chop Posted December 31, 2008 Posted December 31, 2008 I have taken advantage of Boxing day sales here in Toronto and picked up a beautiful new Les Paul Std (60's neck). I am working on getting some pics up. Couple of questions for you: 1) Having been a long time acoustic palyer, I was always very concious of keeping my guitars properly humidified. Is it a good idea to have a case humidifier for my LP? 2) Forgive me if this is a stupid question - Is a 60's neck wider than a 50's neck or is it just thinner? Happy New Year to all! Chop
MReynolds Posted January 2, 2009 Posted January 2, 2009 chop, humidifiers are for acoustic instruments. Solid body electrics don't need the humidification like that since they are sealed with either Nitro, or Poly or some other type of finish. I always use a humidifier with my Taylors since they have an open body with a sound hole that is just great for allowing air to get to the unfinished wood inside. I've never used one for my solid bodies though. Best thing is to keep them in their case and wipe them down with whatever cleaner/polish that the manufacturer recommends.
modoc_333 Posted January 2, 2009 Posted January 2, 2009 chop' date=' humidifiers are for acoustic instruments. Solid body electrics don't need the humidification like that since they are sealed with either Nitro, or Poly or some other type of finish. I always use a humidifier with my Taylors since they have an open body with a sound hole that is just great for allowing air to get to the unfinished wood inside. I've never used one for my solid bodies though. Best thing is to keep them in their case and wipe them down with whatever cleaner/polish that the manufacturer recommends.[/quote'] not true. first, the fretboard will dry out. it will become brittle and shrink. this leads to problems with the frets staying properly seated. also, moisture can pass through nitro. they aren't as sensitive as acoustics (not even close) but a solidbody can still have problems if it gets to dry or too humid for a long period of time. the fretboard and frets would be the main concern though. he might not need a case humidifier unless the room is very dry. however, it's important to not totally disregard a concern for humidity with solidbodies.
chop Posted January 2, 2009 Author Posted January 2, 2009 Thanks for the information guys, winters can bring some pretty dry air here in Toronto and at the moment the humidifier on my furnace is not working, thus my concern about humidity. Think I will keep a humidifier in the case just in case. Cheers, Chop
MReynolds Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 not true. first' date=' the fretboard will dry out. it will become brittle and shrink. this leads to problems with the frets staying properly seated. also, moisture can pass through nitro. they aren't as sensitive as acoustics (not even close) but a solidbody can still have problems if it gets to dry or too humid for a long period of time. the fretboard and frets would be the main concern though. he might not need a case humidifier unless the room is very dry. however, it's important to not totally disregard a concern for humidity with solidbodies.[/quote'] It's not true if you're like some people and like to hang your guitars on the wall like a music store and you live in a dry climate. It's true if you store your guitar in it's case (in my opinion the prefered method). Fretboard drying out, becoming brittle and shrinking? Bah. I've lived in Colorado as long as I've been playing and have never had this happen with my electrics. As long as you dress the fretboard every so often this won't happen. I'm still playing my 1974 LP Deluxe Goldtop that I bought new...I didn't even know about dressing the fretboards when I was young so needless to say this didn't happen for a long time. I still have the guitar and the fretboard is just fine thank you. No loose frets, no shrinkage. I don't know where you are getting your information, but mine is coming from firsthand experience. I'd like to hear what the people at Gibson say and get their professional opinion.
MReynolds Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 Ok modoc_333, just to let you know I'm not one to admit when I'm wrong, here's the official Gibson tech sheet on the issue: Tech Tips Lacquer Care and Maintenance They're suggesting 45-50% humidity. Normally that's the humidity range suggested for acoustic guitars. In my opinion I think that's a bit extreme, but that's their call.
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