blindboygrunt Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 I posted the link with the wonder of why this happens to Fred in Oklahoma but yet a man can tour the world and not seem to worry about it . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morkolo Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 I posted the link with the wonder of why this happens to Fred in Oklahoma but yet a man can tour the world and not seem to worry about it . I would say it comes down to what it means to each person, "Fred in Oklahoma" may very well be doing all he can to keep his prized possession in pristine shape. Whereas the man touring the world most likely sees his guitar as a tool and that's a completely different mindset. I would imagine very little babying of the instrument if any goes on then, how much of this shows on the guitar after years of use/abuse could be anybodies guess. Does this mean if after a year of touring that if the guitar shows little sign of neglect that the hobby guy should follow suit and give up on "dangling plastic baggies" in his guitar case? I would think not, but that's me... I'll keep my guitars the way they are and leave the Trigger concept to Willie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 I posted the link , not as jerry assumed , to judge the guy in any way. But if what the fella says is true , then all the touring musicians (and we're talking quite a few here) would surely be driven to distraction with their guitars acting different each night or two. A 6% change in humidity from one city to the next is going to be quite common ? No? Never mind a different country. Is this why takamines and Taylors are commonly seen onstage ? Less susceptible to changes ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Probably why the travelling blues guys liked a steel body National, leave the old wood body in the barn: http://www.nationalguitar.com/national_guitar_guitars_vintage/vintage_national_guitar_images/1930_rustolian_main.jpg And recently, carbon fibre guitars... http://www.blackbirdguitar.com/ BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 As some here know, for my Fretboard Journal cover story a couple of years back, I hit the road with Jackson Browne. Jackson travels with a bunch of vintage guitars, mostly Gibsons. Jackson does humidify his guitars. And, today I chatted with Jack Johnson (my upcoming Fretboard Journal cover story). Jack is now humidifying that Pepe Romero, Jr. guitar (and his other guitars). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 As some here know, for my Fretboard Journal cover story a couple of years back, I hit the road with Jackson Browne. Jackson travels with a bunch of vintage guitars, mostly Gibsons. Jackson does humidify his guitars. And, today I chatted with Jack Johnson (my upcoming Fretboard Journal cover story). Jack is now humidifying that Pepe Romero, Jr. guitar (and his other guitars). Do you recall what JB uses for humidifying, JT? You remind me that I need to sort out my subscription for FJ - I paid, got 1 issue that crashed my new iPad, contacted everyone involved, but heard nothing... BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Do you recall what JB uses for humidifying, JT? You remind me that I need to sort out my subscription for FJ - I paid, got 1 issue that crashed my new iPad, contacted everyone involved, but heard nothing... BluesKing777. BK, Regarding Jackson, he travels with gigantic cases that fit about a dozen guitars, standing up. It's maybe 4 feet wide, 10 feet long and 4 feet high. Open 'em up and you've got guitars already in racks. There's some sort of high tech version of the sponge-in-a-baggy-with-holes-punched-in-it in each of the 2 gigantic cases. The roadies carry these cases in a truck and roll them in for the show. Jackson also carries a few guitars in his tour bus. He keeps humidifiers in the cases of these guitars. My burden while traveling with him (Friday through Sunday for 5 weeks) was to play all of these guitars. :( As for your subscription, email me at johnthomasguitar at gmail.com. I'll help you straighten this out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 BK, As for your subscription, email me at johnthomasguitar at gmail.com. I'll help you straighten this out. Thanks JT, but it's Apple I have to get on to - it's clogged in Itunes. I may just sign up for the paper copy - I am a Mac lover but also a book lover... BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Thanks JT, but it's Apple I have to get on to - it's clogged in Itunes. I may just sign up for the paper copy - I am a Mac lover but also a book lover... Well, now you've blown it. I'm pretty sure I could have gotten you a Fretboard Journal T-short as an offer of apology. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Well, now you've blown it. I'm pretty sure I could have gotten you a Fretboard Journal T-short as an offer of apology. :) I want! Sitting here working in my National t-shirt which are great shirts of thicker material than the you know who's....lasted 2 years washing. Maybe Apple will give me a t-shirt? I have been a staunch supporter for years, but I got to say, they ain't answering! BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aster1 Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 [snip] My original question was how common humidifying guitars was amongst the professional musicians , travelling the world , climate to climate locations was. Well just so ya know my undies aren't in any bunch over this topic and it's good to just be able to "visit" about all sides of things. So thanks for the question. I don't know any heavy professional musicians personally, but from what I've seen of their guitars, and the lack of care they get, I don't think they are the "reference" example of maybe anything other than playing them! The beat up trash that most of the real heavy hitters guitar turn into wouldn't be how I'd ever want to keep a guitar, but again that's just me. Look at the photo's of the work overs The Beatles did to their guitars. Painting with paisley's, big holes drilled here & there trying out where to stick a PUP, cracks all over, and strings that maybe were the originals the guitar came with maybe. Would love to have been talented to have written & played like them for sure, not to mention singing even, but would not hold them up as my model as to "care" if you see what I mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 the flip side being they are instruments and tools with which you can make music and in that light the bigger hitting professionals should always be the example…. A proper working band on the road will have a guitar tech with them so although some of the models may look a little worn or a little grimy, their guitars probably see more 'care reviews' than you might imagine… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted January 15, 2014 Author Share Posted January 15, 2014 the flip side being they are instruments and tolls with which you can make music and in that light the bigger hitting professionals should always be the example…. A proper working band on the road will have a guitar tech with them so although some of the models may look a little worn or a little grimy, their guitars probably see more 'care reviews' than you might imagine… Some like 'mojo' , some like them pristine. Some only wear cotton t-shirts and some wear big belts and metal button shirts. Some folk are different than others. Thats just human nature .won't be any different among musicians than truck drivers or lawyers . this is all irrelevant. A musician , if he's the scruffiest guy on the planet or dapper Dan , will surely not put up with rattles and buzzes from one night to the next. I'm sure The Edge has a team of minions to tweak truss rods and spray chanel 5 on his fretboard before each gig. But just your average semi successful musician on the road , according to opinions here , will have an ever changing instrument from night to night. If humidity effects guitars in the way some say then surely , in 2014, a humidifier would be as common in a guitar case on the road as a spare pack of strings and picks ? And yet , it doesnt seem so. I'm beginning to give up caring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 I guess we'd have to bring in various guitars and builds then..... One of the undercurrents of the conversation here is that if you take the average Asian import guitar They're almost impervious to these issues. Another one might be should the touring muso who can't afford a tech to butter his scones and perfume his twisting rod buy a poly covered guitar instead of these fragile 2K+ Gibsons that seem to have to be kept in a controlled environment akin to managing a room full of cryogenic subjects, but probably not as chilly.... :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry K Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 [snip] A musician , if he's the scruffiest guy on the planet or dapper Dan , will surely not put up with rattles and buzzes from one night to the next. I'm sure The Edge has a team of minions to tweak truss rods and spray chanel 5 on his fretboard before each gig. But just your average semi successful musician on the road , according to opinions here , will have an ever changing instrument from night to night. If humidity effects guitars in the way some say then surely , in 2014, a humidifier would be as common in a guitar case on the road as a spare pack of strings and picks ? And yet , it doesnt seem so. I'm beginning to give up caring If you've ever done any traveling with a solid wood guitar, you'll know that it is an ever changing instrument. Even if you don't travel, all you have to do to verify this is get a good tool to measure action at the 12th and a hygrometer. Do some science. You'll find that there is very clear correlation between action and humidity. On a clear, crisp day your guitar will have lower action than on a rainy day. OK, so there was a guy in Atlanta who had crazy low action on his guitar. So low all he had to do was drop the RH several degrees and it started to buzz. This has nothing whatsoever to do with touring musicians! Hello? His action was too low. Nobody who gigs will put it that low because it will buzz when it gets dry enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted January 15, 2014 Author Share Posted January 15, 2014 If you've ever done any traveling with a solid wood guitar, you'll know that it is an ever changing instrument. Even if you don't travel, all you have to do to verify this is get a good tool to measure action at the 12th and a hygrometer. Do some science. You'll find that there is very clear correlation between action and humidity. On a clear, crisp day your guitar will have lower action than on a rainy day. OK, so there was a guy in Atlanta who had crazy low action on his guitar. So low all he had to do was drop the RH several degrees and it started to buzz. This has nothing whatsoever to do with touring musicians! Hello? His action was too low. Nobody who gigs will put it that low because it will buzz when it gets dry enough. You're still missing the point of my question. I have no argument that humidity effects wood. Of course it does. I dont need to study . I'm wondering why the musicians dont seem to bother about it. When surely a professional musician needs his guitar to be in a better playable shape than some guy in his bedroom . Secondly , if it is a big an issue as folk say , then a musicians guitar would be all over the place . why not bother doing anything when a $20 humidifier will fix this issue? (There's really no need for the condescending attitude jerry. I'd be more worried about damaging a guitar falling off that high horse youre on than any humidity issues :) ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry K Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 You're still missing the point of my question. I have no argument that humidity effects wood. Of course it does. I dont need to study . I'm wondering why the musicians dont seem to bother about it. When surely a professional musician needs his guitar to be in a better playable shape than some guy in his bedroom . Secondly , if it is a big an issue as folk say , then a musicians guitar would be all over the place . why not bother doing anything when a $20 humidifier will fix this issue? (There's really no need for the condescending attitude jerry. I'd be more worried about damaging a guitar falling off that high horse youre on than any humidity issues :) ) If we distill your problem to its essence, you don't believe that humidity affects guitars that much. In your view, ok it has some effect but just not that much. This is why I tell you: do some science so you will understand what people are talking about. This is readily quantifiable. You are just spouting opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 In the mid 1990s I owned a Gibson J200 that I kept out in the living room on a stand, near the piano. I did not humidify it, and it stayed out on the stand; I played it a lot, and it looked like a piece of art as well. Well anyways, in the winter the humidity can drop into the 20s, which it did, for about six weeks. One Saturday morning I was reading and I hear a loud pop. Had no idea what it was. Later in the day I picked up the guitar, and there was a huge crack in the top. That was the loud pop I heard. I humidify now. My guitars stay out, in the office which is a smaller room, and when humidity and the temp drops, a Vicks warm air mist humidifier hoes on, with distilled water, and the humidity is maintained at about 40%. My guitars sound great and the play great. I am a guy who never gets the extended warranty, and who fights with his wife over her wanting to buy insurance to insure for every possible outcome in life. But I humidify. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry K Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Tell 'em, Sal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Hello? Hello to you too, Jerry... Here was me thinking we weren't speaking too. Nobody who gigs will put it that low because it will buzz when it gets dry enough. Wrong! Do some homework.... Both Jerry Reed and more recently Tommy Emmanuel are heavily documented about just how low they liked the action and other people having a hard time playing their guitars due to buzzing. That'll be the tip of the iceberg too, I bet there's a great many players out there with the lightest of touches who operate at far lower action heights than would be comfortable for most. Had you said these type of fellas were perhaps more susceptible I'd agree, but that's a couple of heavy hitters you're denying existed there. Wrong, wrong, wrong.... When surely a professional musician needs his guitar to be in a better playable shape than some guy in his bedroom . Agreed.... Secondly , if it is a big an issue as folk say , then a musicians guitar would be all over the place . why not bother doing anything when a $20 humidifier will fix this issue? (There's really no need for the condescending attitude jerry. I'd be more worried about damaging a guitar falling off that high horse youre on than any humidity issues :) ) I wonder if the 24 hour intensive care &OCD brigade appreciate just how good some of these pro players really are then... given that they dont all keep their guitars hooked up to these soggy bags like it was a heart monitor. To play & sound that well on guitars that aren't looked after while the most looked after fumble and plonk their way through a G, C & D here and there.... life is full of ironies eh? As we had JT in earlier, recently touring with his wartime SJ and the same guitar had actually gone to war so to speak... wonder if it would have the same appeal and sound as good had it been glass cased, humidified etc.... I'm guessing not. Doesn't it seem like we're making an industry out of something that guitar players have got by without for the last couple of hundred years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted January 15, 2014 Author Share Posted January 15, 2014 Heavens above. I havent spouted anything. I have asked , repeatedly , why its popular to humidify among us forumites , and yet someone who's livelihood depends on his instrument doesn't. I find this weird , and would love to hear from those who are involved with professional musicians with more info about on the road humidifiers or lack of them. I have already stated that I dont need to humidify because of where I live . and if I ever move to a dry climate I will most likely buy a humidifier. I'm am not , most definitely NOT, saying that anyone is wrong for humidifying. If I have any beef about the issue , it would simply be that some poor kid buys a humidifier after reading forum posts because he thinks he needs one in an environment that doesnt require it. Perhaps worsening his guitar with lack of knowledge .but thats neither here nor there. I now have a headache from banging it against a brick wall and I'm going to lie down . Good grief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry K Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Isn't it interesting how this is turning into a disagreement between older people who have managed to crack a few guitars and young folk who have yet to? Someday they'll believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry K Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Heavens above. I havent spouted anything. I have asked , repeatedly , why its popular to humidify among us forumites , and yet someone who's livelihood depends on his instrument doesn't. I find this weird , and would love to hear from those who are involved with professional musicians with more info about on the road humidifiers or lack of them. I have already stated that I dont need to humidify because of where I live . and if I ever move to a dry climate I will most likely buy a humidifier. I'm am not , most definitely NOT, saying that anyone is wrong for humidifying. If I have any beef about the issue , it would simply be that some poor kid buys a humidifier after reading forum posts because he thinks he needs one in an environment that doesnt require it. Perhaps worsening his guitar with lack of knowledge .but thats neither here nor there. I now have a headache from banging it against a brick wall and I'm going to lie down . Good grief. OK, your "beef" about supposed hordes of forumites, brainwashed by the humidity police, who humidify when they don't need to - could this be you, perhaps? - is hereby officially noted and registered in the log. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted January 15, 2014 Author Share Posted January 15, 2014 Isn't it interesting how this is turning into a disagreement between older people who have managed to crack a few guitars and young folk who have yet to? Someday they'll believe. youre only seeing what you want to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry K Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Also people who do their own saddle adjustments understand about that guy in Atlanta. People who don't have trouble believing that could happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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