?

 

Do not glue the saddle.

 

It's meant to be seated with the down pressure from the strings when the guitar is strung up and in tune, That is enough to hold it in place, so no glue here, ever.

 

about your "dry" guitar.. you've got good advice here. The soap travel box, yes, and a sound hole humidifier, yes again. I would also get a hydrometer so you can watch the humidity. you want it around 50%. Keep the guitar in the case when you are not playing it.

 

And for year round climate conditions, consider that if you're running your heat, keep recharging (keep moist) your humidifiers, and check them at least once every 4 or 5 days, or at LEAST once a week. when the weather warms up and the humidity naturally returns, don't use the humidifiers, but I still monitor humidity (I want to know what the RH level in my cases are)

 

It will probably take a few weeks for the wood to re acclimate to proper humidity, I would not try the "shower" method,,, this could cause too drastic an increase and result in cracked finishes, cracked top, or frets moving about. slowly restore humidity

 

thanks for everyone's advice re: dry guitar.I now need to attempt truss rod adjustment.there is no action at all (flat to the fret board on high E and B string,but E.A,D string OK.will this require left turn or right turn w/allen wrench? again any suggestions /advice will be much appreciated.

Thanks again.

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thanks for everyone's advice re: dry guitar.I now need to attempt truss rod adjustment.there is no action at all (flat to the fret board on high E and B string,but E.A,D string OK.will this require left turn or right turn w/allen wrench? again any suggestions /advice will be much appreciated.

Thanks again.

 

I'm not sure I follow when you say there is not action at all. don't you mean relief? (eg: the neck looks very straight)

 

if you want to add relief (increase forward bow) if the neck is too straight then you loosen the truss. some common symptoms of not enough relief will be notes fretting out in the first two or three frets. it's FINE to have very little relief in your neck. If the first few frets are buzzing bad, then yea, add just a bit of relief.

 

if you have to much bow, where the action feels a bit spongy up around the 4th to 10th frets, tighten the truss

 

 

lefty loosey,

 

righty tighty..

 

don't make any more than 1/2 turn at a time.

 

A responsive truss rod will change the relief with around a 1/8 to 1/4 turn. it doesn't take a lot. so if you want to add some relief turn the truss rod left 1/4 turn and let it be for a day or so.

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I repeat my post into your truss rod adjust topic here - quote:

 

'Don't confuse action and neck relief. The latter has to be adjusted first using the truss rod nut. Action is adjusted later through the bridge height.

 

'In case the neck bent backwards, this is due to increased humidity, not decreased.'

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  • 1 month later...

I live in AZ with very low relative humidity. Just purchased a acoustic-electric (DR-500MCE). How safe is it to use the humidifiers that fit into the sound hole? Will this affect the electronics/tuner inside?

 

I've never heard of humidification affecting the electronics. Maybe it can in some way, but I've never heard of it.

 

Keeping the guitar humidified in the case when not being played is the best route. There's a big "but," though. If you have one of those lightweight foam cases, you need to keep a constant check on the humidity because the foam will suck the moisture right out of the wood.

 

If you need to get a lot of humidity in the guitar relatively quickly, get an oversized garbage bag that holds the guitar, slip in three or four sponge/soap dish devices and seal the bag. Check the guitar every couple of days. It might take a week or so to get things back to normal. I've done that before and it worked.

 

When I lived in Minnesota, the general rule of thumb was to start humidifying the guitar when the leaves start falling, and stop when the leaves come back. Now that I live in Kuwait, in the middle of a very big desert, staying on top of the guitar's humidity is a full-time job.

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