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I ran into a bit of an issue with my back. I have been having one heck of a battle with the humidity in my apt. (i live in the basement and have no control over the temp in the house) I have watched my humidity plumet from 40's to high 20's over the last few months, I have my humidifier working 24/7 and can't get it over 30. last night as I was looking over my pieces to see if anything is breaking (nothing so far, crossing my fingers) I noticed that on my edges of my back due to the dry enviroment has caused the wood to warp against the radius of my braces giving it a concave look and with no give at all, if I try to bend it at all, I hear cracking. im getting very concerned, is there anyway to reverse this issue because im afraid it won't hold out til spring when the humidity will return back to normal

Thanks

Seal it in a plastic garbage bag and add a damp sponge in an open plastic baggie. Check it every few days and dampen the sponge if necessary.

Michael step one is to rehumidify the guitar so if you can't get the humidity up in your living space get a guitar case humidifier, Planet Waves makes one that I use, and put the guitar in the case with a humidifier and be sure to recharge the humidifier as needed. Let the humidity come up in the case over time. If your case leaks or has a poor seal wrap the case in a couple of garbage bags. Once the guitar is humidified then you can asses what if anything needs to be fixed.

Relative humidity is not the easiest thing for us to get a handle on in as much as there are lots of nuances that can work against us. For example warmer air holds humidity better so if your place is kept on the cool side that can get in the way of raising the humidity. Another thing that bites people is when trying to dehumidify is that many of today's dehumidifiers will not work well under 70F...

Anyway rehumidify your guitar and then assess what the damage, if any, may be. I can't tell you how many times this time of year we see guitars brought in to the shop simply because the owner let them dry out. It's probably Guitar Public Enema Number One....

Good luck

I would get a larger humidifier or a second one, also check whatever membranes or sponge that provide the water to the air and make sure they are clean and that the air can pass through and around them. I had my furnace humidifier die back in Early December and the new one works way better than the old one. I can hold 45% constantly and ir doesn't rum every time the furnace kicks in, probably cleaner membrane is the biggest difference. I changed the old units membrane every 2 or 3 years and soaked it out every fall. I guess I will just replace the membrane every year from now on, it is cheaper than the damage to guitars and tonewood that I would get without humidity.

Fred

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Fred Tellier
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I have had this happen also. Last winter I built a guitar with spruce and rosewood and had no problems. This year has been different. I'm building a guitar w mahogany top, back and sides. I glued the bracing on in November. I haven't attached the top or back to the rim yet, and about a week or two ago, the top and back shrank and became concave.

I was considering removing all the bracing and building in current dry conditions so that I know it won't crack on me now, or in the future.

it sounds like Michael is having a hard time maintaining humidity in his appt. isn't a bag with a sponge only going to be a temporary fix? wouldn't removing the braces and applying new ones be a sure way to get a good end result?

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"...you have to get over your strict adherence to your largely imagined notion of absolute perfection..."