Is this too much belly bulge?

[j45nick]

I have a newer J200 and it bellied up over the summer and the bridge is higher than the frets which puts the action way higher than I prefer.

 

 

That's high humidity for you. I assume it comes back down over the winter, when humidity is lower.

[Dave F]

That's high humidity for you. I assume it comes back down over the winter, when humidity is lower.

 

This will be the first winter for it, it was built this past March. I hope it comes back down.

I read that you can weigh a guitar to tell if it's holding too much moisture.

Does anyone have info on that as far as what weight range a J200 should fall into?

[j45nick]

This will be the first winter for it, it was built this past March. I hope it comes back down.

I read that you can weigh a guitar to tell if it's holding too much moisture.

Does anyone have info on that as far as what weight range a J200 should fall into?

 

 

Weight varies from instrument to instrument. There is no "generic" J-200 weight. Unless you have a precision scale, I doubt that you will see enough weight difference to make a judgment based on weight as function of moisture content. You are better off going by the physical characteristics, such as the height of the action. The moisture content of the wood normally varies through a relatively narrow range.

 

You need a good hygrometer in the room where your guitars are stored and/or played. Record changes in humidity at the same time very day over the course of a few weeks, and measure the string clearance at the 12th fret at the same time. You should see a pattern emerging that will show you how action varies with changes in humidity. These changes are perfectly normal, and do not indicate a flaw in the guitar.

 

Ideally, of course, your guitars are stored in a perfectly stable environment, but that rarely happens.

 

If the humidity gets very low--say, below 40% on a regular basis--you have to seriously consider humidifying it.